10 Best Museums in Brussels

The Belgian capital, the heart of Europe, can be easily explored in a weekend. You will have plenty of activities and places to see in Brussels. Chocolate, beer, galleries, restaurants and beautiful architecture. But museums also have their place and it is a highly recommended plan.

If you like curious details, architecture, music, natural history, read on because I recommend some of the best museums to explore during your stay in Brussels.

Take a historical journey through human activity from prehistoric times to the present day. Antiquity, non-European civilisations, European decorative arts and much more can be found in this museum which is part of the Royal Museums of Arts and History network.

On your tour you will see archaeological artefacts from Belgium, from prehistoric times to the Merovingian period, as well as relics from Egypt, the Middle East and Iran. I highly recommend the collection of European decorative art ranging from Romanesque to Art Deco.

Useful information:

• Price: Admission for adults costs €10. Children under the age of 18 are free.
• Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday from 9.30am to 5pm, Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 5pm. Closed on 1 January, 1 May, 1 and 11 November, and 25 December. Tickets on sale until 4pm.
• Address: Parc du Cinquantenaire 10 - 1000 Brussels.

Do you like music? This place brings together more than a thousand musical instruments, distributed in 4 galleries. You can find detailed information about each piece through text, images and sound panels.

The museum is located in a restored Brussels complex that combines architecture with Art Nouveau and neoclassical styles and details.

The museum, also known as MIM, is part of the Royal Museums of Arts and History museum network. It also has a library and there are various types of tours and workshops for groups throughout the year. If you have a birthday during your visit to Brussels, the museum offers you the opportunity to celebrate with a music-themed party including instrument playing sessions, stories and much more.

Useful information:

• Price: Admission for adults costs €15. If you visit the museum as a family, children under 18 are free.
• Opening hours: Open every day except Mondays from 9.30am. Access allowed until 4.30pm.
• Address: Rue Montagne de la Cour 2 - 1000 Brussels.

Another of my favourites to include on your family trip to Brussels. Here, a stunning historic building in Brussels houses a space dedicated to the history of the automobile in what is the Grand Belgian Automobile Museum

The museum is located in Parc de Cinquantenaire, in a neoclassical building that commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Kingdom of Belgium in 1880. Since 1986 it has housed Ghislain Mahy's largest collection of classic cars.

The museum offers organised tours for groups, so I recommend this if you are travelling with family or friends. The car collection is divided into different categories such as sports and competition, royal family cars, microcars and bubble cars.

At Autoworld you can find temporary exhibitions throughout the year.

Useful information:

• Price: adults £13, groups over 15 people £11, children aged 6-11 £6 and under 5s free.
• Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm, weekends from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm.
• Address: Parc du Cinquantenaire, Brussels

If you're in Brussels you can't say no to Belgian chocolate. Chocolate tours and tastings are available in the city, but I also recommend a visit to the Choco Story Brussels.

A tour through its history and tradition, with themed workshops that introduce you to the chocolate culture. In this ideal place to visit if you've been to Brussels with small children or in winter, you'll have access to audio guides to take you on a tour that takes you through the history, benefits, economy and diversity of chocolate. But with your ticket you'll also see a demonstration by a master chocolatier and enjoy a chocolate tasting.

An interactive and mouth-watering experience that you are sure to enjoy.

Useful information:

• Price: Admission for adults costs €15.
• Opening hours: daily from 09:00-18:00, weekends from 10:00-18:00. Closed 25 December, 1 January and 9-13 January.
• Address: Rue de l'Etuve 41, 1000 Brussels

One of the youngest museums in the city of Brussels, with a collection of over 200 works by the surrealist artist René Magritte. It is located in the heart of the Belgian capital and houses paintings, drawings, sculptures and other pieces such as advertising posters, photographs and films.

The museum offers different types of visits, including individual, family and group visits with a private guide. René Magritte was a renowned surrealist painter of Belgian origin, well known for his provocative images that invite us to change our perception of reality and to see beyond it. Highly recommended if you consider yourself a creative soul and appreciate art.

If you are travelling to Brussels for only 1 day, I recommend that you include it in your route.

Useful information:

• Price: Admission for adults costs €10 with an audio guide available for €4. If you visit the museum as a family, children under the age of 18 get in free. Admission to the permanent collection is free every first Wednesday of the month.
• Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 10:00-17:00, weekends 11:00-18:00.
• Address: Rue du Musée 9 / Museumstraat 9 - 1000 Brussels.

The Resistance Museum is without a doubt a visit that I highly recommend for an exercise in memory and a tour of a space that holds much of **Europe'**s historical heritage. On your visit you will find documents and archives about the Resistance movement and its actions during the two world wars.

The museum opened its doors in June 1972 and is open to the public free of charge. Check with your accommodation or local guide for availability, as it may not be available to the general public at certain times of the year.

Information of interest:

• Price: free admission.
• Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am-5pm or by appointment.
• Address: 14 rue Van Lint, 14 Van Lintstraat 1070 Brussels.

