A Photo Journey Through Beautiful Brussels

Beautiful Brussels, Belgium: A Photo Journey

With its dazzling Grand Place, delectable chocolates and treats, and quirky sites to see around town, Brussels is a beautiful and unique city to explore. We spent four days here, using it as a base for nearby day trips and also spending one day exploring the city. Rather than a list of top sites or even our itinerary, I’m simply going to share our day exploring Brussels as a photo journey. Brussels is a neat city, it is best told from the perspective of photos.

When we went

May 2025. The weather was lovely for exploring, mostly in the 60s. On our last day, it was windy and cloudy, but still manageable for being out and about. Our tour guide told us the weather in Brussels is always iffy although rarely extreme.

Where we stayed

Airbnb | Brussels

The location was excellent, in the heart of Brussels. Located across the street from Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, a beautiful shopping plaza, it was within a short walking distance to St. Michael’s Cathedral and Grand Place.

Brussels in a Nutshell

Brussels is an interesting city in many ways. First, it is the only city with two official languages, Dutch and French. Signs are posted in both languages and residents also learn to speak both. Brussels is also the de facto capital of the European Union as it is the headquarters for various EU institutions.

All signs are bilingual in Brussels (French and Dutch)

Locals embrace the quirks that makes their city unique, as told to us by a guide on a tour one day. Fantastical comics were created here, such as Tin Tin and the Smurfs. As you walk through the city, you see big murals painted on buildings as well as small mosaics here and there depicting the characters from these stories.

Tin Tin, one of many murals found around Brussels

Brussels is also home to the grandest central square in Europe, Grand Place (or Grote Markt in Dutch). It is a magnificent square so give yourself ample time to take it in. From every angle the view is just incredible!

Grand Place

Lastly, food is big here in Belgium! You can’t go more than a few feet without coming across a chocolatier, where chocolate making is a craft, often generations old.

One of the best chocolatiers, Neuhaus

Belgian waffles are delicious, especially the Liege variety, and are by far the best waffle we ever had! Beer culture is big and there are so many unique varieties. I especially loved trying the cherry beers on a few occasions.

A delicious cherry beer

And finally, the frites are a must, but don’t call them French fries! Belgians insist they invented them and their unique way of cooking them sets the fries here apart. So Belgian frites it is.

Our Photo Journey Through Brussels

Our days began with the smell of fresh bread wafting up to our Airbnb as our apartment was located above a bakery. It is not a bad way to wake up each day!

Our apartment also had an awesome roof deck, which we enjoyed in the evening with a glass of wine. Church bells from the nearby St. Michael’s cathedral chimed and we had a beautiful light show from the Grand Place every night.

Sunset into night views from our roof deck

Grand Place is stunning during the day. When we first walked in here, it literally took our breath away!

Grand Place also features one of the most beautiful Starbucks we have ever seen!

At night it exquisite. When we first walked in here at night we just marveled at the beauty.

My brother has traveled the world extensively as a pilot for a major airline and always has fun stops for us in every city we visit. Here was no different and he told us we had to go see “Skeleton Bar”, which was very near Grand Place.

In Belgium it is called Le Curcueil, which translates to The Coffin. And yes there is a coffin and a (we think) human skeleton! The bar plays some fun, high energy music in a dimly lit atmosphere. It was a fun stop after our visit to Grand Place.

Le Curcueil, a unique bar near Grand Place

The Mannekin Pis has become quite the tourist attraction…why? No one really knows, but there are several fun legends surrounding this little squirt! It is silly but a must-see sight, as you can see from the crowds it draws in!

Mannekin Pis and the crowds

Funny enough, Mannekin Pis has become quite the global sensation and has amassed quite the wardrobe. People from around the world send a variety of attire and costumes for him to wear. In fact, if you care to see his collection of clothing, check out GardeRobe, a museum dedicated to displaying his apparel. A schedule is posted on the fence in front of Mannekin Pis sharing his upcoming wardrobe schedule.

The upcoming wardrobe schedule for Mannekin Pis

Another statue, Jeanneke Pis, is the female version of a little peeing statue and is located a short distance from Grand Place. And to round it out, Zinneke Pis, a statue of a dog peeing on a fire hydrant, is also a short distance from Grand Place, on Rue Des Chartreux.

The gorgeous shopping complex, Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, is a must, especially to get some great chocolates! If you look up you will see that there are actually apartments on top of the shops!

Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert

The highlight of our time in Brussels was a fantastic historical walking and food tour through Brussels’ best. Our engaging guide took our small group through various sites in Brussels and we learned so much in just the two hours time.

The historical walking tour – the emblem on the cobblestone means we are approaching a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is this case was the Grand Place

The tour also included indulging in Belgium’s best food including chocolate, frites, waffles, and beer.

Chocolates!

Frites!

Waffles!

and beer!

We took this tour with Get Your Guide and cannot recommend it enough. Our guide shared the view of Brussels from a local while sharing interesting tidbits about Brussels along the way. All the food stops were fantastic and we enjoyed the convivial experience of one another’s company while sampling a flight of beer at the bar at the end.

A Few Restaurant Recommendations

We ate out twice while in Brussels and had great dining experiences both times.

Chez Jules was across the street from our Airbnb so it was an easy choice one evening. We arrived well after the dinner crowd and enjoyed a seat by the window, which was fun for people watching. Our meal here was excellent, although we were both bummed they were out of the French onion soup! Apparently it’s a popular menu item!

Chez Jules

On our last day in Brussels, we tried to eat at a few other highly rated spots but they didn’t have room without a reservation. So, we walked a bit and found an awesome place, Ommengang, just outside of the Grand Place.

Ommengang

I had a salad and delicious chicken kbobs paired with a cherry beer.

Ommengang, a great spot for lunch

We sat outside and enjoyed people watching here, too. We loved the spot so much, we even ordered a post-lunch coffee for more lingering. I love dining in Europe!

Our impression of Brussels is that it is a beautiful city full of quirks and fun sites to see. It may not have an exhaustive list of typical big sites, but it makes you hunt a little deeper for its treasures. I highly recommend a walking tour with a guide to bring the best of Brussels to life. Guides also know the best places to eat to find the best Belgian gastronomic delights.