Brussels

The Atomium, which resembles the structure of an iron crystal, was built on the occasion of the 1958 World Fair in Brussels. The structure, that consists of 9 spheres and 20 tubes, quickly became a landmark and tourist attraction. The total height is 102 meters, and in the top sphere there is a restaurant with amazing views of Brussels on a clear day.

Next to the Atomium you can visit the Mini-Europe Park. In this park you can see models of many of Europe's big attractions such as Tower of London, Big Ben, and Colosseum in Rome.

Access is easy, with Tourist bus line number 1.

A couple of blocks from the Grand Place, the famous Manneken Pis attracts hoards of tourists. This small bronse statue of a little boy literally urinating, was created in 1619 by Jérôme Duquesnoy. Manneken Pis is dressed in different clothing every week, so make sure to visit and see what today's haute Manneken-couture is.

The "Parc du Cinquantenaire" park, meaning "cheer park" in Flemish, was established in 1880 to celebrate Belgium's 50 years of independence. Today, the park is widely used as a place for celebrations, fireworks, exhibitions, and concerts.

There's an impressive military museum in connection with the park, the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces & Military History.

Autoworld is a haven for car enthusiasts, with a large collection of four wheelers (and more) from the earliest vintage models to today's Formula 1 racing cars.

Access with tourist bus, line 2, to stop Cinquantenaire.

Parlamentarium is EU's visitor center. The creators of the center have made an engaging and exciting way to learn and see how the EU parliament functions.

The Parlamentarium boasts a 360° cinema, political role play for visitors and interactive presentations. A visit will give a comprehensive insight in the modern daily life inside the EU operations.

Access with tourist bus line 2, exit at Luxembourg.

Comme Chez Soi

Not your cheapest option, but what a treat! This restaurant has 2 Michelin stars and has been a hit ever since it opened in 1926. If you are lucky you will be seated next to the kitchen, where tiny food art is created.

Belga Queen

Chef Antoine Pinto has developed a unique food concept in this 18th century building that was originally a post office. Architecture and food melds beautifully and takes you on a delightful gourmet journey. Book well in advance, this place is almost always full.

The Tram Experience

Would you like a first class meal served on board a tram? Chef Lionel Rigolet, when not making food on a tram hosts at Comme Chez soi, puts together a 6- or 7-course menu to be enjoyed on board a specially designed tram. Prebooking is needed.

Chalet Robinson

Le Chalet Robinson is a restaurant on a tiny island in the Bois de la Cambre park. A small ferry takes you to the island and once there, an out of the ordinary culinary experience awaits!

Spareribs may not be the inclination of Belgian food but this place is the exception!

In our opinion, Amadeo Restaurant has the best spareribs in the world. Enough said. The restaurant is informal, friendly and does not rip you off. You know you better say "no thanks" when the waiter offers round 4, but it is just impossible to stop.

Belgian waffles

Au natural, with ice cream or cream, strawberry ice cream, chocolate with cream? Honey with cream with ice cream? Your options for the perfect topping on your Belgian waffle are so many it is sometimes hard to decide what to choose. But there's one thing we know for sure: Belgian waffles taste better in Belgium!

Moules frites

This Belgian dish is a delightful combination of seafood and fries. Mussels are damped in an onion, garlic, parsley, and white whine broth that serves as a tasteful soup/sidedish to the fries and the mussels. Enjoyed with mayonnaise, a cold beer or a glass of dry white wine you can almost call yourself a Belgian.

Frites at Place Jourdan

Speaking of fries, it's worth mentioning Maison Antoine at Place Jourdan in the center of Brussels. During a lunch break in a EU summit in 2016, Germany's then chancellor Angela Merkel paid a visit to this establishment just to try their fries.

Fine, Belgian chocolate. Of course, Belgian chocolate is a must for every chocolate lover visiting the Belgian capital. There are numerous shops with an enormous selection of Belgian chocolate. The Belgian capital has chocolate museums where you can have a guided tour through the history of this savored product.

You might recognize this city from the movie "In Bruges" with actor Colin Farrell? We think Bruges is far better than what you see in the film. The city is recognized by UNESCO and has been on the world heritage list since 2000. The history of Bruges stretches back to the Roman empire and Julius Caesar.

You can reach Bruges by train from Brussels in less than one hour.

Waterloo is just 15 kilometers south of Brussels. Waterloo is one of Europe's most legendary battlegrounds. This is where Napoleon was defeated on 18 June 1815. Today, many Nordic citizens in Belgium live in the Waterloo area.

At Waterloo Memorial Museum you can see historical unforms, old maps and different war time objects. You should climb the 226 stairs to the top of the Waterloo monument for a view of Waterloo's historical battle grounds. You can admire "The Panorama", an historical painting with the impressive size of 110 x 12 meters.

Train from Bruxelles-Central to Waterloo takes 27 minutes.

Rock Werchter is an annual summer festival that takes place in the village of Werchter, just outside Leuven. It takes about one hour by car to get here from Brussels. The festival was first arranged in 1976 and attracts more than 150 000 visitors during 4 days. Rock Werchter has been awarded "Best festival in the world" by Live Music Conference several times and is an amazing event for all music lovers.

With the Thalys train you can go from the train station Bruxelles-Midi to Paris Gare du Nord in just 1 hour and 22 minutes. Enjoy an early breakfast in Brussels, spend the day in Paris and return to Brussels in the evening.

If you enjoy seeing more places, how about combining Brussels with London? The Eurostar express train was launched in 1994 and is a high speed train between London and Brussels. The train, which takes you to London in just a little over 2 hours, has a top speed of 350 km/h.

The train leaves from Bruxelles-Midi station and arrives at London St Pancras. Custom clearance with passport control is done at the departure station.