Brussels Next Weekend

[BrusselsNextWeekend]

Next weekend myself and DS17 are going to Brussels on Eurostar for the weekend. Arriving 8.30pm on Friday and leaving 9pm on Sunday. As we are not there long I would like to stay quite centrally, go on a walking and/or bike tour, visit museum/s and eat mussels, maybe a chocolate making tour. Please can you help me plan this trip? :)

You won't have any problems finding mussels on the menu in Brussels as they are back in season now.
My favourite restaurant in Brussels is La Roue d'Or at 26 Rue des Chapeliers, (which starts at one corner of the Grand Place). It's a traditional Belgian brassiere serving typical Belgian dishes. The food is delicious, and beautifully presented by skilled staff.
You will probably take a wander through Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, and maybe treat yourself to some chocolates from the famous Neuhaus shop there! Running from Les Galeries is Rue des Bouchers which is fun to walk down to see all the displays of seafood by the restaurants that line the lane. But while the displays are super, the food is not always top quality or good value, as it is rather a tourist trap unfortunately. You will find better fare in other places.

Have a wonderful time, Brussels is a fantastic city!

We found the Brussels card good value if you’re interested in museums. We got the two day pass and went to a lot of the usual places which were great but we also really loved the botanical garden, the musical instrument museum and the natural history museum. It also covers the choco story museum where they do a chocolate making demonstration.

The best fries I’ve ever had were from Casco. It can’t be beaten for fries and a beer IMO. I don’t understand the huge queues for Fritland. Their fries are nice enough, but there’s nice fries everywhere. The ones from Casco sometimes make it into my dreams. They are next level. 😂

Did you book accommodation? Novotel and Ibis right near the Grand Place and Central Station. Visit the Galerie St Hubert and wander up to the Mannekin Pis (though he is a bit underwhelming in my opinion). There is a beer museum at the Bourse which is very well put together - the building has been renovated and is quite impressive - and the museum ticket includes a beer on the roof, which has brilliant views. The Magritte and Beaux-Arts museums are well worth a visit. The Comic Strip museum? You could get the metro out to Heysel and the Atomium - not sure if Mini-Europe is still there. Normally I'd recommend the 44 tram out to Tervuren through the forest to the Africa museum, but half the line is dug up at the moment. For mussels - Rugbyman II on the Marche aux Poissons. Downtown we like the Lobster House, Les Petits Oignons and The Wolf Food Market is quite good. Visit the Art Deco bars like Cirio and Le Falstaff, or for something a bit out there, Le Cerceuil which has "interesting" decor.

Drinking age for beer/wine is 16 in Belgium, so you and your son will both be able to try some of their delicious beers!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_legal_ages_in_Belgium

Yes - I'm merrily suggesting bars for a 17 yo forgetting that it's 18 and ID cards in the UK. You don't see such things here. The Sablon and it's chocolate shops is also very nice. Not sure I'd recommend bikes to be fair. City centre is compact and easily walkable and cobbled in the main.