Brussels! Any advice?

[joe tarrant]

Hi.

 

Going to Brussels for a few days. Any advice? Good shops? Good photo galleries? Whatever - any

comments welcome and appreciated.

 

J

[philg]

Prepare for cloudy weather, which should be good for capturing architectural details. Brussels has some of the best paintings and tapestry in the world in the main art museum. Some good public squares and probably some nice outdoor flower markets this time of year.

[michaelging]

Bruges is only a short train ride from Brussels and is a photographers paradise, especially now with not so many tourist.

[wilsontsoi]

I second Brugges recommendation above. A very photogenic town. Quite compact, great to walk around with lots of photo ops.

[gungajim]

If you want an off the wall treat, try the Wietz Museum to view this oddball Romanticist's paintings and sculpture. Don't miss the relatively small painting of an Irish woman boiling her child's amputated leg in a big black pot during the Potato Famine in Ireland. <P>

The Museum of Central African Art is a daytrip a few kilometers outside the city but it is as good as it gets for this genre. If I recall correctly, it is in the same general direction as Waterloo.

<p>

Make multiple visits to the central square to capture the elegant guildhouses in different light. The Atomium is kind of neat also and was refurbished a couple of years ago. Have fun.

[david_henderson]

As others indicate, Bruges is very photogenic city- a lot more so than Brussels in my opinion. I'd avoid weekends if I could- its primarily a short break destination which means its relatively quiet in summer but busiest on spring and autumn weekends<div></div>

[ian_glover1]

Not photographic, but go to Pierre Marcolini's shop (a chocolatier). Wonderful stuff.

[doemoezi]

All depends on your time, period and interests.

If more specific questions, don't hesitate. I live nearby in Mechelen (25km) and work in Brussels.

Always happy to help you.

[john_shriver]

Ghent is closer to Brussels than Brugges, and is also very charming. Train service there is fantastic, very easy to hop to Brugges and/or Ghent and back.

 

Brussels is a large city, with a lot of grey architecture, both old and modern. Full of bureaucracy. But it didn't strike me as that beautiful of a walking-around city. Yes, it was raining when I was there, so that may bias my opinion.

 

The Musée des Beaux-Arts is a fine art museum, and they have at least 3 Bruegel paintings, which is a lot in one place.

[joe tarrant]

Thanks, all. That's great.

[david j.lee]

and don't forget to have a bucket of mussels and a bowl of onion soup. the beer is out of this

world also.

[herman_hiel]

Well, except for what the other posters say: there is a lot of art deco buildings; the Grand Place is the prettiest in the world (OK, I admit, I'm Belgian). Around the Grand Place is a nice gallery, you can't miss it. Bruges is 1 hour by train from Brussels and it is worth while; it was called the Venice of the North (of Europe) then comes Ghent and Antwerp.

If you want specific info, let me know.