brussels, belgium
bright + blissful brussels
Belgian’s capital city - admittedly not somewhere we’ve been dying to visit but so glad we finally did.
November usually means a trip around the time of my birthday, which we opted to delay by a few weeks so it would coincide with the start of the Christmas markets - a first for us and surely not a last.
While we aren’t big fans of big cities, we found Brussels didn’t feel like a big city in the usual sense - maybe because we concentrated most of our 2 days around Place St Catherine and Vismarkt, both very charming quarters. Had it not been for the Christmas markets, I think 2 nights would still be plenty of time to have a sweet little city escape where we felt like we explored enough - more for next time!
*We explored, drank, and ate in the markets from midday until around closing time since it was our first experience. In the future, we’d probably stay only about until sundown as it tends to get a bit rowdy and definitely more crowded during the night, just to keep in mind if you hope to visit with your furry friends.
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Comfy rooms with a nice little bar downstairs that doubles as the breakfast area each morning. Their sustainability practices are wonderful and the location is great - just 5/10 minutes walking from the Brussels Nord station and minutes from where we spent most of our time.
*Important to note that only The Usual Plus rooms are dog friendly with a fee of 25€ for the entire stay.
Made in Catherine // Made in Louise
Sadly neither are dog-friendly, but they’re so beautifully done and charming that we had to include on the off chance you’re not visiting with a furball ;)
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Small bites of really amazing and fresh seafood. You absolutely will not regret ordering the scampi. They’re only open until early evenings each day but during the Christmas markets, they have a booth offering oysters after their usual closing time.
A casual bar just around the corner from Noordzee with their own brew on offer. We were happily welcomed in with Ozzy but did notice the restaurant part of the building does not allow dogs.
We couldn’t visit Brussels without a wander through the Delirium Village. I couldn’t find anything online about any of the sites allowing dogs, but we were pleased to find out Ozzy was allowed in the Monasterium and it was relatively quiet (especially compared to the tap room next door) on the afternoon of our visit, which was a welcome difference from what I had read online.
Christmas Markets
Of course you can’t visit the Christmas markets without trying some of the fare. A couple of our favs were the saumon a la baguette in Place St Catherine as well as the oysters and champagne (of course) in front of the Made in Catherine hotel in Vismarkt.
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A welcome surprise that, unlike Paris, dogs (leashed) are allowed in many green spaces in Brussels. While they aren’t permitted inside the cultural center, the gardens themselves are the perfect place for a quiet stroll.
Covered shopping areas
Windowshop your way through some of the oldest shopping galleries in the world at the Galleries Royale Saint Hubert and admire the beautiful architecture and glass ceilings of nearby Galerie de la Reine and Passage du Nord.
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We flew direct from Marrakech with Transavia and easily hopped on the SNCB train to the city center. The journey is about 20 minutes, and dogs are allowed for free in their kennel or on a lead for just €3.
Once to the center, we found everything very walkable, however small “lap” dogs can travel for free (large dogs must have a ticket and muzzle) on the metro if that is more your speed.
