Be Awed by the Grand Palace Sound & Light Show at Night: Playing from the end of November to the beginning of January the show is every 30 minutes to an hour depending on the day and is 15 minutes long.

Visit the New and Old Royal Palace of Brussels:

See Mannekin Pis: Drunkenly wandering out of a cafe I stumbled upon the famous landmark of a two foot tall statue of a peeing boy. It’s famous for its rich history of being stolen, replicated, dressed up and the tales of its originating background, the most famous being, “the one about Duke Godfrey III of Leuven. In 1142, the troops of this two-year-old lord were battling against the troops of the Berthouts, the lords of Grimbergen, in Ransbeke. The troops put the infant lord in a basket and hung the basket in a tree to encourage them. From there, the boy urinated on the troops of the Berthouts, who eventually lost the battle.”

Try the local beers and foods!

Delirium Tremens Cafe: The incredibly popular local brewery in Brussels boasts their line of Belgian ales that range from 7-10% ABV along with a long local tap list such as Leffe and Duvel. The number one local tip for drinking Belgian ales is to drink slow and enjoy it like wine, as opposed to lighter beers, drinking a lot fast will only get you tired.

Belgian Waffles: The topping options are endless, generally cost a reasonable 3 euro a waffle, and are sold on nearly every corner of Brussels so they’re not hard to find by any means and must be tried at least once!

Frites: Ignore my hideous, tattered mitten and acknowledge the frites covered in local andalouse sauce which is a delightful combination of mayo, tomato paste, and peppers.

Roam the city and stumble upon museums and cathedrals: Brussels is extremely walkable and next to impossible to get lost in. Use the Grand Palace as your north star for the city center and all the popular attractions and attention grabbers surround it within a 2 kilometer radius.MIMA Museum: