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10 Days in Brussels: A Journey through History and Culture

Milena Pinzon

Milena Pinzon

30 Sep 2023

Embark on a 10-day adventure in Brussels, Belgium, exploring its rich history and vibrant culture. Discover fascinating museums, stunning parks, iconic landmarks, and indulge in delicious Belgian chocolate. Join me as I share my unforgettable experiences in this captivating city.

Trip to Brussels

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Viator

Day 1
+

$0

·

$ 6

Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History
Military museum including equipment through the ages, including 20th-century tanks & medieval armor.
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
•
Free
4 - 5 min

~

Directions

Autoworld
From vintage carriages to iconic racing cars, via presidential limousines in a spacious car museum.
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
•
Free
12 - 15 min

~

Directions

Woluwe Park
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
•
Free
19 - 23 min

~

Directions

Park van Tervuren
Leafy park, home to the Royal Museum for Central Africa, offering paths amid lakes with wildlife.
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
•
Free
Day 2
+

$0

Parlamentarium
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
•
Free
9 - 14 min

~

Directions

Museum of Natural Sciences
Museum of natural history, from minerals to dinosaurs & animal specimens, with hands-on exhibits.
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
•
Free
8 - 12 min

~

Directions

House of European History
Gallery of permanent & temporary exhibits exploring the development of Europe, plus a cafe & shop.
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
•
Free
3 - 4 min

~

Directions

Leopold Park
English-style urban park with mature trees & lake, plus medieval tower dating from the 15th century.
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
•
Free
Day 3
+

$0

·

$ 6

Royal Museum for Central Africa
Originally a colonial museum, it now focuses on the ethnography & anthropology of Africa.
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
•
Free
12 - 15 min

~

Directions

Museum of Urban Transport Brussels
Urban transport museum focused on trams, with many restored cars, plus buses & taxis.
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
•
Free
14 - 17 min

~

Directions

Royal Palace of Brussels
Palace of the constitutional monarchy, with throne & other state rooms open for tours each summer.
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
•
Free
3 - 4 min

~

Directions

Palais du Coudenberg
Museum & archaeological site on medieval palace foundations with excavations on display.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
•
Free
3 - 4 min

~

Directions

Musical Instruments Museum
Art nouveau museum with exhibits including traditional & mechanical instruments & a concert hall.
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
•
Free
2 - 3 min

~

Directions

Musée Magritte Museum
Chronologically organized art museum with works by René Magritte & artifacts exploring his life.
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
•
Free
Day 4
+

$0

·

$ 14

National Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg
Vast, cupola-topped, art deco style place of Roman Catholic worship with 2 towers & 2 museums.
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
•
Free
14 - 17 min

~

Directions

Mini-Europe
Miniature park with Europe's landmarks created on a scale of 1:25, from Big Ben to the Eiffel Tower.
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
•
Free
7 - 9 min

~

Directions

Église Notre-Dame de Laeken
Ornate spires rise from this neo-Gothic church & crypt housing the Belgian royal family's tombs.
12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
•
Free
11 - 14 min

~

Directions

Church of Saint Catherine
Catholic church with a Victorian interior & light shows beamed onto its facade at Christmastime.
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM
•
Free
12 - 17 min

~

Directions

Manneken Pis
Iconic 17th-century fountain with a bronze statue of small boy, dressed in costume during festivals.
2:00 PM - 2:15 PM
•
Free
7 - 10 min

~

Directions

Belgian Brewers Museum
Brewery museum displaying 18th-century equipment, plus a modern brewing hall & a cafe with tastings.
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
•
Free
16 - 23 min

~

Directions

Egmont Park
Many historic buildings & statues dot this city park consisting of the gardens of a former palace.
4:15 PM - 4:45 PM
•
Free
12 - 15 min

~

Directions

Comics Art Museum
Comic-book museum with original artwork & reading room, set in Victor Horta's art nouveau warehouse.
5:15 PM - 6:45 PM
•
Free
12 - 15 min

~

Directions

Josaphat Park
Trees, ponds & sculptures adorn this large, popular park with paved paths & community events.
7:15 PM - 8:45 PM
•
Free
Day 5
+

$0

·

$ 9

Parc de Laeken - Royal Parc
Spacious park with magnolia trees & a vast monument to Leopold I, designed in the late 19th century.
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
•
Free
9 - 11 min

~

Directions

Train World
Museum in Schaarbeek station featuring 20+ locomotives & exhibits on Belgian railroad history.
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
•
Free
22 - 27 min

~

Directions

Grand Place
Huge city square completely encircled by elegant historic buildings dating back to the 14th century.
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
•
Free
5 - 8 min

~

Directions

Choco-Story Brussels
Small museum featuring chocolate-related exhibits & live demonstrations with a master chocolatier.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
•
Free
7 - 10 min

~

Directions

Church of Our Lady of the Chapel
Gothic-Romanesque church dating back to 1134 & the burial site of painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
•
Free
25 - 30 min

~

Directions

Groot-Bijgaarden Castle
Moat-encircled 17th-century castle with a redbrick tower, drawbridge & gardens.
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
•
Free
Day 6
+

