Planning a trip to Brussels
Brussels -- the headquarters of the European Union -- both symbolizes Europe's vision of unity and is a bastion of officialdom, a breeding ground for the regulations that govern and often exasperate the rest of the Continent.
The Bruxellois have mixed feelings about their city's transformation into a power center. At first, the waves of Eurocrats brought a new cosmopolitan air to a somewhat provincial city (though once the seat of emperors), but as old neighborhoods were leveled to make way for office towers, people wondered whether Brussels (pop. 1,050,000) was losing its soul. After all, this city doesn't only mean politics and business. It inspired surrealism and Art Nouveau, worships comic strips, prides itself on handmade lace and chocolates, and serves each one of its craft beers in a unique glass.
Fortunately, not all of Brussels's individuality has been lost in this transition, and though the urban landscape has suffered from wanton development, the city's spirit survives in traditional cafes, bars, bistros, and restaurants. Whether elegantly Art Nouveau or eccentrically festooned with posters, curios, and knickknacks, such centuries-old establishments provide a convivial ambience that is peculiarly Belgian.
Visitor Information
The city tourist organization, Visit Brussels (tel 02/513-8940; www.visitbrussels.be), has several offices around the city and their website is also excellent for forward planning. The most centrally located office is on the ground floor of the Hôtel de Ville, Grand-Place and is open daily 9am until 6pm. If you’re up in place Royale, Brussels Info Place (BIP) is open Monday through Friday 9am to 6pm, weekends 10am until 6pm.
There are additional tourist information offices at theArrivals Hall at Brussels Airport (daily 6am–9pm) and in the main hall at Gare du Midi rail station (daily 9am–6pm). The office at rue Wiertz 43 is for visitors to the European Parliament and is open daily 10am to 6pm. All offices are closed on January 1 and December 25.
City Layout
Brussels is divided into 19 communes (districts)—"Brussels” being both the name of the central commune and of the city as a whole (which comprises Belgium’s autonomous Brussels Capital Region, often called Urbizone). The city center was once ringed by fortified ramparts but is now encircled by the broad boulevards known collectively as the Petite Ceinture (Little Belt). Most of the city’s premier sightseeing sights are in this zone. Around 14 percent of the zone’s total area of 160 sq. km (63 sq. miles) is occupied by parks, woods, and forest, making Brussels one of Europe’s greenest urban centers.
You’ll hear both French and Dutch (well, Flemish) along with a babel of other tongues spoken on the streets of Brussels. The city is bilingual: Bruxelles in French and Brussel in Dutch/Flemish, and confusingly for many a map-reader, street names and places are in both languages. Grand-Place is Grote Markt in Dutch; Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie is Koninklijke Munttheater. Note: Rather than translate place names into three languages in this chapter, the French place names are utilized.
Brussels is flat in its center and western reaches, where the now-vanished River Senne once flowed . To the east, a range of low hills rises to the upper city, which is crowned by the Royal Palace and has some of the city’s most affluent residential and prestigious business and shopping districts. The Grand-Place stands at the heart of the city and is both a starting point and reference point for most visitors.
Fast Facts
ATMs -- There are ATMs all over Brussels, and most are open 24/7, although you’ll want to be a bit cautious about withdrawing cash in quiet areas outside the main tourist areas after dark.
Business Hours -- Stores open Monday to Saturday from 9 or 10am to 6pm. On Friday evening, many center-city stores stay open until 8 or 9pm. Most stores close on Sunday, except the tourist-orientated ones around the Grand-Place. The majority of museums open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am until 5pm, and most close on Monday, which is the day to head out of town, perhaps to Bruges, Ghent, or Antwerp.
Doctors & Dentists -- For doctors, call Médi Garde (tel 02/479-1818) and ask for an English-speaking doctor. For emergency dental care, call tel 02/426-1026.
Emergencies -- Dial tel 112 for police, ambulance, paramedics, and the fire department. This is a nationwide toll-free call from landline, mobile, or pay phone. For routine police matters, go to Brussels Central Police Station, rue du Marché au Charbon 30 (tel 02/279-7711; Métro: Bourse), just off the Grand-Place. Some Brussels police officers have a poorly developed sense of public service, and a surly and unconcerned attitude to visitors’ problems is not uncommon, even at this office where tourists in difficulty often end up. Many officers do, however, speak at least some English.
Internet Access -- Most hotels in Brussels offer free internet access as part of the room price, although perversely some more expensive ones still charge extra. Some areas in central Brussels provide free access to Wi-Fi hotspots; Wifi.Brussels is available in train and Métro stations, major public squares, stores, hotels, bars, and restaurants.
