Hi. Apologies havent been on in a while, trying to get back into this! Will try and read and rate as...
Hi. Apologies havent been on in a while, trying to get back into this! Will try and read and rate as many as possible.
Member since:10.10.2005
Reviews:37
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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 are special in their own right. You have the Mannequin Pis statue, the symbol of Belgium. This is a small statue of a little boy peeing but is
quaint and worth a visit. European Parliament is also worth a visit as is the Royal Palace and the beautiful surrounding parkland in the city.
However the biggest draw, and somewhere that simply cant be missed is Grand Place. This is the town square, where the town hall stands proudly as do museums and lovely pubs with seating areas outside to enjoy watching the world go by. It is a thriving part of the city and there always appears to be something going on here. When we visited the Belgium Beer Festival was hosted here and it was magnificent being in this square, enjoying the craic and a few drinks with the backdrop being the most breathtaking buildings I have ever seen in my life. They are truly remarkable and are well worth a visit at nighttime where the lights transform them!
To get here you have to weave your way through many cobbled side streets which gives this city a lot of character. Yes there are modern areas to the city such as the business district to the north but Brussels to me typifies my view of what a European city is, somewhere with a bit of character and history to it.
As Belgium is famed for it chocolates and beer it is not surprising that these are easily found in just about every part of Brussels. It really is the city of indulgence where you can spoil yourself on these treats. I did not come across a street that didnt have either a chocolate or beer shop so it would take a lot of will power to walk away! They make great gifts to bring home as well, as you can hand pick what you want. The Chocolate Museum just off Grand Place is well worth a visit when your here.
As well as chocolate and beer, Belgium is famed for its restaurants. Brussels does not disappoint. Just about every taste imaginable is catered for, and there are restaurants to suit the budgets of all travellers. If you dont want to eat in a restaurant, why not grab some traditional fare from the street carts selling mussels and chips or snails. For those that cannot eat foreign food, surprise surprise there are McDonalds here so do not fret!
In my opinion Brussels is a very cultural city, It is quite relaxed and has a real cafe culture feel to it. People tend to spend their evenings relxing in cafe bars on the street enjoying a few social drinks. Art and history are important in this city, with many museums and galleries dotted around as well as the Tin Tin Cartoon shop! Apparently he was created here!
Whilst there is this culture, I felt the city lacked some entertainment at night. There didnt appear to be many gigs, nightclubs or bustling bars to visit that you would expect to find in any capital city. For those that dont want any of this thats great, but for those seeking a city with lively nightlife this may not be for you. Although to contradict myself, we stumbled across a few gay bars that seemed to be bustling, and apparently, the gay scene is quite lively here!
The lack of lively nightlife was perhaps only a problem as we were a group of young girls looking a few wild nights out but here are a few other drawbacks to the city:
There are dodgy parts to be avoided, as is the case with anywhere!
The driving is appalling and very aggressive in my opinion. I would advise against hiring a car unless very confident. ( In any case there are excellent public transport systems in the city; train, tram and taxi)
The men can be very forward and in some cases not leave you alone. Many came across as lecherous so ladies be careful!
And for those who really like clothes shopping, good luck. Maybe we were being silly but we couldnt find the shops and became more and more angered as we spotted people waltz by with their bags and bags of shopping! However there are many tourist shops to enjoy if this also happens to you!
However those are only a few draw backs to what is an amazing city. The people are so friendly and willing to speak in English with you if you make the effort, it is not an expensive city to visit, it has a bit of class about it and is well located for travel within Belgium and further afield within Europe. Although visited only by chance, I definitely plan to return here!
Pictures of Brussels in general
Brussels town hall at night
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Advantages: Cheap, plenty of bars, good selection of resteraunts, historic city Disadvantages: Students, busy main street, not ideal for tourism (yet).
sibod 26.10.2006 ·
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