Category: Western Europe

We visited county Mayo from Dublin in February 2019.

This was a part of the 5-day road trip from Dublin covering mainly Mayo, Galway and Clare counties.

Road map- Day 1:

Places covered on Day 1:

1) Termonbarry Lock

2) Strokestown Park House

3) Downpatrick Head

4) Céide Fields

1) Termonbarry Lock (This is in County Roscommon)

Happened to see that the re-opening of Tarmonbarry Lock on the Shannon Navigation was done in Apr 2015. This lock is still operational. This is really an Engineering marvel.

You can spend around 30 minutes in this location, as it is quite near to the main road.

There is a lot of parking space available.

2) Strokestown Park House / National Famine Museum (This is in Roscommon County)

Strokestown Park is a unique historic property in the west of Ireland and is the home of the first landlord to be assassinated during the height of the Great Famine of Ireland the 1840s.

If you are a history lover, this place can be in your itinerary. The museum contains some of the best records from the time of the Famine.

Please note that there is a ticket charge involved to get into the National Famine Museum (around 10 Euros/person).

There is a Woodland Walk which is free of charge and open 7 days a week from 10.30am-3.30pm. This would be interesting for kids. (You don’t have to buy any tickets to use this walkway)

There is a lot of parking space available. Website: http://www.strokestownpark.ie

3) Downpatrick Head

This place should be in your itinerary, if you are going to this part of Ireland.

It’s a place of absolute coastal beauty. It is one of the Signature Points on the Wild Atlantic Way in Mayo.

From the parking area, there is a nice walk. A little bit upwards, but easy to make.

The name Downpatrick is derived from a time when St Patrick himself founded a church here. You can still see the ruins of the church building, a stone cross and holy well here today. This was once a popular destination for pilgrims, who came here each year on the last Sunday of July, known as ‘Garland Sunday’. Today that tradition lives on, and mass is still celebrated at Downpatrick Head on that same day.

There is also a holy well and a memorial to 25 Irishmen who fled from British Redcoats during a 1795 uprising. They hid in the caves at Downpatrick Head, but couldn’t get back out before the tide came in and flooded the cavern. They all perished.

There is a Lookout Post here, one of many around the coast of Ireland dating from about 1939. At these lookout posts in 1942-43, ground markers were etched out spelling EIRE and with a number – this one is 64 – to alert aircraft to the fact that they were now over neutral Ireland.

Be little careful when you go near the edge of the cliffs. Unlike Cliffs of Moher, we don’t have enough protection (steel fence) at the edges.

4) Ceide Fields:

While you visit Down Patrick, please make sure to take the short drive out to visit the Céide Fields. The Céide Fields are the oldest known field systems in the world, over five and a half millennia old. It is a unique Neolithic landscape of world importance, which has changed our perception of our Stone Age ancestors. You can also visit the Céide Fields Visitor Centre, which has exhibitions, audio-visual shows and so on.

Opening Times:

Open Easter to October 29th

Daily 10am – 6pm June to Sept

Daily 10am – 5pm Other months

Available for bookings in winter months.

Admission Charges

Adult: Euro 4.00

Group / Senior: Euro 3.00

Group / Senior: Euro 3.00

Family: Euro 10.00

After Ceide fields, we went back to the homestay.

Road map- Day 2:

Second day, we started a little early as we had to cover a lot of attractions on the same day.

Places covered on Day 2:

Achill Island

Croagh Patrick

Roonagh Pier @ Wild Atlantic Bay

Doolough valley / famine valley

Connemara National park

Kylemore Abbey

Aasleagh Falls

Sionnanach

Clifden

1) Achill Island:

Achill Island is on Ireland’s West Coast in Mayo County. It is on Wild Atlantic Way – a 2500 KM long trail that goes along the Atlantic Ocean in Ireland.

This is a place that you should cover when you are in Mayo.

Achill Island is the largest of all islands off the coast of Ireland. Achill is accessible by the Michael Davitt Bridge, built in 2008 on the site of the original bridge which was constructed in 1887.

It makes a fantastic day trip from Westport, as it’s only one hour away.

