I went to Brussels for my birthday! Here are all my thoughts on Brussels, from someone who’s never been before:

I love taking the Eurostar. It’s so cool to travel internationally without involving airplanes! Not having to travel almost out-of-town to get to the airport 4 hours early; not having to seperate liquids and gels. We rocked up 90 minutes before our flight, and were only in the waiting area for about 20 minutes before getting on the train. Plus, no size restrictions on luggage! The ride was smooth and quiet, with minimal nausea from changing air pressure.

This city is a walking explorer’s dream. The city is full of beautiful parts where cars can’t penetrate—where there are only walking paths, not roads. The city is also not super spread out; most of the time when I Googled a location, a 20-minute metro ride was only a 30-minute walk. It was easy to navigate, which was perfect as a newcomer to the city!

Backpacks over rolling suitcases. Picturesque streets full of cobbled stones look great in pictures – but I know they’re murder on the wheels of my carry-on suitcase. For four days, travelling on the morning of day 1 and the evening of day 4, I was able to carry everything I needed in a backpack and medium-sized purse.

Got a nut allergy? Good luck finding edible chocolate. I speak as a nut allergy sufferer—we went to at least 10 chocolate shops before we found one where I could indulge in the truffles. Belgium is known for its chocolate, and I’m a huge chocolate lover, so this was such a bummer to me. To be frank, I’m lucky—I’m not allergic to all nuts, only certain ones, so almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, and pecans didn’t phase me—but they were in most of the shops. I think that if you’re allergic to all nuts, you might want to skip the chocolate shops altogether!

This is a vintage clothing lover’s paradise. When I first got excited about Brussels, it was because I love a good vintage shop, second-hand store, or market. Not only did Brussels wow me with the daily Marche Aux Puces, but it also boasted many, many vintage clothing shops—we spent a full day just searching for hidden treasures!

You’ll want to stay north of the Eurostar station. We stayed in an Airbnb a little south of the station—which was fine, because we were near a metro station. But most of the places that we wanted to see (the palace grounds, museums, etc) were north of the station; it would have been much easier to get an airbnb closer to where we wanted to see!

The food is rich. I had Bernaise-covered salmon, double-cooked fries, rich pasta dishes, lots of lovely desserts….and yet, I never felt indigestion (probably due to the copious amounts of walking).

Are you an introvert? You’ll love it here. Do you hate when strangers start conversations? When customer service means being followed around the store until you request help? You’ll love Brussels—I’ve never felt more ignored, and I loved it. It’s also one of the quietest cities I’ve been to—even with lots of people around, the noise never got to be overwhelming. Bliss!

Is Brussels on your to-go list? Let me know in the comments. And as always, happy travels! x