I’ve always believed the best way to really see and know a city is to just “get out there” and walk the city streets.
Not all cities are walkable. Fortunately for us, Brussels is extremely walkable.
The capital of Belgium, Brussels has a population of about 1.2 million and is known for both its many iconic landmarks as well as its gastronomic prowess.
With that said, I want to share my walking tour with you and some of the amazing highlights I saw along the way.
24 Hours In Brussels – A Walking Tour Of Brussels (Brussels, Belgium)
Editor’s Note: This post is part of my ongoing Travel Series on Europe. Click here for more posts on this European trip including France, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
The Walking Tour Map: Brussels
I devised a walking plan that started and ended from my “home base”, The Hotel Brussels (see the blue star below).
Walking counter-clockwise, I headed eastbound on Boulevard de Waterloo on the green arrow (below) and eventually ended back at The Hotel via the red arrow (below).
This leisurely mid-afternoon stroll took me about 3 hours to complete, but that was with me taking lots of photos and getting a little lost in a couple of places.
1. Monument Léopold II
2. AXA Bank (From Monument Léopold II)
3. Palais des Académies
4. Statue at Parc de Bruxelles
5. Royal Palace of Brussels (Palais de Bruxelles)
6. Parc de Bruxelles
Fountain in front of the Palace of the Nation (Chambre des Représentants de Belgique)
7. Koningsplein (Place Royale Bruxelles)
8. Whirling Ear (L’orelle tourbillonnante) On Rue du Musee
9. Museumplein & Statue Of Charles de Lorraine
Église Protestante de Bruxelles-Musée
10. Square Of Brussels, Mont des Arts, and Statue du Roi Albert 1er
11. St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral, Brussels
12. Royal Gallery of Saint Hubert And Place de l’Agora (Place du Marché aux herbes)
13. Grand Palace du Bruxelles 
Brussels Town Hall (Hôtel de Ville de Bruxelles)
Brussels City Museum (Musée de la ville de Bruxelles)
Maison Grand-Place
14. Rue du Lombard, Rue de l’Hopital, Rue Lebeau And The Grand Sablon
Parlement Francophone Bruxellois
Chapel Church
Pierre Marcolini La Manufacture
Place du Grand Sablon, 12
15. Église catholique Notre-Dame-du-Sablon
16. Square of Petit Sablon
17. Egmont Palace
18. Egmont Park (Parc d’Egmont)
The Hotel is up ahead on the left
Bonus: Belgian Beer (And Belgian Waffles) At Boston Steak House
24 Hours In Brussels – A Walking Tour Of Brussels (Brussels, Belgium)
Wow, what a great city!
The area surrounding the Grand Sablon had wonderful parks, bars, shopping, dining and (of course) dessert shops.
The main attraction was easily the Grand Palace square, it was simply the life of the party in Brussels.
A walking tour was the perfect way to spend the day (especially when capped off with a Belgian Waffle and a glass of Duvel) before boarding my train to London, where I’d be staying at the Hotel Indigo London – 1 Leicester Square.
Brussels is clean, safe, walkable and most of all – interesting. Be sure to get out there and explore the city on foot if you get the chance.
