On Sunday the 7th December 2025 we woke up in the Castel Hotel in Ghent and after breakfast we crossed the road to the Gent St Pieters Station to catch the train to Brussels.
We eventually arrive at Brussel-Centraal Station, where we caught an uber cab to our Ibis City Centre Hotel. We leave our bags in the room after another lucky early check in and set off to explore the city.
We walk down Rue Henri Maus and pass the old stock exchange which now holds the Belgian Beer World Experience.
The Brussels Old Stock Exchange, or Bourse Palace (Palais de la Bourse), is a magnificent 19th-century building in the heart of Brussels, once the centre of Belgian finance, but now transformed into a vibrant cultural hub featuring the Belgian Beer World museum, restaurants, co-working spaces, and an archaeological site, following extensive renovations that reopened in 2023. Designed by Léon Suys and built from 1868-1873, this eclectic masterpiece on Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) is a key landmark, blending historic architecture with modern public use, including its own premetro station.
As we walk on I catch a glimpse of an amazing looking building so we divert off to walk down to take a look, it it is indeed amazing its Grand Place!
We stand in front of the Brussels Town Hall (Hôtel de Ville or Stadhuis) in the Grand Place of Brussels, Belgium.
Erected between 1401 and 1455, the Town Hall is the only remaining medieval building of the Grand-Place and is considered a masterpiece of civil Gothic architecture and more particularly of Brabantine Gothic. Its three classicist rear wings date from the 18th century. Since 1998, it has also been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of the square.
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| Grand Place |
The Grand-Place or Grote Markt is the central square of Brussels, Belgium. It is surrounded by opulent Baroque guildhalls of the former Guilds of Brussels and two larger edifices; the city's Flamboyant Town Hall, and the neo-Gothic King's House or Bread House building, containing the Brussels City Museum. The square measures 68 by 110 metres (223 by 361 ft) and is entirely paved.
The Grand-Place's construction began in the 11th century and was largely complete by the 17th. In 1695, during the Nine Years' War, most of the square was destroyed during the bombardment of Brussels by French troops. Only the Town Hall's façade and tower, which served as a target for the artillery, as well as some stone walls, resisted the incendiary balls. The houses that surrounded the Grand-Place were rebuilt during subsequent years, giving the square its current appearance, though they were frequently modified in the following centuries. From the mid-19th century, the square's heritage value was rediscovered, and it was thoroughly renovated.
The Grand-Place is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in Brussels. It is also considered one of the world's most beautiful squares, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. The square frequently hosts festive and cultural events, among them, in August of every even year, the installation of an immense flower carpet in its centre. It is also a centre of annual celebrations during the Christmas and New Year period, and a Christmas tree has been erected annually on the square since the mid-20th century.
In the square is the impressive Bread House building.
The Museum of the City of Brussels is housed in a neo-Gothic building, a 19th-century reconstruction of The Bread House by city architect Victor Jamaer. The Bread House is on the Unesco World Heritage List, along with the entire Grand Place. The museum is dedicated to the history of Brussels. Paintings, sculptures, retables, silverware, faience, porcelain and tapestries, depict this history.
Improvements to the Grand-Place from the 14th century onwards would mark the rise in importance of local merchants and tradesmen relative to the nobility. As he was short on money, the Duke gradually transferred parts of his control rights over trade and mills to the local authorities, prompting them to build edifices worthy of their new status. In 1353, the City of Brussels ordered the construction of a large indoor cloth market (French: Halle au Drap), similar to those of the neighbouring cities of Mechelen and Leuven, to the south of the square. At this point, the Grand-Place was still haphazardly laid out, and the buildings along the edges had a motley tangle of gardens and irregular additions. The city expropriated and demolished a number of buildings that clogged the square, and formally defined its edges.
We walk on and leave Grand Place and walk down Imp Schuddeveld and onto Rue de Bouchers and then down Impasse de la Fidelite to see the Jeanneke Pis statue.
Jeanneke Pis ( Dutch for 'Little Pissing Joan') is a modern fountain sculpture in central Brussels, Belgium. It was commissioned by Denis-Adrien Debouvrie in 1985 and erected in 1987 as a counterpoint to the city's famous Manneken Pis. The 50-centimetre (20 in) bronze statue depicts a naked little girl with short pigtails, squatting and urinating on a blue-grey limestone base.
