The 16 Best Rainy Day Activities in Brussels, Belgium
Nothing is worse than a rainy day on vacation. (Okay, a few things might be worse than that!) But it is an awful feeling to wake up, open the curtains of your hotel room, and see torrential rain against dark skies. Luckily, if you’re in a rain-prone place like Brussels, Belgium, there’s still lots to do. Check out my list of 16 awesome rainy day activities in Brussels!
I’ve visited Brussels a few times over the years and every single time, I’ve gotten at least one day of rain. Despite the bad weather, Brussels is still worth a visit. Because even when it rains, there is something fun to do in Brussels, Belgium!
Almost all of the 16 activities below are indoors or covered, meaning you can stay dry while visiting Brussels. And if the sun starts to peek out or you’re ready to brave the rain, I’ve included a few bonus outdoor activities in Brussels that you can do too.
Ready to make the most of a rainy day in Brussels? Check out my list of 16 things to do in Brussels in bad weather, plus my picks for nearby day trips!
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning if you click through and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support! And thanks to Visit Brussels for providing us with city cards and transit passes to help us enjoy these rainy day activities in Brussels! As always, all opinions are my own.
The 16 best rainy day activities in Brussels
1) See Manneken Pis
So you might be thinking, “Wait, isn’t Manneken Pis outside?” and “Why is standing outside in the rain one of the best rainy day activities in Brussels?” I hear you. You’re raising some good points.
But Manneken Pis is an absolute must-see while you’re in Brussels. So much so that you can base an entire Brussels day trip around Manneken Pis. So rain or shine, you’re seeing the little guy!
Lucky for you, Manneken Pis is a very small statue (21.9 inches tall) and is easily viewed on the popular corner fountain where he sits. So even in the worst weather, you can check this Brussels activity off your list quickly. Run by, snap a selfie and join the crowds in saying, “Wow, he’s smaller than I thought he’d be!”
2) Visit Garderobe Manneken Pis
Now that you’ve completed your mandatory viewing of Manneken Pis, you can safely seek refuge from the Belgian weather and head inside (and right next door!) to Garderobe Manneken Pis. Here you’ll find a selection of Manneken Pis’ illustrious wardrobe with some of his most famous and historic costumes on display.
Despite this museum being very small, there’s lots to discover. Start with the audioguide which will tour you around the dressing room, pointing out how costumes are made and donated.
Next, spend time at one of the interactive terminals flipping through the entire collection and seeing all of the costumes not on display. The museum only showcases about a tenth of his impressive wardrobe.
And lastly, try your hand at dressing up Manneken Pis on one of the replica statues. It’s harder than it looks!
3) Tour the Brussels City Museum
The Brussels City Museum is one of the best activities in Brussels on a rainy day. Not only is this museum in a beautiful building in the middle of Grand Place, it’s also full of engaging artifacts from Brussels’ past and present. Across three floors you’ll find maps, paintings, statues, sculptures and more!
Start with medieval art on the ground floor where each room will surprise you with something new – religious polyptychs, ceiling-height tapestries and even a ceramic bushel of asparagus.
One floor up and you’ll learn more about how the city of Brussels was developed over the years. Try to locate your accommodation on the giant 3D model in the middle of the room!
Finally, you’ll ascend to the top floor where you’ll find two noteworthy exhibits. To the right is a room dedicated to Manneken Pis where you’ll find a timeline of his chaotic history (including kidnappings and dismemberments!) and the original Manneken Pis from the 17th Century – that’s right, the version at the fountain is a copy!
The other noteworthy exhibit hosts the weather vane of Saint Michael at the Town Hall – an almost 19 foot statue of Saint Michael defeating what looks like a dragon in an art style I would describe as “vintage comic book.” Seeing it in person is pretty impressive.
And from the third floor window, you can peer out to the Town Hall across Grand Place and see the replica weather vane in its rightful place!
