Brussels

Museums & Exhibitions

The Atomium symbolizes an iron crystal, magnified 165 billion times, referring to the power of nuclear energy that in 1958 was intended for peaceful use. Today it carries on the debate of 1958: What kind of future do we want for tomorrow? It was not intended that the Atomium survive beyond the 1958 World Fair but its popularity soon made it a key landmark, first in Brussels, and then internationally. It has become one of the icons of Brussels, and since its inspired restoration in 2006, it is referred to as the most Belgian of monuments. The panorama alone is worth a trip to the Atomium. Thanks to its location on a naturally elevated plateau on the outskirts of town, the Atomium offers the only true 360-degree panoramic view of the 19 municipalities of Brussels. The permanent exhibition, Atomium, tells the history of this pavilion. This year there are also two temporary exhibitions. The first, ID#2021, is an immersive experience. Discover an exciting sound and light digital creation. The second, View from My Window, consists of a selection of more than 400 photographs depicting a Belgian success story that started with a Facebook group initiated in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic. The audio-visual installations, prints, webcams, and time-lapses give you an insight into the perspectives of the individuals involved. At 95 meters above ground in the top sphere of the monument, the Atomium Restaurant offers an extraordinary experience. Whether you choose Belgian specialties or seasonal dishes, Alexandre Masson revisits tradition, with the clouds at hand.

Discover Europe's most popular attractions in miniature. Encounter monuments from across the continent recreated down to the smallest detail. See a 4-meter high Big Ben, and 13-meter tall Eiffel tower, with all attractions recreated at a scale of 1 to 25. Be amazed at the eruption of Vesuvius and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Watch the launch of Ariane V and marvel at many other working models. Both young and old will enjoy spending a couple of hours exploring Mini-Europe. Experience also a fascinating and interactive Spirit of Europe exhibit that takes you through the history of the European Union, its place in the world. A catalog brimming with interesting anecdotes is included with the purchase of an adult ticket.

Visit the world's largest collection of works by René Magritte. Enjoy access to more than 230 works and archives of the famous surrealist artist. View oil paintings, sketches, and sculptures, as well as posters, photographs and films made by Magritte himself. After viewing the surrealist masterpieces, take a relaxing break at the on site café and restaurant. Stop by the shop for an impressive selection of posters, postcards, gifts and books.

Begin your chocolate experience by touring the museum for approximately one and a half hours. Peruse with your audio guide and discover the history of cocoa and chocolate in an interactive and fun way. Enjoy chocolate tastings and watch a demonstration on Belgian's famous artisanal pralines. Afterward, learn to make your own chocolates with the help of a professional chocolate maker. Create mendiant chocolates, personalized chocolate bars, and lollies to take home with you. The chocolate making workshop takes about one hour.  

Journey through the story of chocolate at Choco-Story Brussels, and learn the origins of the precious commodity and its transformation to the finished product. Delve deep in the history of the Aztecs, and discover how cocoa arrived in Europe.  Admire the exhibits of the museum, including illustrations, informative panels and videos that explain the culture of cocoa and how it is turned into chocolate. Watch a demonstration by a master chocolatier on how to make artisanal pralines.  Enjoy several tastings throughout your visit, and benefit from the chance to purchase some chocolates in the gift shop.

Book your admission ticket to Autoworld, the National Automobile Museum located in the heart of Brussels, the capital of Europe. The museum is housed in a historic building that was built in 1880 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Kingdom of Belgium. From 1902 to 1936 the building hosted motorcar and motorbike exhibitions, and since 1986 it has featured a major part of Ghislain Mahy’s renowned collection. On permanent display are more than 250 vehicles, ranging from cars and trucks to motorcycles. From the early models of the distant past to contemporary cars, visitors are guided through the motorcar’s fabulous history beginning in the late 19th century. Autoworld is a museum on the move, featuring temporary exhibitions throughout the year that take on various automotive themes. Every 2 years Autoworld organizes a major exhibition within a specific aspect of performance design. Past themes have included Bugatti 100 Years, Belgian Racing Legends, Ferdinand Porsche, Heritage and more recently Italian Car Passion.