Jeanneke Pis is located north of the Grand-Place/Grote Markt (Brussels' main square), on the eastern side of the Impasse de la Fidélité/Getrouwheidsgang (lit. 'Fidelity Alley'), a narrow cul-de-sac some 30 metres (100 ft) long leading northwards off the restaurant-packed Rue des Bouchers/Beenhouwersstraat. The sculpture is now protected from vandalism by iron bars.
Jeanneke Pis was conceived in 1985 by Denis-Adrien Debouvrie, who had been living in the Îlot Sacré district of Brussels for several years and owned several restaurants and properties in the Impasse de la Fidélité/Getrouwheidsgang. He proposed the statue as a way to restore waning interest in the alley and as a metaphorical method of "restoring equality between men and women" by creating a feminine counterpart to the city's Manneken Pis sculpture. The idea reportedly came to him one day while having breakfast, and he sketched the design on a paper tablecloth. Upon completing the sketch, Debouvrie is said to have remarked, "Now we have gender equality." The statue's appearance was also reportedly inspired by his younger sister Jenny as a child. Debouvrie subsequently commissioned a sculptor to realise the design.
In 2003, the Impasse de la Fidélité became home to the Delirium Café, which has since become known for its extensive beer menu. Several other establishments have also been set up in the alley, contributing to the area's recognition as a visitor destination. Following Debouvrie's death in December 2008, his relatives have continued to manage the statue's charitable contributions and maintain its presence in the alley.
We walk on to find Jeanneke's counterpart Manekin Pis. We stop in the Beer Store on Rue de Midi on the way.
We reach Manneken Pis who today is dressed in JCI outfit.
JCI is a place to develop your leadership skills, meet inspiring people and make an impact in your local community.
It is a global, not-for-profit organisation for 18 to 40 year olds, run by its members for its members. JCI’s mission is to provide development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change. Our members are from many different backgrounds, cultures and professions, but all share common values and a passion to develop themselves and support their communities.
Manneken Pis ( Dutch for 'Little Pissing Man') is a landmark 55.5 cm (21.9 in) bronze fountain sculpture in central Brussels, Belgium, depicting a puer mingens: a naked little boy urinating into the fountain's basin. Though its existence is attested as early as the mid-15th century, Manneken Pis was redesigned by the Brabantine sculptor Jérôme Duquesnoy the Elder and put in place in 1619. Its blue stone niche in rocaille style dates from 1770. The statue has been repeatedly stolen or damaged throughout its history. Since 1965, a replica has been displayed on site, with the original stored in the Brussels City Museum.
Manneken Pis is one of the best-known symbols of Brussels and Belgium, inspiring several legends, as well as numerous imitations and similar statues, both nationally and abroad. The figure is regularly dressed up and its wardrobe consists of around one thousand different costumes. Since 2017, they have been exhibited in a dedicated museum called GardeRobe MannekenPis, located on the same street. Owing to its self-derisive nature, Manneken Pis is also an example of belgitude as well as of folk humour (zwanze) popular in Brussels.
We walk on down Rue De L'Etiuve and pass the Friet Museum.
A crispy and educational experience !
The history of the fry : Explore the origins of the potato and how it became the star of Belgian chip shops.
The myth of Belgian fries : Discover the legends surrounding the birth of fries and their global fame.
Cooking techniques : Learn all the secrets — from potato selection to the traditional double frying in beef fat.
Fry culture: Understand the key role of chip shops in Belgian life and how they bring generations together.
Further long the street is the Tin Tin Comic Mural,inspired from the The Calculus Affair.
If there is only one city to be in if you are a comic strip fan, it is Brussels. The capital is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Comic Strip Cartoon Trail.
The genesis of the Comic Strip Trail dates back to the early 1990’s. The City of Brussels led a firm fight against the large advertising posters that were blighting the city centre. Once these posters had been removed, they revealed dilapidated facades that had to be restored. This was the catalyst for the creation of the first comic strip fresco. Over the years, they have multiplied and Tintin soon joined the gang.
Tintin and his friends can obviously be found on the facades, but the city is teeming with other unique places linked to our young reporter, which you should discover as soon as possible.
We walk on to head up to the Mont des Arts.
We cross over Cantersteen to walk up to Jardin du Mont Des Arts.
The Mont des Arts meaning "Hill/Mount of the Arts", is an urban complex and historic site in central Brussels, Belgium, including the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR), the National Archives of Belgium, Square – Brussels Convention Centre, and a public garden designed by the landscape architect René Pechère.
