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Brussels itinerary

7 days, hour by hour · BelgiumJune–September

Days
7
Stops
34
Per day
≈ €104
First stop
09:00

By TripWalkers · Updated:

Short answer

The TripWalkers Brussels itinerary runs 7 days and lays out 34 stops, hour by hour, for June–September. The first three days:

  1. Day 1 Grand-Place and city centre
  2. Day 2 Sablon, Magritte and Marolles
  3. Day 3 Bruges

Staying less? Start with the first days — TripWalkers uses the opening days of this plan for shorter trips too. Days 3 and 5 are day trips out of the city. Food, entry fees and local transport come to about €104 a day (excluding accommodation and flights).

Day 1 · 09:00–20:00

Grand-Place and city centre

  1. Landmark

    Grand-Place

    UNESCO-listed square with guildhalls and the Town Hall, empty before 10:00. Manneken Pis is 2 streets away. In even-numbered years the Flower Carpet appears in August.

    Free
  2. 30 min · travel, break, free time

  3. Shopping

    Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert

    Glass-roofed arcade from 1847. Home to Neuhaus's first shop and Pierre Marcolini.

    Free

  4. Food

    Maison Dandoy Grand-Place

    Speculoos and Brussels waffles (rectangular, light) since 1829. Compare with the Liège waffle (dense, sugary).

    ≈ €7 per person

  5. Food

    Fritland

    A friterie beside the square. Try double-fried chips and a mitraillette sandwich, part of UNESCO-recognised culture.

    ≈ €8 per person
  6. 5 h · travel, break, free time

  7. Food

    Delirium Café

    Guinness record holder with 2,000+ beers. Find it on Impasse de la Fidélité, opposite Jeanneke Pis.

    ≈ €12 per person
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
  • Chez LéonMoules-frites (mussels and chips) since 1893, on Rue des Bouchers.
  • Museum of the City of Brussels Maison du RoiThe city museum in the King's House on the square. Includes Manneken Pis costumes.

Day 2 · 10:00–17:30

Sablon, Magritte and Marolles

  1. Culture

    Magritte Museum

    200+ surrealist works (bowler hat, apple). Combined ticket with the Royal Museums is 15, closed Monday.

    ≈ €10 per person

  2. Shopping

    Place du Grand Sablon

    Antique dealers and chocolatiers (Wittamer, Marcolini). Antiques market at weekends.

    Free

  3. Food

    Le Pain Quotidien Sablon

    The chain's first branch. Tartines and soup.

    ≈ €15 per person

  4. Shopping

    Place du Jeu de Balle Flea Market

    Daily flea market in the Marolles (best in the morning), Brueghel's old neighbourhood.

    Free
  5. 1 h 15 min · travel, break, free time

  6. Culture

    Musical Instruments Museum MIM

    Housed in the Art Nouveau Old England building. Instruments with headphones, and a rooftop café with views.

    ≈ €15 per person
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
  • Wittamer SablonPatisserie from 1910 and royal supplier.
  • Royal Museums of Fine ArtsBruegel and Rubens. An alternative to MIM (combined ticket with Magritte).

Day 3 · 10:00–15:15Day trip

Bruges

  1. Landmark

    Markt Bruges

    1 hour by train (Brussels-Midi, about 15 EUR). Belfry square and guildhalls.

    Free

  2. Landmark

    Belfry of Bruges

    366 steps to the bell chamber and a panorama of the canal city. Timed tickets.

    ≈ €15 per person

  3. Nature

    Bruges Canal Boat Tour

    30-minute boat ride. Passes Rozenhoedkaai (the most photographed corner), 5 landing stages.

    ≈ €12 per person

  4. Food

    De Halve Maan Brewery

    Home of Brugse Zot beer. 45-minute tour plus a beer, rooftop views, good for lunch.

    ≈ €18 per person

  5. Culture

    Begijnhof Bruges

    Beguine courtyard from 1245, peaceful. Minnewater, the Lake of Love, is nearby.

    Free
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
  • Frituur Bruges MarktTwo chip huts beneath the Belfry.
  • GroeningemuseumFlemish Primitives (van Eyck). Instead of the Begijnhof.

Day 4 · 10:00–17:30

Atomium and Laeken

  1. Landmark

    Atomium

    The 102 m steel crystal from Expo 1958. Spheres and views, book online (combined Design Museum ticket).

    ≈ €16 per person

  2. Culture

    Mini-Europe

    350 miniatures of Europe at the foot of the Atomium, good with children.

    ≈ €19 per person

  3. Food

    Atomium Restaurant

    Restaurant with views in the top sphere. Alternatively, use the café outside.

    ≈ €30 per person
  4. 30 min · travel, break, free time

  5. Nature

    Royal Greenhouses of Laeken

    Closed (open in spring only). See Laeken Park and the Chinese Pavilion from outside, then move on to Cinquantenaire.

    ≈ €4 per person
  6. 30 min · travel, break, free time

  7. Nature

    Parc du Cinquantenaire

    Triumphal arch and museums, in the EU quarter.

    Free
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
  • Frit FlageyThe city's best friterie (Place Flagey). Go by tram.
  • Autoworld Cinquantenaire300 classic cars. Instead of the park.

