Any country that has a distinguished reputation for chocolate & waffles is guaranteed a high spot on my bucket list! Brussels, the capital city, often invokes thoughts of politics or the European Union, but it also provides visitors with an unexpected cultural affair. I had 24 hours to explore, and it turned out to be the perfect amount of time for an express tour through its historic center and primary sights of interest.
How to get there:
I flew from Madrid, where I was studying abroad since flights are dirt cheap throughout Europe. Of course, train connections are easy and pretty cheap as well, and Flixbus.com also has bus transfers from many nearby European cities.
Where to stay/getting around:
If you only have a short time here like I did, make sure you base yourself centrally. A good frame of reference would be a hotel/hostel’s proximity to the Grand Place aka the main square in Brussels. The city is a decent size and has an excellent public transportation network with intercity metros and buses that can connect you virtually anywhere.
What to do:
Get your bearings by walking around the Grand Place. It’s an impressive, huge square, surrounded by ornate, gold-embellished buildings. The center of Brussels life lies here, where you will find locals grabbing a coffee on their way to work and tourists gathering for photos with the epic buildings. I meandered throughout the plaza several times within the day, each more stunned than the last. Also in the center of Brussels stands this random, absurd little 17th-century statue of a naked boy peeing into a fountain which has became a popular tourist attraction in Brussels. It is aptly named Mannekin Pis, and you can’t really miss it on your stroll through central Brussels even if you wanted to, haha. For the next several hours, I found myself getting lost within the cobblestoned streets, happening upon eclectic street art, beautiful architecture, and tons of cute little chocolate shops… blissfully lost.
Speaking of chocolate, you can’t really walk 10 feet without either smelling it when you pass by a shop or seeing someone eating it on the street! Belgium does chocolate like no other country, so indulge once..or you know, 5 times during your stay. In line with this, make sure you also try famous Belgian waffles, too! A favorite activity of mine in Brussels was ordering a fancy nutella waffle to go and sitting on the street to watch street performers do their thang.
This is essentially all I did with my 24 hours in Brussels, but I felt that it was a good introductory express visit to the capital of both Belgium and the European Union. You could probably squeeze in a few more tourist attractions like the architectural landmark Atomium, or museums like Royal Museum of Fine Arts or the Magritte Museum. I enjoyed my time in Brussels and definitely plan to return to Belgium and explore more of the country one day soon. Until then, I’ll just be daydreaming about their epic desserts.
