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Hostelworld Guide for Brussels

Think of a city and you normally associate it with something. Think of Venice and images of canals flowinto your head; imagine Paris and visions of the Eiffel Tower will come streaming into your mind. But

Brussels is different. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what Brussels is famous for. The problem is, there aresimply too many things to relate it to. This is where you will find Art Nouveau on every second street

corner. It's also home to the European Union. Then you've got beer, chocolate, cartoon murals...the listgoes on. Just ensure you have enough time to take it all in.

In this Guide...

Useful InformationAfter Dark

Places to EatTop Attractions

Budget TipsWhere to Shop

The Essentials Climate

Getting There

By plane: Brussels is served by two airports. Mostairlines land in Brussels International Airport whilesome budget airlines use Brussels Charleroi. Themain airport is connected to the city by train while acoach service brings you from Charleroi to t he citycentre.

By train: Trains travelling to Brussels frominternational destinations arrive in Gare du Midi, justsouth of the centre.

By bus: Brussels' main bus station is beside Garedu Nord in Brussels' 'Little Manhattan'.

Getting Around

On foot: You can cover the vast majority of whatBrussels has to offer on foot, although places suchas Palais de Justice and the Grand Place are quitefar from each other.

By metro/tram: Brussels' metro network is easy touse and connects the eastern and western districtsof the city. Unusually, some of the city's tramsoperate underground also. Single journeys cost

1.60 while a day-card is 4.20.

By bus: The Belgian capital's bus network coversalmost the entire city but you probably won't need touse it during your stay.

Brussels factsLocation: The city of Brussels, which is theofficial Belgian capital, is one of 19municipalities found inside the Brussels-CapitalRegion.

Population: Around one million people live in

and around the city of Brussels.Area: The city covers an area of around 162square kilometres.

Founded: Brussels was founded back in 979.

Due to Brussels' location not far from the North Sea,the Belgian climate is of the maritime variety. Thismeans it experiences its fair share of rain and greyskies. In wintertime, days are short, cold and damp.Things don't pick up until April when temperaturesmay reach a respectful 15C. From here ontemperatures begin to climb, sometimes reaching30C in July or August. Unfortunately these monthscan also be quite wet. September is regarded as agood month to visit weather-wise.

Good to know...

Language: Flemish/FrenchCurrency: EuroElectricity: 220 Volts, AC/50HzArea Code: +32 (Belgium), 02 (Brussels)Emergency Codes: Ambulance 100 / Fire 100 / Police 101Time Zone: Central European Time (GMT + 1)Central Post Office: 6 Blvd. AnspachMain Tourist Office:Town Hall, Grand Place

Embassies

USA:+32 (0)2 508 2111UK:+32 (0)2 287 6211Canada: +32 (0)2 741 0611Australia: +32 (0)2 286 0500South Africa: +32 (0)2 285 4400Ireland: +32 (0)2 282 3400Germany: +32 (0)2 787 1800Spain: +32 (0)2 230 0340Italy:+32 (0)2 643 3850New Zealand:+32 (0)2 512 1040France: +32 (0)2 548 8811

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Cheap Eats After Dark

Le Pain Quotidien, Rue Antoine Dansaert 16Located just minutes from the Grand Place, Le PainQuotidien is arguably the nicest place for breakfastin the city. Choose from combo meals made up ofcroissants, tea and orange juice or simply sip on acoffee and nibble on a croissant.Open daily from 8am-6pm.

Bar Sabir, Rue de Flandre 12 Bar Sabir is one ofthe coolest little eateries in the Belgian capital.

Found deep in the heart of the St Catherine district,you can turn up in the afternoon for a steaming bowlof hearty soup or pop round after dark when youhave two main courses to choose from, each veryreasonably priced.Open 12pm-3pm Mon-Wed,Thurs & Fri 12pm-3pm and 6pm-10pm.

Funny Lunch, Rue de la Rgence 59 Easily founddue to its bright green and yellow front, Funny Lunchmakes for the perfect pit-stop at lunchtime aftervisiting Palais du Justice. Sandwiches, baguettesand paninis are quite cheap here or you can treatyourself to some pasta.Open daily from 6am-4pm.

Moules et frites, s'il vous plat!

