Brussels functions as the de facto capital of the European Union, a fact that undersells a city with one of Europe's most ornate market squares, a distinctive comic-strip mural trail running through its streets, and a food culture (beer, chocolate, waffles, fries) that punches well above its modest size.
Grand Place and Comic Strips
Grand Place, the city's central square, is ringed by guildhalls and a Gothic town hall so ornate that Victor Hugo called it the most beautiful square in Europe, visit at night when the buildings are floodlit, and in August when the entire square is covered in a temporary flower carpet.
Brussels has a long comic-strip tradition (Tintin and the Smurfs both originated here), commemorated by dozens of building-sized murals scattered through the city centre, the Comic Strip Route, a self-guided walking trail, connects the best of them.
Beer, Chocolate, and Waffles
Belgium's beer culture is genuinely encyclopedic, Trappist ales, lambics, and hundreds of small breweries each with distinctive glassware designed specifically for their own beer. Delirium Café, with over 3,000 beers on its menu, is a good, if overwhelming, starting point.
Chocolate shops throughout the city centre, many still hand-making pralines using techniques developed here in the early 20th century, are worth seeking out over mass-market chains, pair a chocolate tasting with a proper Liège waffle, denser and sweeter than the Brussels variety, from a street cart.
Recommended Stay · Brussels · Grand Place
Hotel Amigo
A former prison turned luxury hotel a block from Grand Place, with Tintin-themed decorative touches and one of the best-located addresses in the city.