Inhabited for over five thousand years, the Irish language is still spoken on the island.

You can see hundreds of sheeps in this region. The sheeps along with the background gives you the best postcard pictures in your camera.

The 2 other places (I couldn’t go to these places) which are around 15-30 Minutes are:

Keel beach (White sand beach)

Keem Bay

2) Croagh Patrick:

Croagh Patrick is a Holy Mountain which overlooks Clew Bay in County Mayo. Croagh Patrick is 8km from Westport town and its peak can be seen soaring above the surrounding countryside. Spectacular views of the Clew Bay coastline and the south Mayo countryside can be seen from the mountain. This is one of the highest peaks in the Western part of Ireland. Please note that in case if you are not planning to climb the mountain, there might not be anything special for you at this place. There is lot of parking space (paid), available here.

3) Roonagh Pier:

We have not visited this place but heard that this is a nice place.

4) Doolough valley:

This is a magical landscape of lakes and mountains.

It is a high-quality driving route in a spectacular setting on the R335 between Delphi and Louisburgh in Co. Mayo.

There is also a Famine Memorial in this region. This is a stone memorial, in the form of a simple stone cross which was erected in memory of the victims of the famine in this area.

Unfortunately, it was slightly raining when we passed through this area. However, this is one of the journeys that I would never forget.

The last 4 destinations that we visited was Connemara national Park, Kylemore Abbey, Aasleagh Falls, Sionnanach and Clifden. I would like to cover those destinations in my blog related to ‘County Galway’.

After seeing Clifden, we went back to our home stay.

We visited county Clare from Dublin, in February 2019.

This was a part of the 5-day road trip from Dublin covering mainly Mayo, Galway and Clare counties.

Road map- Day 4:

Places covered on Day 4

Doolin Pier Point

Doolin Cave

Burren Way / Burren national park

Fanore Beach

Murrooghtoohy

Ailwee Caves/ Birds of Prey Center:

Poulnabrone Dolmen Tomb

Kilimer Port

1) Doolin Pier Point:

Doolin Pier Point is situated in the Wild Atlantic Way. Doolin is the home of traditional Irish music. Its a nice walk down to the pier, but they’re not great for getting down to the sea itself as there’s no seashore here. Its more like a rocky beach here.

This is not a beach for swimming. But it is a beach for amazing views, listening and watching the waves crash, enjoying the sun, and admiring the dazzling geology of the coastline.

I believe the Sunset view from here will be excellent.

There are high chances that you will find some Dolphins here.

There is enough parking space available here.

The pier has two public restroom spots, one by the boat booths, and one closer to the rock beach.

You have Ferry Services From here to Aran Islands and Cliffs of Moher.

It was closed as we visited during Winter.

https://www.doolin2aranferries.com/

https://www.doolinferry.com/

2) Doolin Cave:

Since we had planned to go to Ailwee Cave, we decided to skip the Doolin Caves.

I have seen lots of discussion on internet regarding the comparison between Ailwee and the Doolin caves.

Personally I have visited only Ailwee caves and hence might not be in a position to do a comparison here. I would suggest you to visit both and draw your own conclusions.

3) Burren Way / Burren National Park:

The Burren, on part of the Wild Atlantic Way – from the Irish ‘boireann’ means rocky place.

It is a 123km walking route that takes in the best of what the Burren area has to offer, from the coast at Doolin to majestic wild-flower-decorated limestone terraces and from the remains left by the Neolithic inhabitants of the Burren to the rich heritage of early Christian churches and site.

The Limestone rocks beside the road provides a spectacular display.

4) Fanore Beach:

Fanore is located on the main road from Doolin to Ballyvaughan and this road is well worth a drive on your visit to the Burren. It has some fantastic views on a clear day.

This large sandy beach and clear water is very popular with walkers, swimmers and surfers.

Fanore Beach is on the northwest coast of the Burren and its golden arc of sand with the backdrop of bare limestone hill, make this a very distinctive Geosite.

Ample parking space with clean toilets are available.

The views are spectacular from this beach, especially the rock formations.

