Brussels: The heart of Europe with fairy tales and art, a magical journey waiting for you to unlock
📍 Turn on the fairytale town mode: Magical moment in the Grand Square
As the setting sun casts a golden edge over the Grand Place in Brussels, the 800-year-old Gothic building seems to jump out of a fairy tale book. The spire of the Town Hall and the carved window frames of the Guildhall become chocolate-colored silhouettes in the twilight, while the flower carpet on the square changes with the seasons, with tulips in the spring and Christmas markets in the winter. Every step is on the front page of a story. Remember to touch the bronze curly hair of the statue of Julien. This brave little boy who peed to save the city will bring you good luck.
🍫 Taste Carnival: Be a "sweetheart" for a day at the Chocolate Workshop
When you walk into the workshop of Godiva or Pierre Marcolini, the scent of cocoa floating in the air will instantly activate dopamine. Watch the chocolate craftsman use a carving pen to paint on the silky surface, and make a truffle with your own hands - let the sweetness of Belgium become an everlasting mark in your memory. See a freshly baked waffle truck on the corner? Don't hesitate! In the hot griddle, maple syrup and cream are performing a sweet crime.
🎨 Surrealist Midnight Garden: Magritte is waiting for you
Walking through the arcade of the Royal Gallery, Magritte's green apples are suspended on the canvas, and every stroke is a gentle rebellion against reality. In the comic museum, line drawings of Tintin and the Smurfs are displayed on the wall. It turns out that the Belgians' sense of humor has long been embedded in their DNA. In the evening, climb up the Atomium. The 102-meter steel sphere will turn the entire city into your chessboard. Look at the sunset reflected by the glass curtain wall of the European Union zone. Does it look like an overturned color palette?
🍻 Sleepless Night: The Soul of Bruges in Beer Bubbles
Entering the Delirium Café, 3,000 beer labels dance tango on the ceiling. Order a glass of monastery craft beer and let the amber liquid tell the medieval legend on your tongue. When you are tipsy, stroll along the cobblestone alley beside the Manneken Pis Fountain. The antique lace in the window and the yellowed pages of the independent bookstore are interwoven into a time film under the warm yellow street lights. If you see a street performer playing the saxophone, you might as well follow the impromptu dance steps. After all, this is one of the birthplaces of jazz.
💡 Local code:
hidden
Foodie Radar: The mussels and white wine hotpot at Mer du Nord is a local favourite.
Brussels is not a destination, but a love letter to travelers
——Here, even the graffiti on the red brick walls on the street corners says: "Welcome to the intersection of reality and magic."
🚂 Transportation tips: It takes 2 hours to get there from London by Eurostar, and 1.5 hours by the Thalys high-speed railway from Paris. Brussels Central Station itself is a masterpiece of neoclassical architecture. Remember to look up at the angel mural on the dome!