Day 1-5: Brussels and Antwerp | Belgium

The journey started with flying from Lisbon to Brussels on 1st of February. Read More: Europe Travel | 5 Countries, 9 Cities and 20 days | Budget and Trip Plan. Where I have shared our travel plan for 20 days in Europe, describing the total budget and making of plans.

On the 1st of February, we arrived at evening around 8 PM in Brussels airport. Selecting Belgium and specifically Brussels, the main reason was I have not been able to see everything in Brussels the first time I went there. My first visit to Brussels was to celebrate Bhutan's National day on 17th December 2016. Belgium is the only country in Europe where Bhutan has its Embassy and a perfect time for me to meet all the Bhutanese people staying around Europe. We were more than 20 and most students who have come to pursue their Master's study. To make a connection to my first visit is that I met the officials from our Embassy and they helped us to get free accommodation during the current visit.

We took Ryanair from Lisbon to Brussels and from Brussels airport to central city area we took the train. The train would cost around 8 Euros (€) from airport to central station. We had a funny story here as at the counter they told us train is leaving soon and we caught the train on time, but it was the wrong train. We knew when at halfway but the ticket conductor said we can change the train and gave us proper instruction. That day was just arriving and take rest for the day.

In Belgium, we explored Brussels and Antwerp. Details about the places to visit are given below:

Brussels

The next two days we were exploring Brussels and mostly by walking. When you’re in Europe prepare to walk as you will get more to see when you walk than using Metro (Underground) and Metro is great to travel compared to taxi (cab) as it is fast and cheaper. Following are places we visited in Brussels:

Manneken Pis

Manneken Piss is a landmark small bronze sculpture in Brussels, depicting a naked little boy urinating into a fountain's basin.  You will find a lot of people here trying to take pictures of the little boy.

Waffle

In Brussels, you will find plenty of shops with waffles and good ones. Around Manneken Piss you will find plenty of waffle shops and souvenir shops. You can grab one waffle and start for the next place to see.

Grand Place or Grote Market

Before you finish your waffle, you will arrive at the Grand Place or Grote Market. It is the central square of Brussels. It is surrounded by opulent guildhalls and two larger edifices, the city's Town Hall, and the Bread house building containing the Museum of the City of Brussels. The square is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in Brussels.

The place is mostly filled with people at any given time but for me, it was during evening time where you get the view of building with different colours. My first visit here was indeed much better because I got to dance. Yes, it was near to Christmas time and at around 7-8 PM there was beautiful music and lighting effects on the building. You will see everyone dancing and you too will.

Cinquantenaire

Parc du Cinquantenaire or Jubelpark is a large public, urban park in the easternmost part of the European Quarter in Brussels, Belgium. A must-see place in Brussels. There are many museums (Art, history, military, auto) to visit and the architecture is impressive. The arch of the structure celebrates Belgium's founding in 1930. The park has lots of greenery and the landscaping is a sight to be seen.

Atomium

The Atomium is a landmark building in Brussels, originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. It is located on the Heysel Plateau, where the exhibition took place. It is now a museum. 

You will need to take a metro and tramp to reach here from the central city area. Metro tickets cost around 2.1 Euros (€) and are valid for 90mins. When you reach near to the area you will be able to see the structure from the tramp itself. After you get off from tram just follow the structure and you will be there.

The place is nice with surrounding parks and lots of people around trying to take the perfect picture. To get inside the Atomium and see the museum it would cost 15 Euros (€).

Mini Europe

Just beside Atomium, you will see Mini Europe. You will have to walk for 2min to reach the entry point of the Mini Europe. This would cost you around 13 Euros (€) but you will be able to see whole of Europe.

The city has lot more to offer these are few that I have written about. Here is more from the list which includes but not limited to Royal Palace of Brussels, Palais de Justice and EU Parliament building.

Antwerp

Antwerp another small and beautiful city about an hour or two from Brussels. You will get enough transportation to and from Antwerp. We used train which would cost 8 Euros for one way during weekdays but if you buy weekend tickets it will cost you same 8 Euros but for both ways. The ticket is valid for Saturday and Sunday, which means you can go on Saturday and return on Sunday with the same ticket.

Initially, we did not have the plan to travel to Antwerp but we had one friend who happened to be in town and could take us around. The journey started from the Brussels Central Station which is one of the busiest station.

The train station you arrive at is one of the beautiful things to see. The architecture of the station, lots of people rushing to catch next train and others trying to take pictures of the station. You step out of the station and start moving to the city centre where rest of amazing view awaits.

The day was not favourable for us as it was raining and cold. My advice is to carry an umbrella or check the weather, especially in winter time. So, we went to the mall in the main town for coffee and to warm for further exploration. If you happen to check souvenir shops then most of the things are made of the hand, which signifies the city. There are beautiful Cathedrals and architectures around. Check the images below. You should not miss the fries from the local shops in the city, they taste good.

Antwerp was beautiful but we were not favoured by the weather and the time too. The Same day in the evening we returned to Brussels and started preparing for travel to Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Read next: 
Day 5-8: Amsterdam and Leiden | Netherlands