[BELGIUM] Brussels City Guide (including Money Saving Tips)

Brussels, the Belgian capital is famous for its monumental Grand Place. Here's my city guide to Brussels including money saving tips.


Getting in:
There are two international airports in Brussels: Brussels Airport (BRU) and Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL).
Brussels Airport (BRU) is Belgium's main airport. There’s frequent train connection between Brussels Airport (BRU) and the city. The journey to the Central Station takes 15-20 minutes.



Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL) is located 60km south of the central train station and it’s mainly used by budget airlines such as Ryanair and Pegasus. I flied to Brussels by Pegasus, therefore I arrived in Brussels South Charleroi Airport.



To travel from the CRL airport to the city, the most convenient way is to take the shuttle bus (EUR 17 one way) to Brussels Midi/Zuid station which departs every 30 minutes. The journey time is about 1 hour or less, depending on traffic.

Alternatively, you can take a TEC-bus A which operates service from the airport to the Charleroi South train station, from where you can connect to an intercity train to Brussels.



The ticket desk for the shuttle bus to the city.



Upon entering Brussels Midi/Zuid station from the bus stop, head left rather than straight as the metro and international trains (Eurostar, Thalys) are on the west side of the station.


Getting around:
There are three main train stations in Brussels: Brussels Midi/Zuid station (south), Brussels Central station (center) and Brussels Nord/Noord station (north). Depending on which train station you’re arriving in Brussels, you might need to take the metro to reach the city center.



Picture above is Brussels Central station.



This is Brussels Nord/Noord station.



A single fare (1 fare Jump) for the metro cost EUR 2.10 (presale) or EUR 2.50 (buy on car). If you travel by metro extensively, it’s advisable to buy 5 journey Jump (EUR 8) / 10 journey Jump (EUR 14) / 24h Jump (EUR 7.50) / 48h Jump (EUR 14) / 72h Jump (EUR 18) coupled with the MOBIB Basic Card (EUR 5).

Take note that 24h Jump is different from STIB-MIVB 24h. STIB-MIVB 24h is a paper ticket (EUR 7.50), you don’t need to buy MOBIB Basic Card to use it. However, STIB-MIVB 24h usage is excluding TEC and De Lijn bus and train service in Brussels.

Once you reach the city center, it is easy to explore the various sights on foot, except for Atomium.


Best time to visit:

Photo credit
I would say it’s spring or summer. During spring, you can visit the Hallerbos forest (see above) whether the bluebells carpet the forest floor in April.
During summer, Brussels Summer Festival, a music festival is held in the city during August.
Also take note that, Brussels Flower Carpet Festivals is held every two years in mid-August.


Where to stay:

The hotel that I chose to stay is the Hotel The Moon. It is conveniently located beside the Galeries Saint Hubert. And it’s about 5-minute walk from the Brussels Central station.



Pro: It’s reasonably priced for its location. A single room with ensuite bathroom cost around EUR 62 per night. The room is pretty basic and decent.



Con: The room door is supposed to lock automatically when I shut the door but sometimes it didn’t. And I had to double check if the room door is locked securely. Also, I had to leave my room key at the reception area each time before going out and collect it from the receptionist upon return. It might not be so secured for single female traveler like myself since anyone can just mention my room number and get the room key without any verification. Lastly, the hotel made a pre-charge with my credit card and they insisted I made another full payment when I checked in but the first transaction was not cancelled after 3 working days as the receptionist claimed. I waited for a week and emailed to them but no reply. Fortunately, in the end, they did not double-charged my credit card. This could be an independent incident but it did dampen my mood during the trip and I wished the hotel had handled it better.

So in conclusion, will I recommend this hotel? If you don’t mind the above points and just want a reasonably priced place in the city center to crash for the night, this might be the place for you.


What to see in Brussels?

Grand Place - Surrounded by the city tower and a range of beautiful 300 year old buildings



Brussels Flower Carpet Festivals at the Grand Place.



Galeries Saint Hubert - The world's first shopping mall, opened in 1847.



Manneken Pis - a small bronze statue of a child urinating into a pool becomes the symbol of Brussels.



Jeanneke Pis - a modern fountain and statue in Brussels, which forms a counterpoint in gender terms to the city's trademark Manneken Pis.



St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral is open from Mondays to Fridays from 7am until 6pm, Saturdays from 8am until 6pm (visits only allowed until 3.30pm), Sundays from 8am until 6pm (visits only from 2pm). Entrance is free.



The bell of Le Carillon du Mont des Arts clock will ring every hour.



Mont des Arts Gardens – where you can see the the spire of Brussels' City Hall in the background.



Palace of Coudenberg is open from Tuesday to Friday: 9.30 to 17.00, Weekend + July and August + Belgian school holidays: 10.00 to 18.00. Entrance fee is EUR 7, under age 18 free.
Official website: https://coudenberg.brussels/en



Above the map of Brussels with places of attraction circled in blue.


What to eat?

Mussels - The traditional way is to cook them in a pot with white wine and/or onions and celery. I would recommend restaurant Chez Leon.



Belgian Frites – try the curry ketchup fries (EUR 4) at Chez Papy.



Belgian Waffle - square Brussels version dusted with powdered sugar, and choices of bananas, whipped cream and many other toppings. The shop I tried is Crepes Pannekoeken nearby the Mannekin Pis.


What to buy as souvenirs?

Belgian chocolate, of course. Belgian handmade chocolate is famous and relatively cheaper than when you buy it outside Blegium, but it’s still expensive. A small box of handmade chocolate easily cost you above EUR 10. I bought a box of chocolate from Mary (the Royal family providers) for EUR 13.



For cheaper option, head to the supermarket such as Carrefour and buy factory made Belgian chocolate bar - it’s priced as cheap as EUR 1.80. Cachet has many unique flavours such as lemon and pepper, almond and sea salt, pear and almond and etc.



Another popular souvenir to get in Brussels is the miniature Mannekin Pis in various sizes, design and usage (eg. fridge magnet, key chains etc.). Some are even designed as cork screw!


Getting out from Brussels:

Dinant - the place where Adolphe Sax invented the saxophone.



Antwerp - Belgium's second largest city, especially known for four things: Rubens, diamonds, fashion and the port.

Ghent - a perfect mixture of Antwerp and Bruges: a cosy medieval centre with canals, a lot of churches and a great castle.
Bruges - nicknamed the 'Venice of the north' because of the canals and romantic atmosphere.


* Money saving tips:

Last but not least, I will share the money saving tip while visiting Belgium.
Fully utilized the weekend ticket to make day trips to other cities. A return train ticket to and from any destination in Belgium, valid from Friday (after 7pm) to Sunday or Public Holidays is 50% off!
Click and select the “Weekend Ticket” at the ticket machine in the station if you haven’t buy it online.




In addition, you can make any stopover on the train route using the same ticket on the same day.

For example, if you’re taking a train to Bruges, you can make a stopover at Ghent. However, take note that from Brussels Central station, the train stops at Gent-Sint-Pieters station in Ghent, and not the Gent-Dampoort station which is nearer to the city. The transfer between these two stations are not included in the weekend ticket.



Visit the official website and check how much you can save with the weekend ticket:
http://www.belgianrail.be/en/tickets-railcards/age/adults-seniors/one-time/weekend-ticket.aspx


Belgium is a beautiful country and it’s definitely worth a visit. I hope this travel guide will help you in planning a trip to Belgium. Happy travels!