Wondering what there is see and do in Brussels for a weekend city break? Belgium being sandwiched between France, The Netherlands, and Germany means transport options to the capital city are incredibly easy. Add a high speed Eurostar connection whisking you from London to Brussels in 2 hours, and it’s easy to see why Brussels makes for a convenient weekend city break option.

Besides the country’s famed mussels, beers, fries, waffles and chocolate, Brussels also has some great shopping, sleek museums and offbeat cultural hotspots, beautiful parks and cool bars to explore.

Public Transport and Getting Around in Brussels

To get around, most of Brussels city can be easily discovered on foot.

The cobblestoned streets of the old town can be easily explored in a few hours, and a number of other attractions like the Parc de Bruxelles and St. Michael and St Gudula Cathedral are all within the centre itself.

It’s well worth trotting out to the Ixelles and St. Giles neighbourhood to experience a slice of life in the neighbourhoods of Brussels, which takes you just 20 minutes on public transport or a leisurely 35 minute walk.

Public transport within Brussels is also convenient, with the tram, metro and bus network connecting you to where you need to be.

If you’re planning to make use of public transport frequently, it’s well worth getting the 10 trip ticket from ticketing kiosks, otherwise you can always make single trip payments with your contactless bank card anyway. Find a list of updated fares for public transport in Brussels here.

Where to Eat in Brussels

Start your day with coffee and pastries at some of the best coffeehouses Brussels has to offer. There are quite a number of cosy bakeries and coffeeshops in the city centre, and some recommended ones are Fine Sablon, Aux Merveilleux de Fred, Kaffabar, Taylor’s Cafe, Kafei Korner Sablon, Moka and Ana Attento just to name a few.

Alternatively, if you’re seeking the real tourist experience of having waffles, waffle shops are aplenty as well. Try Belgian Waffles at Rue du Marché aux Poulets 51, Le Roi de la Gaufre at Rue de la Fourche 41, or Manneken Pis Waffles at Rue des Bouchers 5.

For lunch and dinner, there are options aplenty. Chez Richard is a bistro that offers local products in an atmosphere not unlike the bistros you’ll find in Paris. Nom Pow is a trendy Asian fusion spot just steps away from Grand Place, which also has Lotus Vert for Vietnamese, Woodpecker 47 / Smash 47 for brunch favourites, and Yi Chan for Chinese in the vicinity. For Belgian food, be sure to check out Fin de Siècle. Just like the buzzing food halls you’ll find in London, Lisbon and beyond, Brussels offers WOLF, which offers 17 restaurants and 2 bars under one roof.

Some places that only open for lunch include the L’Aubette bistro, as well as Lucifer Lives if you’re looking for vegan offerings. For brunch classics, there is Crème, and Kafei Korner Sablon is known for serving up some pancakes as well.

Day 1 (Central)

Stand at Brussels’ Busiest Square Grote Markt/Grand Place

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Brussels’ central square— known as Grote Markt in Dutch and Grand Place in French, is one of the busiest places in the city.

This square boasts some of the most impressive architecture the city has to offer, like the Brussels Town Hall and City Museum, flanked by guild houses in between.

While you’re here, visit the Mannekin Pis, the famous statue of a boy peeing. Supposedly, it’s one of the original ways Brussels’ inhabitants received water, legend says it’s depicting a boy who saved the city from a fire etc., either way, it’s definitely a very touristy thing to seek out today but worth mentioning. The statue also gets dressed up from time to time depending on the occasion, and he even has a female and dog counterpart in statue, called Jeanneke Pis and Zinneke Pis respectively.

Did you know that Belgium is the home country of world famous comics like The Smurfs and The Adventure of Tintin? If it’s of interest, be sure to take the Comic Book Route, where you’ll find street art of these comic book characters painted on the walls of buildings. There’s also La Boutique Tintin just off the Grand Place where you can get memorabilia and merchandise.

Browse the Stores at the Royal Gallery of Saint Hubert

Milan has the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and Brussels has the Royal Gallery of Saint Hubert— a stunning shopping arcade built in a Florentine Renaissance-style with a stunning glass roof overhead.

Try some of the best Belgian chocolates at Neuhaus, the inventor of the Belgian praline.

