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1 hr 30 min
Grand-Place - Grote Markt
Grand-Place, or Grote Markt, is Brussels' historic central square and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.
- Must see
- Historic monument
- Brussels
Country guide
1 to 2 hours in Belgium
Belgium covers 30,689 km² and holds more than 11.8 million people, a density of 383 per km² that ranks sixth in Europe. It is divided three ways — Flanders in...
Photograph · Naval S from Berlin · CC BY 2.0
3,688
Places
1Cities
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
Belgium covers 30,689 km² and holds more than 11.8 million people, a density of 383 per km² that ranks sixth in Europe.
It is divided three ways — Flanders in the north, Wallonia in the south, the Brussels-Capital Region in the middle — and the language divides with it: Dutch for about 60 per cent of the population, French for about 40, German for the one per cent in the East Cantons. The choice for a visitor is largely between Brussels, which carries the seats of the European Commission and Council and the headquarters of NATO, and the Flemish cities: Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Leuven.
Checked 2026-08-25
Cities
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
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Brussels
Photograph · Ank Kumar · CC BY-SA 4.0
Brussels 3,688 places
Practical information
- Language spoken
- Dutch, French and German
- National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
- Dialling code
- +32
- International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
- Emergency number
- 112
- Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
- Plug type
- Type C and E · 230 V
- Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
- Tap water
- Safe from the mains
- Public drinking water is regulated by Belgium's regional authorities
Planning a visit
Seasonal closures come from recorded opening hours.
- January: seasonal closure recorded
- February: seasonal closure recorded
- March: seasonal closure recorded
- April: seasonal closure recorded
- May: seasonal closure recorded
- June: seasonal closure recorded
- July: no seasonality data recorded
- August: no seasonality data recorded
- September: seasonal closure recorded — this month
- October: seasonal closure recorded
- November: seasonal closure recorded
- December: seasonal closure recorded
- Seasonal closure recorded
- No data recorded for this month
- The current month
Top things to see
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
Filter the list
66 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
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02 2 hoursAtomium
The Atomium is a building in the shape of a cube standing on one corner, and it is a model of something: the unit cell of an iron crystal, magnified 165 billion times.
- Must see
- Historic monument
- Brussels
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03 1 hr 30 minBrussels Town Hall
Hôtel de Ville de Bruxelles - Stadhuis van Brussel
The City Hall of Brussels is the working seat of the city's administration and the only building on the Grand-Place that a visitor can go inside on a ticket.
- Must see
- Historic monument
- Brussels
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04 1 hr 15 minHorta Museum
Musée Horta - Hortamuseum
The Horta Museum is the house and architectural studio that Victor Horta built for himself in Saint-Gilles, and it is the only building on the Art Nouveau circuit in Brussels that a visitor can walk through room by room.
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
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05 1 hr 30 minMagritte Museum
Musée Magritte Museum
The Musée Magritte Museum is a museum devoted entirely to René Magritte (1898-1967), installed in the Hôtel Altenloh on the Place Royale and run by the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
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06 2 hoursBelgian Comic Strip Center
Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée - Belgisch Stripcentrum
The Comic Art Museum, still widely signposted and registered under its founding name Belgian Comic Strip Center, occupies a department store that was never meant to hold pictures.
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
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07 1 hr 15 minCinquantenaire Park
Parc du Cinquantenaire - Jubelpark
Cinquantenaire Park, also called Jubelpark, is the formal park and monumental complex in Brussels' European Quarter, made for Belgium's fiftieth anniversary in 1880. It began on the former Linthout drill ground and expanded after the 1880 national exhibition.
- Must see
- Nature site
- Brussels
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08 2 hoursMini-Europe
Mini-Europe is a miniature park at the foot of the Atomium in Laeken, in the north of Brussels, where some 350 monuments from across the European Union are rebuilt at a scale of 1/25 and set into roughly 2.5 hectares…
- Must see
- Entertainment venue
- Brussels
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09 1 hr 30 minOldmasters Museum
Musée Oldmasters - Oldmasters Museum
The Old Masters Museum is one of the four sites that make up the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, a federal institution whose main entrance is at Rue de la Régence 3, on the slope below the Place…
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
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10 2 hoursMusical Instruments Museum
Musée des instruments de musique - Muziekinstrumentenmuseum
The Musical Instruments Museum, universally called the MIM, is a federal Belgian museum of roughly ten thousand instruments, of which about twelve hundred are on show.
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
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11 1 hr 30 minMuseum of Natural Sciences of Belgium
Muséum des sciences naturelles de Belgique - Museum voor Natuurwetenschappen van België
The Museum of Natural Sciences of Belgium is a major natural history museum located in Brussels. Its local names are Muséum des sciences naturelles de Belgique in French and Museum voor Natuurwetenschappen van België in Dutch, reflecting Belgium's bilingual character.
