we will be spending 4 days in brussels and are interested in finding the best places to see while we are there. Any restaurant <BR>tips would also be helpful.

My top 3: <BR> <BR>1. The beers in Belgium are the best. Very different from US, OK, or German brews. Each has their own special glass. <BR> <BR>2. The churches are beautiful, as well as the central square. <BR> <BR>3. A short walk is the Manekin Pis. A cute statue that I like, mostly because my dad saw it many years ago and gave me a souvenier statue when I was little. <BR> <BR>

If you're going in Oct, bring an umbrella and rain gear! What a nightmare when I visited in Sept last year (and be careful walking across streets -- I LITERALLY got blown into the street because of the wind, and my umbrella turned inside out twice). Ugh. Still had fun though. When I got back to France and told people about the awful weather, I was told, "that's Brussels!" Because of the weather I could only take about a half a dozen photos. I can laugh about it now... <BR> <BR>Bruges is definately worth a day trip. You can even do Paris in a day. It depends on your energy level, but Brussels was not a 4 day trip for me. Two full days would have been plenty. I can't remember all the museums, but I remember the two I didn't get to -- the brasserie museum (sounded interesting) and the BD museum (aren't too many like it -- and Belgium is the home of Tin Tin). I did go to the museum of the city (can't remember names and all my travel info is packed up) and saw the outfits for Mannekin Pis. The lace museum wasn't really worth it (I didn't think) but the lace center in Bruges was WONDERFUL and it has a museum also (which I thought was better than the one in Brussels). <BR> <BR>No restaurant tips, but a chocolate tip! Neuhaus! ohmyheavens!! THE BEST I've had (and I always thought Godiva was the best). Truffles. LOVE their truffles. <BR> <BR>Sorry I can't help you more, but knowing about the weather ahead of time would have been helpful to me. <BR> <BR>Oh! The art deco buildings -- Brussels is the "home" of art deco, if I remember my Smithsonian magazine (the article was in an issue last year, I believe) correctly. <BR> <BR>You're going in an "r" month -- oysters! They'll be EVERYWHERE!! <BR> <BR>Good luck, stay dry!

The number one sight, of course, is the Grand'Place. After that, I suggest you take a walk up to the Sablon area, which is filled with top quality antique shops, cafes, chocolate shops, etc. Will you be there on a Monday or Sunday? One of the best but least known museums in Brussels is the Musee David and Alice Van Buren--it's a mansion filled with artwork and sculpture, including works by Van Gogh, Bruegels and Ensor. Very beautiful gardens as well, including a small maze. It's located in a nice residential neighborhood (a very good inexpensive little hotel, Les Tourelles, is nearby). Open Sunday and Monday afternoons, about 2 to 5:30 pm. If you like Art Nouveau, the Horta House on rue Americaine is a must see. Brussels does have some good museums--in addition to the art museum, there's one for musical instruments (beautiful Art Nouveau building and great view from the top), military exhibits, cars, African art. <BR>Skip the Atomium. It's more kitsch than anything else. Take a stroll up the Avenue Louise. Do you like cats? Pop into the Park Tenbosch to mingle with the 20 cats that live there--they're friendly to people (they have their own little houses and are fed 2x a day, plus get regular vet care). Stop by the Ixelles Ponds and feed the ducks, then walk up through the pretty little Jardin du Roy park. <BR>Re restaurants, good ones include La Manufacture on rue Notre Dame du Soleil, Atelier de la Truffe on the Avenue Louise (great for lunch), Au Vieux St. Martin on the Sablon. And there are a whole raft of moderately priced, non tourist restaurants in the Chatelain and Chaussee de Waterloo neighborhoods... <BR>Please email me privately (no attachments, though) if you'd like more information. <BR>BTilke (Brussels)

