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Begin at the Grand Place, Brussels
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BrusselsTravel Guide

Belgium5 stories

Belgium's surreal, bilingual capital pairs the gilded Grand Place and Art Nouveau facades with world-class chocolate, beer culture and the institutions of Europe.

Is Brussels right for you?

When to come

Late spring through early autumn

Around 23°C by day in July, 6°C in January — recorded at the local weather station.

What it costs

Mid-range. Comfortable without planning around money, expensive if you stop counting.

What we've planned, and who for

No hour-by-hour route here yet — the guides below cover it by subject instead.

Brussels is inCool in JulyDeepest in Europe
When to go
January: around 6 degrees by day, 1 at night, 76 millimetres of rain, some rain.
February: around 7 degrees by day, 2 at night, 65 millimetres of rain, some rain.
March: around 11 degrees by day, 4 at night, 59 millimetres of rain, some rain.
April: around 15 degrees by day, 6 at night, 47 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
May: around 18 degrees by day, 9 at night, 60 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
June: around 21 degrees by day, 12 at night, 71 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
July: around 23 degrees by day, 14 at night, 77 millimetres of rain, some rain.
August: around 23 degrees by day, 14 at night, 87 millimetres of rain, wet.
September: around 20 degrees by day, 11 at night, 65 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
October: around 15 degrees by day, 8 at night, 68 millimetres of rain, some rain.
November: around 10 degrees by day, 5 at night, 76 millimetres of rain, some rain.
December: around 7 degrees by day, 2 at night, 87 millimetres of rain, wet.
Cold to hot, by dayDry to wetWhen we would go

Late spring through early autumn

Average daily highs, recorded at Uccle (Brussels-Capital Region).

Where this comes from

Wikipedia 'Brussels' weather box, 1991-2020 normals (Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium) — Uccle is the reference station the article uses for Brussels.

Budget level

Mid-range

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with
Plan itWhere to stay in Brusselsad · Booking.comTours and tickets
On the map

Finding Brussels

Open in Google Maps Larger map
The stories

Reading Brussels

The Manneken Pis fountain in Brussels dressed in a yellow jacket, blue trousers and a blue bowler hat, holding a purple iris while its thin stream arcs out against the grey fluted stone niche.
01
Destinations

Is Brussels Actually Worth a Trip? A First-Timer's Briefing

Brussels is not love at first sight, but give it two or three days and it becomes the most rewarding city in the Low Countries to eat, drink and wander in.

Belgium · 10 min
Crowds crossing the Grand-Place in Brussels, ringed by gilded baroque guild houses beneath the Gothic spire of the Town Hall
02
Itineraries

A Rainy Day in Brussels: The All-Indoor Route

Brussels has been building for bad weather since the 1840s: a full day from arcade coffee to last lambic that barely puts you outside, and never asks for a dash longer than a few minutes.

Belgium · 12 min
The deep red shopfront of a handmade Belgian chocolate boutique in Brussels, its white lettering above three warm-lit windows as passers-by blur across the pavement in front.
03
Stays

Where to Base Yourself in Brussels: A First-Timer's Guide

Brussels is a city of distinct quarters, and your hotel's postcode decides your trip. Here is how the center, the Sablon, Ixelles and the EU district compare — and the storied address worth knowing.

Belgium · 2 min
The monumental triumphal arch and curved colonnades of Parc du Cinquantenaire in Brussels under a blue sky with scattered clouds
04
Destinations

Brussels for First-Timers: The Complete Guide

Gilded guildhalls, surrealist museums, chocolate windows and lambic beer — a first-visit blueprint for Europe's most underrated capital.

Belgium · 2 min
A Belgian chocolate shop window in Brussels filled with chocolate Manneken Pis figures in green, yellow, red and gold
05
Food

Brussels Eats Outward: From the Old Fish Market to Matonge

The tables worth your evening sit two streets, and sometimes two tram stops, beyond the Grand-Place: a neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood eating map of Brussels with what to order when you sit down.

Belgium · 12 min
In pictures

Brussels, framed

The formal gardens of the Mont des Arts in Brussels, the town hall spire beyond
Photo: Polly / Unsplash
Begin at the Grand Place, Brussels
Photo: Stephanie LeBlanc / Unsplash
Mont des Arts and the museum hill, Brussels
Photo: Rei / Unsplash
Mont des Arts and the museum hill, Brussels
Photo: Austin P / Unsplash
Our picks

What we'd do in Brussels

See and do

Eat and drink

  • Putting three days in order

    Day one, central and short: brunch near the Grand-Place, an hour walking the Ilot Sacre without eating in it, standing lunch at the fish counters on Place Sainte-Catherine, chocolate at the Sablon, dinner at Fin de Siecle or Nuetnigenough for the Belgian canon.

    Read: Brussels Eats Outward: From the Old Fish Market to Matonge
Before you go

Practical essentials for Belgium

Money

Euro (EUR)

Language

Dutch, French and German are all official; English is widely spoken in Brussels and in tourist settings in Bruges and Ghent.

Power

Type C/E, 230V 50Hz

Getting around

Trains link the cities and city transport takes a tapped contactless bank card — in Brussels, €2.40 a ride on STIB, capped at €8.50 a day — or the local operator's own card.

Tipping

Service is included in the bill, so rounding up or leaving about 10% for good service is a courtesy rather than an obligation.

Tap water

Tap water is safe to drink and meets the EU Drinking Water Directive.

Driving

Right-hand side; EU and EEA licences are valid as they are, and most other visitors should carry an International Driving Permit alongside their home licence.

Emergency

112 (police also 101)

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

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