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 tried to do the collection justice in one day, result was impossible. The prehistoric man and…read moreMerovingian sections were new and beautifully labelled and displayed. Note, the placards for much of the museum's collection are not also in English. The summaries of the history of each group of peoples was also in English. The Roman collection was displayed in a very dated manner, many of the objects did not have labels. The Islamic collection was outstanding as was the ancient Middle East, in fact the Middle East collection could very well stand on its own. The Mexico, Central America and South America sections were quite varied. So much really to see, I had to run through the Egyptian section just to get a glimpse. If you're as lucky I myself and have visited many of the countries where these pieces are from, then this museum is for you. From what I noted of the other visitors, they really did not have an interest in the collection. Too bad on them.

Extraordinary little museum dedicated to the life of Paul Cauchie, who was a very famous Art…read moreNouveau artist, contemporaneous with Horta. The facade of the house makes it impossible to miss: it's decorated with gold leaf images of stylised women, and graceful curls and swirls, rather like a Klimt painting. Inside, the Belgian owners will give you a guided tour, usually in French only so if you only speak English you may have to rely on the generosity of someone else on the tour to translate for you. But it would still be worth visiting this place: the entrance price is ludicrously cheap, and the history of the renovation of the house is as interesting as its origins. The place was nearly bulldozed by the Brussels authorities, but the owners fought to save and buy it, and painstakingly renovated the interior's rich murals, all created by Cauchie and his wife. Cauchie was not a wealthy man, so his technique for decorating the house was to plaster it and then engrave the designs with the end of a thick paintbrush, wait til the plaster dried, and then apply paint. A gem of a place, almost better than the extravagance of the Horta house museum. Do try to catch it, despite the limited opening hours.

I'm a sucker for history museums, the history of war, and especially looking at jets and planes so…read morethe Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History was just the place for me to go on my last full day exploring around Brussels. This place is absolutely massive from the second you walk in and see the birth of Belgian history, all the flags hanging, and the hundreds of old military uniforms on display. The main reason I wanted to come was for what was next, the giant hanger full of old military airplanes, helicopters, and fighter jets. Words can't describe how much history was in that room but I throughly enjoyed the 45 minutes I spent looking at planes from Belgium, Germany, the UK, and even one where I'm from, Canada. The museum continues with deep Belgian history, an area covering Nazi Germany, Japan during world war 2, and so much more I can't even scratch the surface in this small review. Overall, The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History absolutely blew me away. The visuals here are breathtaking, the history beyond interesting, and the exhibits looked beautiful. My only complaint, similar to other Belgian museums was the lack of any sort of souvenir for the actual museum. I would have loved a magnet representing the experience I had here, oh well.

This museum was ok. It would have been nice to know that half of it was under construction. There…read morewasn't too much to see on the airplane side. Half of the military museum was also under construction. We pretty much just saw WWII history.

This isn't the best car museum I've been to; the explanation and history of the cars is a little…read morelacking which was a bit disappointing, especially as they have some unique cars I would like some more insight into. They do have a large and reasonably varied selection. The collection focuses mostly on European cars with the majority being French or Belgian, a lot of American, then a smattering of others including Italian and British. There are a handful of Japanese vehicles as well as some pre-car displays as well. They also have a section covering Belgian racing (such as the Spa track) which I would really love to see more fleshed out - with more history and background. It took me about 30 minutes and was worth the fee but if you've been to any of the other major car museums then I would not feel obligated to visit this one. I arrived at opening so plan a little more time if coming at a busier hour. It is a short bus ride (and a not much longer walk) from the EU and is within a lovely park; so if you're already in the area I would recommend it.

I enjoyed this museum. There's a good variety of cars throughout the decades. Easy to walk through…read more They have rotating exhibits.

Stopped by on a Saturday at around 2:30 pm. It's a bit far from the city centre. We walked there…read morebecause it was a 25 minute walk from where we were but on the way back, we ended up taking an Uber because it would have been a 35 minute walk back to our hotel, and there is no convenient public transportation from there. The museum is free with the Brussels Card, which is what we used. I would have been disappointed if we had to pay full price. The museum looks old and has a funky BO smell to it. It needs some upgrades. It was also pretty empty for a Saturday, so that's saying a lot. In the basement is where they house the human lifecycle exhibit and temporary exhibit. The temporary exhibit was actually pretty cool. It was different stations with different puzzles you had to solve. Kind of like a makeshift escape room. A very makeshift because all they did was put up black curtains everywhere. The rest of the museum upstairs was a lot of fake taxidermy animals that don't really describe their habits/habitats - just what they are. We probably spent an about 1.5 hours (the escape room exhibit took us about 1 hour already) before we were over it. Overall, a pretty underwhelming museum for two adults. There are some museums that cater to all ages, but this isn't one of them and could use a serious revamp.

This museum was amazing! So many cool dinosaurs and exhibits; and everything was in English as…read morewell. The ocean dinosaurs was a cool, little exhibit. My mom and I visited here a few months ago while we were in Europe and this was a great science museum. We arrived shortly after they opened and the museum was very easy to get through; not a lot of people yet. My mom and I followed the colored arrows on all of the paths throughout the museum, which were easy to follow. If I'm in Brussels again, I would go back.

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

Royal palace in Brussels. About a 10 walk from the grand place plaza and gare centrale. Very well…read moremaintained Royal residence. The self guided tour is free and takes about 45 minutes. Well worth the stop and also diversion from the summer heat for some air conditioning if needed.

Today was a sunny Sunday... so we decided to take a stroll in Brussels…read more We were just passing by the Royal Palace (like we usually do) but this time we decided to stop by for a curious tour within the walls of this majestic place. Luckily it's summer time and the Royal Palace opens for a couple of weeks (July 22 - September 6) which is a great initiative to make the locals and tourists discover a part of the Belgian heritage and a bonus point for everyone, the entrance is free! This is my very first visit (after being in Belgium for 20 years) and it was about time. The ambiance in and out of the Palace was relaxed but a bit crowded due to the massive number of visitors (Sunny Sunday). A guided map is available for only a Euro at the main hall. There isn't really a starting point of the tour, you can just go with the flow as you'll be following the movement of those in front of you. We passed by different rooms where some numbers are attached to the portraits, rugs, etc. (detailed info might have been mentioned on the guided map that I didn't bought). There were guards everywhere mainly to remind the visitors to not use their camera flashes. The place was quite clean and tidied up, all the lights were lit for the occasion which really shows how grandiose this place is. From the salon room through the passageway, the back halls to the prestige ballrooms, an attention to details is required and that is from the floor up to the ceiling. The Royal Palace has been well preserved for all these years and hopefully for many more to come as this shows the history of Belgium and where the Belgian's should be proud of !!! A good place to go if you want to discover a bit of Belgium's history.

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.

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.