Aug 29, 2024 • 6 min read
27.08.2024 - 17:50 / lonelyplanet.com
Aug 26, 2024 • 7 min read
In a city as brazenly grand as Brussels, with its showstopping Grand Place and flash chocolate shops, it’s refreshing to know that some of the best experiences cost nothing at all.
An eye-popping trot along the Comic Strip Trail. Free samples of Belgian chocolate (what’s not to love?). Flea market finds, Instagrammable sunset viewpoints and museum days where you can feast on Magritte’s surrealist art. These and more are some of the best things to do in Brussels for very few euros – or none at all.
The Smurfs, Tintin (pronounced tan-tan), Astérix and Obelix: all these famous comic-book favorites began in Belgium. And they’re still very much part of daily life in Brussels, which proudly waves the flag as “comic book capital” of the world. The central hallway of the Comic Art Museum, lodged in a gorgeous Victor Horta–designed art-nouveau building, gives you a free taster.
But it’s really by pounding the city streets that you’ll slip into a real-life comic strip. Don your comfiest shoes for the 5km (3-mile), 3-hour, self-guided Comic Strip Trail, a deep – and free – dive into Belgian comics, with 80 larger-than-life murals all but bouncing off the city walls. Saint Peter watering cannabis plants, naked men crouching on rooftops, mustachioed Astérix and company charging Roman fortresses…you’ll see the lot.
Planning tip: Get a nice early start to have the streets (and the best photo opps) to yourself.
Belgian chocolate is divine and celebrated the world over – and rightly so. Yet you don’t need to spend a cent to try Brussels’ signature delicacy. You can taste the odd chocolate for free before a purchase in many shops, yes – but for a proper feast head to the Neuhaus Outlet Shop on Brussels’ western outskirts (take the metro to Erasmus). Here, you can enjoy plentiful free samples before you make any purchase of a discounted box (or even if you don’t). Pace yourself, and bring water.
Everyone raves about the view at Jardin Mont des Arts for a reason: with ornamental parterres, fountains and a perch above the regal rooftops of the Grand Place, these gardens practically beg to be photographed. Climb the steps to the top of the hill around sunset, then keep your eyes on the skyline so you don’t miss the magic when the Grand Place first lights up the night. The gardens are always glorious – and never more so than when in full bloom on spring and summer evenings.
Planning tip: Don’t rush off as twilight concludes. The real magic of the gardens hits you after dark when the lights of the Grand Place flick on and all of Brussels begins to twinkle.
Every morning, cardboard boxes overflow with porcelain plates, old maps, vinyl, vintage trinkets and enough comic books to stock a library on the
Aug 29, 2024 • 6 min read
Passing through airport security can be a tedious part of the air travel process but some European airports had managed to speed it up thanks to the installation of state-of-the-art scanners, which allow passengers to carry electronic devices and cosmetics of any quantity in their luggage without having to take them out.
When Los Angeles–based designer Clare Vivier began decorating the 19th-century house she'd bought in her husband's hometown of Saint-Calais, in France's Loire Valley, she had a particular aesthetic in mind. “I love color and patterns but wanted something peaceful, so the intention was to create a dialogue between those two things,” she says. She wanted the house to have a blend of contemporary pieces, antiques, and textiles from heritage maisons to create a space that, much like her namesake handbag and fashion label, channeled both California fun and French sophistication. She also knew that she wanted her longtime friend Kate Berry, a designer and creative director, to help her make it happen.
Always wanted to see Antarctica? Holland America Line this week unveiled an unusual new option for getting there.
The network shakeup continues at Frontier Airlines. The Denver-based ultra-low-cost carrier unveiled nearly a dozen new routes Tuesday, each of which will launch this fall.
Exciting news, Carnival Cruise Line fans: A visit to a massively revamped private island is in your future.
Sri Lanka is set to launch a six-month pilot program on October 1, offering free 30-day tourist visas on arrival to citizens from 35 countries, including the U.S., UK, Russia, India and China. The initiative, which temporarily waives the typical $50 visa fee, aligns with the island nation’s peak travel season, lasting from December to mid-April. This move is part of a broader strategy to revitalize tourism, a sector crucial to Sri Lanka’s economy.
It once was one of the South's best-kept secrets, but now the word is out.
The night train boom is continuing with a new sleeper across Europe launching in 2025.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Simon Cockerell, a manager at the travel agency Koryo Tours. It has been edited for length and clarity.
When Los Angeles–based designer Clare Vivier began decorating the 19th-century house she'd bought in her husband's hometown of Saint-Calais, in France's Loire Valley, she had a particular aesthetic in mind. “I love color and patterns but wanted something peaceful, so the intention was to create a dialogue between those two things,” she says. She wanted the house to have a blend of contemporary pieces, antiques, and textiles from heritage maisons to create a space that, much like her namesake handbag and fashion label, channeled both California fun and French sophistication. She also knew that she wanted her longtime friend Kate Berry, a designer and creative director, to help her make it happen.
Travel to and from the Italian island of Sicily is currently disrupted due to a volcanic eruption that happened overnight.