In a city as brazenly grand as Brussels, with its showstopping Grand Place and flash chocolate shops, it’s refreshing to know that some of the best experiences cost nothing at all.
An eye-popping trot along the Comic Strip Trail. Free samples of Belgian chocolate (what’s not to love?). Flea market finds, Instagrammable sunset viewpoints and museum days where you can feast on Magritte’s surrealist art. These and more are some of the best things to do in Brussels for very few euros – or none at all.
1. Walk the Comic Strip Trail
The Smurfs, Tintin (pronounced tan-tan), Astérix and Obelix: all these famous comic-book favorites began in Belgium. And they’re still very much part of daily life in Brussels, which proudly waves the flag as “comic book capital” of the world. The central hallway of the Comic Art Museum, lodged in a gorgeous Victor Horta–designed art-nouveau building, gives you a free taster.
But it’s really by pounding the city streets that you’ll slip into a real-life comic strip. Don your comfiest shoes for the 5km (3-mile), 3-hour, self-guided Comic Strip Trail, a deep – and free – dive into Belgian comics, with 80 larger-than-life murals all but bouncing off the city walls. Saint Peter watering cannabis plants, naked men crouching on rooftops, mustachioed Astérix and company charging Roman fortresses…you’ll see the lot.
Planning tip: Get a nice early start to have the streets (and the best photo opps) to yourself.
2. Gorge on free chocolate at Neuhaus factory store
Belgian chocolate is divine and celebrated the world over – and rightly so. Yet you don’t need to spend a cent to try Brussels’ signature delicacy. You can taste the odd chocolate for free before a purchase in many shops, yes – but for a proper feast head to the Neuhaus Outlet Shop on Brussels’ western outskirts (take the metro to Erasmus). Here, you can enjoy plentiful free samples before you make any purchase of a discounted box (or even if you don’t). Pace yourself, and bring water.
3. See the lights from Jardin Mont des Arts
Everyone raves about the view at Jardin Mont des Arts for a reason: with ornamental parterres, fountains and a perch above the regal rooftops of the Grand Place, these gardens practically beg to be photographed. Climb the steps to the top of the hill around sunset, then keep your eyes on the skyline so you don’t miss the magic when the Grand Place first lights up the night. The gardens are always glorious – and never more so than when in full bloom on spring and summer evenings.
Planning tip: Don’t rush off as twilight concludes. The real magic of the gardens hits you after dark when the lights of the Grand Place flick on and all of Brussels begins to twinkle.
4. Hunt for treasure at the Place du Jeu de Balle flea market
Every morning, cardboard boxes overflow with porcelain plates, old maps, vinyl, vintage trinkets and enough comic books to stock a library on the cobblestoned Place du Jeu-de-Balle. The old market square in Marolles district has hosted Brussels’ most famous flea market since 1873. The tradition is still going strong every day – though savvy shoppers know Sunday mornings bring the best finds. Even if you’re not buying, the atmosphere is what makes this market fun. At the pavement cafes that rim the square, you’ll get a proper tableau of Brussels life for the price of a coffee.
Planning tip: Be prepared to rummage and haggle. For the best bargains, visit before 8am as boxes are being unpacked.
5. Hike through Forêt de Soignes
Just a quick metro hop from the center, the vast and wonderfully serene Forêt de Soignes delivers a terrifically calm escape from the buzz of central Brussels – not to mention a fine place to stretch your legs and get some fresh air. Miles of walking, cycling and horse-riding trails weave through the towering beech and oak forest, part of which is UNESCO World Heritage–designated. Each season has its charm, but top billing goes to autumn when the leaves change color and everything is a riot of russet and gold.
Planning tip: For a scenic start, begin hiking from Parc Tournay Solvay. The romantic park near Boitsfort station is not easy to find, yet its château ruins and sculpted lakes are worth the extra effort.
6. Dodge the crowds by heading to the lanes of old Anderlecht
Far from the tourist trail, historic Anderlecht entices with picture-perfect lanes and none of the madding crowds in nearby central Brussels. Follow mansion-lined streets around central St-Guidon church to find two historic sights: Belgium’s smallest beguinage (lay convent) and the Erasmus House, one of the oldest homes in the country. Now a museum, the 600-year-old building is named after Erasmus of Rotterdam, a Dutch Renaissance scholar who lived in the house in 1521 while penning his translation of the New Testament.
Planning tip: Anderlecht is free to explore, but the Erasmus House and beguinage are free only on the first Sunday of the month.
7. Explore the halls of the Palais de Justice
The largest building in the world when it was completed in 1883, the hilltop Palais de Justice is visible all over Brussels. Designed to evoke the temples of the Egyptian pharaohs and bigger than St Peter’s in Rome, this gargantuan domed courthouse projects the mighty power of the government.
Few people venture inside to discover the neoclassical abundance of the complex – which is why we recommend you do. In particular, don’t miss the lavishly columned, 100m(330ft)-high central foyer. Some rooms close for court proceedings, but there are many tales of people able to enter by accident anyway – and some even spending the night.
8. Ride an elevator up to Place Poelaert for sunset
The beam-and-glass Poelaert elevators are a curious juxtaposition against the Palais de Justice’s neoclassical columns. On the ride up (or down), passengers get a free panoramic view over Marolles’ brick houses and church steeples before the doors open to Place Poelaert. Take the lead of the locals by bringing your own drinks and setting up shop in the square to watch the sunset over one of the best views in Brussels.
9. Get a taste of Central Africa in Matongé
In part thanks to its brutal colonization of the current Democratic Republic of the Congo, Belgium has a Congolese population tens of thousands strong. The history of colonial oppression and violence is a bleak – Tervuren’s Africa Museum offers some insight – but a stroll through Matongé illuminates the brighter side of Belgian and Congolese cultures.
Matongé’s Congolese roots were planted when students flocked to Brussels for education in the 1950s. Seventy years later, the vibrant Matongé neighborhood is filled with shops, hairdressers and restaurants run by diverse African groups. Starting at Porte de Namur station, set out to roam shops selling everything from colorful batik fabrics to tropical fruit and extra-hot chilies.
Planning tip: For a deeper understanding, hook into one of the excellent guided walking tours of Matongé offered by Kuumba, a Flemish-African cultural center.
10. Plan your visit around free museum days
Museums for free? You bet. Time your visit for the first Sunday of the month to learn all the intricacies of Flemish lace at the Musée Mode & Dentelle, delve below the River Senne at the city’s Sewer Museum, unravel Jewish history and life at the Jewish Museum, and marvel at the extensive wardrobe of Brussels’ iconic and dearly loved peeing boy, the Manneken Pis, at his Garde Robe.
Or come on the first Wednesday of the month instead for a free romp through some very surreal art at the Musée Magritte, trip back through prehistory in Europe’s biggest dinosaur hall at the Institut des Sciences Naturelle and marvel at old masters at the Musée d’Art Ancien.
