Brussels itinerary: 1 to 7 days
Plans for one to seven days in Brussels, day by day: the Royal Museums of Fine Arts, Manneken Pis, the Town Hall and the Grand Place first, then the Atomium, the Comic Strip Center, Cinquantenaire Park and the Art Nouveau houses as you add days. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 3 days
Brussels in 1 day
Day 1
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
Group of art museums on the Mont des Arts with Flemish masters such as Bruegel and Rubens and the Magritte Museum.
Manneken Pis
Small bronze fountain statue of a boy, a symbol of Brussels since 1619, often dressed in one of his many costumes.
Brussels Town Hall
Gothic town hall from the fifteenth century with a 96 m spire, dominating the Grand Place; guided tours of the interior.
Grand Place
Central square of Brussels framed by guild houses, the Town Hall and the King's House; a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Brussels in 2 days
Day 1
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
Group of art museums on the Mont des Arts with Flemish masters such as Bruegel and Rubens and the Magritte Museum.
Manneken Pis
Small bronze fountain statue of a boy, a symbol of Brussels since 1619, often dressed in one of his many costumes.
Atomium
Steel structure of nine spheres built for Expo 58, with exhibitions inside and a panoramic view from the top sphere.
Grand Place
Central square of Brussels framed by guild houses, the Town Hall and the King's House; a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Day 2
Belgian Comic Strip Center
Museum of Belgian comics from Tintin to the Smurfs, housed in a Victor Horta Art Nouveau department store.
Brussels Town Hall
Gothic town hall from the fifteenth century with a 96 m spire, dominating the Grand Place; guided tours of the interior.
Mini-Europe
Miniature park at the foot of the Atomium with scale models of landmarks from across the European Union.
Brussels in 3 days
Day 1
Autoworld
Vintage car museum in a vast hall of the Cinquantenaire, with Belgian-built cars and classics from the 1880s onward.
Manneken Pis
Small bronze fountain statue of a boy, a symbol of Brussels since 1619, often dressed in one of his many costumes.
Brussels Town Hall
Gothic town hall from the fifteenth century with a 96 m spire, dominating the Grand Place; guided tours of the interior.
Grand Place
Central square of Brussels framed by guild houses, the Town Hall and the King's House; a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Day 2
Coudenberg
Underground remains of the former palace of the Dukes of Brabant and Charles V, reached from the BELvue Museum.
Mini-Europe
Miniature park at the foot of the Atomium with scale models of landmarks from across the European Union.
Atomium
Steel structure of nine spheres built for Expo 58, with exhibitions inside and a panoramic view from the top sphere.
Day 3
Cinquantenaire
Large park built for Belgium's 50th anniversary, with a triumphal arcade and museums of art, history, cars and the army.
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
Group of art museums on the Mont des Arts with Flemish masters such as Bruegel and Rubens and the Magritte Museum.
BELvue Museum
Museum of Belgian history and democracy in an eighteenth-century hotel beside the Royal Palace.
Le Botanique
Former botanical garden greenhouse turned cultural centre and concert venue, set in a sloping public garden.
Brussels in 4 days
Day 1
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
Group of art museums on the Mont des Arts with Flemish masters such as Bruegel and Rubens and the Magritte Museum.
Musical Instruments Museum
A museum with thousands of instruments in the Art Nouveau Old England building; listen to them on headphones and enjoy the rooftop café view.
Manneken Pis
Small bronze fountain statue of a boy, a symbol of Brussels since 1619, often dressed in one of his many costumes.
Grand Place
Central square of Brussels framed by guild houses, the Town Hall and the King's House; a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Le Botanique
Former botanical garden greenhouse turned cultural centre and concert venue, set in a sloping public garden.
Day 2
Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
Elegant glass-roofed shopping arcades from 1847 with chocolate shops, cafés, a theatre and a cinema.
Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula
Brussels's Gothic cathedral on a hill near the centre, with twin towers, fine stained-glass windows and a carved wooden pulpit.
Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Brussels
Huge Art Deco basilica in Koekelberg; its dome terrace gives one of the widest views over Brussels.
Atomium
Steel structure of nine spheres built for Expo 58, with exhibitions inside and a panoramic view from the top sphere.
Day 3
Cauchie House
Art Nouveau house of painter Paul Cauchie, famous for its sgraffito facade; interior open on limited weekends.
Cinquantenaire
Large park built for Belgium's 50th anniversary, with a triumphal arcade and museums of art, history, cars and the army.
Autoworld
Vintage car museum in a vast hall of the Cinquantenaire, with Belgian-built cars and classics from the 1880s onward.
House of European History
A free museum in Parc Léopold on Europe's modern history, with multilingual tablets guiding visitors through the exhibits.
BELvue Museum
Museum of Belgian history and democracy in an eighteenth-century hotel beside the Royal Palace.