5) Murrooghtoohy:

From Murrooghtoohy, you can get magnificent views of the whole of Galway Bay from the Aran Islands to Oranmore Bay east of Galway City, with a back drop of the Connemara mountains.

Another place which you can cover is the ‘Flaggy Shore’. I have personally not visited this place during our trip.

6) Ailwee Caves/ Birds of Prey Center:

This was First discovered by a local farmer in 1940.

Later only in the year of 1973 is when he shared this information with a group of students (Cavers). The cave had been fully explored and mapped in 1977. The cave is not operational currently.

Formed by water flowing through cracks in the limestone hill, it is one of the oldest caves in the Burren. The remains of bears can also be seen inside the caves and allusions have been made to it being the last bear den in Ireland. There is a also a very small water fall inside the cave.

You can also visit the Birds of Prey Center which is in the same campus.

There is a combo ticket to get inside the caves and the prey center.

Individual tickets will cost around 7 Euros and the 2 attractions combined will cost around 12 Euros. The cave ticket charge includes a guided tour. The tour takes approximate 30-35 minutes and is a great option for people who have never visited any caves in their life time.

The bird centre is the home to one of the largest and most varied collections of Birds of Prey in Ireland – Eagles, Falcons, Hawks, Owls and Vultures to name but a few.

It’s a nice place where you will get a chance to see some trained birds in flight. You can also have them land on your hand which was very exciting for the younger members in our group. Birds flying display are daily at 12noon & 3.00pm

There is a also a Café and a gift shop within the cave campus. Lot of parking space is also available.

7) Poulnabrone Dolmen Tomb:

It’s an amazing view to see the rocks (that heavy), that high off the ground and that too around 5000 years ago when there was no much machinery available.

I know from reading about this tomb that it was put back together a couple of years ago as one of the supports fractured or was going to collapse, but it still doesn’t take away from the sheer wonderment of something so old.

The site is very quite and free of charge. There is parking space available and information signs on the way from the carpark to the tomb itself. It is off the beaten track to get to this.

8) Kilimer Port:

We desperately wanted to cover a Ferry trip during this 5 days but unfortunately most of the services were not operational due to winter.

Finally we decided to take Shannon ferry which goes from Kilimer port to the Kerry island (Tarbert Port)

You can keep this as an optional plan in your trip as the driving distance is more.

Kilimer to Tarbert takes around 20 minutes one side in the ferry.

Website –> https://www.shannonferries.com/

Detailed Schedule can be found below:

Shannon Ferries also provides a discount (15%) for the online booking.

The return Car fare cost is around 30 Euros (25.50 for Online). They charge only for the vehicles and no additional charges for the passengers in the car. You can simply drive in to the ferry and the tickets will be given during the journey.

There is a snack shop inside the ferry but it was closed (not sure if its due to the Winter season)

There are Toilets available within the ferry.

In case if you plan to take this Ferry to explore Kerry, I would suggest you to take morning trips.

The main attractions like the ‘Rings of Kerry’ would take a minimum of 2 hrs from the Tarbert Port.

We took the return trip in the ferry back to Kilimer Port and went to the Airbnb accommodation that was prebooked near ‘Cliffs of Moher’.

In case if you are near Kilimer and want to explore some other places near by (avoiding ferry to Kerry), I would suggest some of the below places:

Scattery Island

Loop Head Light House

Lahinch Beach

Places covered on Day 5:

Cliffs of Moher and then Back to Dublin

Cliffs of Moher:

This was the last day of our 5 day road trip. We wanted to spend some quality time at the cliffs and hence decided to reach there in the morning itself.

One of the important things to be noted is that we need to take tickets to visit the cliffs.

At the gate, it’s a flat rate of 8 Euros. (For adults). For Children up to 16 years, it’s a free ticket.

If you book online (at least one day in advance), you need to pay only the half amount of 4 Euros for the morning and evening visits.

