A Weekend in Brussels

The great thing about Brussels is that it is now only one hour and forty five minutes away which now makes it closer than Bath as a weekend destination for those of us lucky enough to be easily accessible to the Eurostar. What is also great is that you can get 5 star hotel rooms in this major European capital for the price of a song at the weekend. In my case it was the Hilton Brussels City located in Place Rogier just off the city centre.

When booking the Eurostar online you now have the choice of booking your own seats - use this opportunity because otherwise you will be left on the worst seat on the train with little or no window. At the time of booking I was somewhat laid back about this, only to regret it profoundly when I got on the train at 06:20 next to the family from hell. Enough said.

Having closed my eyes all my way to Brussels, via Ebbsfleet, Ashford and Lille, I emerged just as we arrived in Brussels to see very little out of what window I had due to some really intense mist and fog, potentially jeapordising my photographic efforts.

Arriving at Brussels Midi station with a Eurostar ticket allows you to take any onward train to any part of Belgium, but in my case all I needed to do was to take the metro to Place Rogier. Many people stay in the Grand Place area which is close to Brussels Centrale station, just one stop on from Midi. From Brussels Centrale you are also within walking distance of the Royal Palace. On arrival at Place Rogier I was pleased to see the Hilton Brussels City within clear eyeshot of the exit.
Even on early arrival I was checked in to a deluxe room on the eighth floor which was only accessible by using a room key to operate the lift. The room was immaculate, with wooden floors somewhat cold to walk on, but with Hilton slippers provided, no problem at all. The bed was as large as my central London flat, you could comfortably sleep four people on it was so big. My only gripe was that the air conditioning made the room cold on what was actually a rather cold day. To increase the heat needed the help of one of the hotel staff.
Luckily the thick fog had subsided somewhat to reveal some faint sunshine. Out I went to explore the sights of Brussels. You needn’t use the metro in Brussels if you like walking. I reached the Grand Place in about 10 minutes via the old Bourse building, (now empty).

Brussels’ Grand Place in my view is one of the most beautiful and colourful squares in Europe with its fine Gothic Town Hall. There is always something going on there so it’s a great place to take a seat at one of the cafes around it to people watch and to drink the fine local beers on offer. This may easily sum up many peoples’ weekends in Brussels, justifiably so, as the food and beer is just superb, and worth the journey by itself. The cost is greater these days due to the relative value of the Euro, but that may well change soon, and I predict a return to the good old days just prior to the Euro when everything in Europe seemed so affordable.

The Mannequin Pis, that irreverent monument to small people so often photographed can be found just a few hundred metres from the Grand Place. Being such a small sightseeing object, many people get lost trying to find it, so don’t be surprised to get short shrift from a local when asking directions, like I did. Poor guy must have been asked the same question a thousand times. On arrival there were dozens of tourists there making photos, so you can actually follow the crowds there together with a line of flags leading up to it.

Having finished with what most people consider the main tourist area, I decided to venture out towards the much maligned European district, which was about a mile and a half walk. One the way there you can walk past the magnificent Royal Palace and its park opposite. A great photo opportunity and on a nice day the park is a joy to walk in, and surprisingly unpopulated I have to add. To be honest the European district isn’t much to look at unless you’re a fan of office architecture, but well worth visiting just on the other side is the Parc Leopold and the Royal Military museum, a fine imposing structure with an enormous arch running through it. As you walk around you will notice some really impressive buildings like the Palais de Justice, one of the largest 19th century buildings I have ever seen.

If you have half a day spare, it’s well worth taking the tram out to the Atomium, as the name suggests, is a model of an atom, but blown up a 165 billion times. It is right next to the Heysel football stadium. To reach it just go back to Brussels Midi, from where you can catch a number 51 tram which takes you all the way there without having to change. The Atomium itself cannot fail to impress you. It’s about 100 metres tall and costs 9 Euros to enter. The lift to the top is one of the fastest ascents there is which you can view through a glass roof. At the top of the Atomium you start to realise the scale of the structure and get to learn about its history. I was surprised to hear that it was built as far back as 1958 as it all looks so pristine. Close by is the Mini-Europe exhibition where you can find many of Europe’s tourist sites in miniature, probably great for kids.

Close to the tram station at Heysel is a burger van, which after all the walking I had done was like an oasis. This surge of euphoria was dampened by the huge dollops of mayonnaise they use on the burgers and chips in Belgium. Be warned!

By the time I got back to the Hilton Brussels City my legs were ready to fall off, so what better than to take a long, hot bath back in my room. The prospect of getting back out again to find a restaurant seemed too painful, so I settled for the in-house eatery downstairs. Now this is a business hotel and you would expect prices to be higher, so if you’re a leisure visitor you may be better advised to save your pennies, but the food was very good and the service, excellent.

You can reach Brussels via Eurostar from London St Pancras, Ebbsfleet and Ashford International. If you live further away you can also try Brussels Airlines who fly from Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol and Birmingham Airports into Brussels’ main airport. You can transfer into town via a direct rail link into Brussels Midi. Alternatively you may want to opt for a competitive package deal with Short Breaks Ltd. or Lastminute.com.

The Hilton Brussels City can booked directly on the Hilton Website or with Booking.com.