Language · 11 published
Country guide
Belgium covers 30,689 km² and holds more than 11.8 million people, a density of 383 per km² that ranks sixth in Europe. It is divided three ways — Flanders in the north, Wallonia in the south, the Brussels-Capital Region in the middle — and the language divides with it: Dutch for about 60 per cent of the population, French for about 40, German for the one per cent in the East Cantons. The choice for a visitor is largely between Brussels, which carries the seats of the European Commission and Council and the headquarters of NATO, and the Flemish cities: Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Leuven.
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · Ank Kumar · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
61 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
Musée Horta - Hortamuseum
The Horta Museum is the house and architectural studio that Victor Horta built for himself in Saint-Gilles, and it is the only building on the Art Nouveau circuit in Brussels that a visitor can walk through room by room.
Musée Magritte Museum
The Musée Magritte Museum is a museum devoted entirely to René Magritte (1898-1967), installed in the Hôtel Altenloh on the Place Royale and run by the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.
Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée - Belgisch Stripcentrum
The Comic Art Museum, still widely signposted and registered under its founding name Belgian Comic Strip Center, occupies a department store that was never meant to hold pictures.
Musée Oldmasters - Oldmasters Museum
The Old Masters Museum is one of the four sites that make up the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, a federal institution whose main entrance is at Rue de la Régence 3, on the slope below the Place…
Musée des instruments de musique - Muziekinstrumentenmuseum
The Musical Instruments Museum, universally called the MIM, is a federal Belgian museum of roughly ten thousand instruments, of which about twelve hundred are on show.
Muséum des sciences naturelles de Belgique - Museum voor Natuurwetenschappen van België
The Museum of Natural Sciences of Belgium is a major natural history museum located in Brussels. Its local names are Muséum des sciences naturelles de Belgique in French and Museum voor Natuurwetenschappen van België in Dutch, reflecting Belgium's bilingual character.
Autoworld is a motor museum located in Brussels, Belgium. The institution occupies a historic building within the Parc du Cinquantenaire complex, a prominent architectural setting in the European capital.
Musée BELvue - BELvue Museum
BELvue is a museum located in Brussels, Belgium. It occupies a historic building and presents exhibitions related to Belgian history, democracy, and society. The museum is situated in the Royal Quarter of Brussels, near the Royal Palace.
Maison de l'Histoire européenne - Huis van de Europese geschiedenis
The House of European History is a museum in Brussels dedicated to the history of Europe and European integration. Located in the European Quarter near the European Parliament, it occupies the Eastman Building, a former dental institute.
The Parlamentarium is the visitors' centre of the European Parliament, located in Brussels. It serves as an exhibition space designed to inform the public about the European Parliament's role, history, and democratic processes.
Coudenberg
The Palace of Coudenberg was a medieval royal and imperial palace located on Coudenberg hill in Brussels. It served as the seat of government for the Dukes of Brabant and later for the Habsburg rulers.
Belgian Beer World is a Brussels attraction devoted to Belgian beer culture and heritage.
Choco Story Brussels
Choco-Story Brussels is a museum devoted to chocolate in the Belgian capital. The visit connects cocoa’s Mesoamerican origins with the development of European chocolate-making and Brussels’ strong praline tradition.
Design Museum Brussels is a Brussels museum devoted to design history and contemporary design practice. It places functional objects, visual ideas, and manufacturing culture within a wider cultural setting.
Musée royal de l'Armée et d'Histoire militaire - Koninklijk Museum van het Leger en de Krijgsgeschiedenis
The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History occupies the Cinquantenaire complex in Brussels. It presents Belgium’s military heritage across several centuries, combining historical interpretation with large collections of military objects.
Train World is Belgium’s national railway museum, housed at the historic Schaerbeek railway station northeast of central Brussels. The museum presents Belgian railway history through locomotives, carriages, railway technology, and the station environment itself.
Maison d'Erasme - Erasmushuis
The Erasmus House, known locally as Maison d'Erasme or Erasmushuis, is a historic museum dedicated to the life and work of Desiderius Erasmus, the renowned Renaissance humanist, theologian, and scholar.
Rouge Cloître - Rood Klooster
Arts center of Red Cloister is a cultural venue at Rouge Cloître, also called Rood Klooster, in the Sonian Forest area of Brussels. The setting brings together the atmosphere of a former Cistercian priory and present-day artistic activity.
Van Buuren Museum & Gardens is a Brussels cultural attraction that combines a museum interior with designed outdoor grounds.
Musée de la Porte de Hal - Hallepoort Museum
Halle Gate Museum is Brussels’ surviving medieval city gate, known in French as Musée de la Porte de Hal and in Dutch as Hallepoort Museum.
The Archief en Museum voor het Vlaams Leven te Brussel is an archive and museum dedicated to Flemish life in Brussels. It preserves and presents materials related to the Flemish community's history, culture, and presence in the bilingual Belgian capital.
Musée Art & Histoire - Museum Kunst & Geschiedenis
Art & History Museum, also called Musée Art & Histoire and Museum Kunst & Geschiedenis, is a major Brussels museum in Cinquantenaire Park. The monumental complex presents the city with an encyclopedic journey through art, archaeology, and material culture.