Morning visit time is between 08:00 – 10:59 (Means you can enter any time between 8:00 and 10:59)

Evening visit time is between 16:00 – 19:00

More information and ticket booking @ https://bookings.cliffsofmoher.ie/

The Cliffs of Moher are located about 90 minutes south of Galway or 3 hours from Dublin on Ireland’s west coast in County Clare. This might be the most famous destination in the entire scenic wild Atlantic way. The cliffs run for around 10+ kms and at some places, it rise to a maximum height of 214 metres (702 feet) above the Atlantic Ocean. It ranks one among the most visited tourist sites in Ireland, with around 1.5 million visits per annum.

You can also visit the Cliffs of Moher visitor’s center. This state-of-the-art underground visitor centre features various interactive exhibits, images and displays that can be enjoyed by people of all age groups. There are some restaurants and public toilets available within this center.

There’s also a observatory tower here with a ticket of 2 Euros. But now its closed for some major maintenance work.

The parking area is huge. But you will have to walk a long distance to reach the cliffs from the parking area (Private vehicles).

There are safety barriers which prevents visitors from going near the cliff. However, if you keep walking away from the Visitor’s center, the barrier ends. So be a little careful and dare not to go near the edge. Already many have lost their life here.

During summer, you can use the boat trips to experience the cliffs from the water and there are Helicopter rides to see the cliffs from the top. In winter, such options are not available.

If you have only limited time in Dublin and want to cover this scenic cliffs, you can search and book for day trips. There are many companies like ‘Wild Rover Tours’ , ‘PaddyWagon’ and so on arranging such trips.

If you’re into photography you’ll want to stick around and wander along the coastal walk since there are many different vantage points to enjoy.

Being one of the busiest attractions in Ireland, you are bound to find visitors all year round, however July and August are the peak months.

It’s recommended that you leave at least half a day (or atleast 3 Hours) for your visit to the Cliffs of Moher, as the site isn’t simply a pretty tourist destination but also includes an impressive number of hiking trails that offer spectacular views of their own.

We had stayed in Pake’s Cottage (Near to Cliffs of Moher)

We took the ‘Go Bus’ service from Dublin to Cork..

The starting point was Burgh Quay (Dublin). It’s a 3 Hours journey (Direct-28 Euros including Return). The bus service was prompt and on time. The dropping point in Cork was St. Patrick’s Quay.

https://www.gobus.ie/booking.php

I have also seen bus services which take more than 4 hours (one way). I believe Go Bus is a good option. The train charges are more and hardly you can save 30 minutes by train.

We stayed in Cork on the First day at my relatives house and went to ring of Kerry on Day 2.

Area wise, Cork is the largest county in Ireland.

All year round, Cork is a great place to visit — whether it’s to relax or to explore, there are plenty of activities in and around this place. It’s one of the more popular cities in the country with a lot of good food and pubs.

As Cork is a small compact city, getting around is really easy. Walking is a great way to get around.

The main intention of this trip was to cover Ring of Kerry and hence did not explore much of the tourist destinations in Cork (Hopefully I will go back to Cork again to explore more).

In case if you would like to explore Cork, you can keep the below places in mind:

Mizen head

English Market

Hike around Gougane Barra

Cork Butter Museum

Cork City Gaol (Old Prison)

Courthouse (Washington Street)

City Hall

The National Monument at the top of Grand Parade

Walk down the Oliver Plunkett street

Echo Boy

Kiss the Blarney Stone (Nearby)

Patrick’s Hill

Holy Trinity Church on Fr. Matthew Quay

University College, Cork

Shakey Bridge (Daly’s Bridge)

Fitzgerald’s Park

St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral

Day2: Ring of Kerry:

The Ring of Kerry is a scenic drive around the Iveragh Peninsula in southwest Ireland’s County Kerry.

Its (100+ Miles) one of Ireland’s most popular drives whether you choose to cycle it or drive, it is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful scenic routes in Ireland. Fortunately, or Unfortunately, it rains almost most of the days here in Ireland. If you reach here on a rainy day, you might not be able to enjoy this place fully. Unfortunately, it was raining on the day, we travelled aswell.

People say it takes around 3.5 Hours to complete the entire ring. Obviously the time would increase, as you cannot avoid stopping the vehicle for capturing some scenic places. But for sure you can complete the entire trip in 7 hours or so. Some people extend it to 2 days.

