1 Day in Brussels: An Easy Itinerary for First-Time Visitors

Is one day in Brussels enough? Ideally, I’d give Belgium’s capital longer, but sometimes one day is all you have.

That was the case for me, so I set out to make the most of my 1 day in Brussels, seeing as much as possible while also working my way through an ambitious list of Belgian foods.

Waffles, frites, chocolate, beer and mussels all made the cut.

Fortunately, Brussels is compact, with many of its main attractions within walking distance of each other.

This itinerary follows the route I took, including Grand Place, the famous peeing statues, a walking tour, the Comic Art Museum and plenty of food stops. I’ve also included some alternatives so you can adapt the day to suit you.

Here’s how to make the most of one day in Brussels.

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Start With Belgian Waffles

We started early, and first on the agenda was breakfast – because surely you can’t spend a day in Brussels without eating a Belgian waffle.

We went to MoCafé, mostly because it was conveniently located for us, but it also meant ticking off our first attraction at the same time.

MoCafé is inside the beautiful Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, an elegant covered shopping arcade that immediately reminded me of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan.

Arriving early worked in our favour. We could wander through the galleries before the shops had properly opened and the crowds arrived.

For breakfast, I ordered a Brussels waffle. These are the light, crisp, rectangular waffles you’ll see around the city, traditionally served quite simply, often with just icing sugar.

I couldn’t resist adding fruit to mine.

You’ll also come across Liège waffles, which are denser and sweeter, with pieces of pearl sugar in the dough that caramelise as they cook.

They’re easy to eat on the go and you’ll find them in bakeries, waffle shops and supermarkets – I picked some up to take with me and eat later in our trip.

Whichever you choose, fitting at least one waffle into your Brussels itinerary is almost compulsory.

Find Jeanneke Pis

Before our walking tour, we had time for one of Brussels’ quirkier attractions.

Brussels is famous for Manneken Pis, the tiny statue of a peeing boy, but he isn’t alone. There’s also a peeing girl and even a peeing dog.

We started with Jeanneke Pis, created in the 1980s and tucked away at the end of a small alley called Impasse de la Fidélité.

The alley is also home to Delirium Village, which we’ll return to later.

Jeanneke Pis only takes a few minutes to see, making her an easy addition to the day.

Explore Brussels on a Walking Tour

From Jeanneke Pis, we made our way to Grand Place, where we were meeting our guide for a walking tour.

If you only have one day in Brussels, I think a walking tour is a great way to start. You can see many of the main sights in a couple of hours while also learning some of the history and stories you would probably miss wandering around by yourself.

And Grand Place is quite a place to start.

Surrounded by elaborate guildhalls and dominated by Brussels Town Hall, the huge central square is one of the city’s best-known sights and part of the UNESCO-listed historic centre of Brussels.

Our guide took us through the historic centre, sharing stories about Brussels, its landmarks and some of its more colourful characters along the way. We also heard plenty about Belgian food – something that proved particularly useful when deciding what to eat for the rest of the day!

There was even a stop to taste some Belgian beer.

One of the things I enjoy about doing a walking tour early in a visit is that it helps me get my bearings. By the time the tour finished, we had a much better idea of how central Brussels fitted together and had picked up plenty of recommendations for places to return to later.

There are now plenty of different Brussels walking tours available, from general city highlights tours to food, chocolate and beer tours.

Take a look at the current selection of Brussels walking tours here and choose one that suits your interests and schedule.

I’d allow around two to three hours for a walking tour during your day in Brussels.

See Manneken Pis

Our walking tour also took us past one of Brussels’ most famous residents – Manneken Pis.

If you’ve never seen him before, prepare yourself: he’s tiny. The bronze statue is only around 55 cm tall, and it’s not unusual to hear visitors wondering whether that’s really it.

The statue at the fountain today is a replica. The original, dating from the early 17th century, is kept in the Brussels City Museum at Grand Place.

Exactly why Brussels has a statue of a little boy peeing into a fountain isn’t entirely clear, and there are plenty of legends attempting to explain it.

One story we heard involved the young Duke Godfrey III of Leuven, who was supposedly taken to battle as a toddler and placed in a basket hanging from a tree.

