Having dealt with so many EU regulations in my past lives, I thought it would be interesting to…read morecheckout the EU Parliament campus. I had to register first to book my timeslots for touring the EU Hemicycle and Parlamentarium and receive a ticket via email. To enter the Parlamentarium you had to first get your ticket scanned and then go through security screening. A free audio guide was included and it was activated when you touched one of the three audio guide symbols posted on a particular display. One of the first exhibits informed that Brussels was just one of 3 locations where Parliament had an official building. The other 2 were also described: Strasbourg and Luxembourg. The next section was a bit bigger and covered the growth of the EU with many displays briefly documenting the journey each country went through before becoming part of the EU. The last section covered the hemicycle, introduction to representation and those people holding office and making laws (of which I knew about too many). There also was a large 360 degree theatre and a large interactive floor map where families were rolling around moveable terminals. Before exiting you can take a selfie and write whatever you want for posting on the electronic wall of reflection. It was an interesting visit given the EU's evolution and different approach to many topics versus the US.

Very informative exhibits about the formation of the European Union. Definitely recommended if you…read morehave a n extra hour or two while in Belgium.

We were in Brussels for a night and was exploring the area when we stumbled across an office…read morebuilding that had a virtual room sticker. We were super curious as to what it was and happened to bump into a guy coming out of the building. He was able to speak to us in english and offered to let us play the virtual reality escape room! He told us that they have not finished setting up the whole place yet, and we would be the first public group to experience this. My group and I love escape rooms & have gone to plenty in the US. But we've never tried a virtual one. The concept was super cool! In reality, the 3 of us were in separate rooms with headsets & consoles, but in the virtual world, we were literally standing side by side to solve puzzles. We had to perform tasks together in order to move onto the next virtual reality setting. We were able to throw things to each other, talk to each other, and even take selfies. An hour later, we were all very sad it was over. We were also able to meet the owner and talk to him about their expansion plans. Hopefully, they will come to Los Angeles, CA soon!! Overall this was a super cool concept, and we were glad we were able to participate in it. It really made our Brussels stay a memorable one. Thank you Virtual Room!!

I wouldn't really call this a museum, but for five euros, it's definitely worth it. It's really…read morejust one room with some info on how the beer is made and a short video playing on a screen. You're basically paying for a really good-quality beer. You can choose between a dark or light ale, and the owner is super friendly. He let us take fun photos behind the bar, pretending to serve the beer ourselves. This is a fun little stop if you're near the Grand Place.

Not much to this "museum". For five euros, you get access to a short video in a small room with…read moresome old beer making equipment. You also get a beer - either house light or dark. Honestly, that's the going price for a beer anyway.

What a beautiful landscape to walk the grounds and simply admire the beauty with a coffee in hand…read more The gardens are so well kept and perfect to admire all the different vegetation they keep maintained. The various sculptures and fountains had me in awe. I noticed there was a strong affiliattion for koi fish at each one. After some sleuthing it was apparent that artists in Belgium also saw koi fish as a sign of good luck. We accessed Botanique by strolling the adjacent park close to our hotel and it made for a wonderful morning. There are plenty of benches and of course you can hang out on the steps of the Botanique. I felt like I was on an international episode of Gossip Girl tbh #IYKYK.

Arrived around 11:30 on a Friday just to walk around the grounds. It's pretty underwhelming, as…read morethere was not much to see. It's basically a big garden with a greenhouse and fountain at the end. It's a bit far from the city centre so if you're a tourist just looking for things to do, you can probably skip it. I have a feeling it's more for locals to get away from the noise of the city.

After our scheduled tour was canceled, I was looking for places to go and found this suggestion…read moreunder a Yelp collection. After realizing Belgium was the home of the smurfs, I had to stop by. In front of the entrance is a huge smurf statue, and right next door is the smurf store. The museum cost 14 Euros, which is equivalent to about $15 usd. They do request that you don't use flash when taking pictures. I really enjoyed this museum and the flashback of my childhood. If you grew up watching the Smurfs or TinTin, I would add the Mook Museum to your list. Our visit was 45 minutes to an hour.

Amazing museum - very unusual musical instruments - 3 full floors of exhibits. You are able to…read morehear the instruments through museum provided headphones

My mother and I visited this museum while we were in Brussels a few months ago and it was another…read moregreat museum in Brussels. They have a TON of paintings and sculptures. They have some great stuff here and I really liked the space in between each piece of art, as odd as that sounds, it let you spread out a bit when looking at a painting. There are many, huge rooms on two floors and there was something around every corner. This place was really cool and I would definitely visit here again.

