Dining & Food in Brussels

Brussels has restaurants to rival Paris and London both for price and quality. Brussels is no place for weight watching – fries, chocolate and mussels are everywhere you look – and portions are large.
Give in to temptation by experimenting with some of Belgium’s famous beers – like Hoegaarden, an example of blanche beer, or, Trappiste beers such as Chimay, Orval, or Achel made in abbey breweries (Leffe is an abbey beer, but is not made in a monastery!). Other varieties include the non-malted lambic, blended gueuze, red beers aged in oak and kriek – fermented with cherries or raspberries. Or take a scholarly approach and visit museums at Brewers’ House (Grand’Place 10) and the Musée de la Gueuze (56 Rue Gheude). Or drop in on the La Binchoise brewery in Binche (25 miles south of Brussels). (more…)

Getting around Brussels

City transport consists of a two-line metro system, trams and buses. One ticket works on all modes for one hour once time-stamped on board or at the station entrance. Single tickets are €1.40, ten rides €9.20. Drivers only sell single tickets so for the cheaper option you need to buy from a kiosk or metro station. Take a taxi only from the official ranks, you can’t hail them on the street. De Brouckère, the Bourse, place d’Espagne and train stations are obvious places. Or you can call one to pick you up.
Belgium is small, its trains are cheap and destinations are nicely within reach. Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent and the Belgian coast are all in easy striking distance. In French-speaking Wallonia, its capital Namur has an impressive citadel linked by cable car. Drop into the tourist office by the station and spend your day strolling around its impressive squares and river walks. Namur comes to life at night with its young university crowd filling the bars. It is also the gateway to the rivers and forests of the Ardennes. Jump on the branch line from Namur to Dinant and experience francophone Belgium at its boutique best.
Liège, a large and lively city on the banks of the Meuse, is the cultural capital of Wallonia. Despite some grim architectural reminders from its heavy industrial days, the old centre remains potently attractive and is bursting with bars, cafés and quality restaurants. In the summer, Belgians flock to the small coast with impressive Ostend and upmarket Knokke being favourites. The Kusttram (coastal tram) is a wonderful journey which runs from De Panne, through Ostend and on to Knokke.

Events in Brussels

Europalia Festival
The first Europalia (from the Roman ‘Opalia’, meaning ‘rich harvest’) was conceived in Brussels in 1969, and the festival has been held annually since to showcase the visual and performing arts of a different designated guest country each year. The latest country to be featured was Italy, and in 2005 Russia will be the invited country. Numerous art exhibits, concerts, film screenings and other events are held in and around Brussels between October and early February of the following year.
Art Brussels
Tens of thousands of art experts and art lovers from all over the world eagerly await ArtBrussels, Belgium’s premier art festival, renowned for its high standard.. (more…)

Night Life in Brussels

Most of Brussels’ nightlife revolves around Belgian activities of cinema (locals go at least once a week); dining out in gourmet restaurants; or consuming large amounts of the local beers. Best bar crawl is down rue du Marché au Charbon – where every other building houses a lively drinking place. Of the many, Au Soleil at No.86 and the popular Pablo Disco Bar at No.60 are the best picks. Brussels’ renown as a clubbing town is down to one club: the Fuse , its best, where the DJ, Pierre, is the town’s top turntablist. Fast gaining a reputation for democratic partying is Recyclart, a gallery-cum-nightclub hosting dynamic one-nighters . (more…)

Brussels Travel Guide

Brussels climate
Best: May-Sept, though the weather is notoriously erratic.
Worst: Nov-March. Short daylight hours, cold and grey, but floodlighting and hyper-beers will enlighten midnight minds.
Brussel Festivals
Feb 6,7,8, the Carnival of Binche. An ancient and famously kaleidoscopic event with costumes and masks. Binche is 54kms [34 miles] from Brussels.
May 22, the Battle of Lumecon & The Procession of the Golden Chariot, Mons. A George and the Dragon battle and religious procession in this pretty city [40 mins by train].
May-November, Festival of Flanders. Superb classical music in magnificent locations, such as cathedrals, all over Flanders [just north a bit].. (more…)