4) Walk through Gallery Royal St Hubert
Gallery Royal St Hubert is a covered shopping street in Brussels, just off of Grand Place. Think of it as a very narrow and fancy mall!
Most of the shops in Gallery Royal St Hubert seem to be high-end or food related. If you’re looking for the famous Belgian chocolate, you’ll be spoilt for choice here. There are a number of specialty chocolate stores you can browse through to pick up gifts for friends or a snack for you!
There are also a couple of cafes and restaurants if you’d like to take a seat, enjoy a drink or Belgian waffle, and wait out the rain.
5) Visit the Comic Arts Museum
Besides chocolate, fries and waffles, Belgium is also well known for its comics. Famous comic book characters Tin Tin and the Smurfs were invented in Belgium, and the Comic Arts Museum in Brussels pays homage to their art and legacy.
This museum has something for everyone whether you’re a kid or an adult, a comic book aficionado or a distant admirer. However, I do think you will get more out of the museum if you are familiar with more comic book characters or speak French, as many of the strips on display are in French.
But not being a French-speaker of comics-devotee, I still really enjoyed this place! It was very cool to see the different styles of comic books and look at early drafts in the drawing process. I particularly liked the exhibit on The Smurfs, as I used to watch their cartoon growing up.
There are also rotating exhibits in the Comic Arts Museum. While we were there, there was an exhibit on Marc Sleen, who is most well known for his work, The Adventures of Nero and Co.
While I wasn’t familiar with his comics, it was cool to see them come to life. The exhibit also addressed some of the sexist and racist elements in his work (common in comics from the 1940s) with a modern lens, which I found really interesting.
6) Have lunch at Wolf
Wolf is a modern food market located just a few blocks away from the Comic Arts Museum. It’s the perfect place to go if you and your travelling companions can’t all agree on the same cuisine.
Find a table, scan the menu and order directly through your phone from one of the many restaurant stalls at Wolf. When your food is ready, you’ll get a text letting you know to pick it up.
When we visited in September 2022, I had a delicious Vietnamese noodle dish and my husband, Colin, went for fish and chips. See? Something for everyone! There’s also a bar and coffee station in the middle of the food court.
7) Taste chocolate at Choco-Story Brussels
I actually haven’t visited the Choco-Story in Brussels but I have visited the one in Bruges, and I have to assume this one is just as fun and delicious. You’ll start your journey through the museum learning about the history of chocolate and why Belgian chocolate is so famous.
But the best part is the demonstration and tasting. Here you’ll watch a chocolatier make chocolate, while explaining to you how it is made and what the difference is between types of chocolates. And finally, the moment you’ve been waiting for: After the demonstration, you’ll be invited to taste the chocolate. Of course, it’s delicious!
Planning to do a lot of activities in Brussels? Pick up the Brussels Card so you can gain free entry to almost 50 museums (including many on this list!), receive discounts at shops and restaurants, and ride public transport around the city for free!
8) Tour the Royal Palace of Brussels
The Royal Palace of Brussels is the King of Belgium’s official residence and workplace. It’s also one of the most beautiful buildings in Brussels!
Sadly, the Royal Palace is only open for a limited time each year, from July 21 until September. Since I’ve only visited Brussels in February and September, I haven’t been inside the palace myself. But based on the photos, it looks like there are so many incredible rooms to explore. I’m a sucker for a chandelier and ornate ceiling.
If you happen to be visiting Brussels while the Royal Palace is open, definitely put it on your list! And if it’s closed, it’s still worth a stop to check out the beautiful exterior.
9) Go underground at the Palais du Coudenberg
Just around the corner from the Royal Palace is Palais du Coudenberg, where Belgian royalty lived from the 12th Century until the palace was accidentally burned down in 1731. All that remains of Palais du Coudenberg today is the underground foundations, which make it a pretty cool place to discover in Brussels!