Pharmacies -- In Belgium, a pharmacy is called either an apotheek or a pharmacie and sells both prescription and nonprescription medicines. Regular hours are Monday to Saturday from around 9am to 6pm. A centrally located pharmacy is Grande Pharmacie De Brouckère, Passage du Nord 10 (tel 02/218-0575). Pharmacies post details of nearby all-night and Sunday pharmacies on their doors, or you can call tel 09/039-9000 to find out the nearest 24-hour pharmacy. Alternatively, go to the website www.pharmacie.be and type in your area code to find the nearest 24-hour pharmacy; the site is in French and Dutch but it is very easy to navigate.
Post Office -- The national mail company is known as bpost (tel 02/201-2345; www.depostlaposte.be); most post offices are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. The office at Bruxelles de Brouckère, boulevard Anspach 1, is open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 6pm and Saturday 10am to 6pm. The office at the Gare du Midi, avenue Fonsny 48a, is open 24 hours a day.
Neighborhoods in Brief
The Lower Town -- The Bas de la Ville, the core area of the Old Center, has at its heart the Grand-Place and its environs. Two of the most traveled lanes nearby are restaurant-lined rue des Bouchers and Petite rue des Bouchers, part of an area known as the Ilot Sacré (Sacred Isle). A block from the Grand-Place is the classical, colonnaded Bourse (Stock Exchange). A few blocks north, on place de la Monnaie, is the Monnaie opera house and ballet theater , named after the coin mint that once stood here. Brussels’s busiest shopping street, pedestrianized rue Neuve, starts from place de la Monnaie and runs north for several blocks. Just north of the center lies Gare du Nord and nearby place Rogier. Central Brussels also includes the Marché-aux-Poissons (Fish Market) district.
The Upper Town -- The Haut de la Ville lies east of and uphill from the Grand-Place, along rue Royale and rue de la Régence and abutting the unpretentious, working-class Marolles district . Lying between the Palais de Justice and Gare du Midi, the Marolles has cozy cafes, drinking-man’s bars, and inexpensive restaurants; its denizens even speak their own dialect. The Upper Town is spread along an escarpment east of the center, where you find place du Grand-Sablon as well as the Royal Museums of Fine Arts and the museums of the place Royal . If you head southwest and cross the broad boulevard de Waterloo, where you find the most exclusive designer stores, you come to place Louise.
Avenue Louise -- Beyond the city center, things start to get hazier. From place Louise, Brussels’s most fashionable thoroughfare, Avenue Louise, runs south all the way to a large wooded park called the Bois de la Cambre. On either side of Avenue Louise are the classy districts of Ixelles and Uccle; they’re both good areas for casual, inexpensive restaurants, bars, cafes, and shopping, and both border the wide green spaces of the Bois de la Cambre and the Forêt de Soignes.
European District -- East of the city center lies a part of Brussels whose denizens are regarded by many Bruxellois with the same suspicion they might apply to extraterrestrials. This is, of course, the European Union district around place Schuman, where the European Commission, Parliament, and Council of Ministers buildings jostle for space in a warren of offices populated by civil servants, journalists, and lobbyists (the area also is home to a wealth of restaurants and cafes that cater to Euro appetites). A quaint old neighborhood was made to disappear to make way for these noble edifices. North of Ixelles, the modern European Union district surrounds place Schuman. The Cinquantenaire, a park crisscrossed with tree-lined avenues, extends from just east of the European District to the Porte de Tervuren and is bisected east to west by avenue John F. Kennedy. At the park’s eastern end are the museums of the monumental Palais du Cinquantenaire and the Arc du Cinquantenaire.
Bruparck -- In the north of the city (and something of a leap of the imagination) is the Bruparck. Inside this recreation complex, you’ll find the Mini-Europe theme park and the Océade water park. Beside this stands the Atomium, Brussels Planetarium, Roi Baudoin Soccer Stadium, and the Parc des Expositions congress center.
Getting Around
On Foot -- Brussels’s center city is small enough that walking is a viable option and in fact there’s no better way to explore the historical core, especially the myriad tiny streets around Grand-Place. It’s also a pleasant stroll uptown through the pedestrianized Mont des Arts to place Royale. Outside these areas, city traffic is both heavy and frantic, creating a smelly, wearisome experience for walkers. To see the best of the city, divide your time into walking tours and utilize the excellent public transportation to get to your destination. For example, take the Métro out to Merode to explore the museums of Parc du Cinquantenaire .
