One Day In Brussels: A Day Trip From Paris

Bonjour! Now that school has finished, my mom has joined me for my last week in Paris for a much anticipated mother-daughter European vacation. To avoid the hassle of having to move four-months worth of luggage every few days, we decided to stay in Paris for the duration of our vacation, but take a few day trips throughout the week. Our first adventure led us to the capital of Belgium. Brussels is a very manageable 75-minute train ride from Paris Gare du Nord and is as easy as if you were traveling to another city in France as opposed to a different country (in other words, no customs).

The Grand Place

The Grand Place represents everything I love about Europe; ornate facades, grand buildings that loom over a bustling central square, intricately carved statues adorning every surface, and floor-to-ceiling windows that invoke images of princesses promenading through the halls of a palace. The Grand Place was a vision to behold – especially after an uninspiring walk from the train station to the historic Old Town. The cobble-stone square is a flutter of activity, surrounded by opulent Baroque buildings. I have seen many city squares during my time in Europe, but this is by far the most beautiful.

Exploring Brussels

Admittedly I did very little research prior to coming to Brussels. I purchased the train tickets and read a few reviews regarding the best places to eat, and that was about the extent of my planning. As far as traveling goes, I prefer to wander around and experience the city the same way a local might. All this to say, I was entirely unprepared for our day trip to Brussels and came with very few expectations and zero plan. Monday happened to be a bank holiday, so most of the museums and usual tourist spots were closed (much to my mother's dismay), which made walking around the city the only viable option.

Overall, Brussels is much more modern than I expected. In many ways it reminded me of Boston or Washington D.C; the picture of a modern, urban city with a few historic buildings, squares, and churches sprinkled about. Compared to Paris, where all of the contemporary architecture is concentrated in certain areas, having to seek out the picturesque, old-world parts of Brussels was a bit of a letdown for me. However, there is still something to be said about the gingerbread-style architecture and grand buildings.

On our way to the Royal Palace of Brussels, we took a few detours to pretty much any building, park, or street that caught our eye. One of the said detours was the Galleries Royals Saint-Hubert, a beautiful glass-covered passage outfitted entirely in light pink, with gold and marble accents and statues adorning the interior. The passage houses several restaurants, cafes, specialty boutique shops, and practically every chocolate maker in Belgium.

Aside from the Grand Place, and the Royal Palace of Brussels, the only other landmark we specifically sought out was the famous Manneken Pis. This tiny statue of a little boy peeing was a bit of an anticlimactic sight to see, but never-the-less amusing.

The Parks

Similar to Paris, there were quite a few outdoor spaces with rows upon rows of neatly trimmed trees that formed a canopy of leaves, picturesque gardens, fountains, aged statues, and benches to rest and take it all in.

Street Art

I'm not usually one for street art, especially when on older buildings, but some of the murals and installations in Brussels were undeniably amazing!

The Food

I must admit I was lured to Belgium by the food. My primary motivation for spending the day in Brussels was to sample authentic Belgian waffles, fries, and chocolate. Unfortunately, I did not have the stomach capacity to consume all three delicacies in a span of eight hours. While I sadly chose to forgo the Belgian fries, the waffles and chocolate did not disappoint.

Before discussing the stars of the show, for lunch, my mom and I went to Woodpecker 47 and had an absolutely delicious meal. The cafe is located in the busy city center and offers a variety of savory waffles, sandwiches, burgers, smoothies, cakes, and coffee: the usual brunch affair. There are few places (in any country) offering a menu that satisfies both of our dietary preferences without the need to make modifications, so dining at Woodpecker 47 was a win in both of our books. I loved the cafe for its amazing iced coffee and several vegan options, and mom loved it for its use of fresh ingredients and "farm to table" quality.

Now back to the waffles and chocolate. I enjoyed an authentic Belgian waffle from Los Churros and Waffles, one of the many vendors in the city center selling warm, freshly made waffles topped with even more sweets. Despite the many tempting options, I opted for a traditional Liege waffle drench in hot fudge. The waffle was perfectly crisp on the outside, pillowy soft on the inside, and the chocolate sauce was a decadent gooey mess. It was delicious and well worth the few drops of chocolate that now stain my white sweater.

As for the chocolate, there are so many stores claiming to sell the best, hand-made, authentic Belgian chocolate, and they all happen to be clustered around the center of the city (the usual tourist trap). After enjoying the window displays of every single chocolate shop, and some serious deliberation, my mom and I chose Mary Chocolatier because they had the most beautiful packaging. It was a good choice because Mary Chocolatier's is only available in Belgium, and the founder was the first female chocolatier. It's certainly expensive but worth every penny. In fact, as I write this post, I am in the midst of enjoying a delicious milk chocolate caramel.

Overall, our day trip to Brussels was a success. Would I go back there again? No, probably not. However, it's one of the easiest day trips from Paris and there is certainly nothing to lose from exploring a different country.