Welcome to Brussels
Welcome to Brussels - The City of Chocolates and Beers
Brussels is the capital of Belgium and the headquaters of both NATO and the EU. Brussels is a beautiful city and an ideal spot for a weekend trip or even for a long holiday. Brussels is famous for its delicious chocolates, tasty beers, renowned comic strips and its amazing christmas market. But you can also find almost 90 museums, a lot of parks and beautiful streets for strolling, trendy restaurants and bars.
Vibrant and energetic, Brussels is a city of museums and architecture among Europe's finest, a shopper's fantasy and a diner's capital.
Information and facts
Night-life
In the streets around the Grand-Place there are a lot of friendly bars where you can taste belgian beers and listen to music. The most famous is Delirium. It is a bar with 3 stages and more than 2000 different kinds of beer. On Place St-Géry, outdoor patios are jammed with a laid-back crowd of students and backpackers.
Shopping
Apart for buying chocolates, beers and comic strips, Brussels is full of souvenirs shop around the Grand-Place. The shopping street called Rue Neuve is also place with a lot of boutique shops where you can find all the brand and a big mall called City 2. If you want luxury brands, you can also go to Louise that is a famous area with luxury shop like Channel, Hugo Boss and so on.
Sightseeing
Grand-Place and environs is probably the most famous area to visit. But you can also stroll around the Palais de Justice, the Atonium, the different parks. The Cinquentenaire park is situated next to the European Institutions is a beautiful park where you can see the Triumphal Arch.
Time
Standard time zone: UTC/GMT +1 hour
Climate
Brussels’ climate is temperate and mild with winter lows of about 1°C and summer highs of around 23°C. There is rain all-year round so it pays to always have an umbrella or a waterproof jacket when touring around. The months with the least amount of rain are April and May. On the sunny days, Brussels has a magnificent blue sky which is perfect for taking a walk.
Public Transportation
The modern and well-organised public transport system of Brussels consists of the metro, trams and buses. The network is user-friendly with route diagrams and timetables posted at most stops, and there are free maps available from the tourist office. Trams provide an ideal way to get around and are faster than buses, especially when they travel underground in the city centre to become the prémétro. Both tram and bus stops are by request only. There is a separate system of local trains linking the inner city to the outskirts, although they are of minimal use to tourists, except for getting to and from the airport. Tickets are valid for any form of public transport except local trains, and once validated can be used for multiple transfers within an hour. Tickets are fairly cheap; strips of five or ten tickets or day passes are also available.