While we missed out on the guided tour, it was fun to walk through the different passageways and imagine what the palace used to look like. It felt like an underground maze. There was also an art exhibit set up in some of the rooms which, to be honest, I didn’t quite understand. But it was still cool to look at!
10) Explore more comics at MOOF
If you didn’t get your fill of comics at the Comic Arts Museum, head over to MOOF, the Museum of Original Figurines (aka Brussels Comics Museum). As the title implies, this museum focuses more on figurines rather than comic strips, but still highlights a lot of the same comic book characters.
This museum is definitely smaller and less popular than the Comic Arts Museum, but could appeal to a larger audience. I particularly liked the Tin Tin section, learning about his history and seeing the larger 3D displays of Tin Tin and his friends.
There was also an exhibit with superheroes and a spooky section with a large monster statue that only lit up when you walked by!
11) Grab a drink at Delirium Cafe
Delirium Cafe is an institution in Brussels which holds the Guinness World Record for most beers available to taste: 2004 beers! Since taking home the Guinness title in 2004, Delirium Cafe has expanded around the world but the original still sits, busy as ever, in a small alleyway in Brussels.
We arrived at Delirium on a rainy Saturday afternoon in September and the place was packed. We searched hard until we finally found a small table for two. Colin graciously offered to stand in line at the busy bar and managed to get us two beers we really liked – a wheat ale for him and an apple-flavoured beer for me.
We sipped our drinks and spent the rest of the time people watching and soaking in the atmosphere. The music was blaring, people were putting back drinks and the bar staff were expertly keeping it all under control.
I think it would be a lot of fun to come to Delirium Cafe with a big group of people – though finding a table would be a challenge!
12) Take a peek at Jeanneke Pis
In the same alleyway as Delirium you’ll find Jeanneke Pis, the sister statue to Manneken Pis, which is to say it’s a statue of a little girl peeing. Like Manneken Pis, this statue is outside so you’ll have to brave the rain to see her. But luckily, it should take less than a minute to pop out of Delirium and snap a photo.
Due to repeated vandalism, the Jeanneke Pis statue is located behind bars, so it won’t be quite the same photo opp as with her much more popular male counterpart. But she’s still worth a quick pee(k)!
13) Visit the EU Parlamentarium
Brussels is home to some of the European Union’s most powerful organizations, so there’s no better place to learn about the EU. And the best way to do that is with a free visit to the EU Parlamentarium. Note: While visiting is free, you must reserve your spot in advance online.
Even if you’re not from an EU country, you’ll find lots to interest you at this extensive museum. In my opinion, it starts out a little dry with lots of black and white photos and audio guide selections. However, if you’re into the history of Europe, you’ll love this part.
Once you journey down to the second floor, the EU Parlamentarium gets a lot more fun and interactive. You can watch videos to learn how EU Parliament Members make decisions, slide a little robot over a map of Europe to learn about important EU history, vote on EU issues and much more. We spent a ton of time here and were totally blown away!
Discover more about the EU Parlamentarium and how to spend a European day in Brussels here!
14) Head up the Atomium
The Atomium is one of the top activities in Brussels and offers beautiful views over the city. Constructed for Expo 58, the Atomium now stands tall as a symbol of Belgium. Interesting to look at from the outside, the inside of the Atomium showcases exhibits on the history and culture of Belgium. You’ll also find fascinating architecture and, of course, incredible viewpoints.
If you really want to make the most of your Atomium visit, you can dine at the panoramic restaurant in one of the upper spheres, located 320 feet off the ground. You can also combine a visit to the Atomium with a trip to Mini-Europe which is right next door (more on Mini-Europe below!).
15) Tour through the Sewer Museum
You’re probably thinking, “A sewer museum? Really?” And yes, really! This was actually one of my favourite activities in Brussels. And it’s not as gross as you might think.
