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The guildhouses of the Grand-Place, Brussels, lit up at night

No. 59 Top 100 City Destinations 2025

Brussels

Belgium

Belgium's capital of the Grand-Place, Art Nouveau, comics, chocolate, waffles and beer.

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Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

Brussels is No. 59 in Euromonitor International's Top 100 City Destinations Index 2025. Belgium's capital is centred on the Grand-Place, one of Europe's most beautiful squares and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.

The city is also known for its Art Nouveau architecture, its comic-strip heritage and its food and drink: chocolate, waffles, frites and hundreds of Belgian beers.

The spheres of the Atomium, Brussels
The spheres of the Atomium, Brussels. Photo: Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer), CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Best time to go

April to June and September are pleasant for walking. Rain is possible at any time of year.

December brings the Winter Wonders Christmas market and lights.

Top sights

  • 1

    Grand-Place

    The square is lined with ornate guildhouses and the Gothic Town Hall, and is especially beautiful when lit up at night.

  • 2

    Manneken Pis

    The tiny bronze statue of a boy, often dressed in one of his hundreds of costumes.

  • 3

    Royal Galleries of Saint-Hubert

    An elegant glass-roofed shopping arcade of 1847, with chocolatiers and cafés.

  • 4

    Royal Museums of Fine Arts and Magritte Museum

    Flemish old masters, including Bruegel, and the world's largest collection of works by René Magritte.

  • 5

    Atomium

    The giant model of an iron crystal, built for Expo 58, with exhibitions and a viewing sphere.

  • 6

    Horta Museum

    Victor Horta's Art Nouveau home and studio, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  • 7

    Comic strip trail

    Murals of comic characters across the city, and the Belgian Comic Strip Center in a Horta-designed building.

Getting there

Brussels Airport (BRU) at Zaventem is about 12 km north-east of the centre; trains reach the city in about 20 minutes. Brussels South Charleroi Airport, used by low-cost airlines, is about an hour away by bus.

Eurostar trains from London arrive at Brussels-Midi in about 2 hours, and high-speed trains run from Paris, Amsterdam and Germany.

Getting around

STIB runs the metro, trams and buses; tap a contactless bank card or phone to pay.

The centre is compact and walkable.

Practical tips

Currency
Euro (EUR). Cards, including contactless, are accepted almost everywhere.
Language
French and Dutch. English is widely spoken.
Safety
Brussels is generally safe; watch for pickpockets in busy areas and around the main stations. The emergency number is 112.
Visa & entry
Belgium is in the Schengen Area. Many visitors, including citizens of the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) now records non-EU travellers' entries and exits at the border, and the ETIAS travel authorisation is due to follow. Check the official EU site travel-europe.europa.eu and your own government's travel advice before you go.
Power
230 V, 50 Hz; plug types C and E.

Official information: visit.brussels (official tourism website). Check opening hours, prices and entry rules there before you go.

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