In short
Brussels is officially bilingual French-Dutch — all public signage is — and hosts the main institutions of the European Union, which gives it a considerable international population.
The Grand-Place, World Heritage listed, is the historic centre. The Sablon holds the antique dealers and chocolatiers. The Marolles keep a working-class character and their daily flea market. Matonge is the Congolese quarter. The European quarter, to the east, is functional and empty at weekends.
Arriving and getting around
Two airports, and the distinction matters: Brussels National (Zaventem) is twelve minutes by train from the centre; Brussels South Charleroi, used by low-cost carriers, is some sixty kilometres out and linked only by shuttle.
The city sits at the centre of the northern European rail network: Paris, London, Amsterdam and Cologne are within direct train reach.
The metro, trams and buses cover it well. The centre is walked, but it slopes — the lower town and the upper town are not on the same level.
What it really costs
Brussels is cheaper than Paris or Amsterdam, accommodation included.
Hotels target institutional clients: rates drop markedly at weekends, when the European officials go home.
When to come
May–September. The climate is oceanic: it rains all year, with no clearly dry season.
The flower carpet on the Grand-Place, in August, takes place in even years.
What nobody tells you
Manneken-Pis is about sixty centimetres tall. The disappointment is a classic. His wardrobe — several hundred costumes donated by countries and institutions — is displayed in a nearby museum, and it is more interesting than the statue.
There are two distinct waffles: the Brussels one, rectangular, light, served with toppings; the Liège one, smaller, dense, with caramelised pearl sugar, eaten plain in the hand. Confusing them is the local mistake par excellence.
A comic strip trail covers the city with giant murals, freely accessible.
Belgium has hundreds of breweries and several Trappist beers are produced by working abbeys. The old cafés in the centre serve a selection without ceremony.