Flight in at 12:30 and flight out at 20:30. Are there any afternoon half day tours how far is it from airport to city. What would be the best way to spend the afternoon in Brussels, all help and ideas welcome, Thanks

Just grab a cab and go to the Grand Platz, buy a tour brochure, and wander around. Eat at Armes de Bruxelles in the restaurant district right off the Platz. The specialty is mussels but there is an extensive menu. It's a pleasant area and you will feel secure.

The above suggestion is a fine one. After touring the Grand Platz area, a few nearby cathedrals are worth a walk to as well. Otherwise, you will have seen most all of the top sights - believe it or not!

Richard: Rent a car and drive down to Waterloo
battlefield, just 10 miles south of Brussels.
Waterloo is where Napoleon was defeated by
allied forces led by Duke of Wellington in 1815.
All sites are nearby(museums etc.) There is
a nice museum in Waterloo and visitors center
at battlefield. Driving in Belgium is no problem
and the countryside is beautiful. I have been
there 3 times. At one time during battle 225,000
men were concentrated in an area of 3 square
miles. Regards, Ed

In October I had 6 hours in Brussels due to a flight connection. I wanted to go to Waterloo but by the time I'd seen the Grand Place etc I didn't have time. With eight hours I'd definitely do it. There's a train link from the airport to the centre of Brussels, much cheaper than the taxi option.
As well as the Grand Place stroll down to the Mannekin Pis, a statue of a small boy peeing into a fountain, an unofficial symbol of Brussels.
I used the metro to travel out to the atomium a giant atom structure built for the 1958 World Fair it's quite impressive and there are various other exhibitions on the site. The metro system is fairly good although a bit old and dirty in places. Many stations have been decorated with art work which is supposed to be very good (I was on the wrong route to see it).

I forgot to say the train took around 30mins.