The Mont des Arts's development began in the late 19th century as part of an urban renewal project initiated by King Leopold II to accommodate the city's cultural institutions. The first version of the site, designed by the landscape architect Pierre Vacherot, was inaugurated in 1910. Between 1956 and 1969, a major redesign was undertaken by the architects Maurice Houyoux and Jules Ghobert, resulting in the current layout.
The area of the Mont des Arts knew different affectations during its history. Jews settled there until the 14th century, as attested by the old Escaliers des Juifs or Ioode trappen ("Jewish Stairs"), a former series of four steep staircases leading to Brussels' upper town. Later, it used to be a densely populated neighbourhood, the Saint-Roch/Sint-Rochus Quarter (French: Quartier Saint-Roch, Dutch: Sint-Rochuswijk), centred around the now-disappeared Rue des Trois-Têtes/Driehoofdenstraat and the former Place du Palais/Paleisplein (today's Place de la Justice/Gerechtsplein), where Brussels' first courthouse was located.
Between the 15th and the 18th centuries, the hill overlooking the neighbourhood was known as the Montagne de la Cour/Hofberg ("Hill/Mount of the Court") after the former Palace of Coudenberg also located there. This palace, famous all over Europe, had greatly expanded since it had first become the seat of the Dukes of Brabant, but it was destroyed by fire in 1731. Only a small section of the Rue Montagne de la Cour now remains below the Place Royale/Koningsplein.The district's development over the next centuries raised one of the most complex questions in the town-planning history of Brussels: the link between the upper and the lower town through the reorganisation of the Montagne de la Cour.
We stop at the top of the hill at a cafe and have a coffee and hot chocolate taking in the views across the city and watching the clock strike the hour just across the square.
We walk on up Coudenberg and towards the Royal Palace.
We pass Musée des Instruments de Musique an Musical Instruments Museum. A gorgeous looking building.
The MIM houses a world-renowned collection of musical instruments. Located in the heart of the Mont des Arts, amidst other must-see museums and cultural venues, it occupies the former Old England store, one of the finest examples of Art Nouveau architecture in Brussels.
The museum showcases both ancient and modern instruments, as well as instruments from around the world and folk music. The collections are spread across four exhibition floors, each offering a unique perspective. You can easily spend hours browsing, listening to the music of the instruments on display.
We cross over to the Church of St James on Coudenberg.
The Church of St. James on Coudenberg is a Catholic church on the historic Place Royale/Koningsplein, in the Royal Quarter of Brussels, Belgium. It is dedicated to Saint James, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus.
The neoclassical church was designed by the architects Gilles-Barnabé Guimard and Louis Montoyer and built from 1776 to 1787, replacing two neighbouring places of worship. In the 19th century, a dome and bell tower, as well as a coloured fresco, were added to it. The complex was designated a historic monument in 1959. Nowadays, it ranks as royal parish church, and since 1986, as cathedral of the Military Ordinariate of Belgium.
We leave the church and walk a short way to the Royal Palace of Brussels.
The Royal Palace of Brussels is the official palace of the King and Queen of the Belgians in the centre of the nation's capital, Brussels. However, it is not used as a royal residence, as the king and his family live in the Royal Palace of Laeken in northern Brussels.
The Royal Palace is where His Majesty the King exercises his prerogatives as Head of State, grants audiences and deals with affairs of state. Apart from the offices of the King and the Queen, the Royal Palace houses the services of the Grand Marshal of the Court, the King's Head of Cabinet, the Head of the King's Military Household and the Intendant of the King's Civil List. The Royal Palace also includes the State Rooms where large receptions are held, as well as the apartments provided for foreign Heads of State during official visits.
The first nucleus of the present-day building dates from the end of the 18th century. However, the grounds on which the Royal Palace stands were once part of the Palace of Coudenberg, a very old palatial complex that dated back to the Middle Ages. The existing façade was only built after 1900 on the initiative of King Leopold II.
We walk on crossing Avenue des Arts to go see the EU headquarters.
We reach the EU Parliament for a wander around.
We walk into the Parlamentarium and have to go through airport type security. I was fine, however they came running over to Mel saying she has a knife in her bag, She shows them tweezers and nail clippers, but insist no there is a knife showing her the x-ray picture. Hopwever no knife was found and gthey let her in ha ha!