According to the legend, he urinated on the enemy below, inspiring his troops to victory.

Manneken Pis is also famous for his wardrobe, with well over 1,000 costumes used for special occasions and celebrations.

He was having a naked day when we visited, so we didn’t get to see one.

He probably won’t be the highlight of your day, but he’s right in the historic centre and takes only a few minutes to visit.

And let’s face it – you’re probably going to want the photo.

Stop for Belgian Frites for Lunch

Our walking tour finished around lunchtime near Mont des Arts, and by then all that talk about Belgian food had made us hungry.

Our guide had recommended Friterie Tabora, a tiny takeaway shop back near the historic centre. Judging by the queue when we arrived, we weren’t the only ones given that recommendation.

Belgian frites are thick-cut potato chips, traditionally fried twice to give them a crisp outside and fluffy centre. Then comes the difficult decision – which sauce?

Friterie Tabora had a huge selection when we visited. On our guide’s recommendation, I chose Samurai sauce, a creamy, spicy sauce with a bit of a kick. If you like some heat, I’d happily recommend it too.

They’re quick, inexpensive and easy to fit into a busy day of sightseeing.

Find Brussels’ Peeing Dog

With Manneken Pis and Jeanneke Pis ticked off, there was one more member of Brussels’ unusual peeing-statue family to find.

Het Zinneke is a bronze dog with his leg raised against a street bollard. Unlike the other two statues, he isn’t a fountain – he’s simply doing what dogs do.

It’s certainly not a Brussels must-see, but if you’re nearby, he’s a fun little detour and completes the set.

Go Chocolate Shopping

Next we made our way towards the Comic Art Museum, but we weren’t in any hurry to get there.

This was Brussels, after all, and there were chocolate shops to investigate along the way.

We visited over Easter, so the displays were particularly tempting. Rather than buying everything from one place, we picked up treats from several well-known Brussels names.

At Maison Dandoy, we bought traditional speculoos biscuits – thin, crisp, spiced biscuits that are another Belgian treat worth trying.

At Mary, we chose Champagne Rosé and salted butter caramel chocolates. Mary Delluc opened her first chocolate shop in Brussels in 1919, at a time when it was unusual for a woman to run her own business.

Then there was Neuhaus, where Jean Neuhaus Jr is credited with inventing the Belgian praline in 1912. We bought some Manon chocolates and orangettes – strips of candied orange peel covered in chocolate.

All three had been recommended by our walking tour guide, and picking up a few treats along the way was an easy way to sample several Belgian specialities.

Step Inside the Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula

Our walk also took us past the impressive Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula.

Construction of the Gothic cathedral we see today began in the 13th century and continued over several centuries.

We stopped to look inside, where the beautiful stained glass particularly caught my attention.

You don’t need long here. If the doors are open as you pass, it’s well worth popping inside for a quick look.

Visit the Belgian Comic Strip Center

Eventually, we made it to the Belgian Comic Strip Center, sometimes referred to as the Comic Art Museum.

Belgium has an incredible comic-strip tradition and has given the world characters including Tintin and The Smurfs.

The museum takes you behind the scenes of comic creation, from the first sketches and pencil drawings through to the finished artwork, along with exhibitions about Belgian characters and their creators.

I particularly enjoyed seeing the different stages of a drawing side by side, including an original pencil draft and the final inked version.

We also discovered plenty of Belgian comic characters we’d never encountered before.

The museum itself is inside a beautiful Art Nouveau building designed by Belgian architect Victor Horta, so remember to look at the building too.

I’d allow around an hour or two, depending on your interest in comics.

If comics aren’t your thing, though, don’t visit simply because we did. I’ve included some alternatives below.

Try a Belgian Beer at Delirium

After the museum, we headed back towards Grand Place and Delirium Village, tucked down the same little alley where we’d found Jeanneke Pis earlier.

Now, I don’t actually drink beer, but my husband does, and you can’t visit Brussels without at least acknowledging just how seriously Belgium takes it!

Delirium Village is a collection of bars, the best known being Delirium Café, famous for its enormous beer selection.

It currently offers more than 2,000 beers from Belgium and around the world and earned a Guinness World Record in 2004 when 2,004 varieties were counted.

