{"id":1294698,"date":"2026-08-12T09:43:43","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T09:43:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/?p=1294698"},"modified":"2026-08-12T09:43:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T09:43:43","slug":"free-things-to-do-in-brussels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/free-things-to-do-in-brussels\/","title":{"rendered":"Free Things To Do In Brussels"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brussels has a reputation problem. People arrive expecting grey EU office blocks and leave wondering why nobody told them about the gilded guildhalls, the Art Nouveau side streets and the sheer number of things you can do here without opening your wallet. The truth is that the best free things to do in Brussels are also some of the best things to do in Brussels, full stop<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This is a city where the single most impressive sight, the Grand Place, costs nothing to stand in. Where 50-plus comic book murals are painted straight onto the buildings. Where the federal museums throw open their doors for free once a month, and where a cone of frites still costs less than a coffee in Paris.<\/p>\n

Here is exactly how to do Brussels on a budget, from genuinely free attractions to the cheap eats and hostels that keep the rest of your trip affordable.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Matthieu Joannon<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tBook Hostels In Brussels<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/p><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfdb\ufe0f What are the best free things to do in Brussels?<\/h2>\n

The short answer: more than you’d expect from a capital city. These are the ones worth building a day around.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Free attraction<\/th>\nWhy it earns your time<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Grand Place<\/strong><\/td>\nUNESCO-listed, ringed by baroque guildhalls. Best at 8am or after dark when the facades are lit<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Manneken Pis<\/strong><\/td>\nTiny, silly, sometimes dressed in costume. Two minutes of your life, zero euros<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert<\/strong><\/td>\nA glass-roofed 1847 shopping arcade. Wander, don’t buy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mont des Arts<\/strong><\/td>\nThe city’s best free viewpoint, looking straight over the rooftops to the Town Hall spire<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Comic Strip Route<\/strong><\/td>\nOver 50 giant murals of Tintin, the Smurfs, Lucky Luke and Asterix, scattered across the centre<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula<\/strong><\/td>\nFree entry to the nave. The crypt and treasury are ticketed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Parlamentarium & House of European History<\/strong><\/td>\nBoth permanently free, both surprisingly good<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n
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\ud83d\udca1 Quick tip:<\/strong> The Royal Palace of Brussels opens to the public free of charge for roughly six weeks each summer, usually late July to early September. Check the dates before you travel, because it’s one of the biggest freebies in the city.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Photo by Gabriel Rambaud<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\ud83c\udf5f Where can you eat and drink cheaply in Brussels?<\/h2>\n

Belgian food is not expensive food. It only becomes expensive when you eat it on Rue des Bouchers, the restaurant street just off Grand Place where waiters wave menus at passing tourists. Walk five minutes in almost any direction and prices drop by half.<\/p>\n

Where the cheap eats actually are:<\/strong><\/p>\n