One of my favorite things about Europe is the ease and cost of high-speed train travel. After our rainy experience in Luxembourg, we boarded a train to Brussels, Belgium. The train tickets only cost €21 because we are under 26. Yay youth discounts! Two hours later, we were walking the streets of sunny Brussels.

I’m going to be honest: Brussels was one of my least favorite cities to visit in Belgium. It’s not that it isn’t a great place, but it’s just a little boring. Brussels is the dividing point of the country. Most people in Brussels speak French, but to the west, Flemish is the lingua franca. (There’s also some German speakers in the east.) It can get very political, but that in no way affected our trip.

Exploring Brussels

After arriving, we walked around a bit, sampled some chocolate, and then we visited a cathedral. It was the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula. We saw a lot of cathedrals on our journey and this one didn’t stand out too much. It was beautiful, of course, with an alter, grand ceilings, and lots of artwork.

One of the most important places to visit is the Grand Place. It’s a giant square with a lot of buildings that are covered in gold. Town Hall is located in this square, as well as a lot of former guild buildings. Grand Place is a grand place to just hang out and meet with your friends. We saw students from all over the world, laughing and taking pictures with the flags of their countries. The beautiful buildings and the diversity of the people created an incredible atmosphere. I didn’t want to leave!

Getting Weird

Just around the corner from Grand Place is a more peculiar attraction. It’s called Manneken Pis and yes, it pretty much is what it sounds like. It’s a statue of a little boy peeing into the fountain. You can buy figurines of him in the gift shops, he’s painted on the sides of buildings, he’s everywhere. People crowd around to take a picture with him. Sometimes people will dress him up and there’s a museum dedicated to his outfits. I personally don’t really get it, but it does make for a great story!

Brussels isn’t a difficult city to navigate. We walked around and saw some great views over the city. There are a lot of museums and important buildings up top. We thought we found the royal palace at one point, but then we realized it wasn’t the palace. Thank god! We did finally find the palace. Of course it may not be as grand as Buckingham Palace or Versailles, but it was still cool. The flag was raised, so that means the king was in the country!

The science nerd in me loved Atomium. It looks like a giant molecule, obviously. During the day, you can climb into the giant balls and get a good look over the city. The balls are closed at night, but you can see them all lit up! We only got to go at night, but at least it looked pretty!

What to Eat

Unknown to me, Brussels is famous for mussels. I personally don’t like seafood, but definitely grab some if you like seafood! We stopped in a restaurant that looked like a 50s diner. Despite appearances, it served Belgian and French food rather than hamburgers! Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name of the restaurant, so you’ll just have to find mussels for yourself!

Belgium is also world-famous for their waffles. You can find waffles almost anywhere. They’ll come topped with whipped cream, chocolate, strawberries; there are too many options. Make sure you have some cash on you because many places won’t accept credit cards. I had to go running around trying to find an ATM. Be prepared!

Brussels is also home to a famous bar. It’s called Delirium and it’s located in the more tourist-y side of town. During the day, it’s pretty quiet and a nice place to meet with friends. At night, it’s bursting with people and nearly impossible to navigate. If you wander downstairs, you’ll find a basement with a really cool atmosphere. There are giant beer caps on the ceilings and there’s a grungier feel. If you like beer, this is a must-do! If you can’t make it to Brussels, you can find Delirium beer in some stores. And apparently they’ve opened a bar stateside!

Would you live to visit Brussels? How was your experience?