Jean’s BXL guidebook - a tip of an iceberg of things....

Jean
Jean’s BXL guidebook - a tip of an iceberg of things....

My favorite Museums/Art centers

Power art house; from expo to concert to restaurant to...
215 locals recommend
Bozar station
215 locals recommend
Power art house; from expo to concert to restaurant to...
Contemporary cultural house, bar, concerts, shows + best roof terrace. Check the programme.
73 locals recommend
Beursschouwburg
20 Auguste Ortsstraat
73 locals recommend
Contemporary cultural house, bar, concerts, shows + best roof terrace. Check the programme.
Surrealiste, like Belgium ;-)
489 locals recommend
Magritte Museum
1 Pl. Royale
489 locals recommend
Surrealiste, like Belgium ;-)
Art nouveau master piece.
433 locals recommend
Horta Museum (Musee Horta)
27 Rue Américaine
433 locals recommend
Art nouveau master piece.
Plasticarium - biggest collection of plastic design objects in the world + temporary expo to combine with visit of the Atomium. You won't be disappointed.
35 locals recommend
ADAM Brussels Design Museum
1 Belgiëplein
35 locals recommend
Plasticarium - biggest collection of plastic design objects in the world + temporary expo to combine with visit of the Atomium. You won't be disappointed.
Great place to understand - or not - what Europe is/or should be about...
10 locals recommend
House of European History
135 Rue Belliard
10 locals recommend
Great place to understand - or not - what Europe is/or should be about...
Amazing museum dedicated to the arts of the 2.0 generation.
111 locals recommend
Mima
41 Quai du Hainaut
111 locals recommend
Amazing museum dedicated to the arts of the 2.0 generation.
Little gem fashion museum.
11 locals recommend
Fashion & Lace Museum
12 Rue de la Violette
11 locals recommend
Little gem fashion museum.
Space dedicated to the Art Brut, to be discovered!
13 locals recommend
Art & Marges Musee
314 Rue Haute
13 locals recommend
Space dedicated to the Art Brut, to be discovered!
Beautiful Art Nouveau building dedicated to the 9th art.
196 locals recommend
Brussels Comic Book Museum
20 Rue des Sables
196 locals recommend
Beautiful Art Nouveau building dedicated to the 9th art.
Contemporary Art Center, unfairly often forgotten.
15 locals recommend
Centrale for Contemporary Art
45 Pl. Sainte-Catherine
15 locals recommend
Contemporary Art Center, unfairly often forgotten.
Small but worth checking!
ISELP contemporary art center
31 Bd de Waterloo
Small but worth checking!
Fantastic new museum about train... Did you know that this building sits where the first train station on the continent once stood?
71 locals recommend
Train World
5 Pl. Princesse Elisabeth
71 locals recommend
Fantastic new museum about train... Did you know that this building sits where the first train station on the continent once stood?
Center of Contemporary Art housed in old brewery, worth the trip! http://www.wiels.org/en/
23 locals recommend
Wiels station
23 locals recommend
Center of Contemporary Art housed in old brewery, worth the trip! http://www.wiels.org/en/
Freshly reopened - beautiful tram ride to get there. https://www.africamuseum.be/
38 locals recommend
Royal Museum for Central Africa
13 Leuvensesteenweg
38 locals recommend
Freshly reopened - beautiful tram ride to get there. https://www.africamuseum.be/
A jewel of Brussels’ Art Deco, centre of art and dialogue between cultures of the East and the West - the Boghossian Foundation https://www.villaempain.com/en/
26 locals recommend
Villa Empain
67 Av. Franklin Roosevelt
26 locals recommend
A jewel of Brussels’ Art Deco, centre of art and dialogue between cultures of the East and the West - the Boghossian Foundation https://www.villaempain.com/en/
Galila's P.O.C
Galila's P.O.C
295 Avenue Van Volxem
Galila's P.O.C
Zaventem Ateliers
Zaventem Ateliers
15 Fabrieksstraat
Zaventem Ateliers
Best approach/project/collaboration in art since 2000
6 locals recommend
Alice Gallery
4 Rue du Pays de Liège
6 locals recommend
Best approach/project/collaboration in art since 2000
Great Bar close by
38 locals recommend
Flamingo
177 Rue de Laeken
38 locals recommend
Great Bar close by
Great to discover the city for under (the) ground...
9 locals recommend
Musée des Égouts
Porte d'Anderlecht
9 locals recommend
Great to discover the city for under (the) ground...
This foundation does not want to be a gallery or a museum but a place of meeting and creation, a place where words are expressed, a place of effervescence, of comings and goings where artists come and go. A place where we meet, where we eat, where we drink… a living place.
Fondation blan
This foundation does not want to be a gallery or a museum but a place of meeting and creation, a place where words are expressed, a place of effervescence, of comings and goings where artists come and go. A place where we meet, where we eat, where we drink… a living place.

