Best Museums & Galleries in Brussels

more than a year ago

Visiting a museum or an art gallery is always a nice experience when exploring a new place, as you come to learn more about the city and sometimes about unexpected subjects. Brussels has some great main museums that must be on everyone’s list, but also some unusual ones that you may want to take a look at if you’re into quirky things. If you’re not sure what museums or galleries are must-sees in the city, these are the ones we think should be on your itinerary.

The Royal Museums of Fine Arts

If you're going to visit one museum here in Brussels, make it this one! The museum is an association of six art centers set across a number of floors, so make sure to take 3-4 hours to visit this place! In this stunning building you fill find The Old Masters Museum, Magritte, Fin-de-Siècle and Modern Museum as well as the studios of artists Antoine Wiertz and Constantin Meunier, all of them holding paintings, sculptures and drawings from the 15th to the 21st century. This top art museum has over 20.000 artworks, a Museum Café, Museum Brasserie and a Museum Shop selling some attractive souvenirs and books. This is one of the best places for the art lovers!

Musical Instruments Museum

Be prepared to spend a whole morning at this museum because there's a lot to see! Located in one of the most famous Art Nouveau buildings in Brussels, the Musical Instruments Museum presents one of the richest collection of historical and modern musical instruments in the world with more than 1,100 interesting instruments assembled in 4 galleries. The museum uses wireless technology to give visitors a true audio experience, the music being transmitted to your headphones if you get an audio device. Temporary exhibits, a concert hall, a space for workshops, a museum shop, a library and a rooftop restaurant are other things you will enjoy here. This museum is a truly unmissable sight, especially for music lovers!

Belgian Comic Strip Center

A unique museum located in a beautiful Art Nouveau building that will immediately take you back to your childhood! The Smurfs, Lucky Luke and Tin Tin are some of the famous stars you'll meet on your visit, alongside several other characters immortalized by Belgian cartoon artists. The venue also has a thematic book store and a restaurant where you can rest your feet and eat a nice lunch after visiting the fun exhibits. Either if you're a kid or an adult, this is the place to go if you love comics!

Museum of Natural Sciences

Be prepared to spend all day at the best museum that you'll probably ever visit. This spectacular museum is best known as the Brussels Dinosaur Museum because it holds the largest Dinosaur Gallery in Europe with stunningly well-presented displays of dinosaurs. The wow factor is the 30 Iguanodons of Bernissart that are on display, as well as the magnificent crystals in the Mineral Hall. A floor to ceiling glass cube filled with nine towering Iguanodons alongside the Gallery of Humankind, Gallery of Evolution and BiodiverCITY make this museum a natural must-see for children and adults. With a temporary exhibition that changes every year, you will never get bored visiting this museum

Museum of the City of Brussels

The Brussels City Museum holds more than 7,000 items that will make every history lover happy. Located in the Grand Place, the museum is housed in a Neo-Gothic style building called Maison du Roi (in French) that was recognised as a national heritage site in 1936. Inside you can find a collection of important paintings and city maps, as well as a small exhibition with porcelain figurines and sculptures among other interesting objects. The building itself is the museum’s greatest masterpiece, but the star of the museum is the original statue of Manneken Pis along with a few of his costumes! If you'll love that part of the exhibition, the tickets to this museum will allow you to visit The Mannekin Pis Costume Museum as well.

Brussels