$0

·

$ 11

Le Botanique
Cultural center in a former botanical glasshouse, with regular concerts, art exhibitions & theater.
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
•
Free
12 - 15 min

~

Directions

Royal Gallery of Saint Hubert
This ornate shopping center under an arched glass roof offers high-end shops, eateries & theaters.
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
•
Free
4 - 5 min

~

Directions

Jeanneke-Pis
Statue of a young girl, considered by some to be the sister monument to the well-known Manneken Pis.
11:00 AM - 11:15 AM
•
Free
4 - 6 min

~

Directions

Brussels Town Hall
1400s town hall with intricate Gothic facade & tower, plus tapestries & a mirrored concert hall.
11:45 AM - 12:30 PM
•
Free
12 - 17 min

~

Directions

Church of Our Lady of Victories at the Sablon
This 15th-century Catholic church is known for its baroque chapels & Gothic architecture.
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM
•
Free
9 - 11 min

~

Directions

Musée bruxellois de la gueuze
Traditional brewery with beer cellars & brewing equipment from 1900, with tours, tastings & a shop.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
•
Free
7 - 9 min

~

Directions

MIMA
Visual arts museum in a former brewery with rotating & permanent exhibits, a restaurant & gift shop.
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
•
Free
21 - 26 min

~

Directions

Atomium
Giant stainless steel atom, particles connected by escalators, with exhibitions & views from 92m.
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
•
Free
Day 7
+

$0

·

$ 11

Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
Complex of museums with over 20,000 works tracing the history of painting, sculpture & drawing.
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
•
Free
12 - 15 min

~

Directions

Het Zinneke
Part of a trio of "urinating" statues, this one depicts a dog lifting his leg on a post.
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
•
Free
8 - 10 min

~

Directions

KANAL–Centre Pompidou
11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
•
Free
11 - 14 min

~

Directions

Royal Greenhouses of Laeken
Classical-style greenhouses, designed by Alphonse Balat in 1873, with pavilions, cupolas & arcades.
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
•
Free
8 - 10 min

~

Directions

Design Museum Brussels
Large, modern museum housing a permanent collection of plastic objects along with rotating exhibits.
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
•
Free
Day 8
+

$0

·

$ 3

Parc de Bruxelles
Lush royal park on site of former hunting ground, with statues, a fountain & outdoor theaters.
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
•
Free
7 - 10 min

~

Directions

St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral, Brussels
Belgium's national church, host to royal weddings & funerals, built in the Brabant Gothic style.
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM
•
Free
5 - 8 min

~

Directions

Brussels COMICS Figurines Museum
Museum displaying figurines & collectibles from vintage cartoons like Asterix & the Smurfs.
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
•
Free
9 - 14 min

~

Directions

Belgium Jewish Museum
Museum offering temporary exhibitions on traditional Jewish culture, art & history.
12:45 PM - 1:45 PM
•
Free
9 - 14 min

~

Directions

Brussels City Museum
Neo-Gothic-style city museum housing the Mannekin Pis wardrobe & a discovery game route for kids.
2:15 PM - 3:45 PM
•
Free
29 - 35 min

~

Directions

Plantentuin Meise
Vast 227-acres gardens with pavilions, temples, glasshouses & the medieval Bouchout Castle.
4:15 PM - 6:15 PM
•
Free
Day 9
+

$0

·

$ 9

Villa Empain
Unique art deco style mansion with elegant architectural features & a pool now a modern art museum.
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
•
Free
7 - 9 min

~

Directions

Abbaye de la Cambre
This old Cistercian abbey founded in 1201 is part of a monastic complex rebuilt with formal gardens.
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
•
Free
11 - 16 min

~

Directions

Ixelles Ponds
Poplar trees & grassy banks fringe 2 ponds with ducks, popular for picnics & waterfront strolls.
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
•
Free
12 - 15 min

~

Directions

Mont des Arts
Small downtown area on a hill, with a landscaped garden, museums, and notable architecture.
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
•
Free
13 - 20 min

~

Directions

Palais de Justice
Built in an eclectic neoclassical style, this huge court building is the highest court in the land.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
•
Free
11 - 16 min

~

Directions

Porte de Hal
Museum of Brussels' history in a 14th-century fortified city gate, with views from the battlements.
3:30 PM - 4:15 PM
•
Free
32 - 39 min

~

Directions

Gaasbeek Castle
19th-century, romantic-style castle dating from medieval times, housing artworks, plus huge gardens.
4:45 PM - 6:45 PM
•
Free
Day 10
+

$0

·

$ 9

Bois de la Cambre
Designed in 1861 to look like a natural landscape, this park features many trees & water features.
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
•
Free
11 - 14 min

~

Directions

Horta Museum
Art nouveau stained glass, mosaics & furnishings in the house & studio of architect Victor Horta.
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
•
Free
13 - 16 min

~

Directions

Nemo 33
Diving courses in an indoor center featuring a deep 33-m. pool, a restaurant with a terrace & shop.
12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
•
Free
7 - 9 min

~

Directions

Kasteel van Beersel
Well-preserved, red-brick medieval castle with a moat, drawbridge & 3 towers, plus parapet walks.
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
•
Free

Budget breakdown: $73 In total

Activities & Food:Free
Transport:$73