Brussels itinerary: 1, 2 and 3 days

Pick by how much time you have and whether you want a day trip. All three plans start and end in the lower town, so you can cut or extend them without rebooking anything.

Start at the Grand-Place before 9am, when the square is quiet and the guild houses are lit from the side. Walk two minutes to the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert for coffee under the glass roof, then head uphill past the Mont des Arts for the view over the lower town. The Royal Museums of Fine Arts and the Magritte Museum sit here; allow two hours for one of them.

After lunch, walk down to the Sablon for antiques and the Église Notre-Dame du Sablon, then cross to the Marolles for the flea market on Place du Jeu de Balle (mornings) and the lift up to the Palais de Justice. Finish at the Grand-Place after dark, when the buildings are floodlit. If you are here on a short rail stop, the station Brussels-Central is a five-minute walk from the square.

Keep day one as above. On day two, choose one direction and stay in it rather than criss-crossing the centre. North takes you to the EU quarter: the Berlaymont, the Parlamentarium and the Cinquantenaire park with its museums and arch. South takes you to Saint-Gilles for Art Nouveau, including the Horta Museum, which sells timed tickets online and is small — book ahead or you may not get in.

A third option is the canal and Molenbeek, or the Atomium and Mini-Europe in the north-west, which need a metro ride of about 25 minutes from the centre. Whichever you pick, keep the evening free for the Grand-Place and dinner in the Marolles or around Place Sainte-Catherine.

Brussels is the rail hub of Belgium, so the third day is best spent outside the city. Bruges is about an hour by train, Ghent about 35 minutes, Antwerp about 45 minutes, and Leuven about 25 minutes. Buy a return ticket at the machine or online before boarding; seat reservations are not needed on these routes.

If you would rather stay in Brussels, use the third day for the museums you skipped, the Comics Art Museum and the comic-strip murals, or the Horta Museum and a slow lunch. Check the museum closing days before you commit: many close on Mondays, and some close on public holidays.

Brussels is walkable, so transport is the smallest line in the budget if you stay central. Museum entry is the main variable: some are free, others charge, and temporary exhibitions cost more than the permanent collection. Prices below are 2026 estimates; check the museum site before you go.

Book the Horta Museum and any blockbuster exhibition online before you travel; both sell out. Carry a contactless card for the metro, or buy a day pass if you plan more than three rides. The centre is small enough that walking beats waiting for a tram most of the time.

Check for strike days before you plan a day trip: Belgian rail and public transport unions announce them in advance, and services thin out. Sunday mornings are quiet; Monday closes many museums. If you are arriving by air, the airport train runs to the centre and is usually faster than a taxi in traffic.