Ought to extra folks go to Brussels? Residents of the Belgian capital actually suppose so.
In style vacationer locations throughout Europe are bracing for an inflow of worldwide vacationers this summer season, however 74.6% of 1,000 Brussels residents surveyed in 19 municipalities described the town as an “underrated” vacation spot, in keeping with a survey performed by iVOX for Ovide-Airbnb.
Whereas the variety of vacationers to Brussels in 2025 was anticipated to be 3.7 million, down barely from 3.71 million in 2024, 79% of respondents stated tourism was “important” to Brussels when it comes to supporting native companies and the financial system as an entire.
“Not many individuals know that Brussels, and Belgium as an entire, is nice for tourism,” Angela Dansby, creator of Better of Belgium: The Full Journey Information Via Expat Eyes, informed Euronews Journey.
“I do not suppose Brussels does not have vacationers, however I really feel it is underrated as a vacation spot. My very own guests and I’ve been there rather a lot and have at all times been very pleasantly shocked by the town and I agree with you.”
Dansby is a way of life journalist who has lived in Belgium since 2015. For her newest title, printed in April 2026, she walked a whole bunch of kilometers together with her trusty DSRL in hand, photographing and writing about 32 cities throughout the nation.
Written by a self-proclaimed Belgitude knowledgeable, the 200-page information takes you thru almost 100 places, every highlighting why the multilingual vacation spot deserves a spot on each explorer’s European itinerary.
Fifteen years in the past, after securing a piece visa with a Brussels-based shopper and persevering with to work for a public relations agency whereas residing in Chicago, what was speculated to be only a “one-year experiment” became a decades-long keep.
When requested what saved her on this nation for therefore lengthy, she replied: “Alongside the way in which, I turned a twin citizen. I fell in love with Belgium and Belgians.”
Euronews Journey caught up with Dansby to get her perception into Belgium’s finest vacationer locations, fashionable locations to eat, the place to expertise native artwork, heritage and tradition, and even locations which might be usually ignored by the common vacationer.
meet folks from everywhere in the world
Belgium, the de facto heart of Europe, is house to 11.9 million folks, of whom round 180 totally different nationalities are represented. For Dansby, her prime tip for touring to Belgium is to “meet folks from everywhere in the world, particularly in Brussels.”
The place can I’m going to fulfill folks from everywhere in the world? She recommends including citadel searching to your to-do listing. Belgium is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, so discovering fairytale points of interest will not be troublesome.
“Belgium has the very best variety of castles per sq. kilometer on the planet,” Dansby stated, explaining that there are round 3,000 castles within the nation. “I really like discovering them. Nice examples embody Chateau de Bouillon, Chateau de Beloeil and Chateau de Veve.”
All three areas she recommends are within the French-speaking Wallonia area of southern Belgium, the place castles and fortresses are preserved. Visited by 135,000 folks annually, Chateau de Bouillon affords guests a 360-degree panoramic view of the medieval metropolis.
As for the place else to go to take pleasure in tourism, artwork, heritage and tradition, Dansby stated vacationers can go nearly wherever.
However to deliver house a really distinctive story, she suggests going to Oostdwinkerke and seeing shrimp fishermen at work on horseback. Listed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Record, the lads head to the ocean on horseback about 40 instances a 12 months, persevering with a 500-year-old custom.
finest belgian snacks
Consuming is one among Dansby’s favourite issues to do in Belgium, and who can blame her? The nation’s gastronomic scene has a whole bunch of eating places listed within the Michelin Information and greater than 100 starred eating places, making it “the third-highest density on the planet,” she stated.
For vacationers trying to take pleasure in a meal, Dansby recommends eating places in Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges and Knokke-Heist.
“Eupen is ideal for conventional German cooking,” she stated, recommending dishes comparable to sauerbraten, a marinated pot roast, and euner platz, a flat oval brioche dish filled with raisins and sprinkled generously with pearl sugar.
Dansby says Liege is the place to go for espresso, meatballs and waffles, Ghent for waterzoe (a creamy hen and vegetable soup) and Ostend for seafood.
Readers could also be shocked to study that the French weren’t the one ones who acquired a style for snails. Belgian Petit Gris de Namur, from the Namur division within the Wallonia area, is normally mixed with garlic butter, herbs and served with mushrooms.
past brussels
In line with Dansby, a few of Belgium’s finest experiences go far past the hum-drum vacationer routes.
Whereas cities like Brussels could also be synonymous with native gastronomy, Mr Danby stated Hasselt, within the nation’s Flemish area, additionally had a vibrant meals scene.
TripAdvisor’s prime three locations to eat within the metropolis embody two Michelin-listed eating places: Ross, which serves Belgian and Dutch delicacies, and La Fontera, which is understood for its Italian and French delicacies.
“DeHaan can also be a gorgeous coastal city, with a trip house named after Albert Einstein, who spent a number of months there,” she stated.
Some locations, like Plogstelt, are steeped in historical past. This village, situated within the nation’s Wallonia area, was additionally the location of the 1914 Christmas Truce, when opposing troopers laid down their weapons and performed a sport of soccer throughout World Conflict I.
Do’s and don’ts
Dansby laughs at potato chips, however advises towards utilizing the phrase “french fries” due to the talk over the snack’s origins. “Name it frites as a substitute! And check out consuming it with mayonnaise as a substitute of ketchup. That is the Belgian manner,” she stated.
Her different Belgium journey ideas embody exploring the nation utilizing the nation’s public transport. Belgium’s bus traces are divided into three components, with De Rijn overseeing the Flemish community and TEC overseeing bus journey in Wallonia. In Brussels, STIB covers each bus and metro transport.
The nation can also be nice for exploring on foot. Climbing by way of the nation’s various terrain is one among Dansby’s favourite actions. “Particularly in locations just like the Ardennes Forest, the German-speaking a part of Ostbelgian, or the ‘purple carpet’ of bluebells within the Hallebosch Forest each spring,” she says.
Dansby stated he additionally added weekly out of doors markets and native festivals to vacationers’ itineraries whereas out and about. “These occasions give nice perception into Belgium’s previous and current.”
Her last recommendation? “Be at liberty to ask the locals something,” she stated.