My husband tried a couple while I was happy just to experience one of Brussels’ best-known beer spots.

If the huge selection is overwhelming, ask for a recommendation based on the styles and flavours you normally enjoy.

Finish the Day With Mussels and Stoemp

There was one more Belgian food I wanted to tick off before the day was over: mussels.

We ended up at Chez Léon, a well-known restaurant in the historic centre. It’s certainly not a hidden local secret – it’s popular and very touristy – but it was convenient and gave us the chance to try a couple more traditional Belgian dishes.

First was moules-frites – mussels served with Belgian frites.

We also tried stoemp, a traditional Belgian dish made from mashed potato mixed with vegetables.

I’d somehow got it into my head that stoemp would be vegetarian, so I was surprised when ours arrived with pork sausages.

It turns out stoemp itself is the potato and vegetable mash, but it’s commonly served alongside sausages or other meat.

By the end of dinner, we’d done a pretty good job of eating our way around Brussels as well as seeing it.

Other Things to Do With One Day in Brussels

That was how we spent our day, but it won’t be the perfect itinerary for everyone.

If the Comic Art Museum isn’t your thing, or you’d rather spend less time eating your way around the city, here are some alternatives.

Follow the Brussels Comic Strip Trail

You don’t need to visit the museum to see Brussels’ love of comics.

Colourful comic-strip murals are painted on buildings throughout the city, featuring both famous characters and plenty you may never have heard of.

You’ll probably spot some while walking around anyway, or you can follow part of the Brussels Comic Strip Trail and turn them into another little treasure hunt.

Visit Another Brussels Museum

With only one day, I’d choose one museum rather than trying to squeeze several in.

Art lovers could consider the Magritte Museum or Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, while the Musical Instruments Museum is another option in the city centre.

There’s also Belgian Beer World, inside the historic Brussels Stock Exchange near Grand Place, or Choco-Story Brussels if chocolate is more your style.

Visit the Atomium and Mini-Europe

The Atomium is one of Brussels’ most recognisable landmarks, but there’s a reason it isn’t in my main itinerary – it’s outside the historic centre.

If seeing it is high on your list, I’d make it one of the main activities of the day rather than trying to squeeze it in.

Mini-Europe is nearby, so the two attractions work well together. It contains hundreds of miniature versions of famous European landmarks.

I’ve visited a similar miniature attraction in Istanbul and loved it, so despite initially thinking this one sounded a little lame, I’d happily give it a go.

Take a Belgian Food Tour or Cooking Class

Considering how much of our day revolved around food, another option is to embrace it completely.

There are food tours where you can try several Belgian specialities while exploring Brussels, as well as classes teaching you to make waffles or chocolates.

I didn’t do one myself, but if food is one of your main reasons for visiting Brussels, you could substitute one for the walking tour or museum.

Choose a tour here

Tips for Spending 1 Day in Brussels

Start early. We began with breakfast before many of the shops had opened, which meant seeing Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert without the crowds.

Expect to walk a lot. Most of this itinerary can be done on foot, and walking is part of the fun. Wear comfortable shoes.

Don’t try to see everything. Pick one museum or longer attraction and spend the rest of your time exploring the centre.

Book anything important in advance. Check current opening hours and book ahead for anything you really don’t want to miss.

Leave room for food. I’m only partly joking. Trying Belgian specialities was as much a part of our Brussels experience as seeing the sights.

Allow extra time if you’re visiting on a day trip. Don’t plan sightseeing right up until your departure. Give yourself some breathing room to get back to the station and find your train.

Is One Day in Brussels Worth It?

One day in Brussels isn’t enough to see everything, but I was surprised by how much we managed to fit in.

Would I have liked another day? Absolutely. But if one day is all you have, don’t skip Brussels because you think it isn’t long enough.

Stay mostly around the historic centre, choose the things you really want to see, wear comfortable shoes and start early.

And definitely arrive hungry.

Before you go…
If you are travelling further in Europe, read these posts next
A Day Trip to Versailles from Paris
An Easy Budget Visit to the Colosseum
15 Fun Things to do in Siena, Italy

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