Belgium / Brussels & Leuven / Brussels

Brussels

The Grand-Place, the Atomium and the Capital of Europe

3 daysIdeal stay₹9,050From / night₹2,980Food / day₹1,810Entry

Belgium's capital, and where flights from India land (Brussels Airport at Zaventem, about 20 minutes by train from the centre; there is no non-stop from India, so it is one stop through the Gulf, Istanbul or a European hub). The Grand-Place with its gilded guildhalls and Gothic Town Hall, Manneken Pis, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts and the Magritte Museum, the comic-strip murals, the European Parliament's Parlamentarium and, on the north side, the Atomium. Every two years in mid-August (even years: next in 2028) the Grand-Place is covered by the Flower Carpet, and from late November the Winter Wonders Christmas market fills the centre. Brussels-Midi is the Eurostar station for Paris (about 1 h 20) and London (about 2 h). Vegetarian food is easy, and the centre and Ixelles have Indian restaurants (estimate).

Highlights

The Grand-Place lit up at night
Atomium and its views
Manneken Pis
Magritte Museum
Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
Comic-strip murals
Belgian chocolate in the Sablon
Waffles and frites
Parlamentarium
Flower Carpet (August, even years)
Winter Wonders Christmas market

Things to do

Grand-Place, Town Hall and Manneken Pis walkMorning · 2h
Atomium and the Heysel parkMorning · 3h
Royal Museums of Fine Arts and the Magritte MuseumAfternoon · 3h
Comic Strip Route and the Galeries Royales Saint-HubertAfternoon · 2h
Parlamentarium and the European QuarterMorning · 2h 30m
Chocolate tasting or workshop in the SablonAfternoon · 2h
Grand-Place by night and Mont des ArtsEvening · 1h 30m
Marolles flea market on the Place du Jeu de Balle and the Sablon antique shopsMorning · 2h
Musical Instruments Museum in the Old England buildingAfternoon · 1h 30m
Cinquantenaire Park, its triumphal arch and the Royal Military MuseumMorning · 2h 30m
Koekelberg Basilica and the view from its domeAfternoon · 1h 30m

Tours & tickets

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When to go

Best time: April – June, September – October; late November – December for the Christmas market

Heads up

Christmas Market Crowds

Winter Wonders fills the centre from late November to early January: the Grand-Place light show and the market are packed in the evenings and at weekends, and hotel prices rise. Go on a weekday afternoon.

Heads up

National Strike Days

Belgium had many national strike days in 2025-26, when SNCB trains, Brussels' metro and trams ran a reduced service and Brussels Airport cancelled some or all departures. They are announced a week or two ahead: check the news and your airline before the flight home, and keep a spare day.

Flower Carpet on the Grand-Place · 13-16 Aug — Every two years, in even years, round 15 August, about half a million begonias and dahlias cover the Grand-Place in a giant pattern for four days, best seen from the Town Hall balcony (ticketed). There is none in 2027; the next is expected in August 2028, dates not yet announced. The centre is packed on those days.
Winter Wonders Christmas market (Plaisirs d'Hiver) · 27 Nov 2026 - 3 Jan 2027 — Brussels' Christmas market runs from Place Sainte-Catherine through the centre to the Grand-Place, with a skating rink, a big wheel and a light-and-sound show on the Grand-Place; open daily from midday to 22:00, to 18:00 on 24 and 31 December. Weekends are very crowded and hotel prices rise.
Belgian National Day — A military parade past the Royal Palace, free concerts and fireworks in Brussels. Some museums and shops close; trains are busier.
Ommegang pageant — A costumed procession and pageant on the Grand-Place in early summer, recalling the 1549 entry of Emperor Charles V; seats on the square are ticketed and sell out.
Tomorrowland (Boom) — One of the world's biggest dance-music festivals, over two weekends in the second half of July at Boom, between Antwerp and Brussels. Hotels in Antwerp, Mechelen and Brussels fill and fares rise those weekends.

Part of a longer route

Brussels is a stop on a curated circuit through Belgium.

🚄

Paris, Brussels & Amsterdam

Stop 2 of 3 · 9 days · easy

Getting there

Fly into Brussels (BRU)

Search flights to BRU from your city ↗

Flights from India

From Delhi (1 stop)from ₹27,000
From Mumbai (1 stop)from ₹26,800
From Ahmedabad (1 stop)from ₹27,500
From Kochi (1 stop)from ₹28,000
From Pune (1 stop)from ₹28,000
From Bengaluru (1 stop)from ₹28,500

Fares from India: one way, per person; typical fares, not live prices.

Entry rules

Your passport

Visa needed before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹11,840

Apply for a Schengen short-stay (type C) visa at a VFS Global Belgium centre in India, 4-8 weeks before you fly, and at least 6 weeks ahead for May to August, when appointments are scarce (no earlier than 6 months). Apply to Belgium if it is your only or longest stay in Schengen. The fee is €90 (about ₹9,600; €45 for children 6-11) plus the VFS service charge, and it is not refunded if the visa is refused.
Your application goes to the Belgian Embassy in New Delhi or the Consulate General in Mumbai, which handles the southern states since the Chennai consulate closed. At the appointment give your fingerprints and photo (skipped if you gave them for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months). A decision usually takes about 15 days, and up to 45 if more checks are needed.
If you have lawfully used two Schengen visas in the last three years, ask for a multiple-entry visa: under the EU's 2024 cascade rules for Indians you can be given a two-year visa, then a five-year one.
On your first arrival in the Schengen Area your fingerprints and face are scanned at passport control (the EU Entry/Exit System, in full use since April 2026) instead of a stamp. Allow extra time at Brussels Airport.

Carry: Passport issued within the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages; Completed visa application form and two recent photos (35 x 45 mm); Travel insurance with at least €30,000 medical cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip; Return flight booking and a day-by-day itinerary; Hotel bookings for every night; Bank statements for the last 3-6 months, income-tax returns, and a leave letter from your employer (or business or college papers).

One Schengen visa covers Belgium and every other Schengen country (France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and more) for up to 90 days in any 180, but not the United Kingdom, which needs its own visa even for a day trip on the Eurostar. ETIAS is only for visa-free travellers, so it does not affect you. Appointment waits and VFS charges vary by centre and season: check visa.vfsglobal.com for your city before you book flights.

Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.

Also in Brussels & Leuven

🎓 Leuven · A Gothic Town Hall and a 600-Year-Old University

Plan a trip to Brussels

Flying in from elsewhere? Start at Brussels (BRU)