Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Brussels in Three Hours
Brusselsmakesagreatstopoverbetweentrains.Firstcheck
yourbagattheCentralStationandconirmyourdeparture
timeandstation(factoringinanynecessarytransittimetoa
diferentdeparturestation)beforeheadingintotown.Then
dothisBrusselsblitz:
HeaddirectlyfortheGrandPlaceandtakemyGrand
PlaceWalk(describedonpage397).Tostreamline,skipthe
Manneken-Pis
untillater,andendthewalkattheBourse,
whereyou'llcatchbus#95toPlaceRoyale.Enjoyahandful
ofmasterpiecesattheRoyalMuseumsofFineArts,thendo
theUpperTownWalk(page409),whichendsbackatthe
Manneken-Pis
andtheGrandPlace.Buyaboxofchocolates
andabottleofBelgianbeer,andpopthetopasyourtrain
pullsoutofthestation.Ahhh!
Planning Your Time
Brussels is low on great sights and high on ambience. On a quick
trip, a day and a night are enough for a good first taste. It could
even be done as a day trip by train from Bruges (2/hr, 1 hr) or
a stopover on the Amsterdam-Paris or Amsterdam-Bruges ride
(hourly trains); for specifics, see the “Brussels in Three Hours”
sidebar. The main reason to stop—the Grand Place—takes only a
few minutes to see. With very limited time, skip the indoor sights
and enjoy a coffee or a beer on the square.
Art lovers and novices alike can spend a couple of enjoy-
able hours at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (twin
museums—ancient and modern—covered by the same ticket,
and a new Magritte Museum), would-be Walloons can bone up
on their Belgian history at the BELvue Museum, and even the
tone-deaf can appreciate the Musical Instruments Museum. To see
the impressive auto and military museums (side by side), plan on a
three-hour excursion from the town center.
OVERVIEW
Central Brussels is surrounded by a ring of roads (which replaced
the old city wall) called the Pentagon. (Romantics think it looks
more like a heart.) All hotels and nearly all the sights I mention are
within this ring. The epicenter holds the main square (the Grand
Place), the TI, and Central Station (all within three blocks of each
other).
What isn't so apparent from maps is that Brussels is a city
divided by altitude. A ridgeline that runs north-south splits the
town into the Upper Town (east half, elevation 200 feet) and Lower
