For my one and only full day in Brussels, I had absolutely nothing on my itinerary. Prior to my trip I knew I wanted to visit either the Horta Museum or do a tour of the Town Hall in the afternoon, but I had no idea what to do with the rest of my time in the city. I just knew I didn’t want to go the museums route again.

After a bit of contemplating, I first walked over to the Grand Place to buy tickets for the Town Hall tour. When I finished, I noticed several tour guides holding up umbrellas advertising tours in different languages. There were quite a few people crowding around waiting for the tours to start, so I went and inquired as well. At the end I decided to join an English speaking tour since it would help me fill up most of my morning. 

My tour guide was a fellow named Fraser from Scotland. He was super knowledgeable and kept our group entertained the entire time we were together. He mainly took us to all the highlights within the city, including the Mannekin Pis, cathedral, the Royal Palace and Monts des Arts. It was nice having someone explain the history and significance behind some the places we visited. We covered a lot of ground within two and a half hours, and I’m sure I would have missed some of those spots if I was on my own. I feel like the amount I tipped him afterwards was more value for my money than paying for another museum entrance. =P

After the tour ended I didn’t really have much time before heading to the Town Hall, so I quickly grabbed a bite to eat at a restaurant close to the Grand Place. I feel like Belgian meatballs + frites were the perfect combination for lunch. I could probably eat that everyday. 

By 2pm I was already inside the Town Hall waiting for the tour to start. The Town Hall was built in the middle ages and has survived fires and bombings throughout the centuries. To this day it is still used as a civic building, so tours are only offered on specific days of the week. The tour inside lasted about an hour, and I got to see many of the rooms city officials use on a regular basis, including the council chamber and meeting rooms. However, my favourite view of the Town Hall is still from the front, where you can admire the impressive gothic-style facade of the building.

Once the tour was done I walked back to my Airbnb to rest, then I went out again to explore more of the city on foot. I also did some shopping – I lost count of the number of chocolate shops I passed by. There were so many options I didn’t know which ones to buy. (@_@)

For dinner that night I finally got my fill of moules frites. It was quite an feat finishing an entire bucket of mussels by myself, but one I was glad to accomplish. I also tried different kinds of Belgian beer. I would normally have one during dinner, then buy another from the supermarket to try at night. For someone who doesn’t drink beer I was surprised by how much I drank. Hehe. But definitely the raspberry beer was my favourite find on this trip!