Brussels in general

Although Brussels is the capital of Europe, it's often overlooked as a city break location due to it being sandwiched between its more famous neighbours, Paris and Amsterdam. Having lived and worked in Brussels for a year as a student, I have a rather fond regard for the place. I'll freely admit that it has not got as many well known attractions nor the je ne sais quoi of Paris. Indeed, neither has it got the same canal like prettiness or red light risquéness of Amsterdam. However, Brussels has a quaint charm all of its own, superb architecture and buildings, and let's not forget all that ... more

Brussels wouldn’t necessarily be most people’s first choice for a European city weekend break, with Amsterdam and Paris somewhat higher on the list, I suspect. However, it does have one major advantage if you live in or around London – it’s one of the two direct destinations served by the Eurostar train, the other being Paris, and of the two end destinations, it’s the nearer (in fact it’s only about as far as Liverpool is from London). So having saved up our Radio Times coupons to get a pair of £50 weekend returns*, this Saturday morning saw us bright (?) and early, boarding the 6.15 departure ... more

Brussels I recently took a trip to Brussels so I thought I would share my experiences of the city. Firstly a little bit of background from an article I read. Brussels is the largest urban area in Belgium. It comprises 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels proper, which is the capital of Belgium, Flanders and the French Community of Belgium. The metropolitan area has a population of over 1.8 million. Since the end of the Second World War, Brussels has been an important centre for international politics. The presence of the main EU institutions as well as the headquarters of the ... more

Well to be brutally honest Brussels was never a place I thought " Ooo I must visit there someday " . In fact my visit came about largely by chance: a few free days in September and extremely cheap flights provided by Ryanair. Why not? Well I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised by the city I knew very little about. My prior knowledge consisted of 1/ There will be lots of beer there and 2/ European Parliament meets here Admitedly, this is not a lot to go by but the city has so much more to offer than these (thankfully)! There are many sights to see, which may not be the most well known but ... more

Brussels is a delightful city which is often forgotten about as a tourist destination. Situated between its more popular cousins Paris, Amsterdam and London you can see why, but if you take the effort to really find out what's what you'll find a city with plenty of culture, delicious food, amazing architecture and, of course, great beer. Brussels is the head of the European Union and despite the city's relatively brief history, has become one of Europe's premier cities. The introduction of the Euro Star, connecting Brussels with Paris and London has definitely had a positive effect and with so ... more