Brussels in One Day: The City That Surprised Us

Sometimes the best city breaks aren’t planned as city breaks at all.

We booked a night in Brussels because we had tickets to see Beyoncé. The practical part was simple: find a hotel near the stadium, enjoy the concert, sleep, then see a little of the city before going home. The concert was the reason for the trip. Brussels was supposed to be the pleasant extra.

Instead, it became the unexpected part I wanted to talk about afterwards.

The hotel, unfortunately, was not the highlight. We stayed at Hotel Expo, opposite the stadium, and really didn’t enjoy it. I won’t invent a dramatic list of complaints years later; the honest verdict is simply that we wouldn’t book it again. A convenient location doesn’t always make a good stay.

Fortunately, the following day was a very different story. We wandered, explored and found a city full of extraordinary buildings and small, delicious distractions. By the time we left, we’d gone from we’re here for the concert to we really should come back to Brussels.

I knew Brussels had an impressive central square. I did not expect the Grand-Place to stop me in my tracks.

The ornate façades, the layers of detail, the scale of the buildings — it is the sort of place where you stand still for a moment because looking at everything at once is impossible. We thought it was breathtaking. And this, more than any complicated itinerary, is why I would tell someone with just a few hours in Brussels to make a beeline for the historic centre.

The Grand-Place is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, surrounded by historic guild houses and the city’s Town Hall. That is the official explanation of its importance. My explanation is simpler: it’s astonishingly beautiful, and the photographs don’t quite prepare you for standing in it.

Give yourself time here. Not because you need to tick off every architectural detail, but because it would be a shame to arrive, take one picture and leave.

A short wander around the centre brings you to the wonderfully peculiar Manneken Pis. Yes, it is small. Yes, you should probably see it anyway.

We visited the famous little statue, and I love that a city capable of such magnificent architecture also embraces something so cheeky as one of its symbols. It is quintessentially Brussels: grand, playful and not terribly concerned about taking itself too seriously.

It isn’t an attraction that needs a long visit. Consider it part of the pleasure of exploring the streets around the Grand-Place rather than the centrepiece of your entire day.

There are elegant city-break lunches, and then there is a Belgian mitraillette.

We had one of these glorious, wildly overfilled sandwiches while exploring Brussels. Ours arrived with chips and a generous amount of sauce, and it was delicious. There is something wonderfully unpretentious about a meal that makes absolutely no attempt to be dainty.

A mitraillette is commonly a baguette loaded with fillings, Belgian fries and sauce. Different shops make their own versions, so don’t assume every one is identical. I can’t reliably identify the name of the shop from our footage, and I won’t recommend a particular address we can’t confirm. But I would absolutely recommend keeping an eye out for one.

It is not the lunch to order if you plan to remain entirely dignified. Which is part of the appeal.

The Atomium looks almost unreal when you’re standing underneath it: huge silver spheres, geometric struts and a scale that makes the whole structure feel a little otherworldly.

We explored the area around it and went into the shop at ground level, but we did not visit the spheres or the interior exhibitions. So I can’t tell you whether the panoramic view or the paid indoor visit is worth the ticket. What I can say is that we loved seeing the structure itself. It’s an unforgettable piece of Brussels architecture.

If you are planning your own day, treat the Atomium as a separate destination rather than something you casually pass on a stroll around the Grand-Place. Check current admission details and transport on the official Atomium website if you’d like to go inside.

This is the order I would suggest for a future visit, based on what we enjoyed — not a claim that we followed an exact hour-by-hour route on our original trip.

First: begin in the historic centre. Spend some unhurried time at the Grand-Place, then wander the surrounding streets. If you like discovering a city by walking rather than marching between appointments, this is the part I’d savour.

Next: make room for Manneken Pis and lunch. See the statue and find somewhere to try a proper Belgian mitraillette or whatever else catches your eye. Leave room for a spontaneous shop or coffee stop; Brussels is too lovely to approach with a stopwatch.

Then: decide whether the Atomium belongs in your day. If it is high on your list, allow a separate journey to the Heysel area and check your route before setting off. If you would rather stay among the historic streets, that’s a perfectly good way to spend your limited time too.

Finally: stay for the atmosphere. The best part of our Brussels visit wasn’t collecting attractions. It was discovering that we genuinely liked being there.

Our original hotel was chosen for convenience before the concert, not for romance, style or a particularly memorable breakfast. It did the job of putting us near the venue, but I would not return.

Next time I want the hotel to be part of the weekend — somewhere worth coming back to after an afternoon in the city. These are three hotels on my wishlist, not places I have personally stayed. I chose them for their location, interiors and sense of occasion, using information from the hotels themselves. Availability, services and room details should always be checked before booking.

If I wanted to open the hotel door and find myself almost immediately among the streets we loved, Hotel Amigo would be an obvious contender. The Rocco Forte hotel sits between the Grand-Place and Manneken Pis, with interiors shaped by art, design and the city’s heritage. It feels like the choice for a glamorous city break where you don’t want to waste time getting back to your room after dinner.

Why I’d consider it: extraordinary central location, character and the pleasure of staying right among Brussels’ most beautiful streets.

Corinthia Brussels, in the restored Grand Hotel Astoria on Rue Royale, is the more theatrical option. Think historical grandeur, elegant interiors and the possibility of making the hotel itself the occasion. The hotel’s spa adds another reason to slow down rather than spend every waking moment sightseeing.

Why I’d consider it: a properly special weekend, with the kind of architecture and atmosphere that turn checking in into an event.

At Juliana Hotel Brussels on Place des Martyrs, the appeal is more intimate. This five-star boutique hotel has a spa and indoor swimming pool, with an elegant, tucked-away atmosphere that feels particularly appealing after a busy day in the city.

Why I’d consider it: a quieter, indulgent base for two, with time to enjoy the hotel rather than simply sleep there.

For us, absolutely. The Grand-Place alone made the visit memorable, and the combination of beautiful architecture, irreverent little landmarks and comforting Belgian food gives you plenty to enjoy without a frantic itinerary.

One day is enough for a satisfying introduction to the historic centre, especially if you are happy to wander and choose your priorities. It is not enough to experience every museum, neighbourhood and attraction. If you want to go inside the Atomium, spend time at museums or take several leisurely meals, I would allow more time.

If you’re travelling from the UK, Eurostar runs direct trains between London St Pancras and Brussels-Midi/Zuid. Check the current timetable and fares on Eurostar rather than relying on fixed times in a blog post. The historic centre and the Atomium are in different parts of the city, so plan transport accordingly.

The concert brought us to Brussels. The city is what made me want to return.

I still think about the Grand-Place, the impossible-looking Atomium, the silly charm of Manneken Pis and that gloriously overfilled sandwich. We didn’t have a perfect hotel, a long stay or a meticulously organised itinerary. We had one night, a great reason to go, and enough time afterwards to discover somewhere unexpectedly beautiful.

Next time I’d book a hotel I’d be excited to walk back into, keep the diary deliberately light and allow Brussels to surprise us all over again.