What to Do in Brussels: Beer, Art and Late Nights

Daytime: More Than Waffles

Do the Grand Place early, before the crowds, then walk the comic strip mural route that threads through the city centre — Tintin, Lucky Luke and forty other giant walls. The Magritte Museum on the Mont des Arts is the essential gallery stop, and Cantillon, a family lambic brewery operating since 1900 in Anderlecht, runs self-guided tours that end in a tasting of beers you cannot get anywhere else. If the weather cooperates, locals head to the ponds of Ixelles or the Bois de la Cambre.

Where to Eat Before Going Out

Skip the Rue des Bouchers tourist traps. The Sainte-Catherine quarter does the city's best seafood — Noordzee/Mer du Nord is a standing-only fish bar that's a Brussels institution. For pre-club carbs, Fritland by the Bourse is the canonical late-night friterie, and the Matongé district serves excellent Congolese food that reflects the city's real diversity.

The Night: From Beer Cafés to Techno

• Early evening: classic beer cafés — À la Mort Subite or Moeder Lambic — for gueuze and kriek before the volume goes up.
• Bar hopping: Place Saint-Géry downtown or Place Flagey/Rue du Bailli in Ixelles.
• Club nights: Fuse for techno pedigree, C12 for the stunning courthouse setting — see our full Brussels nightlife guide.
• Sunday recovery: the Marolles flea market from 7 AM, then coffee in the Sablon.

Getting Around

The metro stops around midnight but Noctis night buses cover weekends, and the city centre is compact enough to walk. Taxis and Uber fill the gaps — budget €10–15 for most cross-town night rides.