Be careful when crossing roads at black-and-white pedestrian crossings that do not have signals; pedestrians do not have legal priority over cars on these crossings. Likewise watch out for vehicles turning right or left at traffic lights, even when the green flashing lights indicates you are allowed to cross; this is quite legal and catches many a visitor off guard.
By Public Transport -- Brussels has an excellent, fully integrated transit network—Métro (subway), tram (streetcar), and bus—and the network operates daily 5am to midnight, after which a limited NOCTIS night-bus network takes over until 3am, heading out to the suburbs every 30 minutes. It is run by STIB (www.stib-mivb.be).
Maps of the transport system are available free from the city tourist office on Grand-Place, and transit maps are posted at all Métro stations as well as bus and tram stops. Timetables are also posted at all tram and bus stops.
The city is relatively compact so unless you plan to use the public transportation frequently, purchase a single ticket each time. Fares for a single-ride ticket on public transport are 2.50€ when purchased onboard (on buses and trams only) and 2.10€ if purchased before boarding from an automated ticket machine. A 24-hour ticket costs 7.50€. Up to 4 children ages 5 and under can ride for free along with a fare-paying adult. The MOBIB chip card system, which is used for purchasing multiple tickets and multi-day cards, can be complex and requires one to buy a 5€ card beforehand, so we don't recommend it for short-term visitors.
Validate your ticket by inserting it into the orange electronic machines inside buses and trams and at the access to Métro platforms. If you have a MOBIB card, tap it when entering and exiting the Métro station, bus or tram. Although the single-fare ticket must be revalidated on each leg of your journey, you’re allowed multiple transfers within a 1-hour period of the initial validation.
If possible, plan your journey to avoid the crush at morning and evening rush hours. And again, watch out for pickpockets, especially at busy times, and avoid walking alone in deserted access tunnels, particularly after dark—the risk of being mugged is small but not entirely absent.
By Tram & Bus -- An extensive network of tram lines provides the ideal way to get around the city. B Both trams and urban buses are painted in gray-and-brown colors. Their stops are marked with red-and-white signs and often have a shelter. You stop a tram or bus by extending your arm as it approaches so the driver can see it; if you don’t signal, the bus or tram won’t stop. Tram lines nos. 92 and 83 pass by key sights along rue Royale and rue de la Régence as far as avenue Louise, and so are especially useful for sightseeing.
By Metro -- The Métro is quick and efficient, and covers many important center-city locations, as well as the suburbs, the Bruparck recreation park , and the Heysel congress center. Stations are identified by signs with a white m on a blue background. A trip underground takes you into an art center: Métro stations are decorated with specially commissioned paintings, installations, and other artworks by contemporary Belgian artists .
By Taxi -- Taxi fares start at 2.40€ between 6am and 10pm and at 4.40€ between 10pm and 6am, increasing by 1.80€ per kilometer inside the city (tariff 1) and 2.70€ per kilometer outside Brussels (tariff 2)—so make sure the meter is set to the correct tariff. Tip and taxes are included on the meter price, and you need not add an extra tip unless there has been extra service, such as help with heavy luggage (although drivers won’t refuse tips). All taxis are metered. They cannot be hailed on the street, but there are taxi stands on many principal streets, particularly in the center city, and at rail stations. To request a cab by phone, call Taxis Verts (tel 02/349-4949; www.taxisverts.be).
By Car -- Driving in Brussels is akin to life during the Stone Age: nasty and brutish. Normally polite citizens of Brussels turn into red-eyed demons once they get behind the steering wheel. Driving is fast, except at rush hour, and always aggressive. At rush hour (which lasts about 2 hr. either side of 9am and 5pm), it is almost impossible to move on main roads inside the city and on the notorious R0 outer ring road (beltway). Sundays and very early mornings are slightly better, and with the exception of Friday night, evenings after about 7pm are not too bad.
Park your car either at your hotel or in one of the many public parking garages—your hotel can furnish the address of the nearest one—and do not set foot in it again until you’re ready to leave the city. Parking charges are about 15€ per day; it’s worth it. A stout pair of shoes, good public transportation, and an occasional taxi ride will get you anywhere you want inexpensively and hassle-free. If you must drive in Brussels, watch out for the notorious priorité de droite (priority from the right) traffic system.
When to Go
Weather
Brussels has a resolutely northern European climate. While the winters can be cold and temperatures can dip below freezing, they more commonly hover around 2°C-5°C (36°F-41°F). Spring usually brings rain (usually in fairly short, sharp bursts) while the summer months are usually (June through August) are drier. Summer temperatures are warm but not hot, usually hitting a pleasant 22°C (72°F). Don’t get complacent in the summer though--the temperature dips in the evenings and it is rare that you’ll be able to sit out in shirt sleeves once the sun has gone down.