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
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12 1 hr 30 minAutoworld
Autoworld is a motor museum located in Brussels, Belgium. The institution occupies a historic building within the Parc du Cinquantenaire complex, a prominent architectural setting in the European capital.
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
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13 1 hr 30 minBELvue
Musée BELvue - BELvue Museum
BELvue is a museum located in Brussels, Belgium. It occupies a historic building and presents exhibitions related to Belgian history, democracy, and society. The museum is situated in the Royal Quarter of Brussels, near the Royal Palace.
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
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14 1 hr 30 minHouse of European History
Maison de l'Histoire européenne - Huis van de Europese geschiedenis
The House of European History is a museum in Brussels dedicated to the history of Europe and European integration. Located in the European Quarter near the European Parliament, it occupies the Eastman Building, a former dental institute.
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
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15 1 hr 30 minParlamentarium
The Parlamentarium is the visitors' centre of the European Parliament, located in Brussels. It serves as an exhibition space designed to inform the public about the European Parliament's role, history, and democratic processes.
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
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16 1 hr 30 minPalace of Coudenberg
Coudenberg
The Palace of Coudenberg was a medieval royal and imperial palace located on Coudenberg hill in Brussels. It served as the seat of government for the Dukes of Brabant and later for the Habsburg rulers.
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
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17 1 hr 30 minBelgian Beer World
Belgian Beer World is a Brussels attraction devoted to Belgian beer culture and heritage.
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
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18 1 hr 30 minChoco-Story Brussels
Choco Story Brussels
Choco-Story Brussels is a museum devoted to chocolate in the Belgian capital. The visit connects cocoa’s Mesoamerican origins with the development of European chocolate-making and Brussels’ strong praline tradition.
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
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19 1 hr 30 minDesign Museum Brussels
Design Museum Brussels is a Brussels museum devoted to design history and contemporary design practice. It places functional objects, visual ideas, and manufacturing culture within a wider cultural setting.
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
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20 1 hr 30 minRoyal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History
Musée royal de l'Armée et d'Histoire militaire - Koninklijk Museum van het Leger en de Krijgsgeschiedenis
The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History occupies the Cinquantenaire complex in Brussels. It presents Belgium’s military heritage across several centuries, combining historical interpretation with large collections of military objects.
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
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21 1 hr 30 minTrain World
Train World is Belgium’s national railway museum, housed at the historic Schaerbeek railway station northeast of central Brussels. The museum presents Belgian railway history through locomotives, carriages, railway technology, and the station environment itself.
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
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22 1 hr 30 minErasmus House
Maison d'Erasme - Erasmushuis
The Erasmus House, known locally as Maison d'Erasme or Erasmushuis, is a historic museum dedicated to the life and work of Desiderius Erasmus, the renowned Renaissance humanist, theologian, and scholar.
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
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23 1 hr 30 minArts center of Red Cloister
Rouge Cloître - Rood Klooster
Arts center of Red Cloister is a cultural venue at Rouge Cloître, also called Rood Klooster, in the Sonian Forest area of Brussels. The setting brings together the atmosphere of a former Cistercian priory and present-day artistic activity.
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
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24 1 hr 30 minVan Buuren Museum & Gardens
Van Buuren Museum & Gardens is a Brussels cultural attraction that combines a museum interior with designed outdoor grounds.
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
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25 1 hr 30 minHalle Gate Museum
Musée de la Porte de Hal - Hallepoort Museum
Halle Gate Museum is Brussels’ surviving medieval city gate, known in French as Musée de la Porte de Hal and in Dutch as Hallepoort Museum.
- Must see
- Museum
- Brussels
Common questions
How long should a first trip to Belgium be?
Five to seven days covers Brussels plus two or three rail-linked cities such as Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Leuven or Liège. Staying in one or two bases avoids losing time to repeated hotel changes in this compact network.
What entry documents are needed for Belgium?
Belgium’s foreign-affairs service publishes visa and short-stay requirements. Check the rule for the passport being used and the full Schengen itinerary, especially when Belgium is not the first external border crossed.
What is the best way to travel around Belgium?
Brussels Airport connects directly with Belgium’s national rail network, and intercity trains link the principal cities without compulsory reservations. Local buses, trams and metros belong to separate regional operators, so one urban ticket is not automatically valid nationwide.
When is a practical time to visit Belgium?
April through June offers long sightseeing days, while September usually retains workable conditions with fewer peak-summer pressures. Belgian weather remains changeable, making a waterproof layer useful in any of these months.
What money and payment basics apply in Belgium?
The euro (EUR) is Belgium’s currency. Card and cash acceptance can differ between a station machine, a market stall and a small business, so retain a second payment method rather than assuming one card will work everywhere.
What practical safety details should I save for Belgium?
Belgium uses 112 for emergencies and Type C or E plugs at 230 V. The recorded national guidance says mains tap water is safe.