Gilded guildhalls, a revolution born at the opera and legends around every corner.
Brussels was a medieval market town, the court of Charles V and the cradle of a country born in 1830 after a night at the opera. Today it is a bilingual city, with street signs in French and Dutch, where a golden square sits beside lanes of old taverns and a bronze boy barely half a metre tall. Three free routes to explore it on foot, at your own pace.
Choose your free tour
All routes are free and can be combined. If it’s your first visit, start with the mixed route.
Bombardments, an opera that sparked a revolution, eight centuries of cathedral and the square where Belgium was born: the history of Brussels in six stops.
A palace on gallows hill, a Virgin who arrived by boat, the drawings Bruegel wanted burned, Europe’s most-stolen little boy and Verlaine’s revolver.
The Bourse, the Grand-Place, the covered galleries, the Mont des Arts, an Art Nouveau department store and the garden of the guilds: the must-sees in one short walk.
The map
The routes cross in the old town. Tap a point to see which story awaits you there.
Filled points already have a published article; the rest are in the works.
Loading the map…
Itineraries
We’ve planned it day by day for you: which routes to walk and in what order, what else to see and where to eat.
All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.
See the itinerary 2A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.
See the itinerary 3The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.
See the itineraryWhat to eat
The dishes you can’t leave without trying, and the classic spots that have been serving them for years.
Tiny, sweet North Sea grey shrimps, peeled by hand and folded into a creamy béchamel inside a crisp golden crust. They come with fried parsley and a wedge of lemon, and make the perfect light lunch. The Taverne du Passage, in the Saint-Hubert galleries since 1928, counts them among its house classics.
Where to try it
A steaming pot of mussels, cooked plain with celery and onion, in white wine or with cream, served with twice-fried chips. It is the dish everyone associates with Brussels. Chez Léon has been serving it on Rue des Bouchers since 1893.
Where to try it
A stew from Ghent, made with chicken or fish and simmered with leek, carrot and celery in a broth enriched with cream and egg yolk. Gentle and comforting, it is just the thing for a grey lunchtime. At the Vincent brasserie you eat it surrounded by painted tiles from the early twentieth century.
Where to try it
Beef braised for hours in dark beer with onions, a slice of bread spread with mustard and a touch of brown sugar. It usually comes with chips or with stoemp, a very Brussels mash of potato and vegetables. ’t Kelderke, in a vaulted cellar on the Grand-Place, is ideal for dinner at the end of the mystery route.
Where to try it
Rectangular, tall, light and crisp, with deep squares that catch the icing sugar or whipped cream. Don’t confuse it with the Liège waffle, which is denser and caramelised. Perfect for an afternoon treat in the tearoom of Maison Dandoy, the biscuit maker founded in 1829.
Where to try it
Filled chocolates with ganache, hazelnut praliné or cream, born, so the story goes, in the Neuhaus shop in the Saint-Hubert galleries. For dessert or a mid-afternoon indulgence, the Grand Sablon gathers several historic houses, including Wittamer, founded in 1910.
Where to try it
Brussels’ own beer ferments spontaneously with wild yeasts carried on the air of the Senne valley. Gueuze blends lambics of different ages and is sour, dry and sparkling. Try it at the À la Mort Subite café, dating from 1928, or visit the Cantillon brewery, which has been making it since 1900.
Where to try it