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Things to do in Brussels with a crowd or alone

leisure in Brussels
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Updated byAnne-Lise Mtyon 04 October 2023

When you move to a new place, finding things to do with your friends and solo is always great. This can help you adjust and learn about your new city's great things. If you're moving to Brussels, here are some things you'll want to do with a crowd or alone.

Go to Cantillon Brewery in Brussels

If you're a fan of beer, then you'll want to take a tour of Cantillon Brewery. This brewery uses traditional brewing techniques that many other places don't use anymore, and you'll get to see those processes while on the tour.

Afterward, you can sample some of their beers (their specialty is lambic beer), making this a fantastic activity with friends. However, you can always visit Cantillon Brewery if you're thirsty.

Go bar hopping in Saint Gilles in Brussels

Looking for a fun night out with your friends? Then Saint Gilles is the perfect place to go bar hopping at night.

Put away thoughts of wild nights out, as many other countries do bar hopping this way. Instead, you'll have a laidback atmosphere to walk around to each bar, sipping on several delicious alcoholic drinks.

Visit Mini Europe in Brussels

This trip is ideal for those who love little things, so gather up all your mini-loving friends and visit Mini Europe.

This theme park is considered an open-air museum. Stroll through the park to see all of Europe, shrunken into tiny buildings. There are 350 monuments that are built at 1/25th of their standard size. Have fun learning about all the European Union member states.

Experience an escape room in Brussels

Escape rooms are all the rage worldwide, and Belgium is no exception. Brussels has several escape rooms, so you and your friends can test your smarts!

The good news is, because Brussels is such an international city, most (if not all) escape rooms can be done in English. So you won't have to worry about not understanding what to do.

Go shopping in Brussels

What's great about the capital city is there are many shopping opportunities. You'll find everything from luxury and trendy concept stores to antique shops and even a flea market in Place du Jeu de Balle.

Whether you like to shop solo or with friends, there are plenty of shops to keep you busy.

Take a stroll in a park in Brussels

While Brussels is the capital city, it still has its green spaces. If you ever need a breather, head to Parc Royal, Parc du Cinquantenaire, La Forêt-du-Parc, Bois de la Cambre, Parc Josaphat, and Parc de Woluwe. Sometimes, all it'll take for you to feel refreshed is a brisk walk in one of these beautiful spaces.

Get some fries in Brussels

Belgium is well-known for its fries, so there are plenty of places to grab some hot, crispy fries (or "frites" as they're known in Belgium). This can be the perfect snack to munch on while walking around the city. Just be aware that most Belgians eat fries with mayonnaise, so if you don't like that, ask the "frituur" to leave the mayo off.

We do our best to provide accurate and up to date information. However, if you have noticed any inaccuracies in this article, please let us know in the comments section below.

About

Anne-Lise studied Psychology for 4 years in the UK before finding her way back to Mauritius and being a journalist for 3 years and heading Expat.com's editorial department for 5. She loves politics, books, tea, running, swimming, hiking...

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