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Tourist Spots in Brussels

The Brussels

Brussels is the capital city of Belgium and the largest city of the country. It is the administrative center of the European Union. Brussels was developed from a fortress town which was founded by the grandson of Charlemagne.

The official city of Brussels has a population of 140,000 inhabitants. It hosts some of the key European Institutions such as the Commission, Parliament and the council. Apart from these many pan-European organizations have their headquarters in Brussels.

Tourist Spots in Brussels

Brussels has been a major tourism center in Belgium. Some of the famous tourist spots in Brussels are the Museum of Fine Arts, Royal Palace, The Grand Place, Auto World Car Museum, the City Museum, The Atomium and much more.

Museum of Fine Arts

Belgium has many Royal Museums of Fine Arts and among them the Museum of Fine Arts also known as The Mus?e d’Art Ancien has some of the best collections. This museum especially has excellent collections of the Old Masters with the works of Rubens, Bouts and Memling. There are also small collections of Hieronymus Bosch and Brueghel. You can also go through the passage way to the Museum of Modern Arts where you will find a splendid collection of the Belgian Surrealists. This museum is a must visit place.

Royal Palace

The Royal Palace in Brussels is located in the heart of the city. It was actually a fortress in the 12^th century. The building is available for rents in a six period week in the summer every year. The present day building is a modified form of the original and was built during the French and Dutch rule. The Palace is now used for receptions, royal audiences and some ceremonies.

Grand Place

The Grand Place has a unique city hall and a splendid ornate and guilt houses which is the first attractions for every tourist here. In 13^th century, it was a market and has many cafes. It is also used as a venue for concerts.

Auto World Car Museum

The Auto World Car Museum is a real treat for the car mad. This museum displays over 400 cars. Here, they have also the models that are used during the pre-World War. The museum has the entire auto history from the year 1886 to 1970 of the 21^st century.

Atomium

Atomium is one of the most visited places in Brussels. The Atomium’s construction has become a symbol of Belgium. It was actually built for the 1958 World Fair. The structure is 102-metre tall made of steel and aluminium and was intended to symbolize the atom concept. The structure is increased by 165 billion times and from the above it offers a spectacular view of the city of Brussels and its surroundings.

Travel Tips to European Countries: Belgium

About the Country

Belgium is situated in the west of Europe. The land here mostly comprises of flat coastal plains in the northeast, and southeast is occupied by the Ardennes Forest. Dutch, Flemish, French and German are the official languages of Belgium, with Dutch being the widely spoken followed by French. The weather here is pretty predictable. Months from April to September are the warmest. Otherwise the weather is pretty humid and skies are gray, that explains why umbrellas and raincoats are a part of the dressing. So, if the visit is planned for holidays during the rainy season, one must not forget to carry sufficient cover for maximum protection, as this is a coastal region. In case of emergency call 100 or 112.

Culture

Belgians are English-friendly and will make every attempt to speak in English with a foreigner. Always remember to carry a small gift or at least flowers especially when invited over dinner. The dress to wear will be mentioned in the invitation, when invited for a party. Smoking in public is acceptable.

Shopping

Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges, Ostend, Namur, Mons, Liиge, Ghent and Mechelen are the main shopping centers. Belgium is famous for ceramics and hand-beaten copperware from Dinant, laces from Bruges, crystals from Val Saint Lambert, woodcarvings from Spa and Belgium’s finest chocolates. In jewelry, diamonds from Antwerp are on high demand.

Eating Out

The specialty of most of the restaurants is horse and rabbit meat dishes. Although visitors can find a wide range of ethnic foods, but the most famous are frites and mayonnaise and mitraillette; mitraillette is a large bun filled with fries, donair meat and garlic sauce, the vegetarians can ask for a veg. substitute for the donair meat. While eating at a restaurant, tipping is considered customary along with the value-added tax. At the cinemas, leave a Ђ0.50 tip for the attendant and Ђ0.25 after using the public toilets.

Electricity

Voltage is 230 V and frequency is 50 Hz.

Travel

Delta Air Transport has inaugurated its new European airline SN Brussels Airlines recently. It flies to more than 58 destinations in Europe and as well as worldwide. The Brussels Zayentem airport is twelve km from the city and it takes 35 minutes to reach the city from the airport. The airport has facilities like duty free shops, car parking, taxi booking, car hiring, banks, post office, restaurants, and medical help. Internet and fax services are provided for the passengers. The Airport City Express train transports passengers to three main railway stations - Brussels North, Central and South. One can avail a bus which runs regularly from the airport, taxis can also be hired which wait outside the arrival hall. Tipping the taxi drivers is considered customary. Train runs every 15 minutes.

Another airport, Brussels South Charleroi, is 5 km away from Charleroi and 46 km from Brussels. Ryan air serves as the local airline here and has cheap deals for several European destinations to and from Charleroi. The facilities provided here are bus and train services, cafй, car hire, and duty free shops.

Ostend airport is 5 km away from the city and car parking, car hire, duty free shops, and restaurants are provided here.

Antwerp airport is just 2 km away from the city. Buses run to the Brussels Central Station every few minutes.

Liege is situated at a distance of 5 km away from the city. Buses run at regular interval here.

The departure tax at Brussels Zayentem is Ђ20.93, Brussels South Charleroi is Ђ3.49, Ostend and Antwerp is Ђ10, and at Liege is Ђ7.

There is a network of high-speed trains, which are operated by Thalys, from Belgium to France, connecting Brussels with other destinations like Bordeaux, Chambйry, Cannes, Marseille, Lyon, Nice, Valence Perpignan, and Rennes. Booking should be made in advance for these trains. The national railway operates through out the day providing service every few minutes to destinations such as Andorra, Austria, France, Czech, Germany, Italy, Poland, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the UK and the Netherlands. Insiders can avail the Inter-Rail pass which allows visitors to travel almost 29 European Countries. This service is valid for residents who have been settled there for more than 6 months.

Duty Free Items

Visitors can carry alcohol, tobacco, cigarettes, coffee and tea without getting customs duty levied on them, but only the goods should be limited. Check out for the limits before carrying such goods. Food items that are not preserved are better avoided.