Brussels Reviews ( 50 reviews )
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Centre is beautiful. Drink lot of beers and visit Delirium and try from their 2004 different beers. |
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There's a lot more to Brussels than one might think, its not just the administrative capital of the EU! There are loads of historic sights and museums, some excellent restaurants and happening bars! It's not all that expensive either. Combine it with a trip to Bruges which is only an hour away on the train from Brussels. |
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Brussels is a schizophrenic sort of place. It has an upper town and lower town, for example. The lower town includes the old city centre (incl. the Grand’Place) and a shopping area based around the Rue Neuve. The upper town includes the museum quarter, the EU quarter and the chic shops of the Avenue Louise and Chaussée de Waterloo. The city is divided into 19 communes, each with its own character, budget and level of services. So a very well-heeled area can sit side-by-side with a poor commune, heavily populated with immigrants. The immigrant population, although located mostly in certain communes, is also very noticeable: it is estimated that more than half of the population of Brussels under 25 is of immigrant, mostly North-African origin. Keeping with the schizophrenic theme, about 70% of the local population speaks French and 30% speak Dutch, with both being official in the Brussels Region. Shop assistants and public officials are supposed to be bilingual and are to varying degrees. Brussels being home to the EU institutions, with their multinational staff, means that English is rapidly making inroads everywhere. This schizophrenic dual aspect to the city means that one usually has a decision to make that might be more straightforward elsewhere: Will I take a chance and find what I want here, or will I not do so and have to traipse miles across the city to find it there…? Should I say "Bonjour" when I walk into a shop or am I expected to know in advance they are Dutch speakers and so go with "Dag"? While these are perhaps more issues for the locals, I think visitors will get a sense of it too. These issues aside, Brussels is well worth a visit, for its splendid Grand’Place, its Art Deco and Art Nouveau architecture, its excellent museums and art galleries, it vibrant cultural scene and top-quality restaurants. Its transport system is also very efficient relative to many other cities of its size. On the downside, regardless of where you go, the pavements are often badly maintained and seem specially designed to sprain ankles, so it is advisable to wear sturdy flat shoes. The local population also seem to think nothing of letting their dogs crap all over the place, another reason for wearing sensible shoes… A cultural note. The Bruxellois are quite reserved and there is an etiquette about walking into a shop or restaurant. You are expected to offer a general greeting open entering, to no-one in particular and everyone in general. Not to do so is considered quite bad manners and can influence the way you are subsequently treated. |
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Did not really look into city-wide activities. Used very little city-wide transport, just walked everywhere. A very walkable city! The weather was amazing! We love the flashbar... |
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fab food, weather and nightlife. |
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Fab place for nightlife and chilling out during the day. Fantastic weather (22C at midnight) and great food. |
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Belguim was nice, the people were great |
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Not many sights, but a lovey city. One day is enough. Use it as a base to visit the surrounding area. |
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Brussels Historic Center |
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I loved this city. One of the best in Europe and Ive been to about 80% of europe. Go here!!! |
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Brussels is a nice place to stay but If you have some time take the train to Gent (25 minutes) and Brugge (25 minutes more). They are sooo great! :D At the evening, come back to Brussels for a tasty beer :D |
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the room and the lounge is really nice, however, the staff are not very friendly (it gave me very bad first imporssion about brussels!!) and the reception & lounge closed at 12-16 and 23-7.30........
there are also only one shower room for all the dorm (i don't know how many dorms do they have but sometimes you need to wait for a while) |
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most of the sights are in walking distance and the waffles and chocolates are amazing! |
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wow i guess i really liked brussels. the all thumbs up is a little misleading. either Brussels hits you or it doesn't. i didn't see any get down and dirty discoteks. great old buildings, gardens, accessable city, bilingual/trilingual people, seat of european union. plan for a day, if you like it stay longer or come back with an idea of what your going for. |
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You can probably do Brussels in a day. Take other days to see Bruges or Antwerp. |
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Visit Brugge!!! Don't spend too much of a time in Brussels. |
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Love the beer and the chocolate! |
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It was great city to visit for a few days. Any more than that and I might get bored with it (I'm not a partier though, so I didn't hit up any clubs). But the site seeing is great, as are the resteraunts and cafes. It also has a great atmosphere. |
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I won't go back. Brugge is great, though. |
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Some of the best food I have eaten. and one of the easiest cities to get around. |
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A good city to finish or start your trip. Rather relaxed and not terribly big, nearly everything is walkable. Awesome place for food, can get an amazing meal for around 20 euro. If you like beer, this is a must stop as Brussels is home to some, if not the, best in the world. |
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I really enjoyed Belgium in general; there are some beautiful things to see; I enjoyed seeing quiet areas like Rotchfort and Han-sur-lesse as well! |
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Odd place. Do not go there if your looking for pumping night life. If you want to relax do a bit of shopping, eat chocolates and drink a hundred diff beers. Great |
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#2 Favorite place in the world! |
