Brussels aka: Bruxelles, Brussel

I lived in Belgium for a year and I have some Belgian must-have experiences for you. Obviously, you must have mussels and some good Belgian beer. Chocolate is also requisite. I always loved to buy mine at Leonidas and then walk up to the Mont des Arts and look down on the city as I let my praline melt slowly in my mouth. :)

Also, people always have waffles(try a gaufre liegoise instead of the crazy touristy concoctions) in Belgium, but so many miss out on frites (fries). Buy your frites in a nice big paper cone from a friterie and get a delicious and unnutritious sauce slathered all over it. My favorite is sauce americaine, which is a little spicy and very tasty.

Take the time to drink a beer, coffee, or fresh mint tea at a cafe. My favorite cafe was Le Roi des Belges, which is located in Place Saint Gery (not far from Grand Place). There are several other great cafes there to choose from, including the very popular Mappa Mundo. (Place Flagey in Ixelles is also a cool place to go for a drink. Cafe Belga is always happening.)

For good cheap eats in central Brussels, there is a street lined with pita shops just off the Grand Place. It is lively and inexpensive…as well as good eating! My favorite restaurant in Bruxelles was Centre Hemisfere, which serves great international cuisine at a reasonable price. I can’t remember exactly where it is, but it is only a few minutes walk from the center.

Lastly, if you are planning to travel in Europe, don’t underestimate Belgium…or skip over it completely. Ghent, Namur, and Antwerp are super cool places to spend a day or two. Bruges is beautiful.

Wall’s

The little girl is much more cute than manekken pis.

Don’t try to walk from the station into town! Take a taxi – we thought we would save ourselves a few euros, but quickly found that the way to the town centre on foot was not well signposted and we took a few wrong turns through some less salubrious areas.

Visit the weekend antiques market in the Place du Grand Sablon. When you’re bored of browsing through knick knacks, there are many delicious chocolate shops around the square to drool over :)

Brussels is a good transport hub for visiting other cities in Belgium as well, like Bruges.

I’m going there in hmm..4 weeks or so :) I can’t wait! I have wanted to visit Brussels so long! I want to visit at least Institution of Natural Science, Grand’Place and see the European Parliament.

Is there any suggestions what is really worth seeing or doing in the city?