Some people go in a clock wise direction and some others in the anti-clockwise direction. Most of the guidebooks say to go clockwise so you’re going the opposite direction of the tour buses, which go counter-clockwise.

We did not see any of the restaurants (common chains) in the route we travelled. So, keep some snacks handy with you. We also faced network coverage issues in many places.

Views of the Atlantic Ocean:

The views of the Atlantic Ocean is simply superb.

Waterville Village/Beach:

This large village is famous for golf, its beach and its association with Charlie Chaplin. It is a great place to stop off and have a tea/coffee or something stronger and there are a number of pubs you’ll enjoy along the sea front. You’ll also notice the monument of Charlie Chaplin which of course is worth taking a photograph with.

Caherdaniel:

The best stop off point is the beach between Caherdaniel and Castlecove. Parking can be scarce here but it is so worth stopping off. You will know it because it has a caravan/mobile park and a beach side pub, so keep an eye out for those signs so that you can turn off the road in plenty of time. This is a small beach but its really magical, especially on a sunny day. This can be a peaceful spot, even if its crowded.

Some other places that you can explore in and around Ring of Kerry:

Molls Gap

Ladies View

Staigue Stone Fort

Ballinskelligs Castle

Kerry cliffs

Skellig Michael / Beehive Huts on Skellig Michael

PortMagee

Valentia island / Harbour

Stopping in Sneem

Kenmare (One of the cutest towns)

Geokaun Mountain and Fogher Cliffs

Caragh Lake

Rossbeigh Beach

Derrynane Bay and Ballinskelligs Bay

On our way back, we also visited Torc waterfalls (inside Killarney National Park).

Parking is free, and the falls are only a mere 300m walk from the car park.

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous

5. Cathedral of Trier (Oldest in Germany):

The Romer Express city train trip will take you near this cathedral.

But I would certainly recommend you visit this Cathedral (a Must see in Trier)

This is a Roman Cathedral in Trier. It is the oldest church in Germany and the largest religious structure in Trier, notable for its long-life span and grand design.

Today, the cathedral is an important Catholic shrine that still receives pilgrims from all over the world.

You can take photos/videos inside the cathedral.

6. Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Lady):

The Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Dear Lady) is a 13th-century parish church in Trier, separated from Trier cathedral by a narrow passageway.

In case if you want to explore more, you could also check the below Options:

• Aula Palatina
• Rheinisches Landesmuseum
• Electoral Palace
• Dreikönigenhaus
• Basilica of St. Paulinus
• Simeonstift
• Barbara Baths
• Trier Galerie
• Rhineland Museum
• The Palace Garden
• St. Matthias’ Abbey
• Wine Tasting
• Thermen am Viehmarkt
• Hop On Hop off city tour

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous

I had travelled from the CDG airport to Gare du Nord and from there, I took a taxi to my hotel in Porte De Clichy.

Gare du Nord is a large station which is connected by many local and international trains. I was told that this is one of the busiest railway stations in Europe.

If you are further travelling from Paris to places like Amsterdam, London, Cologne, Essen; this will be the station from where you will be catching such long distance trains.

Also, if you want to save some money on the taxi from CDG Airport to your hotel in Paris, my personal suggestion will be to take the train from Airport to major stations like Gare du Nord (RERB – around 9.5 Euros for a single side ticket) and then take a taxi further to your hotel from there. A direct taxi from CDG to Nord will easily cost around 50-70 Euros.

Also please note that there are some direct trains running from CDG airport to places like Marseille, Lyon, Bayeux and so on.

