On this guided walking tour of Brussels, we'll stroll through the historic center from Saint-Géry to Sainte-Catherine, exploring both the upper and lower parts of the city and uncovering its medieval past and monumental heritage. Ready to fall in love?
Tour Details
We'll meet at the Grand Place, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its baroque harmony and the ornate facades of its guild houses. Could there be a better place to start a walking tour of Brussels?
From here, we'll stop at the monument to Everard t'Serclaes, a key figure in the liberation of the city in the 14th century. According to local tradition, touching the statue brings good luck. Don't forget to give it a rub!
We'll continue to the Manneken Pis, a 17th-century example of urban sculpture loaded with local identity and symbolism. Just a short walk away, we'll visit the Church of Our Lady of Good Help, historically linked to devoted pilgrims.
From there, we'll head along Boulevard Anspach, the main axis of 19th-century urban transformation, when the River Senne was covered over for hygiene reasons. Did you know it was once one of the most polluted rivers in Europe?
We'll arrive at the Saint-Géry Island, the founding nucleus of Brussels, where we'll trace the medieval evolution of the settlement. We'll visit the Saint-Géry Market and meet the Zinneke Pis, a sculpture of a urinating dog.
The route continues to Place Sainte-Catherine, a former inland port, before we duck into the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, pioneers of covered commercial architecture in Europe.
We'll pass by the historic Café La Mort Subite and the Delirium Brewery, where we'll dive into the Belgian beer tradition and learn how Belgium has come to produce over 1,500 types of beer. Onwards and upwards! We'll climb to the upper city to visit the Cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudula, one of the finest examples of Brabantine Gothic architecture.
Next, we'll make our way to Brussels Park and take in the Royal Palace and Place Royale, the political heart of the city. Finally, we'll reach the area around the Coudenberg Palace, surrounded by the Art Nouveau building of the Musical Instruments Museum, the Magritte Museum, and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.
We'll say our goodbyes at Place Royale after 2.5 hours of exploring.
