We spent 1 day exploring the Belgian capital of Brussels. In the morning, we wandered round the old town, admiring the architecture (and the pissing statues). My planned route covers a distance of around 2 miles. After the obligatory lunch stop for frites, we headed just north of the city to visit one of Brussels’ top tourist attraction, the Atomium.
How to get to Brussels
The city is well connected by rail and air. From London, the Eurostar train travels direct to Brussels from St Pancras. It stops at Brussels-Midi/Zuid Station in the centre. The airport is 8 miles north east of downtown Brussels. From here, there are regular trains into the central station. Journey times are around 23 minutes.
Brussels in 1 Day Itinerary
| Day 1 | Travel to Brussels Mont des Arts Manneken Pis Grand Place Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert Jeanneke Pis Zinneke Pis Frites Atelier Belgian Beer World Atomium |
Brussels Day 1
Travel to Brussels
I travelled to Brussels on the Eurostar from London. The journey takes around 2 hours. You go through passport control in London, so once in Brussels, you merely get off the train and go on your way. The Eurostar arrives at Brussels-Midi/Zuid Station, just south of the old town. From here, we took the IC train one stop to Brussels-Centraal.
Mont des Arts
Our tour starts at the Mont des Arts; an urban complex and historic site. Development began in the late 19th Century as part of an urban renewal project initiated by King Leopold II to accommodate the city’s cultural institutions, with the gardens added for the 1910 Universal Exhibition.
Buildings include the Royal Library of Belgium, the National Archives of Belgium, a Convention Centre (famous for its glass cube), a shopping mall. All surrounding a public garden.
Carillon du Mont des Arts
If you are here on the hour, you can enjoy the quirky clock chiming. The Carillon du Mont des Arts adorns the Palais de la Dynastie. The clock is shaped like a 12-pointed star. It features 12 niches that house figures linked to the city’s history and folklore. After the bells sound (alternating between a Flemish and a Walloon folk tune), one of these figures exits its hole to determine the hour.
Manneken Pis
The Manneken Pis is a fountain with a famous statue of a little boy taking a pee. One of the best known symbols of Brussels, the statue dates back to the 17th Century. It has been vandalised and stolen throughout the years. Hence, the current statue is a replica – the original is in the City Museum. The naked boy is often dressed up in a range of costumes and even has his own costume display at the nearby GardeRobe Manneken Pis.
Our visit coincided with a celebration of The Order of the Friends of Manneken Pis, complete with elaborate costumes, a brass band and a mobile Manneken Pis with his own police escort.
Grand Place
The focal point of the old town is the Grand Place. Surrounding this grand Medieval square are guild houses, the City Hall and the Maison du Roi, which is home to the Brussels City Museum.
Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert is a famous indoor shopping mall – one of the oldest covered galleries in Europe.
It contains a range of over 70 shops and restaurants, plus a theatre, cinema and apartments. If you’re in to chocolate shops, then there are several here, including Neuhaus, the birthplace of praline. I have a nut allergy, so we passed swiftly through!
Jeanneke Pis
Not content with one pissing statue, Brussels actually boasts three. Tucked in a recess at the end of an alleyway, you can find the Manneken’s female counterpart, Jeanneke Pis. This far more modern and less celubrious statue depicts a little girl squatting.
Zinneke Pis
If you want the full pissing set, there’s also the Zinneke Pis; a dog cocking its leg next to a bollard.
Frites Atelier
No trip to Brussels would be complete without dining on frites. There’s a multitude of options. We opted for Frites Atelier. They offer frites with a selection of dips. Or if you want something even more substantial, you can choose loaded fries with toppings such as beef stew or veggie tikka masala.
Belgian Beer World
Nearby is the historic Stock Exchange building, the Palais de la Bourse. This imposing building now houses Belgian Beer World. Here, you can learn all about the history of Belgian beer, ending your visit with a drink on the roof terrace.
Belgian Beer World is open daily from 10.30 am until 7.30 pm. Entry costs €21.50 including a beer.
Atomium
We opted to give this rather grand pub a miss and head instead for one of Brussels’ most well known landmarks. Four miles north of the city centre is the iconic Atomium. From the centre, you can reach the Atomium by metro or tram. We picked up the tram from Bourse (confusingly, this also runs underground through this part of the city).
The 102 metre high Atomium structure looks like something out of an episode of Dr Who. It consists of 9 huge metal balls, linked by steel tubes, which represent an atom of iron magnified 165 billion times. It was built for the 1958 World’s Fair, as a symbol of post war progress. You can visit the lower balls, which are linked via escalators and lifts complete with plenty of flashing neon lights.
A separate, equally neon bedecked, lift takes you to the top ball for a view of the city and beyond.
The Atomium is open daily from 10 am until 6 pm. Adult entry costs €17.
- Trip taken: September 2026
I hope you found the above information useful. For guides to more destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full list of Independent Travel Itineraries here.
Other blogs about Belgium
- Ghent in 1 Day
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