If you are in the Netherlands for a longer time, you should go for a trip also to Belgium. It is very easy to get to Belgium by the train in a few hours. We’ve been in Brussels for a weekend and it was worth it for sure.
From Breda you can go with a straight line to Brussels in less than 2 hours. The straight line is more expensive. You can change the line what make the ticket cheaper but you have to wait in Brecht for an hour. We got off the train in Brussels north station. We had a hotel in that part of the city. Walking through that part made me feel really unsafe. It is a very multicultural part of the city and it was very messy too. Getting checked in the hotel was also interesting. The receptionist didn’t speak English and he was watching a movie for adults. The room was nice and clean tho.
Tip: Stay in the center if you can, it’s safer.
We didn’t use public transport in Brussels. Everywhere we went, we got there by feet. We didn’t see everything we would like to, but it was just a weekend trip. The most stunning thing was the Grand Place with historical buildings, beautiful especially in the evening with all the lights on. Another beautiful place was the Brussels square with the colorful lights. You also can’t forget the pissing boy, a famous statue located in the streets with a lot of souvenir shops and deserts. Worth visiting is also the Parc du Cinquantenaire with an arcade. There were also a few fairs in the city and a carousel on the hill with an incredible view. The last and one of the biggest attractions is the European Parliament. It wasn’t that big of a deal, but it was a huge nice building with all of the flags of the European countries.
Note: With the national holidays the statue is sometimes dressed in thematic costumes.
For sure you should try Belgian waffles. They have a lot of flavours and toppings. They are freshly made. You can find them all over the city center and they cost around 6€. You also can’t miss out on Belgian chocolate. There are millions of shops with chocolate everywhere in the city.
You can visit many cafes, restaurants and bars all over the city. We were hanging out in a park with an open bar and music. The vibe was just amazing and there were many lights as well. As a person who loves to see the light and the cities at night, I fully recommend you to go out in the evening.
As in any other city, you can find many interesting shops. Several souvenir shops and chocolate shops, shops with themes. I personally visited a few comic book stores, asian shops and anime or game shops.
Sadly I didn’t have a chance to experience Brussels fully. There are so many things to see and do. Here are some other examples:
- the Royal Quarter
- the Atomium
- The Koekelberg Basilica
- Mini Europe
- Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
- Chocolate museum
- Royal Greenhouses of Laeken
- Nemo 33
- street art all over the city
Our weekend trip was worth it for sure. If you have more time, I recommend you to go for a longer time to see everything you would like to see. If you have some time in the Netherlands for extra trips, I fully recommend visiting Belgium.
Photos: Tasha
Woahhh, 🥰, short and really sweet. This gives me general information of the trip from Breda to Brussels ❤️