Flights from Bristol to Brussels

Eat and shop in Brussels

Brussels, the capital city of Belgium, is gaining a reputation as one of Europe's top holiday destinations. It's a small city with plenty of charm, restaurants, shopping and attractions.

Best of Brussels

The best time to travel to Brussels is during the summer months when the weather is warm. The city also has many holidays and festivals to enjoy like the Fête de l'Iris held in May for free live music, street food festivals and street art. The first Thursday in July and previous Tuesday sees the Ommegang, a medieval pageant. At the end of August/beginning of September there's the Memorial Van Damme, an athletics programme.

Brussels -  some useful facts

Don't worry about the language barrier, English is widely spoken by the friendly locals. Food in Brussels is generally cheaper compared to many other European capital cities. Eating out is also quite cheap. Expect to pay around 6€ for a basic meal. Main meals out are approx. 13€, beer from about 4€ and soft drinks in the region of 2€. Typical food like Brussels waffles cost between 1.50 and 3€.

For shopping, check out the Galeries Saint Hubert - Sint Hubertusgalerijen, the first shopping centre in the world opened in 1847.

Getting from the airport to Brussels and around the city

Travel from Brussels International Airport to the city centre by train which costs around 8.50€ - with a journey time of approximately 15-20 minutes (fastest option). The bus shuttle "Airport Line" is operated by STIB/MIVB, line 12 or 21, costing approx 6€. Taxis are around 35-45€ and take approx 40 minutes to get into the city centre.

When it comes to accommodation, travellers' hostels cost about 19€ per night while three star hotels are about 55€ per person/per night. Holiday rentals cost around 70€.

Getting around the city: use the Metro, Premetro (partly underground), trams or buses. Use a recharged MOBIB card, a single trip (JUMP, valid for 60 minutes with changes ca 2.10€, if paid for in the vehicle circa 2.50€). Taxis charge between 8-10€ for the first 3 km and 1.80€ per km thereafter. How about bike sharing? Pay about 1.60€ per day (the first 30 minutes are free), one week will cost you 7.60€ or so. Many of Brussels' top tourist attractions are within walking distance of each other.