How many stops are on the History walking tour in Brussels?

The History route in Brussels includes 8 curated stops.

How long does the History tour in Brussels take?

The History walking tour in Brussels takes approximately 4 hours at a leisurely pace.

Is the History walking tour in Brussels free?

Yes, Promenario's History tour in Brussels is free to download and use, with full offline support.

🇧🇪 Brussels, Belgium

History in Brussels

Historic districts, heritage sites, and origin stories. Explore 8 curated stops in Brussels, including Grand Place (Grote Markt), Atomium, and Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert. Highlights include Grand Place (Grote Markt), rated 4.7/5 by 28,000 visitors.

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8 places in this collection

History places

8 places in this collection

Image by Joseolgon, CC BY-SA 4.0

Grand Place (Grote Markt)

The Grand Place ('Grand Square'; also used in English or Grote Markt; 'Grand Market') is the central square of Brussels. It is surrounded by opulent guildhalls and two larger edifices, the city's Town Hall, and the King's House or Breadhouse building containing the Museum of the City of Brussels. The square measures 68 by 110 metres (223 by 361 ft). The Grand Place is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in Brussels. It is also considered as one of the most beautiful squares in Europe, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. In the evening, surrounded by bright illumination, it is simply ravishing. Some evenings a music and light show is provided with the buildings serving as a canvas. Have a 'gaufre de Liège-Luikse wafel' here (Belgian waffle with caramelized sugar)—the best ones are available from the little shops off the northeast corner of the Grand Place-Grote Markt.

Image by Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer), CC BY 4.0

Atomium

In Square de l'Atomium/Atomiumplein (Take Metro line 6 direction Roi Baudouin-Koning Boudewijn and get off at Heysel-Heizel - approximately 5 min easy walk from the station). Open daily from 10:00 AM till 6:00 PM. Ticket Sale ends at 5.30 PM. Unavoidable icon of Brussels and Belgium, important place for international tourism, unique creation in the history of architecture and emblematic vestige of the World Fair in Brussels (Expo 58), the Atomium continues to embody its ideas of the future and universality, half a century later. In its cultural programme, it carries on the debate of 1958: What kind of future do we want for tomorrow? Our happiness depends on what? Its recent renovation in 2006 gave its original brightness back, and the new equipment guarantees its durability. Five of the nine spheres are open to the public (so they say, but not really true). One of them is housing a permanent exhibition dedicated to Expo 58 (just some small models of some countries' pavilions). Another sphere is dedicated to temporary exhibitions with scientific themes (often closed when there is no exhibition). The upper sphere offers spectacular views of the city of Brussels. When the sky is clear, the view reaches till Antwerp. There is a 'kids zone' sphere which staff will happily direct you to even though you can never go in, it is only open to touring schoolchildren, and there is nothing inside except places for kids to sleep. In truth, there are only three spheres: the top (restaurant), middle (snack bar), and bottom.

Image by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0

Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert

The world's first shopping mall, is a light and airy triple-gallery enclosing boutiques, bookshops, cafés, restaurants, and a theater and cinema. The Saint-Hubert Royal Galleries are an ensemble of glazed shopping arcades in Brussels, Belgium. Designed and built by architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaer between 1846 and 1847, they precede other famous 19th-century shopping arcades such as the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan and The Passage in St Petersburg. Like them, they have twin regular facades with distant origins in Vasari's long narrow street-like courtyard of the Uffizi in Florence, with glazed arched shopfronts separated by pilasters and two upper floors, all in an Italianate Cinquecento style, under an arched glass-paned roof with a delicate cast-ironframework.

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Image by MichalPL, CC BY-SA 4.0

Parc du Cinquantenaire-Jubelpark

Definitely check out the Arc de Triomphe-Triomfboog on the east side of town. It's in the Parc du Cinquantenaire-Jubelpark. It is possible to go up to the terrasse above the arch, from where you'll have a good view of the city. Entry is through the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History and is included in the museum entrance fee.

Image by Neoclassicism Enthusiast, CC BY-SA 4.0

Royal Museums of Fine Arts

In 1845, it was decided, by Royal Decree, that a museum was to be founded with works of art of deceased and living Belgian artists. A national commission was established to select important works of art. Features both historical art and modern art in the one building. In a vast museum of several buildings, this complex combines the Musée d'Art Ancien-Museum voor Oude Kunst and the Musée d'Art Moderne-Museum voor Moderne Kunst under one roof (connected by a passage). The collection shows off works, most of them Belgian, from the 14th to the 20th century, starting in the historical section, with Hans Memling's portraits from the late 15th century, which are marked by sharp lifelike details, works by Hiëronymus Bosch, and Lucas Cranach's Adam and Eve. You should particularly seek out the subsequent rooms featuring Pieter Brueghel, including his Adoration of the Magi. Don't miss his unusual Fall of the Rebel Angels, with grotesque faces and beasts. But don't fear, many of Brueghel's paintings, like those depicting Flemish village life, are of a less fiery nature. Later artists represented include Rubens, Van Dyck, Frans Hals, and Rembrandt. Next door, in a circular building connected to the main entrance, the modern art section has an emphasis on underground works - if only because the museum's eight floors are all below ground level. The collection includes works by van Gogh, Matisse, Dalí, Tanguy, Ernst, Chagall, Miró, and local boys Magritte, Delvaux, De Braekeleer and Permeke. Don't miss David's famous 'Death of Marat'

Image by Q. Keysers, CC BY-SA 3.0

Brussels Park (Parc de Bruxelles)

The Parc de Bruxelles (French; 'Brussels' Park') or Warandepark (Dutch), is the largest urban public park in the centre of Brussels, Belgium. The area of the rectangular park is 13.1 ha (32 acres). An avenue leads to the main pond, from which three other avenues offer views of three important places in Brussels: the Palace of Justice, the Royal Palace and the Place du Trône/Troonplein.

Image by Lou Salomé, CC BY-SA 3.0

Stock Exchange Building

The Brussels Stock Exchange was founded in 1801 by decree of Napoleon. As part of the covering of the river Senne for health and aesthetic reasons in the 1860s and 1870s, a massive programme of beautification of the city centre was undertaken. It was to be located on the former butter market, (itself situated on the ruins of the former Recollets Franciscan convent) on the newly created Anspach Boulevard (then called 'Central Boulevard'). The building was erected from 1868 to 1873, and housed the Brussels Stock Exchange until 1996. The building does not have a distinct name, though it is usually called simply the Bourse/Beurs. It is located on Boulevard Anspach, and is the namesake of the Place de la Bourse/Beursplein, which is, after the Grand Place, the second most important square in Brussels. The building combines elements of the Neo-Renaissance and Second Empire architectural styles. It has an abundance of ornaments and sculptures, created by famous artists, including the brothers Jacques and Joseph Jacquet, Guillaume de Groot, French sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse and his then-assistant Auguste Rodin.

Image by Steven Lek, CC BY-SA 4.0

Brussels Parliament Building

The Brussels Parliament building is a neoclassical building located on Rue de Lombardstraat and houses the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region. It largely dates back to the early twentieth century, although it has had some wings date back to the seventeenth century and certain later renovations. The hemicycle is on the top floor of the building, with the roof being of modern zinc and glass design. The chamber is encircled by a long curved wooden wall and there is an overhanging press and public gallery. Committee rooms have likewise been updated with modern technology but much of the building remains neoclassical. There is also a cafeteria and reading room for deputies. The four rear wings have administrative functions, including housing the Presidents offices. There is also 400 square metres of hanging gardens extending to heights of up to 27 metres. Not to be confused with the European Parliament building in Brussels.

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