Multimedia guides lead visitors to the heart of the European Parliament, explaining the path towards European cooperation, how the European Parliament works and what its Members are doing to meet the challenges of today.
It can be experienced in any of the European Union’s 24 official languages. The visitors centre is open seven days a week and entrance is free of charge. It is fully accessible for visitors with disabilities.
The Parlamentarium has plenty to offer for all ages. Visits are self-directed, with the average visit taking around 90 minutes.
While some may find the history of the EU Parliament interesting, we did not! A very quick browse and we were out again.
We head back into the city centre and grab a hotdog from a Xmas Market.
We make our way back to the hotel for a nap.
The mural features characters from the Belgian comic strip Nero & Co., created by cartoonist Marc Sleen.
The main character, Nero, an anti-hero with a distinctive large nose and bow-tie, appeared daily in newspapers from 1947 to 2002.
The specific location of this mural is in Place Saint-Géry, Brussels.
After a nap at the hotel, we head back out to see Brussels by night and grab some dinner.
We walk through Brussels trying to find The View big wheel, maps were very disorientating. However after a very long walk we finally make it up to the View and its Christmas Market. Bit disappointing to be fair after such a long walk!
A new permanent tourist attraction in Brussels, the giant Ferris wheel known as "The View", invites you to climb high above the city and enjoy an unforgettable experience. As the highest point in Brussels, it offers you a breath-taking panoramic view of the capital.
We look to try and find a bus that can take us back to the city centre, but Mel said lets just walk it as a bus wasn't an obvious choice.
We find an illuminated Brussels sign and stop for photos.
A couple ask if we'd like them to take our photos and said" Wow, you speak such good English" ha ah!"
We head back into Grand Place just in time to to see the light show.
This year's sound and light show 'Echoes of Colours' is a five-minute video mapping show, projected on the tower of the City Hall. It intensely celebrates all colours.
We walk on and end up just having Belgian waffles for dinner, neither of us were particularly hungry!
We got them at Eight and Three on Rue du Marché aux Herbes 21. Very uninspiring suggest you go elsewhere if looking for waffles in Brussels!
In the heart of Brussels (aka – City Centre near de Brouckere and the Bourse and only 200m from the Grand Place) is a Drug Opera, a restaurant named after the fact that it used to be a pharmacy (aka Drugstore) and that it is in close proximity to the La Monnaie Opera house.
We wander around and find even more Christmas Markets.
We head back to the hotel for the night and some sleep.
Monday 8th December 2025
We wake up the next day and after breakfast we check-out and leave our bags in the luggage area at the hotel and head over to the station to catch the metro to the Atomium. We catch the train from Metro Rogier catching line 6. We take the long way round and I notice a quicker route for our journey back.
We get off at Heysel Station for a short walk to the Atomium.
The Atomium is a landmark modernist building in Brussels, Belgium, originally constructed as the centrepiece of the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo 58). Designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn and the architects André and Jean Polak as a tribute to scientific progress, as well as to symbolise Belgian engineering skills at the time, it is located on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Laeken (northern part of the City of Brussels), where the exhibition took place. It is the city's most popular tourist attraction, and serves as a museum, an art centre and a cultural destination.
The Atomium stands 102 metres (335 ft) tall, making it one of the tallest structures in Belgium. Its nine 18-metre-diameter (59 ft) stainless steel clad spheres are connected in the shape of a unit cell that could represent an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. Steel tubes connecting the spheres enclose stairs, escalators and a lift (in the central, vertical tube) to allow access to the six visitable spheres, which contain exhibit halls and other public spaces. The top sphere includes a restaurant with a panoramic view of Brussels. The building was completely renovated between 2004 and 2006 by the companies Jacques Delens and BESIX.
The building is located on the Square de l'Atomium/Atomiumsquare, at the intersection of the Boulevard du Centenaire/Eeuwfeestlaan with the Avenue de l'Atomium/Atomiumlaan and the Avenue de Bouchout/Boechoutlaan, and opposite the Centenary Palace of the Brussels Exhibition Centre (Brussels Expo). It is served by Heysel/Heizel metro station on line 6 of the Brussels Metro.
The name Atomium is a portmanteau combining the words atom and aluminium, the metal with which the spheres were initially covered. The Brussels-Capital Region is bilingual; hence, both the monument's French and Dutch names—l'Atomium and het Atomium—are official. In French, l'Atomium is used both in the masculine and in the feminine, even if the monument's official team prefers the feminine.
