Ross goes to Brussels!
Ross, one of our Reservation Consultants here at Osprey Holidays took a recent city break to the beautiful Brussels this June. Below he shares his top attractions and much more importantly – the best beer and chocolate about!
Enjoying a nice cold beer, Brussels
The sheer beauty of Brussels is that it has so many charming hidden features just waiting to be explored. The down-town area, though stunning, is however only interesting for so long — and even then it can’t keep many young travellers’ enthusiasm. So after seeing the main hot spots I left the center to explore some of the other enchanting parts of Brussels (Ixelles, for one), and you’ll quickly discover how much fun the city really is!
Atomium Brussels
The highlight of my trip had to be the over-powering Atomium Brussels, constructed for the World Fair in 1958, and now an iconic symbol of Europe’s capital. The views are just excellent on a clear and sunny day highlighting it’s sheer grandeur. It’s also home to an eclectic exhibition of 1960’s art and furniture – well worth a visit! My top tip: take No. 7 Tram towards Heizel instead of Metro, it’s a far more interesting ride.
Eating out in Brussels is all part of the authentic experience, from the sweet waffles served up on the streets to the fantastic smell of hot chips (frites) wafting past your nose at every street corner. I found a great local restaurant on TripAdvisor called Nuetnigenough (show below), with a cosy atmosphere and décor taken from a mix of Art Nouveau and Art Deco. There is a selection of around 15 dishes from rabbit to lasagne to choose from, all freshly cooked with locally sourced ingredients and obviously – an extensive list of delicious beers to wash it all down with!
Nuetnigenough Restaurant, Brussels
Now onto their chocolate – Belgian chocolates are rated some of the best in the world, and I can most certainly vouch for this. The Belgians take chocolate making very seriously! Just like beer making (thankfully) therefore if you are buying chocolate from Brussels, be sure to take some home as a bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk just won’t be the same any more. There are hundreds of shops and varieties to choose from, so go wild!
Overall my trip to Brussels was great and full of exciting little surprises, I will definitely be returning to explore it even further as there was so much I didn’t get to see and do. Be sure to visit the ‘Peeing Man’ (Manneken Pis), there isn’t much to see if you get what I mean, however the whole buzz around the area is truly overwhelming. Last but not least, don’t forget to explore the many shops and boutiques that is dotted all over the city, I was overly surprised how cheap the shopping was compared to the majority of other European cities and with the quirky fashion styles on display you’ll be sure to find a great bargain or two.
To find out more about Brussels, or for information on all of our city break destinations, call our expert team on 0131 243 8098 or request a tailor-made itinerary online.