The Fashion and Lace Museum is a must-see for fashion lovers who want to discover rare and significant pieces in the history of fashion.

The museum holds annual thematic exhibitions dedicated, for example, to wedding dresses, sixties and even crinolines from the 19th century. It is also a window for promising new local designers who have the opportunity to present a personal exhibition designed especially for the museum. This space also offers a series of conferences open to the general public to promote knowledge of fashion.

The museum is located very close to Rue de La Violette, where you can also find numerous restaurants and bars to eat and drink.

Useful information:

• Price: Admission for adults costs €8. Children under the age of 18 are free.
• Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00-17:00.
• Address: Rue de la Violette 12, 1000 Brussels.

The Museum of Medicine opened its doors in 1995 and brings together an interesting historical heritage around medicine, through artistic and archaeological objects. The museum has eight exhibition rooms, in which you can learn about past medical practices, and how medicine went from being something magical and religious to something rational and scientific.

Undoubtedly a space that connects science with art. Here you can also find anatomical waxworks from other great medical museums of the last century that illustrate more about the different diseases that have afflicted humanity throughout history.

A recommended option if you are travelling with your family and young children, who are sure to be attracted and curious about the museum's theme.

Information of interest:

• Price: admission costs €5 and there is a guided tour for a minimum of 10 people.
• Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm and on weekends from 1.00 pm to 4.00 pm.
• Address: Route de Lennik, 808, 1070 Brussels.

A place that I love and that you will enjoy if you like visual arts and cinema. ARGOS is a contemporary art centre specialised in audiovisual arts and located a few minutes away from Sainte-Catherine in the heart of Brussels.

The collection here includes almost 5,000 film and video works by a variety of artists, from the 1960s to the present day. If you're visiting Brussels in the summer, I think it's an ideal place to take shelter from the heat, and you can enjoy its screenings and temporary exhibitions open to the public throughout the year.

In addition to the film collection, you'll also find books, festival catalogues and contemporary art magazines in the super media library. On the first Wednesdays of the month, ARGOS organises evening exhibitions from 9 p.m., at a cost of 2 euros and including a drink.

Information of interest:

• Price: there are three categories of admission and the voluntary contribution is between €4, €7 and €10. Children under the age of 18 are free.
• Opening hours: Thursday to Sunday from 12:00 to 19:00. Closed on Mondays and Wednesdays.
• Address: Rue du chantier B-1000 Brussels.

Maybe you are one of those who keeps old newspapers and likes to look through historical archives. If so, this is the place for you, as you will find archives of the former governments and services of Brussels.

The Archives of the City of Brussels (ASB) are located since 1979 in the former textile industry of Jules Waucquez and Company, where you can appreciate the commercial architecture of the 20th century. An unmissable place to see historical documents on the social, political, cultural and artistic history of Brussels.

Information of interest:

• Price: admission is free.
• Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm. Closed on Mondays, weekends and public holidays.
• Address: Rue de Ruysbroeck 2 - 1000 Brussels.

Comic strips in Belgium are a whole culture, which is why I am including this place on the list. A complete temple dedicated to this profession, located in the heart of Brussels. A tribute to the most outstanding figures of what is known as the ninth art, and open to the public for more than 25 years.

The programme includes permanent and temporary exhibitions throughout the year, with Tintin and the Smurfs taking centre stage, of course. The museum is housed in the Art Nouveau building designed by Víctor Horta.

Among the activities offered by the centre are workshops for children during the holiday season and at weekends, as well as being able to celebrate your birthday with a themed party.

Useful information:

• Price: Admission for adults costs €12, tickets for 12 and 25 year olds €9, 6 to 11 year olds €5.
• Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. Access allowed until 17:00.
• Address: Rue des Sables 20, 1000 Brussels

The Braille Museum offers you the chance to learn about and explore the history of the Braille writing system, as well as discover details about Louis Braille, the French pedagogue and its inventor.

An important and necessary stop, especially if you are travelling with children and teenagers, who can learn about the importance of this system in history and its contribution to the diversity and inclusion of people with special needs. The museum devotes a large part of its space to the current technology of the Braille system and its application in the daily lives of people with visual disabilities.

Here you will also have access to topographical books, old Braille typewriters and portable printers. One room includes an exhibition on the history of Belgium, which visitors can explore through their senses.

Information of interest:

• Price: free admission
• Opening hours: Monday to Friday 08:00-17:00.
• Address: Rue d'Angleterre 57, 1060, Brussels

If you liked this list of recommended museums in Brussels, you should know that with the Brussels Card, you can access some of them for free or at reduced prices. When planning your trip to Brussels and exploring the different tours and activities, don't forget to check how you can purchase it to enjoy its benefits during your visit to the city.

With the card you can access around 49 local museums for free, as well as discounts in bars, shops and restaurants. You can also get privileged access to the Atomium, as well as Hop on Hop off sightseeing buses.