Brussels & Waterloo: Highlights & Battlefields (w/ Atomium stop)
Description
The tour combines the comfort of a coach with a guided walk to give you a full Brussels experience, plus a visit to the historic Waterloo battlefield. We meet at the Saints-Michel-et-Gudule Cathedral—celebrating its 800th anniversary. From this landmark, we stroll through the historic center toward the Grand-Place, with insights into Brussels’ architecture, history, and daily life; highlights include Manneken Pis and the Royal Galleries. After the walk, we board our comfortable coach for a panoramic sightseeing drive. We stop at the iconic Atomium, while discovering the city’s architectural diversity and its political role as the capital of the European Union. We then continue to the Waterloo battlefield to explore the major sites of the 1815 campaign and understand key moments that shaped European history. On our return, we drive via Parc du Cinquantenaire and through the EU quarter, the imposing Palace of Justice and the Royal Palace before we arrive back in the city center.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This will be the meeting point where your guide will wait for you. Standing on a hill, the twin towers in the Brabant Gothic style are visible from many points of the city. The cathedral is dedicated to the two patron saints of Brussels and has undergone various changes and expansions in history starting from the first church before the first millennium. Inside noteworthy are the beautiful wooden baroque pulpit and the stained glass windows of the sixteenth century side chapels.
Initiated by the architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaer, the spectacular Galeries Royales project took shape in the 1830's. The works, begun in 1846, were almost completed in time for the official opening on 20 June 1847. The gallery included shops, auditoriums, cafés, restaurants and apartments. The place to be seen for the fashionable, right away, the Royal Galleries of Saint Hubert drew a wide audience, attracted by its luxury brands, elegant cafés and cultural spaces
The Grand-Place is considered as one of the most beautiful places of the world. The Grand-Place of Brussels was registered on the World Heritage List of the UNESCO in 1998. All over the world it is known for its decorative and aesthetic wealth. The Grand-Place is surrounded by the guild houses, the City Hall and the Maison du Roi.
The famous Manneken-Pis remains the emblem of the rebellious spirit of the City of Brussels. His wardrobe counts more than 900 suits.
The building was finished in 1873. That 'Bourse Palace', as it was originally called, then grew into a centre of financial power. It was erected on the former Butter Market and the vault of the Senne river in an eclectic style, a combination of neo-Renaissance and Second Empire. Over the years, the Bourse lost its appearance and closed itself off from the outside world. In 2015, the last six Euronext traders left the building and it stood abandoned until its renovation in 2023.
Jeanneke Pis is a modern fountain sculpture in central Brussels, Belgium. It was commissioned by Denis-Adrien Debouvrie in 1985 and erected in 1987 as a counterpoint to the city's famous Manneken Pis.
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg is a masterpiece of Art Deco. It was the dream of our first kings to build at the plateau of Koekelberg a “Royal District” . At the end of the government of Leopold I, we already find plans and sketches for its construction. Between the first designs of the Basilica, dating from the end of the 19th century, and the completion of the building lies almost a century.
The Atomium is a landmark modernist building in Brussels, Belgium, originally constructed as the centrepiece of the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. It is the city's most popular tourist attraction, and serves as a museum, an art centre and a cultural destination.
You can dive into a unique multi-sensorial experience of the battle itself. You will enjoy the underground museum & visitor center offering multimedia exhibits on the 1815 Battle of Waterloo.
Your Visit ends on a lighter note. During the battle Saint John's Farm housed the allied hospital where 7000 wounded soldiers were treated. Now it is home to a microbrewery that brews Waterloo, the Beer of Bravery.
You will marvel at the Panorama, an immense fresco measuring 110m in circumference that narrates the crucial phases of the battle. The Lion's Mound boasts unique views over the battlefield after a memorable ascension.
Napoleon’s Last Headquarters or the Ferme du Caillou is located 5 km to the south of the Lion's Mound at Vieux-Genappe. Napoleon spent the night of 17 to 18 June 1815 there under the protection of the famous Imperial Guard battalion in the neighboring orchard and made his battle plans.
Construit en 1880 pour le 50e anniversaire de l’indépendance de la Belgique, le parc du Cinquantenaire est à la fois un ensemble de jardins « à la française » et un site historique où découvrir monuments, sculptures et musées.
It’s one of the most impressive monuments in Brussels, which also offers a breathtaking panoramic view of lower Brussels. Standing in front of this gigantic building leaves you (almost) dizzy. Everything is done to impress, both inside and out. It's a symbolic place with a long history, built on the (rather aptly named) Mont des Potences, meaning Gallows Hill, where condemned men were executed in the Middle Ages.
The Royal Palace was built on the site of the former Palace of the Dukes of Brabant which was destroyed by fire in 1731. Started in 1820 under the reign of King William, it was modified in 1904 under Leopold II, who had it rebuilt in Louis XVI style.
The Mont des Arts garden is located below place Royale and provides a green transition between the upper and lower parts of the city, between the Royal Quarter and the Grand-Place in the city's historical centre. Originally built for the 1910 Universal Exhibition, it was adapted in the 1950s to form part of the vast urban complex of the Mont des Arts.
Coming from the upper part of the city, you can't miss the majestic Church of Our Lady of Sablon, one of three Gothic churches in the centre of Brussels, built in the 15th century. Close to the former court of Brussels (now Place Royale), and therefore to the seat of power in days gone by, it is also linked to the origins of the Ommegang, a deeply rooted Brussels tradition.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
Reviews(2)
We were part of the small group that joined guide Stefaan on his very first tour of city highlights and the Waterloo battlefield. It's one thing to read about the battle of Waterloo but quite another to have it described on site by someone as knowlegeable as Stefaan. He took us to various vantage points in the countryside and explained the military strategy of both sides. He clearly is passionate about the subject. Stefaan is a retired lecturer of English and German, and his command of the English language is impeccable. During our excelent bus transportation he described many other points of interest in the city. It was a day well spent, and we highly recommend this tour!
Little did we know there was a museum located underground near the Waterloo Monument. The museum was flawless with how it's set up. A lot is set up digitally and was very impressive. You can use your phone for a self guided tour. There is a 4D movie around 30 minutes that went into detail before and during the battle. The panorama was incredibly drawn in a 360 degree Viewpoint of the battle. Followed by 250 stairs up to the top of the Waterloo Memorial of the Lion. The gift shop on the way out was expensive and overpriced unfortunately, but most gift shops are to lure tourists in. Super cool to have visited a huge turning point in the world's history.