Tickets can be purchased here –>  https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/rates-opening-times

b) Champs-Élysées (Shopping street):

One of the best places for shopping (and window shopping) is at Champs Élysées but please note that many of the brands are high end ones like Louis Vuitton. The streets were completely lightened up, as Christmas is fast approaching. You can also get costly cars like Ferrari for rent, from this place.

d) Notre Dame (Cathedral):

This is one of the most inspiring cathedrals in World/Europe with its classic architecture, stained glass, and flower garden (behind the cathedral). There were some maintenance work going on in the cathedral during my visit in December 2019

Based on the number of days in your itinerary, please explore some of the below places aswell:

• Disney Land
• Sainte-Chapelle
• The Louvre Museum
• Arc de Triomphe
• Tour Montparnasse
• Thinker at Musée Rodin
• Latin Quarter
• Pantheon
• Oldest clock in Paris
• Versailles Palace
• Flame of Liberty (10 minutes’ walk from Eiffel tower)
• Jardin d’Erivan (park where trees are beautifully lined up)
• Basilique of the Sacre Coeur
• Paris Sewer tour
• Shakespeare & Company (If you’re a bibliophile)
• Vaux le Vicomte & Fontainebleau Castles
• Montmartre
• Palais Garnier

Note:

1) French is the most spoken language and very limited people speak English. Don’t consider this as a major concern. Public transports like Metro, Bus and all have proper English displays. Many of the taxi drivers whom I had interacted were also fluent in English.

2) In some routes, the Metro might not be available after 11 PM even though the Google maps might still be showing that the train is approaching soon. If there is a staff around, its always good to check the timings/alternate routes with them.

3) You could easily cover many of the important places if you have 3-4 days in your Paris itinerary.

4) The best time to visit Paris is from April to October.

5) Paris is divided into 20 neighborhoods or arrondissements and everything is being referred to 12th, 18th, etc. 1st is in the dead centre of the city and the neighbourhoods spiral outward from there. Before booking your hotel check whether the area is safe and close to the places you want to visit. If you’re in Paris for a very limited time don’t choose a place on the edge of town, as you definitely don’t want to spend hours on commuting in order to save a few bucks.

6) Keep your Paris metro ticket until you’ve exited the metro system at your final destination because the police might be checking your tickets inside the station. Also, don’t be afraid of using Metro as it easy, cheap and safe option. On many Metro lines, the doors to the train do not open unless you press a button or lift a handle.

7) Paris has loads of little bakeries and pastry (Patisserie) shops.

8) Around all major Paris attractions, you will find beggars asking you to sign a form without giving you the chance to read it. Don’t let anyone put something in your hands otherwise, they’ll keep following you around.

9) Bonjour is ‘Hello’ and Au revoir is ‘Good Bye’ in French. You can hear these words multiple times during your visit.

10) There is absolutely no need for a car in Paris. If you are really looking for one, please note that you’ll be dealing with crazy driving, expensive parking, and traffic blocks.

This time search for the Indian food took me just outside Gare du Nord station. To my surprise, I could find around 7-8 Indian restaurants in a row. I decided to have some vegetarian food and ended up eating Masala Dosa from Chennai Dosa and Milagaipodi Masala Dosa from Saravana Bhavan. 

Personally I liked Chennai Dosa both in terms of taste and price.

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore” – Andre Gide

Le Mans is a well-preserved Medieval city in France on the banks of Sarthe River. Since 1923, the city has been hosting the internationally famous 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance sports car race. It’s located about 200 Kilometres south west of Paris. The city also has many industries in the Outskirts.

Tickets can be purchased well in advance from Rail Europe (https://www.raileurope.com/train-tickets/train-tickets/)

The trains are very comfortable, neat and clean.

Lemans has a decent Tram network.

The tram tickets / travel cards can be bought from the machines available at the stations. English language is also available on the display screen of the machine. The price is round 1.5 Euros for a 1-hour ticket.

You need to tap the ticket (card) in the device provided in the trams. As far as I remember, you can use the same card in bus aswell.

3. Saint Julien de Mans Cathedral (Le Mans Cathedral):

The fabulous Cathedral St Julien is a “must-see”. This beautiful Catholic cathedral was built between 11th and 15th centuries and It has a mixture of styles because of the long-time taken to build it and is one of the largest cathedrals in France. It is dedicated to the first bishop of the city, Saint Julian of Le Mans, who established Christianity in the area around the beginning of the 4^th Century. The cathedral features magnificent 13th-century stained-glass windows and two fine Renaissance tombs.

While you are in Lemans, don’t forget to try some Bagels aswell.