Art & marges musée - Art & marges museum
Art)&(marges Museum is a Brussels museum dedicated to art brut and outsider art. It gives institutional space to self-taught artists and creative practices developed outside established academic and gallery systems.
Musée Belge de la Franc-Maçonnerie - Belgisch Museum van de Vrijmetselarij
The Belgian Museum of Freemasonry occupies a historic building in Brussels dedicated to preserving and presenting the heritage of Belgian freemasonry.
Musée Belge de la Radiologie - Belgisch Museum voor Radiologie
Belgisch Museum voor Radiologie, also known as Musée Belge de la Radiologie, is a Brussels museum devoted to the history of radiology and medical imaging.
Musée de la ville de Bruxelles - Museum van de Stad Brussel
Brussels City Museum, also called Musée de la ville de Bruxelles and Museum van de Stad Brussel, introduces the history and culture of Belgium’s capital.
Brussels Comics Figurines Museum is a Brussels attraction devoted to comic-book figurines and related collectibles. It brings Belgian and Franco-Belgian comic culture into a three-dimensional setting, giving visitors a chance to focus on character design, sculpture and collecting.
Musée Bruxellois de la Gueuze - Brussels Museum van de Geuze
Brussels Museum van de Geuze, also known as Musée Bruxellois de la Gueuze, explores geuze and the brewing culture surrounding this distinctive Belgian beer. The museum places spontaneous fermentation and lambic traditions within Brussels’ wider food and industrial heritage.
Musée bruxellois du Moulin et de l'Alimentation - Brussels Museum van de Molen en de Voeding
Brussels Museum van de Molen en de Voeding, or Musée bruxellois du Moulin et de l’Alimentation, brings together the history of milling and the wider story of food.
Musée du Tram - Trammuseum
The Brussels Urban Transport Museum, locally called Musée du Tram or Trammuseum, preserves the history of public transport in Belgium’s capital. Its central subject is the tram: the vehicles, infrastructure and working world that carried people through Brussels over time.
Musée Camille Lemonnier - Camille Lemonnier Museum
Camille Lemonnier Museum is a literary museum in Brussels devoted to Belgian writer Camille Lemonnier. It presents his life and work in a historic setting connected with his legacy.
Musée Charlier - Charliermuseum
Charlier Museum, or Musée Charlier, is a Brussels house museum set inside a historic townhouse.
Musée de Chine des Missionnaires de Scheut - Chinamuseum
Chinamuseum, also known as the Musée de Chine des Missionnaires de Scheut, is a Brussels museum devoted to Chinese art and culture. Its collections grew from the work of the Scheut missionaries and their long historical connection with China.
Musée Mode & Dentelle - Mode & Kant Museum
The Fashion & Lace Museum, known locally as Musée Mode & Dentelle or Mode & Kant Museum, is a Brussels institution dedicated to textile heritage.
Musée Fin de siècle - Fin de siècle Museum
Fin-de-Siècle Museum, also called Musée Fin de siècle, explores Belgian art from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is a specialist Brussels destination for travelers drawn to the period’s changing artistic language, social atmosphere, and decorative richness.
KBR museum
The KBR Museum is a cultural institution in Brussels associated with the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR/Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België). It presents exhibitions drawn from the library's extensive collections, which span manuscripts, rare books, prints, and historical documents.
La Fonderie
La Fonderie, the Brussels Museum of Industry and Labour, presents the industrial history of Brussels and its surrounding region. The museum occupies a former industrial site, making the setting part of the subject.
Maison Marc Sleen - Huis Marc Sleen
The Marc Sleen Museum, known locally as Maison Marc Sleen or Huis Marc Sleen, is a museum in Brussels dedicated to the Belgian cartoonist Marc Sleen.
Musée Maurice Carême - Maurice Carême Museum
The Maurice Carême Museum is a Brussels literary house museum dedicated to the Belgian poet Maurice Carême. It occupies the home where he lived and worked, allowing visitors to encounter his writing through the domestic surroundings connected with his life.
Musée Meunier Museum
The Meunier Museum is a museum in Brussels dedicated to the Belgian artist Constantin Meunier, known for his sculptures and paintings depicting industrial and working-class subjects.
MigratieMuseumMigration is a museum in Brussels dedicated to the history and experience of migration. The institution examines human movement, settlement, and cultural exchange, with particular attention to migration patterns affecting Belgium and Europe.
Musée d'Ixelles - Museum van Elsene
The Museum of Ixelles, also known as Musée d'Ixelles and Museum van Elsene, is a municipal art museum in the Ixelles/Elsene municipality of Brussels. Its local identity distinguishes it from the major federal museums concentrated in the city center.
Musée de la Médecine - Geneeskundemuseum
The Museum of Medicine, known locally as Musée de la Médecine in French and Geneeskundemuseum in Dutch, is a medical history museum in Brussels.
Musée du CPAS de Bruxelles - Museum van het OCMW van Brussel
The Museum of the Public Social Welfare Centre of Brussels presents the history of public welfare in Belgium’s capital.