Mont des Arts
Terraced garden and square between the upper and lower town, with a classic view toward the Town Hall spire.
Day 4
Museum of the City of Brussels
City history museum in the King's House on the Grand Place, holding the Manneken Pis costume collection.
Belgian Comic Strip Center
Museum of Belgian comics from Tintin to the Smurfs, housed in a Victor Horta Art Nouveau department store.
Congress Column
Nineteenth-century column commemorating Belgium's 1831 constitution, with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at its base.
Brussels Town Hall
Gothic town hall from the fifteenth century with a 96 m spire, dominating the Grand Place; guided tours of the interior.
Maison Autrique
Victor Horta's first Art Nouveau town house, restored from cellar to attic as a house museum.
Brussels in 5 days
Day 1
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
Group of art museums on the Mont des Arts with Flemish masters such as Bruegel and Rubens and the Magritte Museum.
Musical Instruments Museum
A museum with thousands of instruments in the Art Nouveau Old England building; listen to them on headphones and enjoy the rooftop café view.
Manneken Pis
Small bronze fountain statue of a boy, a symbol of Brussels since 1619, often dressed in one of his many costumes.
Grand Place
Central square of Brussels framed by guild houses, the Town Hall and the King's House; a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Day 2
Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
Elegant glass-roofed shopping arcades from 1847 with chocolate shops, cafés, a theatre and a cinema.
Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula
Brussels's Gothic cathedral on a hill near the centre, with twin towers, fine stained-glass windows and a carved wooden pulpit.
Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Brussels
Huge Art Deco basilica in Koekelberg; its dome terrace gives one of the widest views over Brussels.
Atomium
Steel structure of nine spheres built for Expo 58, with exhibitions inside and a panoramic view from the top sphere.
Day 3
Cauchie House
Art Nouveau house of painter Paul Cauchie, famous for its sgraffito facade; interior open on limited weekends.
Cinquantenaire
Large park built for Belgium's 50th anniversary, with a triumphal arcade and museums of art, history, cars and the army.
Autoworld
Vintage car museum in a vast hall of the Cinquantenaire, with Belgian-built cars and classics from the 1880s onward.
House of European History
A free museum in Parc Léopold on Europe's modern history, with multilingual tablets guiding visitors through the exhibits.
Place du Luxembourg
Square in front of the European Parliament, lively with EU workers at lunch and on Thursday evenings.
Mont des Arts
Terraced garden and square between the upper and lower town, with a classic view toward the Town Hall spire.
Day 4
Museum of the City of Brussels
City history museum in the King's House on the Grand Place, holding the Manneken Pis costume collection.
Belgian Comic Strip Center
Museum of Belgian comics from Tintin to the Smurfs, housed in a Victor Horta Art Nouveau department store.
Congress Column
Nineteenth-century column commemorating Belgium's 1831 constitution, with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at its base.
Le Botanique
Former botanical garden greenhouse turned cultural centre and concert venue, set in a sloping public garden.
Maison Autrique
Victor Horta's first Art Nouveau town house, restored from cellar to attic as a house museum.
Day 5
BELvue Museum
Museum of Belgian history and democracy in an eighteenth-century hotel beside the Royal Palace.
Coudenberg
Underground remains of the former palace of the Dukes of Brabant and Charles V, reached from the BELvue Museum.
Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels
Bozar, Victor Horta's Art Deco arts centre hosting exhibitions, concerts and films.
Place Flagey
Square in Ixelles around the Art Deco Flagey building, a cultural venue, near the Ixelles ponds.
Horta Museum
Victor Horta's own Art Nouveau house and studio, with flowing ironwork, stained glass and a glowing stairwell; small, so book ahead.
Brussels Town Hall
Gothic town hall from the fifteenth century with a 96 m spire, dominating the Grand Place; guided tours of the interior.
Brussels in 6 days
Day 1
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
Group of art museums on the Mont des Arts with Flemish masters such as Bruegel and Rubens and the Magritte Museum.
Musical Instruments Museum
A museum with thousands of instruments in the Art Nouveau Old England building; listen to them on headphones and enjoy the rooftop café view.
Manneken Pis
Small bronze fountain statue of a boy, a symbol of Brussels since 1619, often dressed in one of his many costumes.
Grand Place
Central square of Brussels framed by guild houses, the Town Hall and the King's House; a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Day 2
Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
Elegant glass-roofed shopping arcades from 1847 with chocolate shops, cafés, a theatre and a cinema.
Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula
Brussels's Gothic cathedral on a hill near the centre, with twin towers, fine stained-glass windows and a carved wooden pulpit.
Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Brussels
Huge Art Deco basilica in Koekelberg; its dome terrace gives one of the widest views over Brussels.
Atomium
Steel structure of nine spheres built for Expo 58, with exhibitions inside and a panoramic view from the top sphere.
