How we spent a weekend in Brussels, Belgium

We spent a weekend in Brussels in December, exploring the city and its Christmas markets and taking a day trip to Bruges. As the capital of Belgium, Brussels has lots to see and do and is well connected to the rest of Europe making it the perfect destination for a city break.

This is everything you need to know about spending a weekend in Brussels.

How to get to Brussels

We took the Eurostar to Brussels from London which takes two hours and goes via Lille. You can also fly into the city, or catch a train from any other nearby European towns. If you’re stopping in on the train for a day, or are leaving late and exploring the city in an afternoon, you can store your baggage in lockers at the city’s main train stations.

The best things to do in Brussels

Though Brussels feels fairly small for a capital city, there’s still a lot to see and do here. There are so many museums and art galleries, old winding streets, palaces, churches, and other grand buildings, and much more…. These were our highlights from a weekend in Brussels:

• Grand Platz

• Galeries Royales Saint Hubert

• Jardin botanique de Bruxelles

• The Christmas markets

• Palais Royal de Bruxelles

• The Magritte Museum (and many other museums!)

• Manneken Pis, Jeanneke Pis, and Zinneke Pis

• A day trip to Brugge

Where to eat in Brussels

Our favourite places to eat and drink in Brussels were:

• Spread the Moon

• Delirium Cafe 

• Foocha

• Norma

• Kline

• Baladi 

• Winehouse Osteria

• Batch

Where to stay in Brussels

We stayed in the Meininger Hotel Bruxelles City Center which was conveniently located and well priced. A lot of accommodation in Brussels is expensive but the Meininger Hotel – which also has a site near Brussels Midi train station – is affordable, nice and clean, and has rooms for various sized groups.

How long do you need to spend in Brussels?

We spent a weekend in Brussels with one day in Bruges, and this was enough for us to explore most of the city. You could spend longer and do more day trips, or you could even explore the city in one day, catching an early Eurostar in the morning and heading back after dinner.

Want to explore more of Europe on the Eurostar? Read our itinerary for a weekend in Paris.

Do you need to rent a car in Brussels?

No, like many cities Brussels has a good public transport network and is fairly easy to explore on foot – or by taxi if needed. We didn’t take any form of public transport in Brussels, except arriving and leaving by train.

What to wear in Brussels?

Brussels is a relaxed city and despite being known as the home to NATO and many other government agencies, the people of Brussels don’t dress especially formally. Heels aren’t needed, and in winter even in bars and pubs the dress code seemed very relaxed. So stick to jeans and jumpers with a warm coat when you’re packing for a trip to Brussels in December.

This is what I packed for a weekend in Brussels in December:

• A cable knit jumper

• A grey jumper

• A pink jumper

• A white t-shirt

• A black t-shirt

• A grey t-shirt

• Black wide leg jeans

• Black leather trousers

• Black Dr Martens

• Leopard print Nike Air Force 1s

• A puffer coat

• A tweed overcoat

• Sunglasses

• A scarf

• A knitted beanie

Want to explore more European weekend trips? Check out our itinerary for a weekend in Geneva here.