Musée des Brasseurs belges - Museum van de Belgische Brouwers
Museum van de Belgische Brouwers, also called Musée des Brasseurs belges, is a Brussels museum devoted to Belgian brewing. It presents brewing as part of the country’s cultural identity and introduces visitors to the traditions behind Belgian beer.
Musée de la Banque nationale de Belgique - Museum van de Nationale Bank van België
The Museum van de Nationale Bank van België introduces visitors to money, banking, and Belgium’s financial history. Operated by the National Bank of Belgium, it links a national institution with public education.
Musée de l'Église orthodoxe - Museum van de orthodoxe Kerk
Museum van de Orthodoxe Kerk, also called Musée de l’Église orthodoxe, is a Brussels religious museum connected with Orthodox Christian heritage. It presents sacred art and liturgical traditions within the setting of an Orthodox church.
Musée d’Art Spontané - Museum voor Spontane Kunst
Museum voor Spontane Kunst, also known as Musée d’Art Spontané, is a Brussels museum devoted to spontaneous art. Its collection focuses on artistic expression shaped by intuitive and non-academic creative processes.
Musée national de la Résistance - Nationaal Museum van de Weerstand
The National Museum of the Resistance, known locally as Musée national de la Résistance and Nationaal Museum van de Weerstand, is a museum in Brussels dedicated to documenting Belgium's resistance movement during the Second World War.
Imprimarium
Printing Museum, also known as Imprimarium, introduces the history and craft of printing in Brussels. The subject connects machines, type, ink, paper, books, and the spread of written information.
Museum René Magritte Musée
The René Magritte Museum is a dedicated museum celebrating the life and work of the Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte.
Musée schaerbeekois de la bière - Schaarbeeks Biermuseum
Schaerbeek Beer Museum, also called Musée schaerbeekois de la bière or Schaarbeeks Biermuseum, is a Brussels museum devoted to beer history and culture.
Musée des Égouts - Riolenmuseum
Brussels’s Sewer Museum, known locally as Musée des Égouts or Riolenmuseum, turns the city’s sanitation infrastructure into an industrial-heritage experience. The visit connects everyday urban life with the hidden engineering that carries wastewater beneath streets and buildings.
Musée du Réverbère - Museum van de Straatlantaarn
Street Lamp Museum, also called Musée du Réverbère and Museum van de Straatlantaarn, is a Brussels museum devoted to the history of street lighting.
Le Musée des Enfants - Het Kindermuseum
The Children’s Museum, known as Le Musée des Enfants or Het Kindermuseum, is a Brussels attraction built around learning through play. It gives children an active role, encouraging them to explore, handle, imagine, and make connections outside a traditional classroom.
Musée Wiertz Museum
The Wiertz Museum in Brussels is devoted to Antoine Wiertz, a Belgian Romantic painter and sculptor. The museum occupies the artist's former studio and residence, making the building part of the visit rather than a neutral container for the collection.
Jardin botanique Jean Massart - Botanische tuin Jean Massart
Experimental Garden Jean Massart is a botanical garden in Brussels, also known as Jardin botanique Jean Massart and Botanische tuin Jean Massart. It is affiliated with the Université libre de Bruxelles and combines public access with scientific research.
Humanistisch Sculpturenpark
Humanist Sculpture Park, locally called Humanistisch Sculpturenpark, is an open-air cultural space in Brussels where visitors encounter sculpture within a landscaped setting.
Maison Autrique - Autrique-huis
The Autrique House, known locally as Maison Autrique or Autrique-huis, is a historic residence in Brussels. This building holds significance as an early work by the renowned Belgian architect Victor Horta, predating his more famous Art Nouveau creations.
CINEMATEK is Brussels’ cinematheque: a cinema and film archive devoted to preserving, studying, and showing film heritage. Its programme centres on classic, rare, and historically important works rather than the newest commercial releases.
Maison Cauchie - Cauchiehuis
Cauchie House, Maison Cauchie or Cauchiehuis, is an Art Nouveau townhouse in Brussels designed by architect and artist Paul Cauchie in 1905. It served as his residence and studio, allowing him to shape both the building and its decoration.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·
Five to seven days covers Brussels plus two or three rail-linked cities such as Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Leuven or Liège. Staying in one or two bases avoids losing time to repeated hotel changes in this compact network.
Belgium’s foreign-affairs service publishes visa and short-stay requirements. Check the rule for the passport being used and the full Schengen itinerary, especially when Belgium is not the first external border crossed.
Brussels Airport connects directly with Belgium’s national rail network, and intercity trains link the principal cities without compulsory reservations. Local buses, trams and metros belong to separate regional operators, so one urban ticket is not automatically valid nationwide.
April through June offers long sightseeing days, while September usually retains workable conditions with fewer peak-summer pressures. Belgian weather remains changeable, making a waterproof layer useful in any of these months.
The euro (EUR) is Belgium’s currency. Card and cash acceptance can differ between a station machine, a market stall and a small business, so retain a second payment method rather than assuming one card will work everywhere.
Belgium uses 112 for emergencies and Type C or E plugs at 230 V. The recorded national guidance says mains tap water is safe.
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