Brussels Calendar
In March, Brussels gives you the perfect opportunity to discover that the city’s cuisine has more to offer than just mussels and beer during RestoDays (www.restodays.be). Dance the night away at the hedonistic Fête de la Musique (www.fetedelamusique.be) music festival in June, or sunbathe beside bikini-clad locals on the urban sands of Brussels Beach (www.blb-bb.be) during the summer months. The chilly festive season starts at the end of November with the Plaisirs d'Hiver (www.plaisirsdhiver.be) winter fair. You can see Grand-Place sparkling with fairy lights and wander through an alpine village lined with chalet market stalls in Place Sainte Catherine.
Getting There
By Plane -- Brussels Airport (tel 0900/70000 for general and flight information, tel 322/753-7753 from outside Belgium; www.brusselsairport.be; airport code BRU) is 15km (9 miles) northwest of Brussels city center. This airport handles most of Belgium’s international air traffic. There is one terminal that handles all flights, national and international. Moving walkways connect passengers with the Arrivals Hall and Passport Control, Baggage Reclaim, and Customs. Conveniences like free luggage carts, currency exchange, ATMs, restaurants, bars, shops, baby rooms, restrooms, and showers are all on tap. The Brussels Airport Information Desk is in the Arrivals Hall; it is open daily 6am to 9pm and has a helpful staff.
The Brussels Airport Express train service to Brussels’s three main rail stations (Bruxelles-Nord, Bruxelles-Central, and Bruxelles-Midi) has up to five departures hourly daily between 5:30am and midnight, for a one-way fare of 8.90€. The ride to Bruxelles-Central takes 17 minutes and trains leave from the basement level of the airport. Most airport trains have wide corridors and extra space for baggage.
Every half-hour from the airport’s bus platform C outside Arrivals, Airport Line no. 12 (Mon–Fri 8am–8pm) and no. 21 (Mon–Fri 8–11pm and Sat–Sun 5am–11pm) depart to the European District in the city. The fare is 9€ for a round-trip ticket purchased from a ticket machine before boarding the bus and 12€ for one purchased onboard. For more info: tel 32/70-232-000; www.stib-mivb.be.
Taxis that display an orange sticker depicting a white airplane offer reduced fares (around 45€) from the airport to the center city.
Brussels-South-Charleroi-Airport (tel 0902/02490 for general and flight information, 322/7815-2722 from outside Belgium; www.charleroi-airport.com; airport code CRL) is 55km (35 miles) south of Brussels. It is the domain of European budget flights rather than transatlantic services; there are Brussels City Shuttle (www.brussels-city-shuttle.com) connections every 30 minutes between the airport and Brussels-Midi/Zuid rail station. Round-trip fare is 28€.
By Car -- Major expressways to Brussels are E19/A16 from Amsterdam (driving time: 2 hr. 20 min. on a good day) and the E19/E17 from Paris (driving time 3 1/2 hr.). Take the E40/A10 from Bruges and Cologne. If possible, avoid driving on the hell on wheels that has become the R0 Brussels ring road; if you miss your turn off, expect to go all the way around again. Once you’re installed in your hotel, leave the car at a parking garage. Brussels is choked with traffic even in the middle of the day, parking is scarce, and one-way systems baffling.
By Train -- The Brussels metropolitan area has three main rail stations: Bruxelles-Central, Carrefour de l’Europe; Bruxelles-Midi, rue de France (the Eurostar, Thalys, TGV, and ICE terminal); and Bruxelles-Nord, rue du Progrès. All three are served by Métro, tram, or bus lines, and have taxi stands outside. For train information and reservations, call tel 02/528-2828 or visit www.sncb.be.
From London, Brussels is served by Eurostar (tel 08432/186-186 in Britain; tel 44/1233-617-575 from outside the UK; www.eurostar.com); from Paris, Amsterdam, and Cologne by Thalys (tel 320/7079-7979; www.thalys.com); from everywhere in France apart from Paris by TGV (tel 3635 in France; tel 33/892-353-535 from outside France; www.voyages-sncf.com); and from Frankfurt by ICE (tel 0900/9296; 0.35€ per minute; www.nsinternational.nl).
Warning: Attracted by rich pickings from international travelers, bag snatchers roam the environs of Gare du Midi, and pickpockets work the interior. Keep a close eye on your possessions. You’ll be appreciative of the strong police presence.
By Bus -- Eurolines (tel 08717/818-178 in Britain or 32/02-274-1350; www.eurolines.com) buses from London, Paris, Amsterdam, and other cities arrive at the bus station below Bruxelles-Nord train station.
