Brussels in 3 Days: tips, what to see, and much more

On your three-day trip to Brussels you will be able to see almost everything you want to see. Of course, there will always be something left to do. But this does not depend so much on the number of days available, as on the number of attractions that have the great cities of the world.

To visit as much as possible, you do not necessarily have to take such a tight itinerary. That's up to you and your desire to rest while strolling or to work hard to cross items off your list of what to see and do in Brussels.

On your itinerary for touring Brussels in three days, you'll have time to visit museums, monuments and food joints for all the Belgian delicacies you want to try. In this article, you can see some of the best tours and excursions in Brussels.

For the first day, I recommend you to visit the geographical heart of the city, starting from the Grand Place, and then continue touring its surroundings, full of culture, history and attractions.

Start your day at the Grand Place

The Grand Place is the historical center of Brussels, but it is also one of the most beautiful squares in the world. Undoubtedly, starting your tour in a place like this, will be what is called a start on the right foot.

The square is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and I think you will find it as fascinating as Victor Hugo found it, who called it "the most beautiful square in the world".

Pass by the Stock Exchange building and discover the Manneken Pis

You leave the Grand Place and head to the Stock Exchange building, which is an imposing neoclassical building in the center of the capital. All this is located in the same central area, so you will move really fast so you can take more time to enjoy than to move around.

Once you have seen the building, you go to the Manneken Pis, which is the sculpture of a boy whose clothes are being changed all the time: a curiosity and one of the things you must see in Brussels.

• Hours: all day.
• Price: free.
• Address: Pl. de la Bourse, 1000

Time for breakfast: how about a waffle?

Around the sculpture, you will see that it is full of stalls, among which you can choose the one in charge of satiating your stomach. My recommendation: try the waffles. You'll love them.

Elegance and chocolates: you can't miss this stop!

After breakfast, you should walk to the very elegant neighborhood of Le Sablon, which is full of chocolate and antique stores. Be careful: if you really like chocolate, you can read this article with the best chocolate tastings you should do in Brussels.

There you can take a shopping break, but I also recommend you to visit the Palace of Justice and, above all, to enter the church Notre-Dame du Sablon. It will blow your mind.

• Church hours: Monday to Friday from 10 am to 6 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm.
• Price: free.
• Address: Rue des Sablons, 1000

In addition, you have the small square and the big one, both equally beautiful: the Place du Petit Sablon and the Place du Grand Sablon. Before continuing to the next stop, while you're at it, you can stop for lunch at the C'est bon c'est belge.

First afternoon: Old England, Parc de Bruxelles and a break

Already in the afternoon, I recommend that you head towards the Parc de Bruxelles, not without first passing by the Art Nouveau building of the Old England.

Once in the park, I insist: take a break. I know you've just restarted your tour, but seriously: you won't want to miss the chance to stop for a bit and enjoy the architecture of the place.

Also, here you can visit the rooms of the great Royal Palace, another point not to be missed.

• Hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10:30 am to 5:00 pm.
• Price: free.
• Address: Rue Brederode 16, 1000

Be sure to visit the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula.

The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula is the most important church in the city of Brussels, so it is a must on your itinerary to visit Brussels in 3 days.

After visiting its interiors, you can return to the center and visit the Saint Hubert Galleries and its surroundings, which are located around the Grand Place. There, you will find stores of all kinds, to make gifts, to stroll or to stop for chocolates.

• Hours: Monday to Friday from 7 am to 6 pm, Saturday and Sunday from 8 am to 6 pm.
• Price: free.
• Address: Pl. Sainte-Gudule, 1000

1, 2, 3, beer!

A few meters from where you are staying you will find the Delirium Café, which is one of the most recommended places to drink beer in Brussels.

Another thing you can do, however, is to hire the typical Belgian beer tasting tour, where you can try several types of beer, while continuing your walk.

Next to the Delirium, you will also see the Jeanneke Pis, the little girl version of the Manneken, which you saw at the beginning.

Lights on the Grand Place to end the first day

On the way back, you can stroll along Rue des Bouchers and see how the Grand Place looks illuminated. If you were not convinced of its beauty, look again.

In this area, you can also find a place to sit and eat. The options are many and adapted to all tastes, so you will have no problem finding a place that suits you.

On your second of 3 days in Brussels, I recommend starting with the Comic Strip Route, the European Quarter and the Cinquantenaire Park. After lunch, a walk through the Sacré-Coeur Basilica, the Atomium and the Mini-Europe.

It starts in full color: the comic book route

The comic route is a tour of the murals of Belgium's most famous comics, such as Tintin, sound familiar? It is an ideal tour to do with children, but also without them. I recommend you to buy a map at the tourist office beforehand to make sure you won't get lost and that you will see everything worth seeing.

