My wife and I are going to be in London in August. We're thinking about taking the Eurostar to Brussels for a day of sightseeing. Is this doable and can we get a good feel for Brussels in about 8 hours?
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9100 posts
Yeah, it's doable most of the popular tourist attractions are clustered in a small area around Centraal Station:
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Brussels really takes about two days to appreciate. You can see the most famous sites around Centraal station within an hour or so, but the more interesting museums, Art Deco buildings and some of Europe´s most pleasant urban parks lie further afield. To many visitors who don´t venture out, Brussels is just the Grand Place, Mannekin Pis and some waffle and chocolate shops surrounded by a cluster of dirty modern buildings. Away from the tourist crowds, however, a whole new city opens up (Brugge, in my opinion, works just the opposite. Instantly beautiful, but less interesting and attractive the farther you explore from the center.).
Posted by
OP
Fishers, Indiana
82 posts
Great information guys! Thanks for your input. It seems that we could cover more ground in a short period of time in Brussels than Paris for example. I think it might be a good way to at least get a feel for Brussels in a short period of time.
Posted by
Spring, Texas
635 posts
I did the Grand Place walk-about several times when I was working for an unnamed Belgian company. It's a reasonably enjoyable couple of hours. Most of the outer attractions require some logistical planning and I was less that over-whelmed. I went to Bruge once. It was definitely worth the train ride but I wouldn't put it on my "bucket list."