You go through the museum with an audioguide that helps explain the history of sewers in Brussels. Surprisingly, it was fascinating to learn how the sewers were made, how the Senne River (not to be confused with the Seine in Paris!) was diverted, and the different styles of sewers. Along the way there are lots of diagrams, videos, artifacts and models for you to learn more.
The Sewer Museum ends at, you guessed it, a sewer! After seeing a reconstructed sewer earlier in the tour, I was surprised we got to walk along a real sewer with rushing water and everything. While our audioguide warned us to be on the lookout for rats, we didn’t spot any. And the smell wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be!
16) Enjoy dinner at Baogo
Yes, you should have Belgian food while visiting Brussels. Get your fill of fries, mussels, waffles, chocolates and more! But once you’re done all that, head to Baogo for dinner 😉
The concept at Baogo is really delicious burgers on Chinese bao buns instead of regular burger buns. I went with a pulled duck and it was so good! The thick-cut sweet potato fries and homemade lemonade were also delicious. And as an added bonus, I loved the playlist they had on while we ate!
If you choose to embrace the rain while visiting Brussels, check out these sights!
So you’ve decided to brave the rain or there’s some respite from the dark clouds? Here are a few more outdoor activities in Brussels you can enjoy!
Admire Grand Place
Grand Place is the main square in Brussels and an absolute-can’t-miss when visiting Belgium. Here you’ll find the Brussels City Museum (mentioned above), Town Hall and a number of other imposing and ornate buildings. If the weather is still bad, just take a quick look around. You’ll be amazed!
Stroll through Brussels Park
Brussels Park is a really beautiful place to go in the city to take a break from urban life and get back to nature. You’ll find plenty of places to stop for a picnic, sit under the trees or even grab a drink or snack. If it’s only lightly raining, walk under the tree line and make use of Mother Nature’s umbrella!
Take in the view from Mont des Arts
Mont des Arts, or Hill of the Arts, is a beautiful garden and lookout point that separates the upper part of Brussels from the lower part. Unfortunately, it’s almost entirely uncovered so if it’s raining when you visit, don’t expect any relief. But even on a rainy, cloudy day, these views are pretty great!
Visit Mini-Europe
Exploring Mini-Europe is one of the most fun activities in Brussels, at least in my opinion! This open-air museum showcases 350 monuments from all over the European Union at 1/25th their actual size. So you can explore all of Europe while you stroll around Mini-Europe in Brussels! Not only do you get to see small-scale versions of the Eiffel Tower, Berlin Wall and Venice canals, you also get to interact with the exhibits as many offer little games or buttons to press.
Colin and I visited Mini-Europe on a very rainy day in Brussels and while we did get soaked, it was so worth it! There’s a cafe you can stop in halfway through your visit to warm up before seeing more of the European Union’s top monuments.
Where to stay in Brussels
Deciding where to stay in Brussels depends on your plans for your visit.
If you are staying in Brussels for a few days to enjoy many of the activities listed above, you’ll want to stay near the city centre. As you can see from the map of activities in Brussels, most of the top sights are within walking distance of each other. So I’d aim to stay near Grand Place. Check out a list of top rated hotels by Grand Place here.
However, if you are staying in Brussels as a base for day trips around BeNeLux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg), you’ll want to be near the main train station, Brussels Midi (aka Brussels Zuid). Confusingly, Brussels Central is actually not the main train station in the city. It is closer to Grand Place, but does not serve as many places as Brussels Midi.
Luckily, Brussels Midi is less than a half hour walk from Grand Place, and an even faster tram ride away. So if you’re planning to do activities in Brussels and take day trips from Brussels, I recommend staying somewhere between Brussels Midi train station and Grand Place.
On our most recent trip to Brussels, we stayed at the Mercure Brussels Centre Midi. This was across the street from Brussels Midi, allowing us to easily go on day trips, and it was also an easy walk to most of Brussels’ top sights. The room was very spacious and clean, the staff were helpful, and the breakfast was so delicious – I highly recommend it!
