1. The food scene is insane
Brussels is the perfect spot to put on some weight. With more fritkots than there are days in a year — actually, that’s slightly exaggerated, but 200 fritkots isn’t a small amount — Brussels is a foodie paradise. Belgian fries truly are an institution here. Or you can do the splits, and eat in one of the 18 Michelin-starred restaurants in the city! That’s up to you.
Also, as an international hub, Brussels is filled with restaurants from all over the world. Whether you’re looking for lebanese, african, italian, mongolian, mexican, or good old belgian cuisine, there’s a place for every kind of crave in the capital city.
If you’re more of a coffee lover, the scene is booming. With the Brussels Coffee Week and specialty coffee places like OR coffee roasters, Apex Coffee or My Little Cup popping up at every corner of the city, you won’t have any trouble to find your (quality) caffeine shot.
2. The beer literally flows
If you know another place on earth that offers more than 2000 different types of beers, let us know. Because that’s what the Delirium Café, in the heart of the old town, has to offer. You read that right: more than 2000 different beers! But you don’t need to hit the city center to find large choices of Belgium’s favorite beverage: pretty much any bar in Brussels offers specialty beers.
But don’t go thinking we only drink the beer in Brussels! We also produce it, and very good one. A lot of amazing micro breweries have been opening in the past few years like Brasserie de la Senne, Brussels Beer Project or En Stoemelings, all very qualitative and located in the city.
3. Music & festivals are at the corner of the street
Music is a big part of living in Brussels’, with no less than 4 main concert halls welcoming the biggest bands and singers all year long, and huge music festivals in the Spring and Summer time such as Couleur Café, the Brussels Summer Festival (taking place on the main public squares in the historical center) or Les Nuits Botaniques.
And, since Brussels is right in the middle of Belgium, it means that you’re at a tiny 40-minute ride from the epicness of Tomorrowland or Rock Werchter, and at a one-hour ride from Les Ardentes or the Pukkelpop, just to name a few of the numerous festivals surrounding Brussels.
If you’re more into classical, opera or jazz music, you’ll find your fix at the Flagey Studios, organizing music events and festivals almost every day.
4. Vous parlez français?
Brussels is home to more that 100 international institutions, 100 embassies, 2000 diplomats and 1000 non-governmental organizations. All these organizations and the people working for them come from different backgrounds and countries, making a walk around Brussels more of a travel around the world!
Depending on the neighbourhood you’ll find yourself in, you might even hear all the languages except French, which makes it a very exotic city. And we see you coming: no, we’re not talking about the weather here.
5. Culture. Culture everywhere.
Apart from the music festivals and concert halls mentioned before, Brussels offers a surprising variety of cultural activities. With the BOZAR Museum, the Magritte Museum, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium or the beautiful Musical Instrument Museum and all the temporary and resident exhibitions, there’s always something for you. On the theatre side, the most difficult part will be to choose between more than ten different places and even more different styles of plays.
And if you’re more of an architecture nerd, welcome to paradise! Brussels counts more than 500 Art Nouveau buildings and houses scattered all around the city, you just need to look up and around to see art at every corner, literally.
6. It’s the home of the Manneken Pis
Just because the first thing everyone says when discovering the Manneken Pis is: “Is that it? It’s so small!”. And that’s Belgian surrealism in its purest form.
