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Things to do in Brussels

Our locals will give you the best experiences that Brussels has to offer

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  The 10 Tastings of Brussels

  5.0

  124 reviews

  3 hours • Food tours

  from €89.34 per person
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  Highlights & Hidden Gems of Brussels

  5.0

  305 reviews

  3 hours • City highlight tours

  from €42.40 per person
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  Drinks & Bites in Brussels Tour

  5.0

  119 reviews

  2 hours • Food tours

  from €68.52 per person
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  City Explorer: Bruges Day Trip

  5.0

  301 reviews

  8 hours • day trips

  from €176 per person
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  City Explorer: Ghent Day Trip

  5.0

  242 reviews

  8 hours • day trips

  from €163 per person
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  City Kickstart Tour: Brussels

  5.0

  145 reviews

  1.5 hours • City highlight tours

  from €27.64 per person
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  Withlocals Your Way! - Brussels City Tour

  5.0

  404 reviews

  3 hours • city highlight tours

  from €46.32 per person
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  A Taste of Brussels: Chocolate Tour

  5.0

  149 reviews

  2.5 hours • food tours

  from €58.82 per person

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Things to do in Brussels

Planning a trip to Brussels? Great idea! Europe’s capital has a lot to offer for everyone. It has delicious food, amazing sights – and have we mentioned the beer yet? The following 10 things to do in Brussels are an absolute must!

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  Experience Brussels’ many cultures

  We challenge you to find a city with more nationalities than Brussels. Pretty sure that will be hard to find, if not impossible. Brussels holds no less than 163 different nationalities! You can just feel the multicultural vibe while walking through its cozy streets. When you take the time to stand still and listen for a second, you won’t only hear French, Dutch and German, Belgium’s three official languages, but also English, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish and some other languages you probably won’t recognize!

  Emerge yourself in Brussels’ many cultures. Enjoy a Moroccan tea in Molenbeek, pop into an African food shop in the Matongé neighborhood and have a noodle soup in Brussels’ Chinatown. Let one of our local guides show you the way!

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  Eat like a Brussels local

  Naturally, our list of top things to do includes a food-item. Belgian food is just too good to pass up on! The best way to get to know the Belgian cuisine is through a home-cooked meal. Luckily for you, there are many local hosts who would love to cook up a delicious meal for you. You even have the choice between an authentic Belgian meal and dishes from different countries like India or Hungary. Told ya, Brussels is so multicultural!

  Whatever food you decide to have, it will be made with lots of love and care. Brussels’ locals really love to make their guests feel at home!

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  Visit the many historic sites

  You can’t hold your head up high after having visited the city, if you have not seen its many historic sites. It’s one of the top things to do in Brussels! Everyone knows about Manneken Pis, a silly statue of a boy taking a leak, and you probably have heard of the Grand Place as well, Brussels’ main square. But there’s much more to see, like the impressive Palais de Justice, the super cozy Marché au Poisson and the grand Bourse, among other things.

  The best way to explore Brussels’ historical center is with a local guide at your side. He will passionately tell you about the rich history of each square, building and statue (however silly it may be).

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  Wander around in Ixelles

  Ask any Bruxellois in which district he’d love to live. The great majority will tell you Ixelles. Ixelles is a great place to have fun, shop and go out. The historic center is where all typical sights are (and where all tourists go to), but Ixelles is where the real life happens. The alternating houses, shops, cafes, restaurants and parks will make you feel right at home!

  Enjoy Tenbosch Park, a little Garden of Eden in the midst of the city hustle, let your inner shopaholic out on the Chausée d’Ixelles, and don’t forget to visit the Flagey square where you can stare up at the remarkable Flagey building.

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  Discover Brussels at night

  Going out should definitely be on your things to do in Brussels list! Its nightlife is so much fun! If you just want to grab a beer, you can go to one of Brussels’ many cafes or beer cellars, like Delirium which offers over 100 beers. Perhaps you would rather go out to listen to live music. This is no problem, either!

  The Jazz scene, in particular, is a true must in Belgium’s capital. Places like L’Archiduc, Jazz Station and Sounds Jazz Club make Chicago or New Orleans seem bleak in comparison! And if you want to go clubbing, there are many options as well. Whether you like house, electro, techno, pop, latin, hip hop or drum ‘n bass: you’ll be dancing the night away!

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  Have a stroll down Brussels’ most popular shopping street

  Get your shopping on in Avenue Louise, by far the most prestigious shopping street in Brussels. Designer stores like Chanel, Vuitton, Christian Dior, Gianni Versace and Giorgio Armani are dispersed over the 2 miles-long lane. But there are also cheaper brands like Superdry and MaxMara.

  Even if you don’t feel like shopping, walking on the Avenue Louise is one of the top things to do in Brussels. Next to clothing stores, it has several other sights, like the Horta Museum, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Marie-Louise square and the Serendip Spa. The best way to explore the neighborhood around Avenue Louise is with a local by your side! He will inform you about all the interesting things to do and help you talk to the personnel in the stores.

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  Visit the European quarter and act like you own the place

  The European quarter, the part of Brussels where all the European institutions are based, is filled with men in suits: diplomats, lobbyists, politicians, and all other sorts of important people. But don’t be intimidated. They’re just people like us!

  The European quarter is a place tourists don’t usually go to, but there’s much more to do and see than people imagine! Its clean streets are flooded with neat little bars and restaurants. Ask your guide to lead you the way past the impressive works of architecture to the nicest places to eat and drink.

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  Visit Brussels’ awesome museums

  Brussels has a lot of unique museums! The popular Musical Instruments Museum, for instance, which locals frequent for the rooftop bar. Two other musts are the Horta Museum and the Clock museum, both of which will make you familiar with Art Deco and its predecessor, Art Nouveau. And if you’re into paintings, the recently renovated René Magritte Museum is among the top things to do in Brussels!

  Seriously, the city is all about museums. Some of them are pretty random, but most of them are awesome! Tell your local guide about your interests and he will let you know which ones are perfect for you.

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  Go on a comic book tour

  Belgium, Brussels in particular, is famous for its comics. Everyone knows Tintin, written by the late Hergé, but there are many, many more! For this reason, a comic book tour should definitely be on your things to do in Brussels list! Look at the many comic book murals spread over the city, and visit the Belgian Center for Comic Strip Art. If you’re a fan of Tintin, visiting the Hergé Museum and the Tintin shop is an absolute must!

  Have a comics-crazy private local guide at your side to direct you to all the amazing murals in Brussels and babble away about the history of comics and graphic novels.

• 

  Explore the Brussels canal district

  If you’re looking for a true authentic experience, exploring Brussels canal district is among the top things to do! The canal district used to be an industrial area with widespread poverty, few public spaces, and unemployment. Now, the ugly duckling has become a swan! The peculiar Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art based inside an old brewery, the urban beach where locals come to enjoy a game of beach volley in the summer, the yearly Brussels Canal Run, the small, environmentally conscious Belvue Hotel. These are just a few of the district’s many attractions. Come and check it out with your local host!

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