Access BrusselsBrussel · Bruxelles

All Articles

Everything published on Access Brussels, newest first — what is free, which day things are shut, how the ticket works, and what to do with one day or a week.

The guild houses of the Grand-Place
Photograph by EmDee, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
A cone of Belgian fries being handed over
Photograph by Pedemann, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Three Belgian beers in their own glasses
Photograph by DimiTalen, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
A street on the Brussels comic book route
Photograph by Trougnouf, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Bilingual Brussels: Which Language to Use, and When It Matters

The Streets Of Brussels

Which language should you use in Brussels, and when does it matter? Default to French in most of Brussels, since it is the dominant home language across the region. Switch to Dutch in a handful of neighborhoods, and use English as a practical fallback almost everywhere. It matters most with commune administration, the police, and … Read more

Which Brussels Museums Are Free, and On Which Days

A handful of Brussels museums cost nothing on any day of the year. A larger group is free on one recurring day a month — usually the first Sunday, sometimes the first Wednesday afternoon — but only for the permanent collection. The catch, almost always, is in the fine print rather than the headline. Which … Read more

What Shuts in Brussels on Mondays, and How to Plan Around It

Brussels South Railway Station Surrounding Area

Monday is the closure day for most Brussels museums, including the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium and the Magritte Museum. It is not a citywide shutdown, though. A specific group of attractions — transport museums, the Atomium, outdoor markets — deliberately stays open. Shops follow a different pattern again, closer to normal than … Read more

What Is Open in Brussels on a Sunday, and What Is Shut

The lit arcade of the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert

Photograph by Francisco Anzola, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Most shops in Brussels close on Sunday, by law rather than habit. Banks, post offices, and public administration offices shut too. But the city does not go dark: museums stay open, most restaurants trade as normal, night shops sell through the evening, and several designated zones let ordinary shops open every day of the week, … Read more

About what you read here. Everything on Access Brussels is general information and our own editorial opinion. We research carefully and we say when the evidence is unclear, but we can be wrong, things change, and no article can know your particular situation. Please do your own research and make your own judgement rather than treating anything here as the final word. Prices, products and specifications around the topics we cover change constantly, and what suits one person will not suit another. Check current details yourself, and where a decision involves real money, safety or something you cannot undo, it is worth confirming with a qualified professional before you act.