Restaurants Near the Grand Place (in the Ilot Sacré) : <BR>l'Ogenblik in the Galerie des Princes (off the rue des Bouchers, which is lined with restaurants both good and bad) Great food (tables are quite close together) <BR> <BR>Aux Armes de Bruxelles - a Belgian institution - on the rue des Bouchers. Excellent <BR> <BR>Rotisserie Vincent.... just off the rue des Bouchers. You walk through the kitchen to get to the dining rooms. ANother old Brussels favorite. They only take reservations for early in the evening - then it's first come, first served. <BR> <BR>In the Place Ste. Catherine (the old fish market area) <BR>François - great seafood <BR> <BR>La Sirene d'Or - again , great seafood <BR> <BR>Near the Bois: La Truffe Noire (Luigi also owns l'Atelier de la Truffe on the corner of avenue Louise and Vleurgat, which BTilke mentioned) <BR> <BR>If you decide to drive out to Waterloo to visit the famous battlegrounds and the Lion, and take the Chaussee de Waterloo - stop for lunch at the Brasserie Georges - a typical brasserie, excellent fresh seafood <BR> <BR>If you want to get dressed up and have an elegant meal - try one of these. Lunch is always great to have because they usually have reasonably priced menus - Just be aware that you should make reservations sometimes a month in advance for dinner. <BR>In the Grand Place - La Maison du Cyne <BR> <BR>In the Bois (the forrest on the edge of the city) - La Villa Lorraine <BR> <BR>Downtown - Comme chez Soi (often you need a reservation here two months in advance - it's a Michelin 3 star) <BR> <BR>In the Sablon - (also a great area for antiques - and the antique market on the weekend) L'Ecaillier du Palais Royal.... speciality is seafood <BR> <BR>Here are a few things to see in Brussels.... <BR> <BR>The Grand Place, of course. A beautiful square in the heart of the old town (l'Ilot Sacré) with all of the guild houses surrounding it. There's a sound and light show starting in the spring... and since they've cleaned the Hotel de VIlle, it's beautiful. <BR> <BR>If you like Art Nouveau architecture and design.... <BR>Visit Victor Horta's house and museum on the rue Americaine. <BR>See the Comic Book Museum, housed in a superb example of Horta's work, rue des Sables <BR> <BR>Museums - Modern Art Museum, Beaux Arts, Cinquantenaire Museums (One is a fabulous antique car collection, the other is the Air Museum), Costume and Lace museum, Espace Méridien, Espace Yitzhak Rabin, Royal Museum of Africa in Tervuren. <BR> <BR>If you're there on a weekend - visit the Antique Market in the Sablon on Saturday and Sunday... browse through the antique shops in the area as well. The rest of the week there is a flea market every morning in the Place du Jeu de Balle... you can find some great stuff if you're there early enough (like 6 am) <BR> <BR>Like to shop ? Visit the Avenue Louise area... stores galore, including all the famous names like Hermés, Chanel, Versace, Delvaux (gorgeous leather handbags), Louis Vuitton, etc. <BR> <BR>Enjoy the performing arts - there is ballet, theatre (much of it in English), rock concerts at Forest-National. Pick up a copy of the English language magazine The Bulletin for listings of all the above...including Walking tours in English. <BR> <BR>PB <BR>

out of the 11 countries i travelled in europe these past 3 weeks, brussels is my most worst place that i visited, told my frens they can't pay me to go there again...of cos Grand Palace is worth a look but you see a look of such squares in Europe which look even grander than Grand Palace and the Manneken Pis is hidden is such a small corner and makes me thot why is everyone staring at the wall until I found out for myself...anyway the streets are dirty and stinking and I saw ppl who throw up on the streets and 24 hrs later, it is still there...makes me wonder why would the EU want to set up their HQ there...total disappointment, and lots of their places of interests are full of scaffolding, under renovation and i was told usually such renovation only take place in winter when there is less tourist, bull shit, I went there in summer mind you...and I went to the parc of buxelles..a park of cos but all i see is grass and fountains...hey pls...show me some flowers at least...