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Dingy area with an average cityscape. You have to really be into architecture to enjoy it. The layperson gets tired of it quickly. Mannekin-pis (that pissing boy statue) is tiny and can be missed with no regrets. Some of the souvenirs of it where bigger than the actual fountain! If you go to Brussels, check out the Grand Market in the center for really good food and reasonable prices. |
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Was very pleasantly surprised by Brussels, it was really lovely, and the weather was great. The only down side was the cost - food was v expensive and there are lots of 'tourist-trap' restaurants where you will pay above the odds for lunch/dinner. All in all though, a great weekend - would even go back for the shopping! |
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By reputation Belgium is not generally on most peoples 'must-see' list so we were somewhat surprised to enjoy ourselves as much as we did. Try to at least get to Bruges. Bruges is fantastic - then again it might have been to do with the choc festival. |
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Brussels has all what we toursits need. We can enjoy historical places and great meals & friendly people in city with good access from both air and train, security but without budgets. I can say here is one of the best. |
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Many people asked why we were going to Belgium because there is not much to do...Are they kidding!!??!! The museums may not be the Louvre or Prado but there are several very good ones..The only thing I found distasteful was the I'lot Sacre area with the people grabbing at us to go to their restaurants...We did not! and found a wonderful one outside the area...Please try to get them to stop this, it is very distracting and annoying!!! |
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Was there for a 1 day conference. Microsoft paid for everything which was nice. Went running round a cool park in the morning and had dinner at the Theatre du Vaudeville in the evening - which was great food, but like a sauna!! Some v. boring speeches from Eurocrats as well. |
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I heard a few bad things about Brussels first of all but I really liked it. Granted, there are a few dodgy people at night but you get that in every city. The Grand Place is one of the world's most beautiful squares, and there's lots more to see on top of that. |
1 out of 1 members found this review useful
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Try the waffles - they awesome. Dont buy too much chocolate, even though its really encouraged by the smells wafted out of the shops!! |
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Was a bit on the chilli side at the end of September, but that\'s understandable as i love the cold. |
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Brussels is pretty city, very easy to get around, just not a lot to do or see. |
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I ADORED Belgium. We went to Brugges, Ghent, Antwerp, and Brussels in three days. Both of us were a wee bit museumed out from being in London, so we just took our time roaming around the cities and really just loving it. It wasn\'t crowded at all, you could never find a bad meal, the people extremely friendly, the chocolate was amazing, the beer incredible... I could go on and on and on about how amazing this country is. If you want a lax vacation to another country with the opportunity of lots of art or just appreciating the city, Belgium has it ALL. |
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Nice place, but you don\'t need too much time here. I prefer Bruges. |
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the waffels are the best thing ever and everyone is very friendly and tourist friendly everyone knows english french anf german fluently |
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For this weekend i was on a stag do and we had to venture outside of the city for the activities as Brussels is too urban for it. But for food, drink, architecture and plodding around as well as transport it is fantastic. |
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christmas markets and holiday decorations made the city really charming and festive. loads of great restaurants, though i\'d stear clear of the rue des bouchers,, restaurant busker/hawkers really give me the creeps. buy the art nouveau map from the tourist office and wander around the whole city with a pseudo-purpose, stopping off in cute shops, and cafes as you like. |
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I loved brussells, it is a city like no other, a total contrasting city, you have a crumbling old fort between massive glass high rises, and a massive church in the middle of a ghetto, massive abstract wooden THING in the shopping strip! It is a mix of different cultures and people, and expect the unexpected. |
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It\'s probably located inbetween Brussels-Noord station and the heart of the city, but even then walking to the city takes like 5 minutes and it\'s conveniently placed near trains + metro. I stayed in \"The White Room\" which was quite the experience. There\'s free internet, but the catch is that there\'s lockout of the reception which is connected to the lounge, so if you come after 11pm there won\'t be anywhere to hang out. Other than that, I\'d recommend it. The staff were nice and helpful, SUPER clean and the lockers were really large. =) |
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a lot to see and to do, especially in the summer. there are some great restaurants. try the beer and chocolate. |
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The city is dirty and has high crime, not safe to run around alone at night. |
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I was not impressed with Brussels, it is very drab, and the people don\'t seem to be that friendly. |
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Brussels is a very chill place. There isn\'t a ton of tourist stuff but it\'s a good place to hang out or laugh at things like the ugly EU building. |
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Go to Antwerp or Bruges, I loved both much better than Brussels, which is just another big city |
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i didnt like brussels at all! |
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The beer there is so cheap it\'s great! |
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Not much to do I am afraid, apart from the Grand Place and a few other sights down that way, we struggled to fill our time. One day in Brussels is more than enough. As for nightclubs, Fuse is recommended although it was quite a bit away from our hostel.. there are no clubs of real note around the area of the Grand Place. |
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It is a good place to relax and spend a couple of days. From either chilling in the palace park, or feeling minute in the city hall, to being a kid again in the comic museum, to learning the Belgian beer brewing process, to strolling down an Moroccan street, Brussels has a fair bit to offer, you just have to explore a little |
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