I am going to be in Brussels between December 14-19. Most of my trip is planned out, except the first two days. What do other people suggest?

I was thinking of making a trip to the European Union, NATO, the Belgian Royal Family's Palace, and just walking around? I also thought about a trip to Waterloo's battlefield, but I would probably have to rent a car.

Looking for advice.

Chocolate, waffles, beer, beer, beer, waffles, beer, beer, beer, beer, chocolate. In that order.

Almost right:

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, frites, frites, frites, beer, beer, beer, waffles.

Repeat as needed.

Visit the Sablon area. Great square with lots of antique shops, restaurants, and chocolatiers (Marcolini and Wittamer, among others, are there). Also see the Grand Place; fabulous square with amazing architecture. Mannekin Pis if you must, and I guess every tourist must.

LOL. What about other attractions? I would think the E.U. or Belgian parliament runs tours?

I would highly recommend a day trip to Brugge. Is an hour train ride from Brussels and is one of the few small villages that was not harmed in the World Wars. Very charming place with lots of character. Brussels can be easily seen in a day or two. Since train service is so convenient in Europe, I would find a few day trips to take. Even a day trip to Amsterdam is possible.

Waterloo is 20 minutes from Brussels by train. Traffic is pretty horrendous in and around Brussels, and public transport is good - so I wouldn't necessarily bother with a car.

Further information about Waterloo can be found here

What! no Mussels, Waterzooi, Carbonnades. . . Seriously, Belgian food and beer is great and should be sampled.

I second the suggestion about Brugge, although I wouldn't call it a village, rather a good sized town of 45,000 people. It's not just that it survived WWII but rather that it has survived hundreds of years without losing its essential character. It really is one of the most beautiful towns in Europe.

I would certainly also suggest the Grand Place (Grotemarkt) - a spectacular square and the center of the city, the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Gudula, The museum of fine arts if you like old masters, the Cinquantenaire museum if you like the V & A in London.

My impression of the EU buildings was the impression that some have of the European commission it self - faceless bureaucracy (represented in architecture) and really not worth seeing.

Check out http://www.brusselsdiscovery.com/wab...ndex.jsp?lg=EN
for more. I used this site and its related brochures when I was there.

What about the Royal Palace? I'm sure there must be a British-style changging of the guard ceremony?

Seems you all like my home country and probably know more about it than I do. I'd better not travel abroad and check it out myself

Brugge is a beautiful city. Ghent is also a nice trip, but if you have to choose between the two, go to Brugge for a side trip. Belgium is one of my favorite European countries. The EU complex in Brussels is also quite impressive if you're looking to see something a bit more modern. The European Parliament building is pretty neat inside and outside. There is a lot of construction going on over there. You could also go to Amsterdam for the day too if you're looking for a little bit more of a trip. Enjoy!

Ah Brussels... the capital city of capital cities (The capital of of Flanders, of Belgium and of Europe.) Many people I know have scheduled Brussels as an after-thought, usually in between London and Amsterdam or Berlin. Many of those peeps have come back shocked that Brussels turned out to be their favorite stop.

There is the food: Mussels & frites (Usually served together) - The best I found was Aux Armes de Bruxelles near Grand' Place in the Lower Town. And then there's the waffles: There are two types of waffles - The Brussels waffle (standard Belgian Waffle) and the Liege waffle. The Liege is the one I recommend, as it is the most popular in Belgium (Just like the most eaten pizza in Chicago is not Chicago Style, but hand-tossed). The Liege is much more dense, sweet from being cooked with sugar, eaten with your hand and served often by street vendors. And if the company's paying your dinner bill: Comme Chez Soi is awesome - Has three Michelin stars.

Of course beer in Begium is a highlight. There are lots of bars around Grand' Place. I like Le Roi d�Espagne. For nightlife, the most happening area is down rue du March� au Charbon. This is a popular gay area, but all types come out to party. And if you're looking for a club, there's really only one worth the money: the famous Fuse club.

Things to see and do: The city centre is devided into the Lower Town and Upper Town. The former is centered around the Grand� Place and still has a bit of medieval feel, with its narrow streets and a great atmosphere. Up on the hill is the Upper Town - the newer part of the city - more planned, with terrific buildings.

I've mentioned the Grand' Place a couple of times and this is one of the main attraction areas of the city. It's a town square of sorts that is AWESOME this time of year if you are a fan of the holidays. There's a giant Christmas tree and Christmas market in the square and surrounding streets.

A few other things:
Town Hall in Lower Town, rue Haute in the Marolles quarter is old Brussels at its finest, Royal Quarter in Upper Town with the palace, Parliament, etc. Check out this website for more: http://www.brusselsinternational.be/

One more suggestion: a visit to the town of Antwerp. This would be a great day trip. I would recommend doing Brugge one day and Antwerp the next day. And, yes, at the time of your visit, the Grand Place area will be beautifully decorated for Christmas. Make sure to check out the many Christmas Market stores/booths.

Thanks for all the help. How much would one of these side trips cost?

Also, are there department stores in Brussels like we have here in the States? Something like a Marshall Field's or Nordstrom. That type of thing ... Sure be great if the dollar was stronger than the euro.

Oh yeah, I'm a political science student in university, so the government and political buildings really interest me. I also like history too. Maybe I'll find the right bar and meet a nice Belgian girl :-)

I loved Brussels. I haven't travelled too extensively in Europe but it's my fav city over Amsterdam, London.

I had to do it, I got suckered at a tourist trap selling Belgian Waffles drenched in Belgian Chocolate oh it was good.

Beers are good too..

I took a bus tour.. hop on hop off deal.. was maybe EU15? It's worthwhile, me thinks for a day if you're on a limited time frame.. hits most of the major attractions.

I too am a poli sci student and saw the EU buildings.. but wasn't overly impressed... looked like a large business complex more than anything else. I didn't inquire about tours either.

The Museum of Musical Instruments is an interesting place to visit for Mr. Sax's failed versions of the saxophone alone. It is also housed in a fantastic art nouveau building: http://www.mim.fgov.be/ (as is the Museum of Cartoons: http://www.comicscenter.net/).

I second a previous poster's comments about the Sablon. A nice area to wander around, especially the antiques shops on Rue Haute and Rue Blaes. Theer's a very nice restaurant called Lola (French style food -- not moules frites) on the Place du Grand Sablon that i can particularly recommend.

If you're into fashion Rue Antoine Daensart and around are pretty cool. For art the Mus�es royaux des Beaux-Arts has a brilliant collection of Flemish art (some fantastic Bruegels) and the nearby (and similar sounding) Palais des Beaux-Arts has some usually interesting contemporary art exhibitions in a Horta designed building: http://www.bozar.be/home.php?lng=en

It's easy to visit Parliament (http://www.europarl.eu.int/parliamen...=50&pageRank=2) but the Commission is difficult (you need to apply months in advance: http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/educat...index_en.html). And why would you? In spite of the Berlaymont's facelift it's still just an office building. If you are in the EU Quarter be sure to go to Maison Antoine.

And finally -- I love the Atomium -- unfortunately it won't re-open until next year (http://www.atomium.be/HTMLsite/dyn/eindex.html).