Chez Leon, Rue des Bouchers 18 Dating backto 1893, Chez Leon is the best place to sampleBelgium's national dish 'mussels and fries'. It'slocated on the colourful Rue de Bouchers. Whileyou're here, try the 'Formule Leon' for which iscomprised of a rather large dish of steamingmussels and chunky, home-cut fries.Open Sun-Thurs 11.30am-11pm, Fri & Sat 11.30am-11.30pm.

Belgian waffles Dotted throughout the city centreare waffle stands that dish out hundreds of Belgianwaffles to ravenous tourists every day. Extremelysweet but equally tasty, they are really veryaffordable. Decide that you want them smothered insyrup or any other topping and you'll pay a few centextra but they're totally worth it.

Dlirium Caf, Impasse de la Fidlit 4AWithover 2,000 types of beer to choose f rom (yes,2,000), Dlirium offers one of the vastest selectionsof beer in the city. Even though it's found down abasement in a building tucked down an alley,throngs of backpackers and locals visit this barregularly. Thursday nights are particularly busy dueto live music.Open daily from 10am-4am.

Le Cirio, Rue de la Bourse 20 Le Cirio is

something of an institution in the Belgian capital,and first opened its ornate doors to the flockingpublic in 1888. Home to the city's famous 'half andhalf' tipple which is half champagne and half whitewine, this is the perfect place for a sedate night out,b u t n o t a h e c t i c o n e . O p e n d a i l y f r o m 10am-midnight.

Gay / Lesbian BrusselsAs you would expect from a Western Europeancapital, the gay scene in Brussels is extremelyactive, with most of the bars and clubs locatedin the city centre. One of the oldest gay bars inthe city isLe Belgica (Rue du March auCharbon 32) which attracts a somewhat older

crowd. The city's two cabaret bars areChezMaman(Rue des Grands Carmes 7) andCoucou Bar (Rue du Jardin des Olives 10),while clubbers should check out the monthlyLaDmence night inFuse (Blaesstraat 208).

Zebra, Place St Gery 31 One of three bars thatborder the ber-trendy Place St Gery, Zebra is alittle rough around the edges when compared to itsneighbours. The red-brick wall gives it a slightlyrustic feel, but the laid-back tunes and chilled-outatmosphere bring it right back up to date.Open daily from 10am-2am.

Le Roi des Belges, Rue Jules van Praet 35 Whenyou get to this bar climb the steel, spiral staircaseand get a seat on the upper level. Here DJs spincool tunes to entertain the chic crowd while abarman mixes cocktails and pours beers to stopthem from going thirsty. Downstairs isn't that badeither. Open Sun-Thurs 11am-2.30am, Fri & Sat 11am-4am.

O'Reilly's, Place de la Bourse 1 Every city has anIrish bar and O'Reilly's is Brussels'. Yes, drink isslightly more expensive here than in most of thebars, but it has an enticing balcony overlookingP l a c e d e l a B o u r s e m a k i n g i t a g o o dpeople-watching spot.Open Sun-Thurs 11am-1am,Fri & Sat 11am-4am.

Don't Miss Mark Your Calendar

Grand Place Swarmed with tourists regardless ofthe season or weather, nothing can deny the factthat the Grand Place is one of the grandest andmost beautiful squares in the world. Dominated bythe faade of the gothic Htel de Ville, it looks evenmore beautiful after dark so make sure to return aftersundown.

Centre Belge de la Bande Dessine, Rue desSables 20 The Belgians are famous for many things,

and comic strip art is one of them. Tintin, LuckyLuke, The Smurfs...they all came from the minds ofcreative Belgian artists. This museum in the citycentre explains the importance of these comic stripsand has various galleries also.Open Tues-Sun 10am-6pm; admission 7.50.

Beer, glorious beer

Muse Bruxellois de la Gueuze, Rue Gheude56, Anderlecht Located south of the city centrein the Anderlecht district, this museum, otherwiseknown as the Cantillon Brewery, is the perfectplace for an insight into how the Belgians makebeer. On the short tour you can see thelarger-than-life instruments used to make beeras well as stroll through the dusty beer cellars.Open Mon-Sat from 10am-5pm; admission 5.

