Brussels is one of the biggest cities in Belgium and the administrative capital of the country. The city has a great relevance not only for the Belgian history, but also because it is the seat of the European Parliament, an Institution that attracts millions of people in the city every year.
Brussels is well connected by the air service; the main airlines have a base in this city’s airport, which have had the status of international airport since it was born.
Brussels National Airport is the nearest international airport to the capital city centre. Born under the Nazi domination, it has reached the 25 million passengers threshold this year. The many services offered inside the airport, the cleanliness and the courtesy of the employees made possible this airport to be awarded several times as the best airport in Europe.
Brussels National Airport is placed at the 24th place in the European ranking about the passenger traffic, published by the civil aviation authority. The airport is also known as Zaventem, in honour of the near town, and is equipped with three runways (the biggest of which is over 3 km).
Inside, in addition to the hundreds of shops, there are also many bars and restaurants and even a hair salon. The National Airport has two terminals, A and B. As usual in international airports, the division depends on the destination/provenance of the flights.
The terminal A is meant for European flights, while from the terminal B all the extra-Schengen international flights are managed. The airport is less than 20 km far from the city centre and is well connected by the road network. Right outside, there is, indeed, the entrance to the A201 expressway, that leads to the eastern Brussels. Moreover, you can easily reach by car all the other Belgian cities.
For this reason, the car rental service at Brussels airport is very useful: the car is the most rapid vehicle to comfortably visit the city. You just need to book your rental car on RentalUp and, once landed, you can pick it up directly at Brussels Airport.
Brussels: the most interesting attractions
There are really many attractions in Brussels. The city centre is very old (the first writings date back to 1000 AD) and throughout the years it was enlarged until it got the current relevance.
In the old town you cannot miss a visit to the big and beautiful royal quarter, placed on a small hill and still today seat of the Belgian royal family. The palace, with its magnificent rooms, has had in the past a stormy history; built around 1100 by the Dukes of Brabant, it was destroyed and rebuilt several times. The current shape dates back to the last important restoration, made around 1800, after its complete destruction caused by a devasting fire in 1731.
It is also worth a visit to the Town Hall, which is visible from almost every point of the city thanks to its majestic 100-metre high tower. Moreover, the tower has been several times designated as one of the most beautiful examples of Gothic monuments in Europe.
The Town Hall is in the Grand Place, the main square, that in 1998 was recognized as World Heritage by UNESCO.
Tourists, especially the European ones, cannot miss a visit to the European quarter, where the European Parliament is located. Here you can admire the bright steel and glass buildings, that are the background of many live TV broadcasts.
The quarters of the Belgian capital city can be easily visited with the car rental service, available at Brussels Airport.
Brussels: art and culture
Besides being a reference point thanks to the monuments in its old town, the Belgian capital city is also worth a visit from the artistic and cultural points of view.
There are over 80 museums in the city that can satisfy all art and culture lovers. One of the most important of them is the Museum of Fine Arts, an art gallery which contains really valuable masterpieces.
Thanks to the car rental service at Brussels Airport, you can also reach the Royal Museum for Central Africa and the enormous Museum of Natural Sciences; in this latter you can admire the biggest collection about dinosaurs in the world.
During your stay in Brussels, you cannot miss a visit to the monuments realized in occasion of the World Expo in 1958. Among them there is the Atomium, a 102-metre high representation of the atom.