This is one of Belgium's most famous fine arts museum. The buying tickets process is a bit…read morecomplicated as there are options to buy one exhibit or multiple exhibits. Either way, the ticket prices aren't hugely expensive and each exhibit is quite good so even if you buy the wrong exhibit, you'll have a good time. The museum itself is huge and I really appreciate them having electronic kiosks here and there to tell the stories of the paintings. There was one kiosk explaining how a painting of a family portrait got chopped off into three bits and the process of then identifying these pieces as a singular unit. I thought the story was quite incredibly as you not only learn about the art but also the way the museum conducts its business. While I was walking, I noticed that there was an English led tour going on and decided to join in. Not sure if this is for additional moneys, but honestly I would highly HIGHLY recommend. This is the only reason why the museum would get a 5-stars. The explainer was absolutely amazing, I definitely think that this was the best art museum tour I have ever been on. The guide didn't talk about many paintings, maybe 10-15 during the 1 hour tour, but every single painting she did talk about had such an interesting backstory and you're not learning just about the history but also about how the museum curates its work. You will definitely be able to get a deeper sense of appreciation for this place. Overall, highly recommend visiting, especially if you're deciding on going on a tour. The surrounding areas are also very nice too and would highly recommend checking out the surrounding architectures after the gallery visit.

I got to see Moonrise Kingdom here well after I thought I'd missed my chance to see it in theaters,…read moreso I can't help but like this place. That being said, the setup definitely leaves you a bit wanting. If you want to pay with cash, you have to go to the main entrance. The secondary entrance (for screens 12-14) can only accept credit cards. They run showtimes nearly back-to-back, so you have to wait in the entranceway for your screen to be called. Although screens 12-14 are smaller, this still results in a large crowd of people about ten minutes before showtime.

The better of the two central cinemas in Brussels, the cinema in Bruckere is more into the big…read moreblookbusters, this one has everything. Like a normal cinema nothing special. But i like it...

The "musée des enfants" is a place I discovered fairly quickly when I moved to Brussels. Simply…read morebecause I live almost next to it. When I say discovered, I should specify the gardens. There is a public playground outside, which is open daily until 1800 if I a not mistaken. There are swings of all sizes, slides, and a few goats (behind a grid) that will entertain any young child. Now this year we were looking for a location to celebrate my son's 6th birthday, and they offer very nice all inclusive packages (animation, cake and drinks), I know it is available in French and Dutch and strongly believe it is possible in english. The entertainment is provided by young adults that browse through various rooms of the museum where different themes are on displays. The worlds cultural differences, the cycle of life, etc... the displays are well conceived and the level of detail provided by the leader is adapted to the audience. The ONLY weak point is that the museum is a real classic for schools in Brussels, so you might be confronted with a group of kids who have already seen everything;-) But they do renew the displays on a bi-yearly basis.

From the owner: Cours privés de Théâtre, Barre au sol, Yoga et Pilatesread more

I have a tradition when I travel to try to find the less mainstream museums. I'm the person who'll…read moreshun the Natural History Museum in favour of a museum of creepy dolls (you'd be surprised at how many of these there are). I mean, ideally I'd go to both, but still. Anyway, this is how we found ourselves tracking down the MEM - the Erotic and Mythology Museum and handing over €10 for the privilege of exploring it. This is very much a private, personal collection that the collector has decided to make public. It's a small operation and you need to be buzzed in, but the person at the front desk was very friendly and helpful. First off, she led us downstairs to the basement floor and gave us guides to the exhibits printed in English. She told us that the collector had started by collecting small figures when he was a teenager and that his collection grew and expanded from there. I was worried this was going to become a very embarrass and awkward guided tour but thankfully she pointed us to the first display case and said to come back upstairs when we were done. The exhibits are fascinating. They have figurines and decorative items not to mention some, ahem, devices. They span a wide period of history and some must be quite rare. Our guide also mentioned that an erotic museum in Paris has recently closed and that the collector is trying to bring as many pieces to Brussels as he can. So I expect the collection will soon be expanded. We went back upstairs and were told that there was even more to see on the next floor up. Which was true. Off we went to pick up more printed guides and explore more fascinating (and yes, ok, sometimes hilarious) artefacts. We definitely got our €10 worth.

My 500th review had to be saved for the best. A museum completely dedicated to the history of…read moreerotic art? Yes, please -- where do I sign up? I don't think it was more than 10 or 15 euro per person, which I was more than happy to shell out. This place was definitely small, but they managed to pack tons of art in various forms into this exhibit. They covered at least a thousand years from countless countries. To say that is was fascinating would be a huge understatement. I was glad that it was a self-guided tour. My wife and I spent more time on the first floor than the others. I will admit that some of it was comical to us, but overall, it was one of the best museum visits I've had.