The Atomium was built as the main pavilion and symbol of the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo 58). Its nine 18-metre (59 ft) stainless steel-clad spheres depict nine iron atoms in a body-centred cubic unit cell, which could, for example, represent an α-iron (ferrite) crystal, magnified 165 billion times. In the 1950s, faith in scientific progress was strong, and the subject was chosen to embody the enthusiasm of the Atomic Age. Designed to highlight humanity's advances—particularly in nuclear physics—it reflected Belgium's active role in the field ever since uranium from the Belgian Congo became the dominant material for nuclear fission, including the fuel used in the world's first nuclear weapons. With the Atomium, the country thus sought to promote the post-war ideal of peacefully applying atomic research and technology to improve lives and benefit mankind.
The construction of the Atomium was a technical feat. In January 1955, a first project was presented by the engineer André Waterkeyn, director of the economic department at Fabrimétal , the Federation of Companies in the Metal Fabricating Industry (now known as Agoria). The architects André and Jean Polak were responsible for the concept's architectural transposition, drawing up numerous sketches in the process. The company received assistance from the consulting engineers Artémy S. Joukoff and André Beckers, who were supported by the V. Daniel design office. Construction of the foundations began in March 1956 and the building, erected by the Jambes-Namur Construction Workshops, was completed less than a month before the inauguration of Expo 58, on 17 April 1958.
Since opening, only six of the nine spheres have been accessible to the public: the three on the central axis and the three on the lower outer edges. Each sphere has two main floors and an additional lower floor reserved for service. Tubes with a diameter of 3 metres (10 ft) connect the spheres along the cube's twelve edges and all eight vertices to the centre. The central tube contains Europe's fastest lift at the time of construction, with a speed of 5 m/s (20 ft/s), installed by the Belgian branch of the Swiss firm Schlieren (subsequently taken over by Schindler). It allows 22 people to reach the summit in just 23 seconds. The escalators installed in the oblique tubes are also among the longest in Europe, with the longest measuring 35 metres (100 ft).
The three upper outer spheres lack vertical support and are therefore not open to the public for safety reasons (to minimise foot traffic in the spheres). The original design called for no leg supports on the three lower outer spheres; the structure was simply to rest on the singular mid-bottom sphere. However, wind tunnel tests proved that such a structure would have toppled in an 80 km/h (50 mph) wind, whilst winds of up to 140 km/h (90 mph) have been recorded in Belgium. Support columns were thus added under the three spheres in question to provide sufficient resistance against overturning.
The Atomium, designed to last six months, was not destined to survive the 1958 World's Fair, but its popularity and success made it a major element of Brussels' landscape. Its destruction was therefore postponed year after year, until the city's authorities decided to keep it. However, for thirty years, little maintenance work was done. Still, the building continued to serve as the backdrop for major events and competitions. In 1960, the 47th Tour de France passed in front of it during its inaugural stages. From 1960 to 1962, the Brussels Motor Grand Prix automobile race was also organised nearby.
We walk back to the Station and grab the line 6 but this time we change at Elisabeth and back onto the line 6 avoiding a big loop.
We walk back through the city trying to kill time before our Eurostar departure later.
We have Belgian fries and chicken and I have one last Belgian beer before I go.
We stop off at Zinnekin Pis.
Het Zinneke (Brusselian dialect for "the mutt"), sometimes called Zinneke Pis by analogy with Manneken Pis, is a bronze sculpture in central Brussels, Belgium, erected in 1999. Created by Tom Frantzen, it represents a dog urinating against a bollard, along the same lines as Manneken Pis (a boy) and its derivative Jeanneke Pis (a girl).It is an example of folk humour (zwanze) popular in Brussels.
We walk back near the hotel and behind is a Christmas Market and the Saint Catherine Church.
The Church of St. Catherine is a Catholic parish church in Brussels, Belgium. It is dedicated to Saint Catherine.
The current church was designed by the architect Joseph Poelaert and built between 1854 and 1874 on the site of a basin of the former Port of Brussels, replacing an older church dating back to the 15th century. The complex was designated a historic monument in 1981.
The church is located on the Place Sainte-Catherine/Sint-Katelijneplein, in the Quays or Sainte-Catherine/Sint-Katelijne Quarter.
We are back at the hotel, we grab a coffee and eventually order an uber to take us to the Eurostar terminal for our journey back to London.
