What to do on a long layover at Brussels Airport?

Ideally, we all want to have 1-2 hours in layover between flights when travelling, right? A very short layover means worrying about delays and stress when hasting from one gate to the other. A too long layover, on the other hand, means being bored and spending too much on expensive restaurants.

Sometimes you cannot get around it and need to find out what to spend those extra hours on. Which is exactly what I had to do when my return trip from two weeks in Uganda included a long layover at Brussels Airport.

An 8 hour-long layover in Brussel Airport

Maybe we were out of practice after almost 2 years without travelling, or maybe there wasn’t a way around it. Whatever the reason, returning from the bucket-list-tour to Uganda, we ended up having almost a full day at Brussels Airport before continuing to Norway.

Landing at 06:30, I headed straight to the nearest bathroom to fresh up. By 07:00 I was sipping to my first (and very needed) coffee of the day. No what? My next flight was at 15:00 giving me 8 full hours to spare.

Explore Brussel on a long layover

While some airports got plenty of things to keep you occupied for hours, I’m afraid Brussel is not one of them (sorry Brussels). I once spent a full night here and remember the only option I found for something to eat was chocolate.

Luckily, Brussel city centre is only a 17 minutes’ train ride away and it’s as easy as can be to get there! Who wouldn’t rather explore one of Europe’s most beautiful town squares than hanging around at an airport? And not to mention indulging in fresh waffles and Belgian chocolate…

So that is what I did on my 8-hour long layover and recommend you do too.

How to get to the city centre

First you have to get out of the terminal. Follow the signs to the baggage claim area and head straight out through customs. Continue following the signs for the train station and use the lift or escalators to get down to level -1. Here you find a number of ticket machines and some very service minded people ready to help if needed.

Purchase return tickets to Brussel Centraal and you will get one ticket per direction. Now, go through the entrance gates to the railway platforms and get on the next train to the city centre. There are up to 8 trains per hour, meaning you won’t have to wait long. Make sure to keep your ticket as you will have to scan it to exit the railway station.

Mind: if your luggage isn’t checked in all the way to your final destination, you may have to collect it. If so, you can use the luggage lockers at level 0. One locker cost EUR 10 (in 2022) for 24 hours.

What to see with a few hours in Brussels?

Now to the fun part. As soon as you walk out of the train at the central station you have Brussels at your feet. First, make your way to the UNESCO-listed Grand Place. It is exactly as the name implies; grand. If you arrive early in the morning, like I did, you can look forward to having the city’s highlight almost all to yourself for a little while.

From the square, continue to another must-see landmark; Manneken Pis. Just over half a metre tall, the bronze statue of the peeing boy was a bit smaller than I had expected. Still worth navigating the streets to see. Did you know that the somewhat unordinary fountain has been here since the early 17th century? For the sake of equality, also head over to see Manneken’s female and more modern counterpart; Janneken Pis.

Tip: drop by the tourist information for more tips on what to do with a few hours in Brussels. They let us take pictures of a map with a circular walking route showing the main sights.

Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert is another nice place to stop for a bit. The beautiful arcades were built in the mid-1800’s and reminded me of Paris’ passages I visited in December the year before – just larger. I visited on the 1st of May and unfortunately all shops were closed, but it looked like a nice and unique place to browse around.

Indulge in coffee, waffles, and chocolate

Walk up to Parc de Bruxelles (Brussels Park) which must be a great place to relax for a bit on a warm spring or summer day. Next to the park you find the Royal Palace of Brussel, which of course also is a must to see.
There are plenty of museums and other attractions to see in the city centre, but we were tired after the long flight and craving a proper cup of coffee. Uganda is great on most levels, but not on coffee. The coffee produced there is mostly shipped abroad, leaving only instant coffee.

In Brussels, on the other hand, finding a good brew was easy. We sat down at a cute café on the Grand Place, people watching while feasting on waffles and getting our doses of caffein until our long layover was getting short and it was time to head back to Brussels Airport.

A smooth return to Brussels Airport later, I was nothing but happy I had spent my long layover exploring parts of the city.

Airport lounges for long layovers in Brussels

If sightseeing Brussels still seem like to much of a hazzle on an already tiring journey, I suggest you book a pass to Brussels Airport’s Diamond Lounges. Given your ticket doesn’t provide access to any of the airline lounges of course. You can book it online in advance, and if you change your mind the access pass is valid for a year (great reason to travel more!)

Fast wifi, food, drinks, and most importantly a free zone away from the hustle and bustle at the gate areas are included in the Diamond pass.