Belgium is very popular at the moment! A lot of people around me have gone to Brussels for a weekend and I’ve had nothing but great feedback. So I took advantage of the long Whitsun weekend to visit Brussels a weekend. The result is clear, I was blown away by this country and got more than I bargained for. We were indeed lucky enough to have a guide for 3 days who showed us some incredible places in Brussels itself, the surrounding area and even Antwerp. Thank you Alain 🙂
1. Visit Brussels : What places to discover
The main square
You can’t visit Brussels without visiting the sublime Grand Place. The architecture is dazzlingly beautiful. I recommend you to go there during the day but especially at night. The atmosphere is different and the lights illuminate the Grand Place to make it more magical.
The Royal Galleries
Magnificent gallery where you will find the best chocolate makers of the capital. Be careful with your credit card, it might get hot!
Le Sablon
The antique dealers’ district: a pretty district where you will find superb antique shops if you like to shop for vintage decorative objects.
Street Art
The wall of Tintin and Meinkenpiss not to be missed
The ponds of Ixelles
Tired of the city, let’s go for a little walk to the Ixelles ponds where green nature and the lake are mixed together
2. Restaurants in Brussels
Le Café des Minimes
Superb Belgian restaurant located between the Sablon and Marolles districts. Friendly atmosphere and good service. The dishes are prepared with local and seasonal products and well cooked.
La Cucina de Marcella
Superb Italian restaurant in Ixelles where the chef is one of the TOP 30 best pizzaiolos in Europe. I recommend you with my eyes closed!
Chez Davi Thai
Superb Thai restaurant in the centre of Brussels with a tasty cuisine.
Le Café du Sablon
The ideal address for brunch! One of the best brunches I’ve had so far on any trip. Pancakes, bowls, avocado/salmon sandwiches, scrambled eggs… A menu for less than 20 euros. Go there without hesitation.
Opera Drug
The perfect address for a small waffle and an omelette in a local setting in the centre of Brussels
The Tabora chip shop
You can’t go to Brussels without eating the famous Belgian fries. Maybe touristy but they were very good!
La Maison des Gaufres
A good Belgian waffle is also very important in a tourist’s life. Really good, better than the one I had in the galleries.
3. Museums to do in Brussels
The Frida Khalo exhibition in the Horta Gallery
I don’t recommend this exhibition at all as it doesn’t show any of Frida’s work. You’ll just find a projection telling her life story but not highlighting the artist’s works at all. What’s the point?
The Comic Strip Museum
You will find the most famous comic strip figurines
The Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium
Unfortunately I couldn’t make it but I wanted to add it to the list because it was highly recommended to me. Looking at the pictures and the reviews on the internet, I think it is indeed the first museum to do absolutely. Unfortunately, on the day I planned to visit the museums, it rained heavily in the city and I didn’t have the courage to queue for an hour…
4. Parks to do in Brussels
The Bois de la Cambre
Incredible wooded and spacious park in the heart of Brussels with a lake and stands where you can have a drink. You can go to the Robinson cottage in the middle of the lake. You can also go boating on the lake.
The Park of Brussels
Superb spot to enjoy the green in the centre of Brussels. Running, walking, reading, crossing. A garden that reminds me of those in Paris.
The Castle of La Hulpe
What a spot ! One of my favourites of this weekend. Who would have thought that a place like this existed in Belgium? What a surprise… You’d think you were in a movie, the setting is so incredible. The castle is of a striking beauty with a sublime park all around the castle where you can see different species of animals such as horses, ponies, ducks, carps… There is also a small restaurant corner where you can sit and sip a good fresh juice with a view on the nature. A real change of scenery just a few kilometres from Brussels.
5. Favourite for Antwerp
I fell in love with the 2nd largest city in Belgium: ANTWERP.
This city pleasantly surprised me. Firstly, it was not at all planned that we go there, and secondly, I did not expect anything. So, my love affair is even more intense, a bit like what I experienced when I went to visit Bergamo last April and Hiroshima in 2019. I only stayed 3 hours but I had time to be amazed by day and night.
The square, although grey in rainy weather, amazed me in the evening with all the lights that embellish the place. A different atmosphere emerges. The magic works, it’s magical.
We dined in the superb Belgian restaurant De Pottekijker with impeccable service! I recommend this place without hesitation, which made my short stay in Antwerp so much more beautiful.
