Is Brussels really worth visitng???

In my estimation Brussels' Grand Place is one of the great sights of Western Europe. It's extremely close to the Central train station. Well worth a half day excursion to me.

I wouldn't go far out of my way to see it, but the Grand Place is something to behold. It will take your breath away and makes a fine place to have a waffle and chocolate. We spent about three hours there on the way to Bruges and loved it. I'm sure people with the time and inclination to explore further could find numerous other worthy gems in Brussels. But with so many other more interesting places not far away, I would not spend more time there on a quick trip. But a quick, on-the-way-to-somewhere-else stop? Absolutely.

Brussels is my least favorite large city in europe and will not make a return trip in the future. The city did not feel as safe as other large cities and seemed to have a sizable homeless population.

Byron, I am sorry to hear that! We are flying into Brussels, so I guess we might spend a few hours there and then go to Bruges. Thanks!

We spent a few hours there en route between Bruges and Paris. I regretted not having time to see the main art museum. Bruges also has a nice (small) art museum of Flemish art. The Grand Place is really special, and the streets in that general area are interesting to wander. I would not spend three nights there or anything, but might be worth two nights and one full day, with one of the night being the day of arrival.

Yes! The Grand Place is pretty mind-blowing. And thanks to Bets for noting that Belgian beer is a wonderful thing. :D

Brussels gets increasingly interesting the more I visit it. Brugge is the exact opposite. Admittedly, Brugge is far more immediately tourist friendly, and Brussels is definitely grittier and the areas of interest are far more dispersed. But it has a surprisingly collection of interesting museums, some of the nicest urban parks on the continent, and probably the most eclectic mix of architectural styles of any European capital city. Yes, it has it's share of ugly post-war concrete blocks, but it also contains great examples of medieval Brabant Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassical, and in particular, Art Nouveau, and probably the world's only example of an Art Deco cathedral. In my opinion, the people who say Brussels is only the Grand Place, Mannekin Pis and nothing else say that because they never left the area around Brussel Centraal station.

Although Brussels is not among my favorite places in Belgium, there are many important and attractive things to do there. Without repeating previous suggestions (... who wouldn't want to see "The Death of Marat" and "The Fall of Icarus"!): After that superb group of major art museums, the Bozar has large and varied art exhibitions that tend to be family-friendly, without talking-down to teens and children at all. There's the newer Magritte Museum (a special interest, from my point of view), the famous Musical Instrument Museum, the fascinating, newer Coudenberg Palace museum, completely underground, because it's about the recently found "foundations" of the buildings. The cathedral is lovely. The Place du Grand Sablon is also beautiful but also teaches about medieval life and Belgian history. And I still haven't mentioned anyplace you can't walk to from the Central Station, or anything about the European parliament. Perhaps you've heard about economic problems in Europe that might affect ... you ... and ... me? (Although I haven't personally experienced it, I was disturbed to read about alleged dishonest pricing and ordering practices at some of the flashy restaurants on the very, very scenic street-of-restaurants.)

I usually mention this in Brussels posts, but I forgot on my last one... the Royal Military Museum has probably the single largest collection of material from the world wars that I have ever seen, including items from nearly every combatant nation. Half of the museum focuses on Belgian military uniforms and equipment throughout the ages, and hence, is probably of interest only to a specialist, but the world war sections are amazing.

No one has mentioned the incredible beers and ales yet. Each meal was a pleasure trying a new brew. I would avoid that restaurant street, though. We saw a fixed menu we liked, went inside and asked for it but was told it wasn't available; they wanted to sell another more expensive one. So we got up and left. It wasn't a language misunderstanding, as two out of three of us were native French speakers.

Brendon, There are plenty of things to do in Brussels to keep on busy for several days. Activities range from the Belgium Comic Strip Center to the Herge Museum, from Margritte (sp?) home to Art Nouveau, and thrown in the EU headquarters. Something for pretty much everyone to enjoy. Edwin

"to the Herge Museum" Just note, though, that the Herge Museum is well outside of Brussels in Louvain-La-Neuve, about halfway to Charleroi.

YES! I spent four nights in Brussels last year (this included a day trip to Ghent) and loved every second of it. The Grand Place is one of the best things I've ever seen. Loved looking in all the shop windows and loved the food and beer.

the Royal Military Museum- a rarity in Europe...a free museum! That was pretty nice...they have planes hanging from the ceiling and military vehicles. And also quite a few uniforms as someone else mentioned. But the vehicles and planes were interesting. There is an antique car museum across from it- not free. (didn't go in there). Restaurant Row with annoying waiters trying to get you to go to their restaurant. The Mannequin Pis "sister" hides out over there. There's a bar called the Delirium Cafe with 2000+ different beers. The Belgians are pretty serious about their beer- even have special glasses for each brand. I spent an afternoon in Bruges...I dunno wasn't too crazy about it. I did see the Michelangelo sculpture. Had some tasty chocolate at Dumons. Delicious waffle with strawberries and cream- not like American waffles kind of sweet tasting. Toured a brewery...went up to the top of the Bell Tower. Check out In Bruges- a black comedy with Bruges as a central character. I went there to visit a friend of mine from the US who was living there and to see U2 last September in Brussels. I flew in to Brussels and took a Thayls train to Paris for a night and then took off to Rome for 3 nights...came back to Brussels for 3 nights. You can take a train from the airport right in to Brussels. For the most part, it is a fairly ordinary looking city. The Grand Place is nice and they have some nice parks. There are also some art museums and the musical instrument museum. I went to the Louvre in Paris and then the Vatican & Capitoline Museum in Rome- so I passed on the art museums. It ain't Paris or Rome but if you are already there, there are things you can do that are fairly easy to get to.

I was there this summer as we wanted a base to see Waterloo and we were not expecting much. We were really surprised how much we liked it there and wished we had more time. We stayed at http://www.novotel.com/gb/hotel-1030-novotel-brussels-off-grand-place/index.shtml. Perfect location. There is a walking tour given out of the Grand Palace square that was fabulous. You can easily take the train to Bruges for the day. Train is next door to the hotel. The chocolate, waffles and BEER are their specialties!