I had so much fun on my first trip to Belgium! As I based myself in Brussels, I wanted to share some of my top tips for visiting the city. There are definitely a few things I wish I’d known, and hopefully you can learn from my mistakes! Here are 11 practical tips for visiting Brussels.

1) Go to Grand Place at 7:00am

I ended up walking through Grand Place very early in the morning as I went to catch my train for my daytrip to Bruges and Ghent. And I’m so glad I did!! The whole square is absolutely magical early in the morning. Better yet, I had almost the entire place to myself! There were just one or two other people taking photos. It was a far cry from the regular crowds you’ll find during the day!

2) Book your Charleroi Airport shuttle well in advance

If you’re flying into Brussels on a budget airline, chances are you’ll be flying into Brussels Charleroi Airport instead of the main Brussels Airport. And Brussels Charleroi is about an hour away from city center Brussels! As such, there’s only one bus company between Brussels city center (it leaves from outside Brussels Zuid/Bruxelles-Midi station) and tickets are expensive. Booking a return ticket on the day cost 31€—about the same as one of my flights! You can book the shuttle in advance (one-way or return) and can save a lot of money this way.

3) Eat waffles at Le Funambule

This small waffle stand doesn’t look anything different from any other waffle stand. But I found it to be my favorite—mainly because their plain waffles were just 2€! It’s located behind the Bourse (Stock Exchange) building, although they do have other locations.

4) Make a daytrip out of Brussels!

One of the best things about Belgium is its size and the ease of getting around the country. You can easily visit some of the other popular cities in roughly one hour one-way, which makes them perfect for a daytrip! I’d definitely recommend traveling by train, and I always use Trainline to find the best deals on train tickets! I really enjoyed my daytrips to Antwerp and Bruges/Ghent, and getting to see more of Belgium. Read about my daytrip to Bruges and Ghent here, and my daytrip to Antwerp here!

5) Train tickets are cheaper if you’re under 26

Anyone under the age of 26 can get a discount on trains in Belgium! Make sure to mention that you’re under 26 when buying your ticket. You might need to show some sort of ID with your birthday on it.

6) Train tickets are also cheaper during weekends

Due to Brussels being a huge business hub (particularly as the base of the European Union), train tickets to cities around Belgium are actually cheaper on the weekends. With my under-26 discount, my return ticket to Bruges was only 12.80€. You can sometimes pay that much just for a one-way ticket! If you plan to daytrip out, try to do it on a weekend to save some money.

7) Figure out which train station is closest/easiest for you

Most of the trains going to the popular cities of Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, etc. stop in all three of Brussels main stations. There’s Brussels North, Brussels Central, and Brussels South (Noord/Centraal/Zuid in Dutch, Nord/Central/Midi in French). Find out which one is closest and easiest for you to get to—you don’t have to get on/off at the same station you departed from! While Brussels South station was technically easiest for me as it was connected to my hostel by tram, I chose to get off at the Central station most days and walk back through the main part of the city.

8) Be careful for pickpockets in Delirium

The Delirium bar is world-famous for having the most variety of beers sold on record—2004 when it entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 2004. The bar brings huge crowds of tourists every day. Unfortunately, tourists also attract pickpockets. Their wifi password even warns customers to beware of pickpockets! Keep a sharp eye on your stuff—especially if you’ve been drinking for a while!

9) Visit unique places in Brussels

Get off the beaten path and see some of Brussels’ lesser-known delights. These were some of my favorite places in the city. And lucky for you, I’ve already written a whole blog post on it! Check out my post on 8 unique places to visit in Brussels.

10) Everything will be in Dutch and French, but nearly everyone speaks English

All the main names and signs in Brussels will be in the two main languages: Dutch and French. While these are the two official languages in Belgium and in Brussels, almost everyone will speak English, and lots of signs and information will be in English as well. Even if people aren’t completely fluent in English, nearly everyone I encountered spoke enough English to at least get by. Brussels is a huge business hub and so people who live there tend to know multiple languages!

 

11) Eat your heart out!

Belgium is famous for its waffles, chocolate, fries, and beer. When visiting Brussels, you’ll be spoiled for choice with how much you can eat. Every other corner seems to have a waffle stand or one for fries! Be prepared to eat—and eat as much as you can!

It is so easy to get around Belgium by train. I always use Trainline to find the best deals! I flew to Belgium from the UK and booked my flights through Skyscanner, but you can also take the Eurostar from London to Brussels and travel by rail. You can look for hostels in Brussels here, and if they’re not you’re thing, you can check out hotels here. You can also sign up to and search Airbnb for accommodation in Brussels here! Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more. Wanting to do a tour? Check out these tours in Brussels!

Check out my other Belgium posts:

How Much Does It Cost To Spend 4 Days In Belgium?

8 Unique Things To Do In Brussels

A Daytrip To Antwerp

Bruges and Ghent: A Busy Daytrip From Brussels

To Brussels On The Eurostar

Have you ever been to Brussels before? What tips would you recommend for first-time visitors?

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