Day 3
Cauchie House
Art Nouveau house of painter Paul Cauchie, famous for its sgraffito facade; interior open on limited weekends.
Cinquantenaire
Large park built for Belgium's 50th anniversary, with a triumphal arcade and museums of art, history, cars and the army.
Autoworld
Vintage car museum in a vast hall of the Cinquantenaire, with Belgian-built cars and classics from the 1880s onward.
House of European History
A free museum in Parc Léopold on Europe's modern history, with multilingual tablets guiding visitors through the exhibits.
Place du Luxembourg
Square in front of the European Parliament, lively with EU workers at lunch and on Thursday evenings.
Mont des Arts
Terraced garden and square between the upper and lower town, with a classic view toward the Town Hall spire.
Day 4
Museum of the City of Brussels
City history museum in the King's House on the Grand Place, holding the Manneken Pis costume collection.
Belgian Comic Strip Center
Museum of Belgian comics from Tintin to the Smurfs, housed in a Victor Horta Art Nouveau department store.
Congress Column
Nineteenth-century column commemorating Belgium's 1831 constitution, with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at its base.
Le Botanique
Former botanical garden greenhouse turned cultural centre and concert venue, set in a sloping public garden.
Maison Autrique
Victor Horta's first Art Nouveau town house, restored from cellar to attic as a house museum.
Day 5
BELvue Museum
Museum of Belgian history and democracy in an eighteenth-century hotel beside the Royal Palace.
Coudenberg
Underground remains of the former palace of the Dukes of Brabant and Charles V, reached from the BELvue Museum.
Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels
Bozar, Victor Horta's Art Deco arts centre hosting exhibitions, concerts and films.
Place Flagey
Square in Ixelles around the Art Deco Flagey building, a cultural venue, near the Ixelles ponds.
Horta Museum
Victor Horta's own Art Nouveau house and studio, with flowing ironwork, stained glass and a glowing stairwell; small, so book ahead.
Brussels Town Hall
Gothic town hall from the fifteenth century with a 96 m spire, dominating the Grand Place; guided tours of the interior.
Day 6
Rouge-Cloître (Sonian Forest)
A former Augustinian priory beside ponds at the edge of the Sonian Forest, with an art centre and woodland walking paths.
Bois de la Cambre
Landscaped park at the edge of the Sonian Forest, with a lake, island restaurant and wide lawns.
Ixelles Cemetery
Nineteenth-century cemetery with sculpted tombs of artists and writers, including the composer of the Belgian anthem.
Infantry Memorial
Monument to the Belgian infantry of the two World Wars, on Place Poelaert beside the Palace of Justice.
Halle Gate
Fourteenth-century city gate, the last remnant of the second walls, now a museum with views from the roof.
Brussels in 7 days
Day 1
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
Group of art museums on the Mont des Arts with Flemish masters such as Bruegel and Rubens and the Magritte Museum.
Musical Instruments Museum
A museum with thousands of instruments in the Art Nouveau Old England building; listen to them on headphones and enjoy the rooftop café view.
Manneken Pis
Small bronze fountain statue of a boy, a symbol of Brussels since 1619, often dressed in one of his many costumes.
Grand Place
Central square of Brussels framed by guild houses, the Town Hall and the King's House; a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Day 2
Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
Elegant glass-roofed shopping arcades from 1847 with chocolate shops, cafés, a theatre and a cinema.
Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula
Brussels's Gothic cathedral on a hill near the centre, with twin towers, fine stained-glass windows and a carved wooden pulpit.
Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Brussels
Huge Art Deco basilica in Koekelberg; its dome terrace gives one of the widest views over Brussels.
Atomium
Steel structure of nine spheres built for Expo 58, with exhibitions inside and a panoramic view from the top sphere.
Day 3
Cauchie House
Art Nouveau house of painter Paul Cauchie, famous for its sgraffito facade; interior open on limited weekends.
Cinquantenaire
Large park built for Belgium's 50th anniversary, with a triumphal arcade and museums of art, history, cars and the army.
Autoworld
Vintage car museum in a vast hall of the Cinquantenaire, with Belgian-built cars and classics from the 1880s onward.
House of European History
A free museum in Parc Léopold on Europe's modern history, with multilingual tablets guiding visitors through the exhibits.
Place du Luxembourg
Square in front of the European Parliament, lively with EU workers at lunch and on Thursday evenings.
Mont des Arts
Terraced garden and square between the upper and lower town, with a classic view toward the Town Hall spire.
Day 4
Museum of the City of Brussels
City history museum in the King's House on the Grand Place, holding the Manneken Pis costume collection.
Belgian Comic Strip Center
Museum of Belgian comics from Tintin to the Smurfs, housed in a Victor Horta Art Nouveau department store.
Congress Column
Nineteenth-century column commemorating Belgium's 1831 constitution, with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at its base.
