karenc8898

My niece and I are stopping in Brussels on our way from Paris to Amsterdam, and I was looking for some specific information on how to spend a few hours in Brussels. Our goals are pretty simple - grab lunch and a beer, buy some chocolate, look around, and then back to the train and off to Amsterdam.

Any specific places you can recommend? Our train arrives in Brussels at 10:30a, and we leave for Amsterdam at about 4:30.

This is part of a 16 day trip for my niece and I - her father is sending us for her 18th birthday/high school graduation.

RainyDay09

with the limited time that you have, just head over to Grand Markt - the main square of Brussels. You will see the famous Town Hall and get the restaurants and chocolate shops you are looking for. It is fairly close to another tourist destination - Manneken Pis (the Boy Peeing sculpture). Here is more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Place.

farrermog

The St Hubert Gallery/ arcade complex about 5 mins walk from Brussels Central station and leading to the Grand Place -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galerie...s_Saint-Hubert

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel...bert-BR-1.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Place

I was there for a couple of nights just last week, staying at the very well located Scandic Grand Place hotel, virtually across the road from the Gallery. On the corner between the hotel and the Gallery is the well known beer cafe A la Mort Subite, perhaps not the kind of place you and your niece might think about, but the weekday clientele was mainly central business district and cosmo locals and a few tourists.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...-Brussels.html

Exquisite chocolatiers, shops and interesting looking cafes in the Gallery.

Your train, probably the Thalys, from Paris will most likely terminate at the main international rail station Brussels Midi, also known as Zuid (South), so, given the time you have available, you'd be advised to take the metro to Central and probably back to Midi for your train to Amsterdam (but check to see whether the latter stops at Central - last week a train I took from Holland - well, Maastricht on a day trip back to Brussels - stopped at Central on the way back to Midi, so yours may stop there on the way out.)

maxima

You should head for the Grand Place.. a beautiful historic area.. you can buy chocolates by the gram or box.. I prefer leonides over godovia. and while there are many touristy restaurants in the the area to avoid.. one of the best places is aux armes du bruxelles.. you can get a beer, a plate of mussels and frites(fries) or other typical Belgium food .if its nice you can eat outside though it can be expensive.
if you are on a budget there are many waffle vendors for a light meal.and la mort subite for a beer the varieties are endless.
I recall the Gallery mentioned by others as having extremely expensive shops. City Hall is interesting but is not open every day for tourists. check out the govt tourist web site for information about the Grand Place and surrounding area .

november_moon

I'd defintely head to the Grand Place and Leonides is where I'd buy the chocolate.

There is a restaurant on the Grand Place called Le Roy which is pretty good with decent prices. They have a terrace where you can sit out with a nice view of the Grand Place.

karenc8898

Thanks so much! Exactly the kind of info I was looking for!

Coll

I would add to try to get to the Grand Sablon as well. It is a relatively short walk from the Grand Place and Gare Centrale. There are tons of great cafes with outdoor seating and some beautiful shops as well as many chocolate shops--Pierre Marcolini, Wittamer, Neuhaus, Godiva, Leonidas and Passion Chocolat, a small artisan chocolatier. The hot chocolate at Wittamer is amazing. The Petit Sablon, just above the Grand Sablon, is worth walking through if you make it to that area. It has a beautiful fountain and gardens. Enjoy!

Weekender

I just spent last Saturday in Brussels and agree with Coll. The Grand Sablon/Petit Sablon is an easy walk from the Grand Place and would be a good place to have lunch. Frankly, I much preferred that area to the Grand Place.