The capital of Belgium, famous for its chocolate, beer, and waffles; Brussels is a city with multiple personalities.
After enjoying the delights of the executive lounge at East Midlands Airport (6am isn’t too early for a glass of wine, right?) we flew with from East Midlands Airport, touching down in Brussels just 50 short minutes after take-off.
Architecturally disparate, modern Brussels is a mish-mash of styles ranging from the gothic extravagance of the Hotel de Ville to medieval alleyways with a scattering of sunken doorways revealing the volatile marshland beneath the city.
At the turn of the 19th Century many of the middle classes and artists opted to design their houses in the style of the times; Art Nouveau, making Brussels the capital of ‘new art’. With all these building styles Brussels looks and feels like multiple cities joined together. One minute you can be strolling down a cobbled alley reminiscent of the Victorian era only to turn the corner and find yourself in a modern, bustling shopping precinct like streets here in the UK.
As linguistically varied as architecturally, most people in Brussels speak French although there are areas that speak Flemish, English, and German. Our scrappy conversational French was ample but remember to take a phrase book or download a translation app beforehand just in case. A decent up-to-date map is also necessary for negotiating the labyrinthine streets of Brussels as data-roaming charges abroad (for Google Maps etc) can be substantial.
Accommodation:
Nhow Brussels Bloom Hotel
We stayed at Nhow Brussels Bloom a modern boutique hotel snuggled next to the Botanical Gardens where each room is uniquely decorated with a fresco by a young European artist, you can visit the hotel website to have a look at each individual rooms design. If you like a bit of quirk then you’re in for a treat. Think floating bubble chairs, hot pink lighting and a tree sprouting from the restaurant which offers a modest range of local cuisine as well as tourist favourites. Our room, designed by an Italian art student featured a flutter (that’s a technical term dontchaknow?) of butterflies in gorgeous detail, so beautiful in fact that my lifelong phobia of all things flappy had to take a backseat. All the hotel’s rooms are bright, comfortable, and visually gorgeous. Every aspect has clearly been planned in minute detail- white space is never wasted, it is purely a design choice at Nhow. Breakfast has been designed to cover all tastes so expect a continental offering including local pastries, meats, jams, and cheeses as well as a cooked option which included, strangely enough, chicken nuggets! Room rates start at €128 per night and breakfast starts from €19 per person as an add-on when booking.
Nhow Brussels Bloom. Rue Royale 250 Brussels. CLICK HERE
What to see:
Museum of Musical Instruments
Four floors of over 7000 musical instruments from around the globe housed in a gorgeous Art Nouveau building constructed from wrought iron. Created in 1877 the ‘MIM’ as it’s known locally catalogues a massive range of instruments throughout history ranging from pipes and flutes made of bone to extravagant pipe organs and (our favourite!) the hurdy-gurdy.
Rue Montagne de la Cour 2. CLICK HERE
Belgian Comic Strip Center
Boasting more than 700, Belgium has more comic strip authors and artists per kilometre than any other country in the world. Housed in an Art Nouveau temple, the Belgian Comic Strip Center celebrates world famous Belgian characters TinTin, Marsupilami, and The Smurfs alongside artwork from numerous other European artists.
Rue des Sables 20. CLICK HERE
The Grand Place
The central square of Brussels is the most famous tourist destination in Brussels and is home to the magnificent gothic Hotel de Ville (Town Hall). Restaurants, chocolate shops and bars surround the cobbles. Must-see.
Manneken-Pis
This small bronze fountain features a little boy peeing into the basin below. With multiple legends behind the fountain, this remains a hugely popular tourist oddity, and the little guy is dressed up in various costumes several times a week.
Just off The Grand Place. CLICK HERE
Eating:
Kwint:
Located just around the corner from the Brussels Central train station within the fashionable and tres chic Mont des Arts is one of Brussels’ most fashionable restaurants. Full of simple furniture and a glass façade, Kwint’s striking feature is an enormous, twisted copper sculpture hanging from the ceiling and runs the length of the building, ending in a funnel which houses a small liqueur bar. The menu features treats like asparagus cream, caviar, suckling pig and the local delicacy, mussels; (which were in season when we visited) along with a wide range of starters, main courses, and desserts to satisfy the fussiest of tastes. Expect to pay at least €80 per person but we would have paid that for the incredible crème brulé with truffle essence alone.
Mont des Arts 1. CLICK HERE
Grand Place:
Restaurants line the streets around the Grand Place with a variety of indoor and outdoor terrace dining. Everything from pizza and frites to seafood and local dishes are on offer for about €20 per person.
Drinking:
Delirium Café:
Chances are you really will be ‘seeing pink elephants’ after a trip to Delirium. Furnished in dark wood with tiny pink pachyderms suspended from the ceiling and beer barrels for tables, this quirky and welcoming bar is one of the busiest spots in Brussels, day or night. With more than 2000 beers available and another 70 on tap we spent a very squiffy day sampling one of Brussels’ biggest exports and partaking in Delirium’s ample cheese menu! Alcohol percentages are much higher for Belgian beer (9-12% is typical) so be careful.
Impasse de la Fidelite 4a. CLICK HERE
BOX OUT
Flights start from just £71 one way or £152 return.
Brussels City Centre is approx. 10 miles from the Airport and is easily accessible by train for around €6 one-way.