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous

Home to European Union, Brussels is the beautiful and stunning capital city of Belgium.

As a part of my business trip, I got a chance to visit Brussels, Belgium in August 2019. It was a 4 days trip and I tried to sneak in some time to visit a couple of major attractions in Brussels.

There are many attractions to explore here in Brussels, ideally a very good location for a weekend!

This is a small country and is squeezed between the top tourist destinations like London, Paris and Amsterdam and is therefore often overlooked. But Belgium has a lot to offer to any type of traveller! 2 days should be a good itinerary for Brussels.

Brussels Airport is the main airport in Brussels. I had travelled from Dublin to Brussels and it takes around 1 hour 40 minutes in Flight. The other airport is Brussels South Charleroi Airport, from where Budget airlines like Ryanair operate.

Typically, it takes around 30 minutes’ drive or 45 minutes metro ride to city centre from Brussels airport.

I would encourage you to explore the following options:

a) Brussels Card + Public transport (24/48/72 Variants available)

https://visit.brussels/en/sites/brusselscard/m_article/what-s-included

b) STIB – MIB Contactless Card

http://www.stib-mivb.be/article.html?_guid=00b80e82-2783-3410-98be-aa45557d55aa&l=en#contentBodyList1

I have personally used the 24 hours card (worth 7.5 Euros) and found it very effective (used in Bus, metro and tram). You can get the tickets from the Kiosks, which is available in the stations.

Some of the attractions that I Visited:

1. Grand Place (Grote Markt):

The central square of Brussels is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered as one of the most beautiful town squares in the world. It’s a square containing the Town Hall and Guild Halls and the Maison du Roi where the Museum of Brussels is now located.

Frankly, this is one of the most beautiful squares that I had ever visited. Whenever you see a picture of Grand place, you will see a flower carpet in front of that. Please note that it’s not a regular installation and happens once in 2 years (the next appearance will be in mid-August 2020). The architecture of the buildings in this area is simple amazing.

Try to reach this place a little early in the morning as it gets crowded later in the day.

4. Galeries Royales St Hubert:

It’s a gorgeous shopping centre in the middle of Brussels. The two long galleries that make up the arcade were filled with brightly lit shops, boutiques, and delicious-smelling chocolatiers. Its worth visiting this place.

Where to Stay in Brussels:

Any where near to the Brussels Central station will be a good place to live. So, look out for hotels in this area. The commutation to airport and other attractions will be easier.

Other places worth visiting are:

• Palais Royal
• Basilique Nationale du Sacré Coeur
• Place du jeu de Balle (old Market)
• Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
• Tintin images
• Horta Museum
• Chinese pavilion and Japanese tower.
• Cantillon Brewery
• Musical instruments museum
• Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
• St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral
• Antwerp (if you have an extra day to spare)
• Ghent and Bruges (if you have one more additional day)
• Worldwar I battlefields near Ypres (if you have one more additional day)
• Delirium Café (holds a Guinness World Record for having the most beers, serving over 2000 varieties.

Again, in Brussels also I tried some Indian restaurants.

a) Indian Flavour (in City Centre):

I had tried Biriyani from here. Food was tasty and economical. Would certainly recommend.

b) Star of Asia – Indian Cuisine (Near Parlamentarium):

I had tried a chicken dish and Roti.

It was not economical and not tasty…Not recommended

Important Notes:

a) Both the trains and buses are extremely neat. Metro is mostly underground, and the good thing is that you have very good Mobile network connectivity in underground metro.

There is also proper marking in metro stations.

b) Most of the shops (including hotels) are closed on Sundays.

c) Many of the Museum’s (like Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History) and Royal Palace are closed on Mondays.

d) Brussels is very safe, and people are very friendly.

g) I saw a lot of Police vehicles around during my visit. Not sure if it’s a regular scene here in Brussels.

k) People here use a lot of mechanical and electronic cycles. You will see a lot of such cycles around city centre.

l) All price includes Tax as well and there are no hidden charges.

m) You will see a lot of chocolate shops around. Don’t miss trying some chocolates before you leave Brussels.