Unfortunately, most visitors to Brussels spend too much time in the Grand'Place area and not enough seeing the more attractive parts of the city elsewhere. While the Grand'Place itself is gorgeous, of course, the immediate neighborhood is not that great. I highly suggest people planning to visit Brussels give some thought to staying in any of the many nice hotels AWAY from the Grand Place. If you can afford to splurge, for example, Le Chatelain is a gorgeous 5-star all suite hotel in the great Chatelain neighborhood, a section filled with excellent, non-touristy restaurants, shops, and parks. The streets are clean there! Or the Barsey Hotel up near the lovely little Jardin du Roi. Budget travelers would do better to stay in Les Tourelles on the tree lined residential Ave. Winston Churchill than in the less attractive, noisy budget hotels near the Grand Place. <BR>The Stockel neighborhood is pretty, safe and very clean, the Woluwe parks are wonderful for strolling. There is much about Brussels that is VERY pleasant--but you have to be willing to do some research and also be willing to tear yourself away from the overcrowded, overtouristed warrens of streets outside the Grand'Place. <BR>BTilke (Brussels)

Though Brussels is an interesting city with lots of fine restaurants and museums - so I'm told because i don't care that much for either - to me it's about the ugliest "tourist" city in Europe, with much of the older town demolished for now tacky mdoern development. If I had four days here i'd spend at least two on day trips - to canal-laced Brugge first of all, one of the dreamiest cities in northern Europe and about an hour away by rail, or to Gent or Antwerp, two other cities much more the romantic Europe of your dreams than smoggy boisterous hectic Brussels. That's just my opinion and everyone is looking for something different so you may well enjoy Brussels more than these other towns. It just seems folks have heard of Brussels and not much about the other three towns so plan their time there.

Hi Pat! I visited Brussels 3 times. Unfortunately my impression of the city only gets worse everytime. <BR>I would strongly recommend Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent by train. You only need one day to see Grand Place & other downtown tourist spots. I have done the "nice neighborhoods" absorption strolls, they lack warmth/charm/life for me.

spend 2 hrs around the grand place then hop a train to bruge.

Just got back from Brussels yesterday, spent 3 days in Brugge, last day & night in Brussels before flying back (by the way the Sabena area in the Brussels airport was a huge mess of people on Monday--now we know why). Anyway, we were disappointed in Brussels, especially compared to Brugge and Amsterdam. We stayed in the Radisson SAS (near Grand Place) and were happy with the hotel room (standard business style hotel, but very comfortable). We walked around the Grand Place, and then tried a walking tour of the city but found that it was mostly Government and office buildings. Since we were there on Sunday, nothing was open and the streets were deserted. The Grand Place is something to see, but it was very touristy and the restaurants surrounding it looked like tourist traps. Brugge had a much larger picturesque area and less of a "tourist trap" feeling (although it did have a lot of tourists).

Gosh, I just went to Belgium (from Paris) this spring and was REALLY pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed myself immensely. I don't think you need 4 days in Brussels, but I spent 2.5 full days there and 3 days in Brugges and 1 in Ghent (which was probably my least favorite place). I loved the museums - the Flemish paintings were wonderful! I also went to the musical instrument museum which I enjoyed. The churches were gorgeous. Restaurants that I enjoyed included Basta Pasta and there is a restaurant next door to it whose name escapes me right now (these are both down a side alley). The comic book museum was pretty cool as well. I'd strongly suggest stopping in at the visitor's center in the Grand Place (located in the town hall). They were most helpful to me with various suggestions. <BR> <BR>Brugges is really very lovely and I'd recommend a trip there as well.

We were in Brussels this past June, and although I liked Brugge much better, Brussels was enjoyable, too. I don't have the restaurant name at my fingertip, but there was a cellar restaurant on the Grand Place that was worth visiting. Even though it was a Rick Steves recommended place, I didn't see many other Americans. Had a wonderful Chicken Waterzooi. Enjoyed the Grand Place in the late evening, and eating a waffle with fresh strawberries at a sidewalk cafe at 11:30pm. So not like my everyday life!