If you are traveling with children you will find many other things to do with them in this article on the top ten things to do in Brussels with children.

At the end of the tour, be sure to visit the Comic Museum, which exhibits several of the objects of the mythology of these comics.

• Comic Museum opening hours: 10 am to 6 pm.
• Price: 10 euros.
• Address: Rue des Sables 20.

Visit the European Quarter

After the Comic Strip Museum, take bus 71 and get off at the European Quarter. There, you can visit the European Parliament, the headquarters of the Council of the European Union and the official headquarters of the European Commission.

Also, you should not miss the very quiet Leopold Park, from where you will depart to the next point of the 3-day tour in Brussels.

Don't miss the amazing attractions of the Cinquantenaire Park

From Leopold Park it is only a short distance to the Cinquantenaire Park. In this park you can visit several places of great interest, such as the Arc de Triomphe, the Autoworld Museum and the Military History Museum, which are among the best museums to visit in Brussels.

In this area you can also take a lunch break, how about Italian food? You could stop by the Costa D'Amalfi, which is one of the most highly rated restaurants in the Belgian city.

• Parliament hours: Tuesday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm.
• Price: free.
• Address: Pl. du Luxembourg 100, 1050.

Afternoon of sights and dreamy tours

The afternoon of your second of 3 days in Brussels should continue by taking the metro to the Sacré Coeur Basilica. There, you will enjoy the best views of Brussels from the terrace.

Admission to the basilica is free. However, to go up to the belvedere you have to pay an entrance fee.

• Hours: in summer, from 9 am to 5 pm, and in winter, from 10 am to 4 pm.
• Price: adults 4€ (if it is a group of more than 10 people, each one will pay 3€). Students and seniors 3€. Brussels Card 40% discount.
• Address: 1083 Brussels.

Enter the Atomium

Then, take the metro line 6 and you will arrive at the Atomium, one of the icons of the city that you can not miss. The tour lasts an hour and a half and also gives you access to the museum.

• Hours: from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Price: from 20 €.
• Address: Pl. de l'Atomium 1, 1020

Tour miniature monuments from all over Europe

Not far from the Atomium, you will find the Mini Europe park. It contains miniature replica buildings from 80 European cities. Without a doubt, this afternoon is the part of the tour that children will love the most.

• Hours: From March 14 to June 30: 9:30 am to 6:00 pm.

From July 1 to August 31: 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. From October 1 to January 6: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. From January 4 to March 12: closed.

• Price: Adults: 16,50 € (18,10 US$)

Children under 12: 12 euros (13.20 US$) Seniors over 65: 16.50 euros (18.10 US$) Children under 120 centimeters: free admission.

• Address: Av. du Football 1, 1020

Time for dinner

Then, you can choose among the restaurants in the area of the Atomium and Mini Europe the one that serves the dishes you want to eat to end your second day in Brussels with a rich menu.

Right there, you have the option to dine at the Atomium Restaurant, but you can also choose from others nearby, such as the Salon 58, the Brasserie Du Primerose, or the Delizia Restaurant.

In addition, you can have a beer in one of the breweries in Brussels. Afterwards, rest, you still have a day left.

The last of the 3 days to tour Brussels can be dedicated to visit some of the most incredible places in the country: Ghent, Bruges or Antwerp.

My favorite option: Bruges

To get to Bruges from Brussels you can take one of the trains to that destination. They leave every half hour from the Midi, Central or North stations.

In one hour you will be at Bruges city station, a 20 minute walk from the historic center. You can walk, or you can take a bus right in front of the station.

If you prefer something simpler and without so much walking, you can book an excursion to Bruges from Brussels.

• Duration of the tour: 10 hours and a half.
• Price: from 45 €.

A different option: Ghent

This is another of the medieval wonders of the Belgian country. There you can visit the Graslei and Korenlei docks, St. Michael's Bridge, St. Bavo's Cathedral, the Castle of the Counts of Flanders and other incredible places.

You can reach Ghent from Brussels by train in the direction of Ostend and you will be at St-Pieters station in half an hour. From there, walk another 30 minutes or take streetcar 1 to the center.

You can also book the day trip to Bruges and Ghent from Brussels, so you don't miss out on either.

• Duration of the tour: 10.5 hours.
• Price: about 48 €.

Another dream location: Antwerp

Antwerp is another beautiful and easily accessible city to visit in one day from Brussels. It has several attractions that you definitely wouldn't want to miss.

You can reach Antwerp from Brussels by train and get off at Antwerp Antwerpen-Centraal station. In 40 minutes you arrive and then you only have to walk about 20 minutes to the center. On the way, you can stop to explore the diamond district.

However, if you are looking for something more direct, you can book the day trip to Ghent and Antwerp from Brussels. What a great plan.

• Duration of the tour: 10 hours.
• Price: about 48 €.