My little secrets

Great Art Center Project, just rehoused in old Refinery. Check the programme. www.recyclart.be
52 locals recommend
RECYCLART
13 Manchesterstraat
52 locals recommend
Great Art Center Project, just rehoused in old Refinery. Check the programme. www.recyclart.be
Beautifully different, off and so on, chilled. Check the programme. www.lelac.info
Le Lac
82a Rue Ulens
Beautifully different, off and so on, chilled. Check the programme. www.lelac.info
Creative Hub. Check the programme for activities.
LaVallée
39 Rue Adolphe Lavallée
Creative Hub. Check the programme for activities.
Visitor center + Arsene 50 offers half-price tickets for performances and concerts for the same day. www.arsene50.brussels
12 locals recommend
BIP
2 Koningsstraat
12 locals recommend
Visitor center + Arsene 50 offers half-price tickets for performances and concerts for the same day. www.arsene50.brussels
Amazing Spa just outside the city - make sure you book on their website. Take the bus 355 just downstairs of the building. +/- 30 min ride. Last bus ride back to the city around 9pm - check the timetable on google map.
10 locals recommend
Waer Waters
21 Rodenberg
10 locals recommend
Amazing Spa just outside the city - make sure you book on their website. Take the bus 355 just downstairs of the building. +/- 30 min ride. Last bus ride back to the city around 9pm - check the timetable on google map.
Just a great place to sip a drink - the owner and the deco make the place !
7 locals recommend
Marcelle - Débit de Boissons
15 Pl. du Samedi
7 locals recommend
Just a great place to sip a drink - the owner and the deco make the place !
Show start around 9pm - be there to secure a great spot. You will have a great laugh... if you understand french or just enjoy the show :-)
8 locals recommend
Cabaret Mademoiselle
53 Rue du Marché au Charbon Kolenmarkt
8 locals recommend
Show start around 9pm - be there to secure a great spot. You will have a great laugh... if you understand french or just enjoy the show :-)
Great Art Nouveau Bar and Restaurant. Unique
9 locals recommend
De Ultieme Hallucinatie
316 Rue Royale
9 locals recommend
Great Art Nouveau Bar and Restaurant. Unique
Best of the best patisserie in town... nothing to add!
7 locals recommend
Brian Joyeux
3 Rue du Congrès
7 locals recommend
Best of the best patisserie in town... nothing to add!
By the Royal Palace - Pocket parc - beautiful
7 locals recommend
Stuyvenberg park
7 locals recommend
By the Royal Palace - Pocket parc - beautiful
Open bar in old Hospice
Jardin Hospice
7 Rue du Grand Hospice
Open bar in old Hospice
My favorite Thai Street food - lunch only Monday- Friday
Khaimook Thai street food
68 Chaussée d'Anvers
My favorite Thai Street food - lunch only Monday- Friday
Best Ice cream
12 locals recommend
Glacier Bargello
5 Pl. de la Liberté
12 locals recommend
Best Ice cream
Best fries in town....
Friterie Frituur
162 Rue de Laeken
Best fries in town....
https://www.grand-hospice.brussels/jardin/
Jardin Hospice
7 Rue du Grand Hospice
https://www.grand-hospice.brussels/jardin/
Best Healthy lunch :-)
Super Fourchette
3 Rue des Hirondelles
Best Healthy lunch :-)
Great chef, local Guinean Senegalese Ivorian restaurant. THE REINVENTION OF AFRICAN CUISINE Welcome to a space where food, drink and service are made exclusively. Welcome to where African cuisine meets class. Chaussée d'Anvers 84, 1000 Bruxelles
Chez Diallo - Restaurant Tele Jazz
Great chef, local Guinean Senegalese Ivorian restaurant. THE REINVENTION OF AFRICAN CUISINE Welcome to a space where food, drink and service are made exclusively. Welcome to where African cuisine meets class. Chaussée d'Anvers 84, 1000 Bruxelles
Café National The Café National offers a wide selection of healthy, fresh and vitaminized products during the day. For breakfast, lunch or simply a coffee. The cooking is based on seasonal, organic and quality products and favours short circuits and small producers who cultivate with respect for the land. Open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. Bar National The Bar National offers a varied menu of wines, beers and soft drinks with a strong focus on sustainability: short circuit, less sugar, organic and fairtrade. A daily special and individual portions are also available. Open on performance evenings from 18:00.
Resto National
Café National The Café National offers a wide selection of healthy, fresh and vitaminized products during the day. For breakfast, lunch or simply a coffee. The cooking is based on seasonal, organic and quality products and favours short circuits and small producers who cultivate with respect for the land. Open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. Bar National The Bar National offers a varied menu of wines, beers and soft drinks with a strong focus on sustainability: short circuit, less sugar, organic and fairtrade. A daily special and individual portions are also available. Open on performance evenings from 18:00.
Damn Good café Coffee shop Specialty coffee & sandwiches, everything homemade 🫶 Mon-Fri 7:30-18:00 Sat 10:00-18:00 Closed on Sunday
Damn Good Café
Damn Good café Coffee shop Specialty coffee & sandwiches, everything homemade 🫶 Mon-Fri 7:30-18:00 Sat 10:00-18:00 Closed on Sunday
Opening hours You can find the KVS Café on the first floor of the KVS BOX. Opening hours café Opening hours kitchen MON > FRI 10.30am - 6pm MON > FRI noon - 14.30pm
KVS Café
Opening hours You can find the KVS Café on the first floor of the KVS BOX. Opening hours café Opening hours kitchen MON > FRI 10.30am - 6pm MON > FRI noon - 14.30pm