Palais de Justice, Place Poelaert Built between1866 and 1883, Palais de Justice was for manyyears the world's largest building. Today you canwander around the main hall or book yourself on toone of the free, organised tours.Open Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm.

Place Royal More a series of attractions than justone, around Place Royal is where you will find thesprawling Parc de Bruxelles, notable buildings suchas Palais Royal and glise St Jacques surCoudenberg, and museums such as the city'snumber one art gal lery Muses Royaux desBeaux-Arts de Belgique.

March - Festival Pistes de Lancement Brussels'Saint-Gilles district is where you will be treated to ahost of performances put on by clowns from all overthe world for the city's 'Clown Festival'.

April to May - Laeken Glasshouses Locatedwithin the Belgian Royal Parks, the LaekenGlasshouses are usually closed to the public. Butonce a year between April and May their gates areopened and thousands flock to see them.

May - Botanical NightsWhether it's jazz, pop, orreggae music that rocks your boat, you will findsomething you like at the annual 'Nuits Botaniques'festival in the Botanique cultural centre.

May - Brussels Jazz Marathon This free musicfestival is one of the most popular to take place inBrussels and annually attracts the biggest names in jazz music to the st age erected in the Grand Place.

May - Gay PrideOver 15,000 gay and lesbianBelgians take to the streets of the capital each yearat the end of May for rallies, marches and parties.

July - Ommegang Every year at the beginning of

July this parade, which has been taking place inBrussels since medieval times, attracts t housandsto the Grand Place where it finishes.

July - National Day Ever since Lopold ofSaxe-Coburg-Gotha was elected King of Belgiumon July 21st, 1831, it has been the Belgian'snational day. Expect street parties, live music andfireworks displays.

August - Meyboom The 9th of August is aneventful day in the Belgian capital when aMeyboom (May tree) is erected at the intersectionof Rue du Marais and Rue des Sables. A group ofcostumed giants then bring it to the Grand Place.

September - Brussels Beer Weekend At thisfestival in the Grand Place beer tents are erectedby different breweries from all over the country.

October - Big Scarecrow Festival People from allover Brussels compete against each other to havethe best scarecrow which are judged in the GrandPlace. One of the city's stranger events.

December - Christmas Markets Every Christmassome of Europe's most enchanting markets can befound in Place Sainte Catherine and the GrandPlace, where there is also an ice-skating rink.

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Neighbourhood Watch Retail Therapy

Heysel Located 20 minutes outside the city centreon the yellow metro line, Heysel is where Brussels'famous 'Atomium' structure can be found. Onceyou're there take time out to explore the district.Other attractions include Place de Belgique, Parcdes Expositions and Parc de Laeken.

Trendy Brussels

Dansaert Incorporating the area from theBourse (Stock Exchange) to the canal andeverywhere in between, Dansaert is where youwill find St Gry and Ste Catherine, two of thecity's coolest areas. The former is where allhippest bars can be found while the latter iswhere the trendiest restaurants can be located.

Marolles Best known for its daily flea-market onPlace du Jeu, Marolles is traditionally Brussels'working-class district. Today, though, you can alsofind a host of restaurants, cafs and bars besideantique shops. Many say this isreal Brussels.

EU AreaEast of the city centre around Schumanmetro station is the EU area, where delegates fromthe European Union Member States sit to discussthe continent's issues. The most obvious attraction isthe European Parliament but don't leave withoutexploring Parc du Cinquantenaire.

Sablon Stroll down Rue de la Rgence after visitingPalais du Justice and you will be in the heart of theSablon district. Its focal point is Place du Sablon, apedestrianised square bordered by cafs andantique shops.

Ixelles Ixelles, just south of the extremely wide andaffluent Avenue Louise, is another area known for itscafs and restaurants. It is also famous for its artnouveau architecture. It's a bit of a hike from the citycentre but a good place to retreat to when thecrowds at the Grand Place get too much.

Rue Neuve Long, pedestrianised and always busy,Rue Neuve is Brussels' flagship s hopping street.Here you will find all the brands you'd expect to seeon such a street such as Benetton, Footlocker, H&M,Zara and Esprit, thus making it the perfect place todo damage to your credit card.