Le Botanique
Former botanical garden greenhouse turned cultural centre and concert venue, set in a sloping public garden.
Maison Autrique
Victor Horta's first Art Nouveau town house, restored from cellar to attic as a house museum.
Day 5
BELvue Museum
Museum of Belgian history and democracy in an eighteenth-century hotel beside the Royal Palace.
Coudenberg
Underground remains of the former palace of the Dukes of Brabant and Charles V, reached from the BELvue Museum.
Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels
Bozar, Victor Horta's Art Deco arts centre hosting exhibitions, concerts and films.
Place Flagey
Square in Ixelles around the Art Deco Flagey building, a cultural venue, near the Ixelles ponds.
Horta Museum
Victor Horta's own Art Nouveau house and studio, with flowing ironwork, stained glass and a glowing stairwell; small, so book ahead.
Brussels Town Hall
Gothic town hall from the fifteenth century with a 96 m spire, dominating the Grand Place; guided tours of the interior.
Day 6
Rouge-Cloître (Sonian Forest)
A former Augustinian priory beside ponds at the edge of the Sonian Forest, with an art centre and woodland walking paths.
Bois de la Cambre
Landscaped park at the edge of the Sonian Forest, with a lake, island restaurant and wide lawns.
Ixelles Cemetery
Nineteenth-century cemetery with sculpted tombs of artists and writers, including the composer of the Belgian anthem.
Infantry Memorial
Monument to the Belgian infantry of the two World Wars, on Place Poelaert beside the Palace of Justice.
Halle Gate
Fourteenth-century city gate, the last remnant of the second walls, now a museum with views from the roof.
Day 7
Place Royale
Neoclassical square in the upper town with the statue of Godfrey of Bouillon and the church of Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg.
Sablon
Upper-town district of antique dealers and chocolatiers around the Gothic Notre-Dame du Sablon church and a small garden.
Cantillon Brewery
Family brewery making traditional lambic and gueuze beers, with self-guided tours and tastings.
Watch: Brussels in 3 days
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
When to go to Brussels
May to September has the warmest weather, though rain is possible all year, and in August of even-numbered years the Flower Carpet fills the Grand-Place for a few days. Winter is cold and grey, but the Winter Wonders Christmas market runs from late November to early January. Many offices close in July and August, so hotels are often cheaper then.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Brussels on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Brussels on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Brussels on GetYourGuide or on Viator
- From the airport: a private transfer in Brussels with Kiwitaxi
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for Belgium from Airalo
- Last day: leave your bags in Brussels with Radical Storage and keep sightseeing
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Brussels
- Most museums close on Mondays, including the Royal Museums of Fine Arts, BELvue, Coudenberg and the City Museum.
- The Brussels Card gives entry to more than 40 museums and can include public transport; it pays off with three or more museum visits.
- STIB metro, tram and bus take contactless bank cards; metro line 6 runs to Heysel for the Atomium and Mini-Europe.
- Cauchie House opens only on certain weekends and Cantillon is closed on Wednesdays and Sundays, so check dates before going.
- The Royal Greenhouses of Laeken open only for about three weeks in April and May; book tickets as soon as dates are announced.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Atomium: Marek Śliwecki, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Autoworld: Autoworld, CC BY-SA 4.0
- BELvue Museum: You Are In Valhalla, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Brussels: Markus Koljonen ( Dilaudid ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Belgian Comic Strip Center: LCDMC, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bois de la Cambre: GdML, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Brussels Town Hall: Michielverbeek, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cantillon Brewery: Francisco Conde Sánchez, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula: Luc Viatour, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Cauchie House: Hilke Arijs, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels: Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer), CC BY 4.0
- Cinquantenaire: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Congress Column: Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer), CC BY 4.0
- Coudenberg: Jan Brueghel the Younger, Public domain
- Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert: unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Grand Place: Celuici, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Halle Gate: Jopparn, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Horta Museum: Paul Louis, CC BY-SA 4.0
- House of European History: unknown author, Fair use
- Infantry Memorial: Daderot, CC0
- Ixelles Cemetery: No machine-readable author provided. Ben2~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0
- Le Botanique: Anne-Christine Dusart, CC BY 4.0
- Maison Autrique: Bernard Lee, CC0
- Manneken Pis: Bruxelles_Manneken_Pis.jpg : Myrabella derivative work: Myrabella ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Mini-Europe: Gregd1957, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Mont des Arts: Ank Kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Museum of the City of Brussels: Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer), CC BY 4.0
- Musical Instruments Museum: Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer), CC BY 4.0
- Place Flagey: BXLgutter, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Place Royale: Michielverbeek, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Place du Luxembourg: own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Rouge-Cloître (Sonian Forest): Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, CC BY 3.0
- Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium: Michel wal, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Sablon: Rolf Kranz, CC BY-SA 4.0
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