Theatre, Dance, Concert, Performing centers.

Check their agenda - always possible to find tickets at the door if sold out. Come 45' before and add yourself on the waiting list.
Contemporary Opera and Dance in the building where the Belgium revolution started. Check the programme.
62 locals recommend
La Monnaie De Munt
Place de la Monnaie
62 locals recommend
Contemporary Opera and Dance in the building where the Belgium revolution started. Check the programme.
Art Center. Check the programme.
73 locals recommend
Beursschouwburg
20 Auguste Ortsstraat
73 locals recommend
Art Center. Check the programme.
Contemporary Dance and Shows. Check the programme.
53 locals recommend
Kaaitheater
19 Sq. Sainctelette
53 locals recommend
Contemporary Dance and Shows. Check the programme.
Flemish Royal Theatre - contemporary dance and theatre - loads of shows in English. Check the programme.
37 locals recommend
KVS - Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg
7 Quai aux Pierres de Taille
37 locals recommend
Flemish Royal Theatre - contemporary dance and theatre - loads of shows in English. Check the programme.
Great concerts - pop, rock, electronic music... Check the programme.
109 locals recommend
Le Botanique
3 Kruidtuinlaan
109 locals recommend
Great concerts - pop, rock, electronic music... Check the programme.
Once of the busiest concert hall in the world. Check the programme.
133 locals recommend
Ancienne Belgique
110 Bd Anspach
133 locals recommend
Once of the busiest concert hall in the world. Check the programme.
Concerts, films, theatre from classic to contemporary. Check the programme. www.bozar.be/en
215 locals recommend
Bozar station
215 locals recommend
Concerts, films, theatre from classic to contemporary. Check the programme. www.bozar.be/en
Fresh Speaking National Theatre. Check the programme.
27 locals recommend
Théâtre National de la Communauté Française
111 Emile Jacqmainlaan
27 locals recommend
Fresh Speaking National Theatre. Check the programme.
Electronic lovers - open minded
12 locals recommend
C12
116 Rue du Marché Aux Herbes
12 locals recommend
Electronic lovers - open minded
Incredibibold art programatic, coupled up with 2 great performances spaces, a bar, terrasse and snacks. Beautiful old/new building/transformation/rehabilitation :-)
37 locals recommend
KVS - Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg
7 Quai aux Pierres de Taille
37 locals recommend
Incredibibold art programatic, coupled up with 2 great performances spaces, a bar, terrasse and snacks. Beautiful old/new building/transformation/rehabilitation :-)

