Brussels Alone cover

Benelux · Available now

Brussels
Alone

A solo travel guide for women 50 and over
By Jennifer Brandt

When the floodlights come on, the baroque guild houses of the Grand-Place turn gold. Earlier, wander past the Art Nouveau townhouses in Saint-Gilles, and finish with moules-frites at a brasserie where one diner is normal.

$6.99 ebook

Buy the ebook, $6.99Read a sample

Ebook · Updated Q4 2026

Instant download · Secure checkout by Payhip

EPUB ebook: opens in Apple Books, Google Play Books and Kobo. On Kindle, use Send to Kindle (free, two minutes).

Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Where you might stay

  • Mid-rangeHotel Le Dixseptièmecourtyard rooms near the Grand-Place
  • A treat9Hotel Sablonquiet street, small pool, sauna, steam room

Two places to eat alone

  • ElianeA tiny counter-seat tasting room built around a live-fire hearth.
  • Bozar RestaurantLunch at the counter with the kitchen in front of you.

SAMPLE

First Impressions

Stand in the Grand-Place on a clear evening as the floodlights come on and the baroque guild houses turn gold.

In Saint-Gilles and Ixelles, Art Nouveau shows up in doorways, windows and ironwork. Victor Horta believed an ordinary townhouse should be a total work of art, and his own house on Rue Américaine is the place to see it.

Then there is the chocolate, the comic-strip murals three stories high on ordinary gable ends, and the Magritte Museum, where a pipe declares itself not to be a pipe. All three are covered in later chapters.

A free excerpt from Brussels Alone.

PRACTICAL SAMPLE

Michelin Dining: Counters and Small Rooms

Humus x Hortense (Rue de Vergnies 2, Ixelles) holds a vegan Michelin star, Belgium’s first for a plant-based restaurant, and some of Europe’s most confident plant-only fine dining. The menu, the work of chefs Caroline Baerten and Nicolas Decloedt, reads like a botanical atlas of Belgian farms. The small, warmly lit dining room is easy and welcoming. Book ahead.

Comme chez Soi (Place Rouppe 23, central Brussels), the long-running one-star institution, has relaxed its formal dress code and reworked its menu for a new generation. Lionel Rigolet’s fourth-generation Art Nouveau dining room is where you eat the house classic (filet of sole with Riesling mousseline and gray shrimp) without anyone minding that you’ve come in linen and good sneakers. The tasting menu is priced as a special occasion; check the current menu and price before you book.

A free excerpt from Brussels Alone.

Inside this book

  • Brussels Awaits
  • A City Shaped by History
  • Planning Your Escape
  • The Solo Woman’s Brussels
  • Where to Stay
  • Neighborhood by Neighborhood
View the chapter contents
  • Brussels Awaits
  • A City Shaped by History
  • Planning Your Escape
  • The Solo Woman’s Brussels
  • Where to Stay
  • Neighborhood by Neighborhood
  • Days in Brussels
  • Art, Culture & Creativity
  • The Pleasures of the Table
  • Evening & After Dark
  • Retail Therapy
  • Beyond the City: Day Trips
  • Conversation Notes
  • Practical Matters

BUY THE GUIDE

Brussels Alone

When the floodlights come on, the baroque guild houses of the Grand-Place turn gold. Earlier, wander past the Art Nouveau townhouses in Saint-Gilles, and finish with moules-frites at a brasserie where one diner is normal.

$6.99 ebook

Buy the ebook, $6.99

Ebook · Updated Q4 2026

Instant download · Secure checkout by Payhip

THE GUIDE + YOUR OWN PLANS

Ready to settle your plans?

Day plans in the kit include “Medieval Center and Sablon” and “Art Nouveau in Saint-Gilles”.

See inside the Brussels kit →
A page from the free sample of the Brussels kitRead the free 3-page sample (PDF) →
Do I need the kit as well?

No. The guide stands on its own. The kit is a separate, optional pack of decisions, day plans and a booking list. Read the free 3-page sample to see whether it suits the way you plan.

More guides

Back to the bookshop →