Don’t forget to stop by Tropismes, a grand bookstore with a good mix of books in different languages, which has also been making the rounds on Tiktok and the like for being an aesthetically pleasing bookstore.

Visit the Brussels Cathedral

Unmissable is the Brussels Cathedral, or the St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral.

Built at the beginning of the 13th century, this is probably the city’s most visited cathedral, and while it’s not directly on the city centre square, it’s just a short 10 minute walk.

The site has even hosted royal weddings, funerals and other events throughout history.

Take In the Most Iconic View of Brussels at Mont des Arts

One of the most beautiful city views of Brussels plastered on just about every travel brochure has to be the view from Mont des Arts, a beautiful landscaped garden with the view of Brussels city in the backdrop.

Here, you’ll often mind many buskers entertaining crowds, and makes for a lovely vibe.

Closer to the end of the gardens nearer to the city, you can also find some bars that get packed on the terrace, especially when the sun is out. Hop in and soak in the atmosphere while getting a drink against the backdrop of the city!

Stroll the Royal Park

The royal park, or Parc de Bruxelles is the largest green space in the heart of the city. Designed in a neo-classical style, it stands between the Federal Parliament and the Royal Palace.

It’s a well-kept park and a lovely place to be when the sun is out, with fountains, benches, statues and a bar.

From there, admire the architecture of the Royal Palace, which usually opens in the summer for tours, however, it is currently temporarily closed.

End the Night at a Rooftop Bar

If the weather’s nice, it’s worth checking out the rooftop bars in Brussels to enjoy a cocktail or two while the sun sets.

There are several near and around the city centre, like The Eight Rooftop Cocktail Bar, Secret Rooftop by Warwick, or albert at Mont des Arts.

If not, head to Place Sainte-Catherine, a bustling quarter around the church of the same name chockfull of bars. Otherwise, there’s the famed Delirium Café right in the middle of the city centre.

Day 2 (Saint-Gilles/Ixelles)

Explore the Market at Place Eugène Flagey

For a slice of authentic Brussels life, head over to the busy square of Place Eugène Flagey, a major public transport interchange so it will be a piece of cake getting there.

There is a market that runs on weekdays selling flowers, fruit, vegetables and clothes, from 7am to 1pm. On weekends, the market runs till 1:30pm and often has lots of street food stalls.

Alternatively, there are plenty of other hearty brunch places like Pop’s Pancakes, KAFEI, Holy Bagels, and POZ” Châtelain.

While you’re in Saint-Gilles and Ixelles, be sure to check out the beautiful streets and small boutiques.

Go Shopping at Ave Louise

The main boulevard between the metro stations of Porte de Namur and Louise, till the street of Ave Louise, is where you’ll find Brussels’ best shopping. From designer brands to large international brands like Uniqlo, & Other Stories, Zara and more.

Museum Hop

From Horta Museum and the ISELP Contemporary Art Center, to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts and BELvue Museum (the latter two of which are closer to the centre rather than Saint-Gilles/Ixelles), there are several cultural venues to check out.

Be sure to check out the respective websites to view the latest programmes.

Visit the Palace of Justice

Coming up to Louise, Palais de Justice is a massive imposing structure that’s hard to miss. You even see it from the windows of the trains if you’re coming in from other cities.

It’s currently under massive scaffolding, however you can still enter the first part of stairs and take a peak around the imposing and beautiful hallways.

There are also guided visits at times that you can find out more and join here.

Take in the Brussels Skyline from The View

Right next to the Palace of Justice is The View, Brussels’ answer to the London Eye.

Thankfully though, you don’t have to go up the ferris wheel to get a fantastic view of the city as you can do so from the square right next to it.

If You Have More Time…

If you’re in Brussels for more than a weekend and it’s spring, be sure to head to out to the suburbs and walk down Av. Emile Max as it’s one of the best places in Brussels to view cherry blossoms.

With the petals falling down the entire street, it truly does look pretty magical as Brussels bursts into colour after winter.

Of course, one of the most renowned icons of Brussels is the Atomium. Personally though, I don’t think it’s worth heading all the way out to this north western corner just to visit the Atomium, but if you’d like to see it anyway, combine it with a visit to Mini-Europe, a miniature theme park with Europe’s biggest landmarks, as well as the Design Museum of Brussels, and the gigantic park of Laeken.