1. City Hall of Brussels and the Grand Place
Built in the 15th century, the City Hall of Brussels is located in the Grand Place. This masterpiece of the Gothic architecture is one of the most luxurious and finest City Halls in Belgium. The walls of the building have plenty of sculptures, which give it this incredible beauty and uniqueness.
Historically, the Grand Place was essentially a market place where traders and citizens sold and bought food.
Since 1998, the Grand Place belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage and is among the most visited tourist attractions of Brussels.
If you are in the area, take time to go in the restaurants or cafés around the Grand Place, it worth to do it. you will also see many chocolate shops.
2. Parlamentarium
In 1997, the Member-states of the European Union have decided that Brussels will become the capital of Europe. Therefore, they constructed a European area where all the main European institutions are located. It includes the European Commission, the Parliament and the Council. Those highest institutions can be visited every year in Mai during the Europe Day.
However, inside the European Parliament, visitors can come every day to visit the Parlamentarium. It allows you to discover the institution that takes the most important decisions for the European citizens.
For more information, visit their website.
3. Atomium
The Atomium is a futuristic building constructed for the Expo 58, also known as the 1958 World Fair. This building represents a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. It has 9 interconnected spheres and it is made of stainless steel. It stands 102 metres tall and each sphere has a diameter of 18 metres. After the Expo 58, the Atomium should have been demolished. However, because of its popularity and success, it became the national symbol and the landmark of Brussels abroad.
Inside of the Atomium, a museum welcomes visitors in its permanent and temporary exhibitions. In the top spheres, the panoramic view offers visitors an incredible view over Brussels and in the highest sphere, the restaurant can serve up to 100 customers.
The Atomium is located in the Northern part of Brussels.
For more information, visit www.atomium.be
Top 10 attractions of Brussels
Brussels has many different touristic attractions that you can visit alone or with your family during your stay in the capital. Most of them are based on curltural heritage and belong to the Heritage of Brussels. They attract thousands of visitors every year from all around the world. These attractions are the "must-sees" in Brussels and are listed above.
Moreover, if you wish, the hop-on and hop-off sightseeing bus can drive you directly to these attractions in order that you explore them quickly during your stay.
4. The Royal Palace
The Royal Palace of Brussels is another masterpiece of architecture in Belgium. In this Palace, the King of Belgium, Philippe Ist, and the Queen of Belgium, Mathide, work on affairs of state, meet official and foreign delegations.
The Palace was build before the Belgian revolution in 1830. It therefore belonged to the Netherlands, but after the revolution, the building became the place of work for the King and the Queen of Belgium.
The Palace is located in the heart of Brussels.
5. Manneken Pis
Located close to the Grand Place, the Manneken Pis is the oldest citizen of Brussels. This bronze statue, representing a boy relieving himself, was created in 1619 by Jérôme Duquesnoy the elder and the boy is only 60 cm tall.
Often, the Manneken Pis gets dressed with costumes for special celebrations, anniversaries and occasions. There are more than 600 costumes designed for him and some of them are shown at the Museum of the City of Brussels.
6. Palace of Justice
The Belgian Supreme Court of Law is a great masterpiece of architecture. Built in the 19th century and measuring more than 20,000 square metres, the Palace was the largest construction in the world at that time. It took more than 20 years to erect it.
The building is located in the uptown area of Saint Gilles, down the road from Avenue Louise in an area known as ‘gallows hill’. From there, you can see a panoramic view of the city below.
The Palace of Justice is composed of a mixture of styles, but mainly Assyro-Babylonian. The size of the building is about 3 times the one of the Royal Palace and its construction was commissioned by the King Leopold II.
7. St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral
This cathedral is the Co-Cathedral of Mechelen-Brussels Archdiocese located on a hill, the Treurenberg, in Brussels. This is in this cathedral that the weddings and funerals of members of the royal family are celebrated.
The western façade exudes power and strength. It has three portals and two rounds of French Gothic style. A spiral staircase connects the ground floor to the peaks that are arranged in terraces to a height of 65 m. The nave is Gothic: arches, sturdy columns supporting the statues of the 12 apostles. The pulpit is Baroque. Its base is Adam and Eve expelled from the Garden of Eden after having picked the forbidden fruit. At the top, the Virgin and Child piercing serpent symbolize redemption.
Two large chapels has been added to the choir of the cathedral, which made it wider than the nave.
8. Les Galeries Royales Saint Hubert
The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert are also located at the heart of Brussels, less than one hundred meters away from the Grand Place. They were created in 1837 by a young Dutch, Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar, and inaugurated in 1847 by the first King of Belgium, Léopold Ier. The specificity of the galleries is that they are covered by a glass roof.
The Galeries Royales are composed of 3 mains galleries: the “Galeries de la Reine”, the “Galeries du Roi” and the “Galeries des Princes”. Luxury boutiques, clockmakers, chocolate shops, restaurants and cafés are ready to welcome tourists and potential buyers. Every year, more than 6 million visitors are coming.
For more information, visit www.grsh.be/en
9. Basilica of the Sacred Heart (Koekelberg)
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart, also called the Koekelberg Basilica, is the fifth largest basilica in the world built in a "Art Deco" style and is part of the universal heritage of UNESCO. This basilica is used for parochial and national celebrations. Inside, there are 2 museums and proposed temporary exhibitions. Under the huge church, there are meeting places, a crypt, a theater, superintendent's premises... well... a city within a city! Its construction lasted roughly 65 years: the first stone was laid on the 12th of October 1905 and the building was inaugurated on the 11th of November 1970.
Under the dome, 53 meters high, visitors can see a wide panorama of Brussels. This tour is accessible to all via a lift provided in the original plans of the architect.
For more information, visit www.basilicakoekelberg.be
10. Mini-Europe
Mini-Europe is located at the foot of the Atomium. This attraction park allows you to visit all the most important European cities only in one site. It shows the miniatures of the main visitor attractions in Europe at a scale of 1:25. For example, you can see a representation of the Atomium in Belgium, a representation of Big Ben in United Kingdom, and many more for other countries.
For more information, visit www.minieurope.com/en