FRITLAND FRIES
Mannequin De Pis in all his glory!
La Pharmacie Anglaise Cocktail Bar
The Grand Palace
Mannequin De Pis
Arcade Du Cinquantenaire
The BEST waffles in Brussels- DANDOY
Belgian Chocolate Shops
Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
Fritland Fries
Belgium Beer
Hey guys,
I’m back again with another Travel diary. This month is crazy with trips which I’m so grateful for as travelling is honestly my favourite thing to do. So let’s kick this one off!
We had always planned on travelling to Brussels as soon as we moved to Amsterdam as we knew the train could take us there within 3 hours. It’s amazing living on mainland Europe and not having to fly to get to these beautiful cities. The train allows for as many overpacked suitcases as one can manage! Haha. John kindly got me this trip for my birthday back in July and here we are :)
As I mentioned, we got the train from Amsterdam which was about €70 each (return) and took about 2 hours 40 minutes which was perfect. We packed our books, snacks and updated Spotify and voila, we had arrived! We stayed at the Warwick hotel in Brussels which is a 2 minute walk from the central station and right in the heart of Brussels city centre. They also have a gorgeous rooftop bar with a stunning view of the city. You just have to pay €10 to enter and in return you receive some tokens which are redeemable against drinks on the rooftop. You can also visit the bar if you are not a guest of the hotel. Check out the website here.
As always, I had a list of food & drink hotspots to visit before we left so I will leave these below.
Food & Drink:
Delirium beer bar. Very cool vibe with tonnes of beer types from all over the world and lots of craft local beers too.
Peck 47 for breakfast
We had the BEST waffles at Maison Dandoy. Make sure you try a Leige waffle with hot Belgian chocolate sauce and ice cream. SO delicious!
Fritland for the most amazing fries you’ll ever have! There is always a queue but it’s worth the wait. There are tonnes of ‘frites’ stalls but this is the best. Their sauces are incredible. Try the American if you like a little spice :)
Ricotta and parmesan was a gorgeous Italian restaurant we ate in on our last night. You can make up your own pasta dish by choosing the pasta type, sauce and toppings as well as serving wood fire pizzas. We got really lucky with a table but I would recommend reserving one as it was a really popular spot.
La Pharmacie Anglaise was a gorgeous quaint, old fashioned cocktail bar that we loved! It’s super authentic looking (like an old fashioned pharmacy) and you ring a doorbell to get in. The prices aren’t crazy considering how lovely the bar is. Cocktails and G&T’s were all priced around €14.
The Hard Rock Cafe absolutely never disappoints. I know it’s super touristy for some people but honestly it’s one of my favourite places to go that guarantees an epic burger. Of course, Hard Rock Brussels was no different!
Places to go:
The royal palace is beautiful and during certain times of the year, when the royal family are on holiday, the grounds are open to the public.
The Grand Palace is a must of course but you will probably pass it a million times throughout your stay as it’s right in the heart of the square.
Mannequin de pis, quite hilariously, is one of the most popular tourist hotspots in Brussels. And as it translates, it’s a pissing statue! He has over 200 outfits and can be dressed up differently every time you see him. He’s right in the heart of the city at a busy street corner so you won’t miss him. There will always be a crowd huddled around taking photos too!
Arcade du Cinquantenaire or Arcades du Cinquantenaire is a monumental triple arch in the centre of the Cinquantenaire park in Brussels. It’s an absolutely beautiful walk and such a stunning area for photos. It’s located about 8 minutes drive from the centre so we just hopped in an Uber as we didn’t fancy the 45 minute walk.
Head to the Mont des Arts for a beautiful overlook of Brussels. From here you can see the famous tower of the Brussels Town Hall in the Grand Place.
Rue des Bouchers is a colourful, old fashioned street right in the heart of Brussels! A gorgeous place to stroll through and stop off for a glass of wine.
Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert is the beautiful indoors shopping area. This one was built before the centre in Milan by the same architect. It’s absolutely gorgeous with plenty of Belgian chocolate shops to stock up in.
Don’t forget to check out my instagram, (username: lovelauren_eu), for my Brussels ‘highlight’ videos and more pics! You can also follow my travel hashtag #lovelaurenexplores for lots more globe trotting adventures.
Happy travels!
Lauren. X
