What to See/Do in Brussels??
 

Hi All
I have been tasked with providing a guideline for a group of 5 for 3 days in Belgium. We will initially go to Brussels. I have no idea what we should try to do or see in the limited time we have there and I know virtually nothing about the country.
We are mostly into scenery, food, wine, castles, some art galleries (although just came from Paris) and relaxing. Any suggestions will be really appreciated. Thanks.

Shrink

What have you already found that you liked in the guide book?

Let's start from there and we'll get an idea of what things interest you.

The Grand Place, obviously. I think we all recommend things we're thinking about doing ourselves. I'm planning on going to the Central Africa Museum located just outside Brussels this summer. It's full of stuff King Leopold plundered from the Congo.

Some have described the museum as a "museum of a museum," meaning that it is old fashioned. It's being closed later this year and will be closed for five years for "modernization." I'm sure this means it will be ruined, so see it now or never.

I saw it 35 years ago and it was pretty neat.

Just a few thoughts in response to what you say you like.
* there is a castle at Beersel outside Brussels, a real medieval castle with a moat. It's about 20km out of the city by train. There is also the remains of a city gate in Brussels, the Porte de Hal, which has a small museum inside with suits of armour. (Metro: Porte de Hal)
* you might like the Magritte Museum if you like art. It's quite a new museum. And I always recommend the Horta Museum for Art Nouveau. It is probably the stand-out attraction for me after the Grand' Place.
* amazing food wherever you go. I don't normally recommend restaurants because they can change so rapidly but food is a big part of the Belgian identity and it's good everywhere.
* try to fit in some beer tasting, as there are a lot of good cafés in Brussels. Falstaff is a traditional café with Art Nouveau decoration. You might also like the cafés clustered around Place-St-Géry or the seafood restaurants around St-Catherine.
* Yeah, the African museum at Tervuren. Positives and negatives for me. It is, as FHurdle says, a bit old-fashioned (exhibits in glass cases), but the changing displays are modern enough, and it is a massive museum, enough for a whole afternoon. The tram ride there also ranks as Brussels' prettiest, as it's on the outskirts of town in a beautiful parkland setting. What makes me a little unhappy about the museum is the bad record Belgium had in the Congo, which is doubtless where many of the specimens derive from, but this is obviously the sort of thing that modernization will address. I would welcome this.

More tips or ideas if you want them, just say the word.

Lavandula

These walking trails through Brussels are new:

http://www.brussels.be/artdet.cfm/6872

Try them out and let us know how you went!

Lavandula

Lavandula
Thank you so much for the info. We are tenatively planning day trips to Bruges and Ghent unless you disagree with that. The Google info on them looks great. Again thanks for the help.\
Shrink

I loved Bruges, particularly after the daytrippers left in the evening. Stay the night if you can.

Check out some videos on Hulu and YouTube. Rick Steves's Belgium PBS special can be seen for free on Hulu. I also got a Globe Trekker DVD out of the library on Belgium (I'm going next month myself - been to Brussels once for a few hours years ago). I'm not planning a return to Brussels except perhaps for a few hours in the evening to see the square at night. Brussels is a very pleasant town, easy to get around and with a few attractions but not particular exciting. I wouldn't want to spend many evenings there.

I'm going to Bruges, Antwerp, and Ghent.

Bruges and Ghent are excellent to visit, as is Antwerp. I know them from day trips from Brussels so I am probably not the one to promote them as there are many people here who have spent more time there. But you will easily fill time there, and there are a lot of photo opportunities.

If you don't find the nightlife very exciting in Brussels you are probably looking in the wrong areas, as there is a huge population with a very high disposable income (all the expats / EU people) and an active social life in the city. Brussels does cafés very well (and by cafés I mean somewhere that serves beer, not strictly a coffee establishment). The Place-St-Gery area is buzzing full of people after dark moving from one café to the next. The Rue Jourdan area near Louise is full of little restaurants. Louise and the Avenue Toison D'Or itself is alive with people at night. There is a cinema there and cafés close by, and another cinema at Porte de Namur. (V.O. = version originale if you want to see it in English.) See a classical music concert at BOZAR (Palais des Beaux-Arts) or jazz or another type of music at the Flagey. And this doesn't include restaurants, of which there are hundreds. Take another look, and be prepared to leave the area around Grand' Place; there's a lot going on.

Lavandula