A vibrant, cosmopolitan city, Brussels has loads going for it, and it is a beautiful place to get to know with lots of hidden sides to it. In addition to its wealth of lovely parks, exciting museums, and numerous theatres, it also has a thriving arts and culture scene, as evidenced by the considerable number of cultural events and festivals in the city each year. Let's take a look at what Brussels has to offer!
Museums in Brussels
Brussels has a lot of fascinating museums for you to enjoy that look at a wide variety of subjects. While most are located around Mont des Arts or Parc du Cinquantenaire, others are scattered around the city. In recent years, 'Brussels Museums Nocturnes' has proved very popular. Between September and December of each year, many museums stay open on Thursday evenings for people to visit after work.
At Mont des Arts, you can find several fantastic museums, all located just a stone's throw away from each other. The Musical Instruments Museum and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium are the pick of the bunch and are fascinating to wander around. To learn more about the city's rich heritage, you can always head to the Brussels City Museum in the Grand Place, and the Belgian Comic Strip Center nearby is also well worth visiting as it will teach you all about Belgium's fascination with comics such as Tintin and the Smurfs.
Other museums of note are the Horta Museum if you're interested in architecture, the Natural Sciences Museum, which has the most significant dinosaur collection in Europe, and the Art & History Museum, which is home to many interesting artifacts from around the world. Just outside the city in Tervuren is the Royal Museum for Central Africa, which makes for a lovely day trip, surrounded by a beautiful park and landscaped gardens.
Parks and green spaces in Brussels
Although Brussels may look quite grey when you're walking around, many parks and green spaces are scattered about the city for visitors and residents alike to enjoy. Towards the city center, the two main parks are Parc Royal, which the beautiful and impressive Royal Palace borders, and Parc du Cinquantenaire, home to an imposing triumphal arch erected to commemorate fifty years of Belgian independence. The botanical gardens at Botanique are also not too far from the center, and they are wonderfully laid out, although they are much smaller than the two parks previously mentioned.
For wilder parks that are less manicured and have more wide-open green spaces, Forest Park and Bois de la Cambre are the places to head to, and in summer, they are full of people basking in the sun or enjoying a picnic. Although less frequented by people living in the center of Brussels, Parc Josaphat and Parc de Woluwe are lovely parks to visit, which are quite hilly and have many beautiful paths for you to wander along peacefully.
One of the largest green spaces in Brussels is at Laeken, but this, unfortunately, is the Royal Estate where the royal family lives, and as such, it is out of bounds for people to visit. In spring, however, they open up their fantastic greenhouses to the people of Brussels, and it is well worth visiting for all the beautiful flowers and plants on show.
Brussels is surrounded by beautiful countryside, and the vast Sonian Forest, which borders it, has many fantastic trails and paths to walk or cycle along. At the weekend, taking a tram or train and finding yourself in splendid nature in no time is quick and easy.
Cinemas in Brussels
As well as its green spaces and museums, Brussels also has lots of cinemas, and these show films in English, French, and Dutch, you will soon get used to seeing lots of subtitles regardless of what language you're watching a movie in. There are over thirty cinemas in the city, and while some of them show the latest blockbusters, others offer more underground films.
The main cinemas in Brussels are UGC at de Brouckère or Toison d'Or and the vast complex at Kinepolis if you want to watch IMAX films. Other than that, Cinematek and Cinema Nova are two great cinemas to head to if you're going to watch indie movies.
Brussels hosts many film festivals throughout the year, with the Brussels International Film Festival, the Brussels Short Film Festival, and the Brussels Independent Film Festival being the most popular.
Theatres in Brussels
If you prefer to see a show or performance, there are many different theatres in Brussels you can check out. For instance, the National Theatre of the Walloon-Brussels region has a packed program, as does the Flemish Royal Theatre, located in a stunning building.
For operas and ballets, La Monnaie, known in French (De Munt in Dutch), is the place to go, and it is rated very highly for the quality performances here. Opera is partially responsible for Belgium being a country today as, during a performance at La Monnaie on 25th August 1830, disgruntled audience members joined protesters outside the opera who were protesting against the Dutch who ruled over Belgium at that time. The opera's storyline on the show 'La Muette de Portici' had too closely mirrored the Dutch oppression of the Belgians, and from here on, the independence movement only grew in strength as riots spread across the city. Consequently, opera played an essential role in the country's history, and Belgium is the only country to come into being from an opera performance!
Sport in Brussels
Regarding sports, Brussels has many different sports clubs for people to join, which are an excellent way for newcomers in the city to make friends. There are many gyms, football pitches, and gym halls for people to use around the capital. ADEPS is the central sporting body in the Walloon-Brussels region, and for Dutch speakers or people living in Flanders, the VGC is the body to turn to when looking for a team or sport to play. These institutions will have huge lists of all the sports and sessions around the capital and are a great place to turn to if you're unsure where to get started.
Swimming pools in Brussels
Regarding swimming pools, Brussels, unfortunately, doesn't offer that many public ones, at least in comparison to its population. The main three are the swimming pools of Inner City Pools, Laeken, and Neder-Over-Heembeek. Apart from that, there are many private pools around the city which you can pay to go to, and some communes have pools that are only accessible one evening of the week, for example. The swimming pool in Ixelles is one such pool, and it is only open to the general public on Monday evening for a couple of hours. However, the unique architecture alone is well worth visiting.
Until a couple of years ago, Nemo 33 in Brussels was the deepest swimming pool in the world, and this is the best place in the city to head to if you want to give scuba diving a go. The maximum depth is 34.5 meters, and visiting is a fantastic experience whether you are a beginner or a master diver.
Music in Brussels
Many bars and music venues are scattered around the city where you can watch a gig, and Brussels punches above its weight regarding the international artists that perform here. The main venues are We Are Forest and Ancienne Belgique, and the schedule is packed with big names. Smaller venues are the Music Village, Botanique, Flagey, and Bozar.
In addition to its music venues, Belgium is home to some of the best music festivals in the world. In the summer, people pour in from around the globe to go Rock Werchter, Pukkelpop, and Tomorrowland ' three of the most popular.
Festivals and cultural events in Brussels
Speaking of festivals, Brussels residents are blessed when it comes to them, as a plethora of cultural events takes place in the capital every year. They are on every topic imaginable, so there is something new to do every week in the city. Brussels has you covered whether you're interested in comic strips, beer, board games, African culture, Serbian music, or interpretive theatre plays!
The largest and most popular festivals over the year are the Iris Festival, Europe Festival, and Zinneke Parade (all in May), the Ommegang, which is in June, the floral carpet in the Grand Place in August, and the Belgian Beer Weekend in September. You will, however, find a couple of festivals or events taking place each week that are worth going to, and these will help you to appreciate all of the different sides that Brussels has to offer.
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