It’s springtime in Brussels – which means now is the perfect time to visit the Belgian city! If you’re planning a weekend away, there’s plenty to do, see and enjoy. Don’t miss the local jazz, take a walk through a glass palace filled with plants, explore worlds of plastic, design and science and be sure to enjoy the unique culinary delights that Brussels has to offer.
Jam at a Jazz Festival
Did you know the saxophone was invented by a Belgian in the 1840s? This vibrant musical master of jazz lives on in Brussels, permeating cafés, clubs, festivals and events with its sexy sounds.
The city’s international reputation on the jazz scene has been bolstered by the likes of Benny Goodman and Billie Holiday, who toured there frequently, as well as local legend Django Reinhardt.
The Brussels region plays host to plenty of jazz-themed festivals, including the Brussels Jazz Festival, Brosella Folk & Jazz, and the Brussels Jazz Marathon, which is a three-day free festival from 19–21 May, featuring more than 150 concerts.
For an intimate experience with this funky music style, make your way to The Music Village near the historical Grand Place. Taking up residence in a seventeenth-century house, this charming jazz club has a consistently good line-up of the biggest names in jazz, as well as hot up-and-coming talent.
Wander through the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken
In a tradition dating back almost 100 years, each spring the spectacular Royal Greenhouses of Laeken are open to the public for three weeks. The complex of greenhouses, spread over 2.5 hectares, is truly stunning.
Designed by architect Alphonse Balat for King Leopold II in 1873, they are like a classical-style glass and metal city, set over an undulating landscape and featuring pavilions, glass cupolas and wide arcades.
The monumental design was said to have inspired the new Belgian architecture of the day, spreading its Art Nouveau influence across the world.
Not only architecturally interesting, the greenhouses today contain a vast collection of plant life, and spring is the time when most flowers are in bloom.
Visitors can wander through the structures, rooms and pavilions — fit for royal receptions — and among some of the original plant collections that belonged to King Leopold II and are still thriving.
Pay a visit to ADAM: Art & Design Atomium Museum
Boasting one of the world’s largest design collections, the permanent collection at the Art & Design Atomium Museum (ADAM) features an immense exhibition of pieces that put the spotlight on the era of plastic in the context of art and design.
From everyday objects to artworks, spanning post-modernism to pop art, it’s a utopia of everything in plastic, from the likes of designers and artists such as César, Arman, Joe Colombo, Verner Panton, and Evelyne Axell.
Discover something new each visit as exhibits are changed annually. This new museum is located at Brussels’ most popular attraction: the Atomium. Constructed for the 1958 World Fair, it’s a wonderful construction that replicated a crystalline iron molecule, magnified 165 billion times.
Visitors can wander its tubes and spheres and learn about its history as well as see other exhibits on science, design and history — plus an impressive view over the city and its surrounds.
Fine dining – tram-style
From chocolate and beer to waffles and frites and, of course, a plethora of esteemed eateries, Brussels has a gastronomic reputation for treating the tastebuds. For a next-level experience, sign up to Dinner in the Sky, to be held in June.
Enjoy delightful local cuisine created by celebrated chefs as you’re suspended high above the city on an open-air platform with incredible uninterrupted views of Brussels.
Another unique dining adventure is the Tram Experience, where diners board a decked-out tram for a two-hour tour of the city’s most beautiful spots, all while enjoying a degustation by top Belgian chefs.
Prestigious chefs will interpret Belgian national cuisine for the experience, and foodies can expect menus from the likes of Comme Chez Soi’s Lionel Rigolet, Bouchery’s Damien Bouchery, and Bozar Brasserie’s Karen Torosyan, as well as from international chefs such as Iceland’s Vilhjalmur Sigurdarson.