Access one of the most enchanting museums in Brussels with an entrance ticket to Train World. Located in the old Schaerbeek rail station building, the museum opened in September 2015 and boasts over 8,000 square meters of space. Benefit from a free downloadable Train World app to help you make the most of your visit. Audio guides are also available for rent, or you can book a live guide in your chosen language for an additional fee. Once inside the museum, explore independently and see highlights such as the 19th-century "Pays de Waes" locomotive, the oldest preserved locomotive in continental Europe. Head to the on-site restaurant when you need a break or to enjoy lunch before or after your visit. Experience the warm hospitality of the restaurant and brewery "RN Express" and dine in a unique environment. Included in your admission ticket is access to the temporary exhibitions as follows: • Until April 18 2021: Choco Loco. Explore the tasty world of chocolate at the heart of Train World • From 7 May to 27 June 2021: Peking to Hankow. A Belgian adventure in China • From 26 October 2021 to 18 April 2022: Orient Express

Save time and money in Brussels and get access to 49 museums and attractions. Choose from a 24-hour, 48-hour, or 72-hour Brussels Card and create your own itinerary in the city. Present your card at the ticket desk of any of the participating venues and it will be electronically validated and activated on first use. Benefit from free access to all permanent collections, along with most temporary exhibitions at participating museums (excluding the Old Masters Museum, Natural Sciences Museum, Cinquantenaire Museum, and the Hall Gate). You can visit the same museum as many times as you like.  Avail of discounts on various attractions and tours, along with exclusive offers at shops, restaurants, and bars. Plan your visit with the free booklet you’ll receive when you exchange your voucher and make use of the STIB public transportation network to travel for free. Museums: • AfricaMuseum • Art & History Museum • Art & Marges Museum • Autoworld Brussels • Autrique House • Belgian Chocolate Village • Belgian Comic Strip Center • Belgian Museum of Freemasonry • BELvue Museum • Boghossian Foundation BOZAR (Centre for Fine Arts) • Brussels City Museum • CENTRALE for contemporary art • Charlier Museum • Choco-Story Brussels • CIVA • Coudenberg Palace • Design Museum Brussels • Erasmus House and Old Beguinage • Fashion & Lace Museum • Fin-de-Siècle Museum • Fondation Jacques Brel (permanent exhibition) • GardeRobe MannekenPis • Halle Gate • Jewish Museum of Belgium • KANAL - Centre Pompidou • KBR museum • La Fonderie – Brussels Museum of Industry and Work • Le Botanique Magritte Museum • Maurice Béjart House • Meise Botanic Garden • MIGRATIEMUSEUMMIGRATION MIMA - Millennium Iconoclast • Museum of Art • MOOF (Museum of Original Figurines) • Museum of abstract art • Museum of Medicine • Museum of Natural Sciences • Museum of the Belgian Brewers • Musical Instruments Museum • Old Masters Museum • Planetarium of Brussels • René Magritte Museum • Royal Military Museum • Schaerbeek Beer Museum • Sewer Museum • The Crossbow Guild Museum • Train World WIELS • Experience.brussels: free entrance + free booklet • Koekelberg Basilica: -2€ off the individual entrance fee for the panoramic view (6€) • ARAU (Art Nouveau tours): -30% off the individual ticket price (20€) • Bamko (feminist and decolonial tours): -30% off the individual ticket price • Beer and Chocolate Tour: -10€ off the adult ticket price (80€) • Brussels by Water: -2€ off the adult ticket price (6€) • Brussels City Tours: -15% off the adult ticket price for all tours (Ghent, Bruges, Brussels, Amsterdam, Ypres…) • City Runs: -25% off the tour prices (24€) • L-Tour (rainbow tours): -30% off the individual ticket price (10€) • Town Hall: -50% off the ticket price (7€ adults, 5€ students & pensioners) • Wetsi Art Gallery (female African artists-tours) -25% off the individual ticket price (12€) Shops: • De Biertempel: -25% • Brussels Beer Project: free beer of the month • Librairie Galerie Brüsel: -5% • Elisabeth: -15% • Godiva Manneken Pis: -25% • Planète Chocolat: -20% Restaurants and Bars: • A La Mort Subite: free coffee • Archiduc: -50% on concerts • Les filles: free coffee • Brasserie Horta: free coffee • Restaurant Aux Armes de Bruxelles: -15% off the bill • Restaurant Chez Léon: -15% off the bill • Moeder Lambic: free tapa • Restaurant du MIM: free coffee Alternative Transportation • Electric bike Billy Bike: free ride • Electric scooter Circ: free ride

