Yuletide in Brussels

A short night passes quickly, sped on by the thrill of anticipation. Your jet airplane touches down with the dawn in Brussels, the capital city of Belgium.

Enjoy some free time in Brussels today.

Set out to explore the city center. See the Royal Palace, the elegant Grand'Place, heart of the Old Town with the Gothic Hôtel de Ville, and the well-known landmark of the Manneken-pis fountain. (You'll want to return to the Grand' Place in the evening, when it is spectacularly floodlit.)

Tonight, meet passports staff as well as fellow organizers at the welcome reception. Share stories as you enjoy refreshments and canapés.

Get acquainted with Brussels on a coach tour that highlights landmarks such as the Royal Palace.

A half-day local guide, well-educated and specially-trained on the history and culture of Brussels, will accompany you today.

Your coach will also take you to the outskirts of the city to view the Atomium, which has been called Brussels' Eiffel Tower. It was built for the 1958 World's Fair on the model of an iron crystal enlarged 165 billion times.

Enjoy a walking tour on the Grand-Place, the heart of the Old Town, which is surrounded by the magnificent façades of guildhouses and the Gothic Town Hall.

Walk to Rue de l'Étuve, located off the Grand-Place, to meet the Manneken-Pis. This 1619 bronze statue depicting a little boy who saved Brussels, according to local lore, has become an emblem of the city's tenacity.

Visit Planète Chocolat, the home of one of the city's best chocolateries, to see how the traditional manufacturing of Belgian chocolate has been raised into an art.

This chocolate-maker's shop alone is a delight while its Museum of Chocolate informs visitors about the discovery of cocoa, and the evolution of its transformation into chocolate through the centuries. Of course, a taste of of the wonderful pralines is included!

Retrace the history of Europe, and ponder about the future of one of the great experiments of our time, the European Union, on a visit to the Maison de l'Histoire européenne, a EU museum inaugurated in 2017.

A multimedia tablet in hand (official ID required), you will view permanent exhibits that take visitors from Greece and Rome to our time, as well as temporary exhibits that focus on particular issues.

While in Bruxelles, you may want to check out why Belgian beer has been listed by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

To do so, there's no better place than the Cantillon Brewery, which has been called legendary among the producers of typical Belgian beers classified as lambic, gueuze, faro, and kriek.

A guide well-versed in the history of both the Cantillon Brewery and greuze beers will provide explanations and answer all your questions.

Enjoy some free time in Brussels today.

Why not visit the iconic Atomium? Visitors have an unobstructed view of Brussels from the observatory located in its top sphere. A permanent exhibit illustrates the conception, design, construction and renovation of this unique building. Temporary exhibits, a restaurant and a shop are also part of its attractions.

Consider a visit to the Belgian Comic Strip Center, or Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée ("BD" for short).There, in the heart of Europe's capital of the comic strip, visitors meet characters such as Hergé's Tintin and Peyo's blue Smurfs, which lead a stellar pack created by more than 650 Belgian comic strip authors.

Consider a visit to the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts to view superb art collections from the 15th century to the present day, including masterpieces by Brueghel, Rubens and Magritte.

You may want to see Europe at one glance at Mini-Europe, an exhibit of some 300 famous European buildings reduced to a 1:25 scale. Water slides and other watery delights are available at the Océade next door, while Autoworld displays a remarkable collection of vintage cars.

Enjoy an excursion to Bruges, a city that was once a world-famous trading center and a cradle of Flemish art, and which is now a beautiful reminder of medieval times and pageantry.

Visit the Heilig-Bloedbasiliek to see panels painted by Pieter Pourbus in 1556. Behind the basilica's ornate façade, you will find a lower chapel in the Romanesque style and, above, the Flamboyant Gothic Chapel of the Holy Blood. You will also visit the Onze-lieve-Vrouwekerk, a church which houses a marble Madonna and Child sculpted by Michelangelo.

A great way to see this "Venice of the North" is from the water itself! Glide along canals past well-known landmarks as well as picturesque townhouses and gardens not visible from any streets.

Tonight, you'll be treated to a special farewell dinner.

Au revoir! Tot ziens! Most good things must come to an end. Stately avenues glide past your coach window as you head to Brussels' airport. You'll arrive home today, eager to share your discoveries with family and friends.