Monument in Brussels
The Atomium is a 102-meter structure of nine interconnected steel spheres representing an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times, built for the 1958 World Expo. The exterior is free to photograph from the surrounding Heysel park. Interior tickets are paid. The Atomium is to Brussels what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris, except smaller, weirder, and more lovable. Budget travelers take the metro to Heysel, photograph the Atomium from the park, and decide whether the interior is worth the ticket.
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Other places worth the walk, and what each one costs.
Brussels' primary cathedral combines Romanesque and Gothic architecture with impressive twin towers visible across the city center. Free to enter, it sits on a hill between the Grand Place and the European Quarter and is one of the most architecturally significant churches in Belgium.
Brussels is the capital of European comics (Tintin, the Smurfs, Lucky Luke), and over 50 large-scale comic murals are painted on building walls across the city center. Free.
One of the oldest covered shopping galleries in Europe, opened in 1847 and still lined with chocolate shops, bookstores, and cafes. Walking through the glass-vaulted arcade is free and offers shelter from Brussels' unpredictable weather.
The Grand Place is Brussels' central square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site surrounded by ornate guild houses, the Gothic Town Hall, and the Maison du Roi. Free.
Manneken Pis is a small bronze fountain sculpture of a urinating boy, the unofficial symbol of Brussels. Free.
The Marolles Flea Market (Jeu de Balle) is a daily open-air market in the working-class Marolles neighborhood, selling antiques, vintage goods, furniture, and second-hand everything. Free to browse.
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The whole of Brussels