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I recently booked a solo trip through Expedia to Brussels, Belgium! The amazing part about booking my trip through the Expedia Mobile App was that I was able to bundle the flight and hotel together to save on my trip. It’s the perfect travel companion, especially if you are traveling solo because you can use it save big on hotels, find your perfect flight, research things to do, and it sends you helpful trip reminders! On the mobile app, you’ll find even more savings and exclusive deals. Plus, you’ll earn double the Expedia Rewards points then you would booking online! You can also book a rental car, tours, and more!

Brussels is actually a very walkable city, especially if you stay in the city center, so it was really easy to get around and see all the sights on my list! Brussels is commonly known as the capital of the European Union and because of that people from all over the world live in Brussels. Almost everyone speaks English so it’s a very tourist friendly city.

What to Do in Brussels

The Grand Place

The Grand Place is easily the most iconic spot in Brussels! I have always admired photos of it on Pinterest so it was really cool to finally see the square in person. The opulent gilded buildings in the square and the Gothic cathedral make it a sight to see indeed! Don’t be fooled by my photos, there are a lot of people in the square at all times! I had to be patient in order to snap some cool shots 😉 The Chocolate Museum is also in the square as well as bars and restaurants. The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert are right outside the square too!

Royal Palace of Brussels

The Royal Palace of Brussels is a beautiful spot to visit on a trip to Brussels! I stopped by after visiting the Mont des Arts which is about a 5-10 min walk from the square. When I got there, I saw that they were doing free tours so I got to walk around the beautiful palace and learn about the Royal family. I was on a bit of a time crunch so I just quickly browsed through, but you can spend as much time there as you want. There are so many spots in and around the palace to capture some great photos too!

Brussels Park

Brussels Park is located right in front of the Royal Palace of Brussels. The park has pathways lined with trees, a beautiful fountain, and several benches to rest on. I walked through the park after visiting the Royal Palace of Brussels on our way to the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula. It’s a beautiful sanctuary in the middle of the city center!

Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula

The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula is a beautiful Roman Catholic church in the center of Brussels. The architectural design of the cathedral reminds me so much of the Notre Dame in Paris! There is a beautiful staircase that wraps around the front to rest on and admire the views. I popped inside to browse around and shot some fun photos across the street from the cathedral.

Comic Strip Walls

There are comic strip walls all over the city depicting Tintin, a cartoon character created by Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi. It was actually one of the most popular European comics in the 20th century. I thought the comic strip walls were super cute! They are sprinkled all over the city so you just have to keep your eye out for them. I found the wall in the first four photos near the Palace of Justice and the last one in a street off of The Grand Place.

Martyrs’ Square

When we were walking down the Boulevard A. Max (a shopping street) we stumbled across Martyr’s Square. There’s a beautiful statue in the square (pictured above) and the buildings surrounding the square look very french! Fun fact: France actually used to own Belgium, so there is a lot of french influence all over the city. It’s a very peaceful square with not a lot of people so it’s a nice place for a break and photos of course ;P

Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert

The Galleries Royales Saint-Hubert are located on a street just off of The Grand Place going towards the Mont des Arts. It’s a beautiful indoor shopping strip with amazing architecture and several shops selling chocolates, clothing, souvenirs, and more! I browsed through to check out the architecture and try some chocolate.

Tip: The Galleries are about a 5-10 min walk from the Mont des Arts! Start off at The Grand Place, pop over to the Galeries, then head to the Mont des Arts.

The square in the 3 photos above is right outside of the Galleries! I thought it was pretty picture perfect 😉

Beautiful church on the way to the Mont des Arts!

Mont des Arts

The Mont des Arts is a beautiful garden square overlooking part of the city with multiple museums and buildings surrounding the square. There is a stair case behind the garden square that you can walk up with several platforms for many different views. It was absolutely stunning! I loved the photos I captured here on the ledge. These are definitely going in my scrapbook to show my kids one day ;P!

TIP: The Royal Palace is about a 5-10 min walk from here and there is another beautiful square at the top of the stair case.

Palace of Justice + Neighborhood Below

The Palace of Justice was under construction when we visited, but it’s a very beautiful building with amazing views of the city from the square. There is a staircase on the side of the building that allows you to get there from the neighborhood below. There is also an elevator very close to the staircase! I took the elevator instead but I imagine there would have been some cool views from the staircase! There were quite a bit of people admiring the views of the city from the square. It’s a popular place to hang out!

Waffles

You can’t visit Brussels without trying their famous waffles! There are waffle stands on just about every corner with multiple options for toppings. I tried one with Nutella, strawberries, and bananas. It was absolutely delicious! They are super affordable too, the most extravagant ones are under 7 euros. Don’t miss out on the pommes frites or chocolate either! Brussels is known for those as well 🙂

Where to Eat

Velvet Peck

I stopped by Velvet Peck for coffee and breakfast on my first day in Brussels. It was the perfect start to my morning! It’s a really cute cafe serving several different food options and coffee supplied from the roaster Velvet. I got to meet the owner of Velvet, Ilse, who was really sweet and showed me around the city a little bit. It was really cool to find out that she has also has a roastery and coffee shop in Medellin, Colombia where my Mom is from! For breakfast I had an Eggs Benedict, a smoothie bowl, juice, and a latte, all of which were delicious.

OR Coffee

OR Coffee is located in the city center of Brussels, not far from The Grand Place. They serve coffee, pastries, and food. I tried a few pastries and toasts, all of which were delicious! They have four locations across Belgium and I got to visit there Ghent location as well. Both locations are super cute! They reminded me of coffee shops back home in Portland, OR. It’s a great spot for a coffee break or a yummy brunch!

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XOXO