Day 5 · 10:00–17:00Day trip

Ghent

  1. Landmark

    Gravensteen

    35 minutes by train. The counts' castle, with a funny audio guide and city views from the ramparts.

    ≈ €13 per person

  2. Landmark

    Graslei & Korenlei

    Canal-side guildhalls. The best view in Ghent, from St Michael's Bridge.

    Free

  3. Culture

    Saint Bavo's Cathedral Ghent Altarpiece

    Van Eyck's Adoration of the Mystic Lamb panels (AR tour). Opposite the Belfry.

    ≈ €16 per person
  4. 1 h 15 min · travel, break, free time

  5. Food

    Patershol

    Medieval quarter with restaurants. Try Gentse waterzooi (chicken stew soup).

    ≈ €20 per person
  6. 45 min · travel, break, free time

  7. Nature

    Ghent Canal Boat Tour

    40 minutes, departing from Graslei. Then take the train back.

    ≈ €9 per person
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
  • Belfry of GhentUNESCO-listed bell tower. Instead of the cathedral.
  • Frituur Filip GentA Ghent chip hut.

Day 6 · 10:00–16:00

Ixelles, Art Nouveau and the EU

  1. Culture

    Horta Museum

    Home of Victor Horta, the inventor of Art Nouveau, in Saint-Gilles. Timed tickets, closed Monday.

    ≈ €12 per person

  2. Landmark

    Avenue Louise Art Nouveau Walk

    Hôtel Tassel and Solvay facades in Ixelles.

    Free

  3. Nature

    Place Flagey & Ixelles Ponds

    Square and lakeside. Market at weekends.

    Free

  4. Food

    Belga Café Flagey

    Café on Place Flagey. Croque and beer, opposite Frit Flagey.

    ≈ €15 per person
  5. 30 min · travel, break, free time

  6. Culture

    European Parliament Parlamentarium

    Free interactive EU museum. Hemicycle tour with your passport.

    Free
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
  • Moeder Lambic FontainasBar for lambic and gueuze beers. A local alternative to Delirium.
  • Museum of Natural SciencesEurope's largest dinosaur hall. Instead of the Parlamentarium.

Day 7 · 09:30–13:45

Chocolate morning and farewell

  1. Culture

    Choco-Story Brussels

    Chocolate museum with demonstrations, next to the Grand-Place.

    ≈ €12 per person

  2. Shopping

    Pierre Marcolini Grand Sablon

    One of Belgium's best chocolatiers. Buy a gift box.

    ≈ €15 per person

  3. Food

    Noordzee Mer du Nord

    Stand-up fish bar on Sainte-Catherine. Shrimp croquettes and white wine for a farewell.

    ≈ €15 per person
  4. 30 min · travel, break, free time

  5. Landmark

    Gare Centrale

    Train to Zaventem takes 20 minutes (Midi/Central). Bus to Charleroi takes 1 hour. Farewell.

    Free
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
  • Le Pain Quotidien Sainte-CatherineCafé on the square.
  • Comics Art MuseumTintin and the Smurfs in a Horta building. Instead of the chocolate stops.

Good to know: 6 things that make a Brussels trip easier

  1. A STIB day pass is 8 EUR, and the city centre is walkable. Take the train to Bruges and Ghent (50% off weekend tickets). The train to Zaventem takes 20 minutes.
  2. Summer is 20-25°C, and rain is always possible. Look out for the Ommegang (July) and the August Flower Carpet in even-numbered years. Bruges is very crowded and the Laeken greenhouses are closed.
  3. Waffles cost 3-7 EUR (Brussels = rectangular and light, Liège = dense and sugary), frites 4-6, moules-frites 25, beer 4-6. Tip by rounding up.
  4. In Belgium, French is spoken in Brussels and Flemish in Bruges and Ghent. English is also widely spoken. Avoid the restaurants on Rue des Bouchers (tourist traps), with Chez Léon the exception.
  5. Museums are closed on Mondays. Book Atomium and Belfry online. On the first Wednesday of the month, many museums are free in the afternoon.
  6. Chocolate: Neuhaus, Marcolini, Wittamer, Mary. Leonidas is cheap and good.

Spending: ≈ €730 per person for 7 days

  • Food€380
  • Entry and tours€180
  • Local transport€90
  • Other€80

Excludes accommodation and flights. 2026 price estimate, per person.

We did the planning. You just pick the dates.

TripWalkers rebuilds this route around your number of days, budget and pace — on a map, day by day, in your pocket.

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Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need in Brussels?

This itinerary is built for 7 days. With 3 days, do the first 3 — TripWalkers uses the opening days of the plan for shorter trips too. The day trip is on day 3 and 5; skip it on a short stay.

How much does a day in Brussels cost?

In this plan, food, entry fees and local transport come to about €104 per person per day. Accommodation and flights are not included. Figures are 2026 estimates.

What time should you start the day in Brussels?

The first stop is at 09:00. Most days start early so you arrive before the crowds, and evenings end with dinner.

Which season is this itinerary for?

This page covers June–September. There is a separate plan for October–May: opening hours, the sea and the weather change the route.