Easily accessible by public transportation from Brussels, AfricaMuseum tells the story of human and natural history with a collection of artifacts from the colonial era in central Africa.  Aiming to objectively frame the art and cultural objects acquired during Belgium's rule in Rwanda and Congo, the museum has undergone extensive renovations and is now open to the public. Topics of colonial history, sustainable development and biodiversity are now addressed head-on following the museum's redesign. A curated collection of contemporary art has also been added to paint a fuller picture of Central Africa, past and present. Visit the new temporary exhibition Human Zoo. The age of colonial exhibitions recounts the now-forgotten history of persons put on display as ‘living exhibits’, illustrated by exceptional images and documents that in some cases are on public view for the first time. While the exhibition focuses on the ‘Congolese villages’ of Tervuren, Antwerp (1885 and 1894) and Brussels (1958), it also zooms out to show the phenomenon’s truly global context. Persons from all over the world were exhibited in ‘human zoos’, and some lost their lives in the West. Your entry ticket will give you access to walk the French gardens, browse collections of artifacts that bring the past to life in the remodeled, and see the contemporary African art.

Choose a 24, 48, or 72 hour card and you can visit the same museum as many times as you like. You simply need to present your Brussels Card at the ticket desk and it will be electronically validated and activated the first time you use it. You’ll have free access to all permanent collections of the museums. Most of the temporary exhibitions are also included, except at Old Masters Museum, Natural Sciences Museum and Cinquantenaire Museum.  The discounts for the various attractions, tours, shops, restaurants, and bars provided in the booklet you’ll receive when you exchange your voucher are for single use only, but the discounts remain valid even after the Brussels Card has expired. To obtain a discount, you simply need to present the Brussels Card and the corresponding voucher. Museums (Free entry): AfricaMuseum Art & History Museum Art & Marges Museum Autoworld Brussels Autrique House Belgian Chocolate Village Belgian Comic Strip Center Belgian Museum of Freemasonry BELvue Museum Boghossian Foundation BOZAR (Centre for Fine Arts) Brussels City Museum CENTRALE for contemporary art Charlier Museum Choco-Story Brussels CIVA Coudenberg Palace Design Museum Brussels Erasmus House and Old Beguinage Fashion & Lace Museum Fin-de-Siècle Museum Fondation Jacques Brel (permanent exhibition) GardeRobe MannekenPis Halle Gate Jewish Museum of Belgium KANAL - Centre Pompidou KBR museum La Fonderie – Brussels Museum of Industry and Work Le Botanique Magritte Museum Maurice Béjart House Meise Botanic Garden MIGRATIEMUSEUMMIGRATION MIMA - Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art MOOF (Museum of Original Figurines) Museum of abstract art Museum of Medicine Museum of Natural Sciences Museum of the Belgian Brewers Musical Instruments Museum Old Masters Museum Planetarium of Brussels René Magritte Museum Royal Military Museum Schaerbeek Beer Museum Sewer Museum The Crossbow Guild Museum Train World WIELS Attractions (discounts): Experience.brussels: free entrance + free booklet Koekelberg Basilica: -2€ off the individual entrance fee for the panoramic view (6€) Shops (discounts): De Biertempel: -25% on purchase of 35€ or more Elisabeth (chocolate store): -15% on purchase of 35€ or more Godiva Manneken Pis (chocolate store): -15% on purchase of 35€ or more Librairie Galerie Brüsel: -5% on every purchase Planète Chocolat: -20% on every purchase and / or -1€ off chocolate demonstrations Restaurants and Bars (discounts) Archiduc: -50% on concerts Aux Armes de Bruxelles: -15% off the bill Brasserie Horta: free coffee (if ordered with a waffle, a crêpe or an ice-cream) Chez Léon: -15% off the bill La Fleur en Papier Doré: free coffee (if ordered with a “Brussels’ specials” dish) or 1€ off drinks Les Filles: free coffee (if ordered with lunch) Moeder Lambic: 1 free tapa (charcuterie), if taken with 2 beers Brussels Beer Project: 1 free beer of the month (12,5 cl) if taken with a beer from the taproom Alternative Transportation Electric bike Billy Bike: free ride Electric Scooter Dott: free ride