Ga le r ies S t Huber t , Rue du March auxHerbes/Rue de l'cuyer When Galeries St Hubertwas first built in 1847 it was the world's first covered

shopping gallery. It has aged well as today it is oneof the most beautiful galleries in Europe. Most storesare quite touristy so you might not buy anything butmake sure to stroll though it when you're there.Open daily from 9am-6pm.

Avenue Louise From the moment you see theCartier store at the top of this street, you know thatthis is where you will discover some of Brussels'more luxuriant stores. Others that line this sprawlingboulevard aren't as instantly recognisable, but ifyou're intent on treating yourself to something nicethis is where to do it.

A bit of this, a bit of that

Place du Jeu de Balle Flea Market This marketin the city's Marolles district is where hundreds ofmarket sellers do their utmost to offload all sortsof antiques, bric-a-brac and more to the peopleof Brussels on a daily basis. If you find yourselfhere you may realise there's nothing which couldspark a sale but it's a hive of activitynonetheless. Open daily from 6am-2pm.

Rue Antoine Dansaert While Avenue Louise is thestreet that draws Brussels' more affluent shoppers,Rue Antoine Dansaert is the one that pulls itstrendier ones. You won't be familiar with the namesover the doors of these outlets but the clothes thatdecorate the hangers inside are the coolest in thecity. Along with shops designed for men and women(and both) you'll find jewellery shops and more.

Budget Tips A Day in Brussels...

Save money on Brussels' museums If your visit tothe Belgian capital takes in a Wednesday, you couldsave yourself a few Euro as this is when some of itsmuseums are free. The Museum of Modern Art, theMuseum of Ancient Art (both in Muse Royaux DesBeaux-Arts de Belgique) and the Muse desInstruments de Musique are all free on the firstWednesday of the month.

Take in some views of the city Brussels is quite a

big city with some of its main attractions outside thecity centre. To see them without leaving the citycentre go to one of the city's vantage points. Thebest known of these is at Palais du Justice while thecaf in Muse des Instruments de Musique boastsbreathtaking views also.

City walks

Embark on a city walk Brussels' city centrestreets are where you will find two of its bestattributes - comic art and Art Nouveau buildings.Visit the city's tourist office at Hotel de Ville in theGrand Place and request either the comic artwalk or Art Nouveau walk. Then simply loseyourself for the afternoon, admiring the sightsalong the way at no cost whatsoever.

Visit Brussels' churches Just like in a lot ofEuropean cities, most of Brussels' cathedrals andchurches are free to visit. Many of them are alsosome of the city's most beautiful buildings. Notableones include the city's cathedralCathdrale desSts Michel and Dudule which is Belgium's nationalchurch,glise St Jacques sur Coudenberg whichwas inspired by a Roman temple, andglise StCatherine on the square of the same name.

Save money on public transport If you're travellingaround Brussels in a group and need t o use publictransport, don't buy separate tickets. Instead buy a1-day groupcard for 10 which gives up to 5 peopleunlimited travel for the day.

Start the day with tea (or coffee), freshlybaked bread and jam in Le Pain Quotidienon Rue Antoine Dansaert, the best place forbreakfast in Brussels.

Beat the crowds and visit the Grand Place inthe morning. You will find it difficult to peeyour eyes off the gothic Hotel de Ville in whatis one of Europe's most beautiful squares.

Make your way up to Place Royal in the city'sUpper Town. Here you will find a host ofattractions, most notably Palais Royal andthe city's flagship art galllery.

After taking in all the sights, walk through theSablon district on Rue de la Rgence enroute to Palais du Justice. Stop for lunch inthe aptly named 'Funny Lunch'.

Gaze in awe at Palais du Justice, for manyyears the biggest building in the world. Alsotake in the views over the city from PlacePoelaert.

Take the metro from 'Louise' (just outsidePalais du Justice) to De Brouckre. Fromthere visi t Centre Belge de la BandeDesine, Brussels' comic art museum.

Begin your night with some rest andrelaxation in 'Le Cirio', one of Brussels' bestknown cafs. Order its most famous drink, a'half and half'.

Take the short stroll to the bright and brashRue des Bouchers to 'Chez Leon'. Enjoy'moules et frites' (mussels and fries).

Finish the night off in one of the bars onPlace St Gry. 'Zebra' is the grungiest on thesquare, while 'Le Roi des Belges' attracts atrendier clientele. Try out both!

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