Destination Belgium: Things to do in Brussels
If you are planning a trip to Brussels, Belgium, then you are in for a life-changing trip. This is sure to be one of the most exciting and educational voyages of all of your travels. The historically engrained beauty of the entire region will reign in your memory as one of life’s few treasures. Let’s explore a few of the countless attractions you’ll want to make a point to experience.
Grand-Place
One of the world’s most beautiful town squares is housed in Brussels: Grand-Place. This is the central market square in Brussels and serves as home to the famous Town Hall. This is the most popular tourist attraction in Brussels nest to the Atomium. It was bombed to rubble in 1695 and rebuilt during the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, it is visited by thousands and thousands every year. These visitors love to bask in its majesty while enjoying a full-bodied Belgian beer. Music concerts take place here regularly, as well as the famous once-a-year event known as Ommegang, a historical procession at the beginning of July.
Atomium
The Atomium was built for the 1958 Brussels World Fair (Expo ’58). It is a 335 foot tall representation of an atom. More precisely, it is symbolic of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. Nine steel spheres 54 feet in diameter connect via tubes with elevators 105 feet long. Windows in the top sphere provide an awesome panoramic view of Brussels. Originally planned to last only six months, the Atomium is still today the most popular attraction in Brussels.
Manneken Pis (The Peeing Boy)
On the corner of Stoofstraat/Rue de L'Etuve and the Eikstraat/Rue du Chêne (At the Grand-Place follow the street on the left side of the town hall). New York has the Statue of Liberty. Cpoenhagen has the Mermaid. Brussels has the Peeing Boy. This is a statue of a little boy who has been peeing in public for several centuries. He is believed to be a simple decoration leftover from the Middle-Ages. He sits atop a fountain where people used to come to get their water. Although the statue itself is naked, this Peeing Boy currently has over 600 costumes that he regularly adorns.
When the people have experienced their fill with world-famous historical attractions, they can drink and dance the nights away in the plethora of nightspots in Brussels. There are nightclubs, restaurants, discos and casinos all over the place. Oh yeah, there are over 80 pubs in Brussels as well! That’s a good thing because Belgium produces over 400 different varieties of beer. Remember, that’s in a country roughly the size of the state of Maryland.
World-class accommodations abound throughout the entire region. If you are into the idea of traveling the countryside, why not book yourself into one of the many castles that dot the areas of Wallonia, the south of Belgium? Imagine looking out of the window at the majestic forested plains where parts of rich European history was created.
Whatever your personal ideas of Belgium may be, the people there will have you taken care of, first class. From historic cultural development to modern all night disco partying, Brussels, Belgium is a perfect choice. Travel Belgium soon for the escape and education of your life!