Done with the rainy day activities in Brussels? Check out one of these day trips from Brussels, Belgium
Once you’ve enjoyed all of your activities in Brussels, you can easily explore more of Belgium and the surrounding countries using Brussels as your base. Check out these great day trips from Belgium! Or, if you have the time, make it an overnight or weekend trip.
Brussels to Ghent day trip
Brussels to Ghent: 30 mins by train
Ghent is one of my favourite day trips from Brussels as there is so much to see and do in Ghent! Tour Gravensteen Castle, see the famous Mystic Lamb painting, take a boat ride along the canals and admire the views from the Ghent Belfry.
Check out this Ghent & Bruges day trip from Brussels or this full day Ghent trip from Brussels!
Brussels to Bruges day trip
Brussels to Bruges: 1 hour by train
Bruges is probably the most popular day trip from Brussels, thanks to the famous 2008 Colin Farrell movie. And luckily, fairytale Bruges lives up to the hype. Admire the medieval buildings, spend time in the main square, climb the Belfry and pop into a few chocolate shops!
Check out this Bruges & Ghent day trip from Brussels or this full day Bruges day trip from Brussels!
Brussels to Antwerp day trip
Brussels to Antwerp: 40 minutes by train
While Bruges and Ghent get more of the attention, a trip from Brussels to Antwerp should definitely be on your list. Wander through the old town and spot the remarkable Antwerp Cathedral, visit the Antwerp Zoo (one of the oldest in the world), shop for diamonds, pop into art galleries, and marvel at the prettiest train station you’ve ever seen!
Check out this Antwerp & Ghent tour from Brussels or this full day Antwerp trip from Brussels!
Brussels to Paris day trip
Brussels to Paris: 1.5 hours by train
Can you believe Paris is only a 90 minute train ride away from Brussels? Oui oui! In just a short time you can be walking along the Seine, seeing art at the Louvre, admiring the Eiffel Tower, eating croissants and shopping along the Champs-Élysées. Check out my itinerary for 2 days in Paris – the perfect weekend trip from Brussels!
Brussels to Amsterdam day trip
Brussels to Amsterdam: 2 hours by train
In just two hours you can be walking along the canals in one of my favourite cities in Europe. Like Paris, Amsterdam makes the perfect weekend trip from Brussels – or just an Amsterdam day trip if you don’t have the extra time. Tour the Anne Frank House, go on a canal boat cruise, wander through art museums, take a bike tour, eat Dutch pancakes and soak up the magic of this beautiful city.
Check out my itinerary for 3 days in Amsterdam and my tips for a first time visit to Amsterdam!
If you’d rather not plan your own trip, go on a day tour of Amsterdam from Brussels with this tour.
Brussels to Luxembourg day trip
Brussels to Luxembourg City: 3 hours by train
While 3 hours one-way may be a little long for a day trip, Luxembourg could make another great overnight or weekend trip from Brussels. I haven’t been to Luxembourg yet but have heard great things about the beautiful Old Quarter, casemates, cathedral and museums.
Check out this day tour of Dinant and Luxembourg from Brussels!
Don’t miss one of these great and easy day trips from Brussels:
Wrapping up your rainy day activities in Brussels
When we visited Brussels again in September 2022, I chose it mostly because it was a convenient stop between Paris and Amsterdam. To be honest, I was more excited for day trips in Belgium than to actually spend any time in Brussels. But I was dead wrong! Brussels completely surprised me and was one of the highlights of our trip.
While many people pass over Brussels in favour of Bruges or Paris, I think the Belgian capital deserves a few days on your itinerary. With so much to see and do, it’d be a shame to miss out on Brussels.
Rain or shine, I’m confident that you will find some awesome activities in Brussels to entertain you and make the most of your trip!
Brussels looks very romantic in rainy weather. I visit this place every year.
Yes, can be a very romantic city!