Neighborhoods

Barge, is for foodies. Great for lunch and dinner. Not to be missed
Barge Great food - raw decors
Ieperlaan 33
33 Boulevard d'Ypres
Barge Great food - raw decors
Mix between culture, historical heritage, "colonial past/pin" and a "M'as tu vu" game...
198 locals recommend
Zavel
198 locals recommend
Mix between culture, historical heritage, "colonial past/pin" and a "M'as tu vu" game...
Great neighbourhood full of second hand and vintage shops with its daily fee market (8am - 1pm). Enters the great shops on rue Haute and Rue Blaes to rediscover the past(s)...
113 locals recommend
Marollen
113 locals recommend
Great neighbourhood full of second hand and vintage shops with its daily fee market (8am - 1pm). Enters the great shops on rue Haute and Rue Blaes to rediscover the past(s)...
Art Galleries, Antiques shops, stylish boutiques and chocolates shop + its Wednesday evening food market (6-10pm)
198 locals recommend
Zavel
198 locals recommend
Art Galleries, Antiques shops, stylish boutiques and chocolates shop + its Wednesday evening food market (6-10pm)

Breakfast

Friendly local Bakery where East meet West
Boulangerie Pâtisserie Agbalo
9B Chaussée d'Anvers
Friendly local Bakery where East meet West
Best bakery counter minutes away.... get in the line ;-)
16 locals recommend
C'est Si Bon
46 Quai des Charbonnages
16 locals recommend
Best bakery counter minutes away.... get in the line ;-)
French Bakery.... minutes away
118 locals recommend
Charli
34 Rue Sainte-Catherine
118 locals recommend
French Bakery.... minutes away
Kids heaven place - great staff
44 locals recommend
Chicago Café
45 Rue de Flandre
44 locals recommend
Kids heaven place - great staff

Sightseeing

Incredible history, the amazing warehouse from the 1900 transformed in a mix of multitude of activities. Amazing reconversion of old and new fonctions. "Our covered Ramblas" to be discovered 7/7
30 locals recommend
Tour & Taxis
86C Av. du Port
30 locals recommend
Incredible history, the amazing warehouse from the 1900 transformed in a mix of multitude of activities. Amazing reconversion of old and new fonctions. "Our covered Ramblas" to be discovered 7/7
Great contemporary place
31 locals recommend
La Patinoire Royale
15 Rue Veydt
31 locals recommend
Great contemporary place
Rich collection
Cloud Seven
7 Quai du Commerce
Rich collection
Best sunset terrace nearby central station
Château Moderne
Best sunset terrace nearby central station
The whole collection of costumes of our (little) famous Mannekenpis
GardeRobe MannekenPis
19 Rue du Chêne
The whole collection of costumes of our (little) famous Mannekenpis
Best rooftop bar/restaurant
The Hoxton, Brussels
Best rooftop bar/restaurant

Antwerp

A true diamond city
Vibrant Flemish city - so rich of history and diversities. Has one of my favorite museum https://www.museumdrguislain.be
283 locals recommend
Ghent
283 locals recommend
Vibrant Flemish city - so rich of history and diversities. Has one of my favorite museum https://www.museumdrguislain.be
Old zoo - where cosmopolitan chicken project was born. Wont leave you indifferent
25 locals recommend
Genk
25 locals recommend
Old zoo - where cosmopolitan chicken project was born. Wont leave you indifferent
Most bucolic small town, minutes away from Bruges where time stopped and Stork Paradise
97 locals recommend
Damme
97 locals recommend
Most bucolic small town, minutes away from Bruges where time stopped and Stork Paradise
Great city - same country - other world
148 locals recommend
Liège
148 locals recommend
Great city - same country - other world
Capitalisme killed it - or its name - but people, project, life its happening there... How to use what they left us and grow....? Charleroi is a LAB
14 locals recommend
Charleroi
14 locals recommend
Capitalisme killed it - or its name - but people, project, life its happening there... How to use what they left us and grow....? Charleroi is a LAB