Brussels Parks Offer Recreation, Solitude, Beauty

Brussels parks provide a respite from the hustle and bustle of city life, offering opportunities for recreation, picnics, solitude and nature's beauty. Although Brussels is surrounded by many green areas and beautiful forests, parks are not a premium within the city center as they are in France. (When we lived in France we noticed that every city has a picture-perfect park in the center.)

So parks and gardens in Brussels are well-appreciated. Brussels residents turn out at the parks on beautiful weekends for long walks, sun bathing and gatherings of friends and family. Best of all, Brussels parks are free!

Bois de Cambre
The Bois de Cambre (south of the city's Avenue Louise) is the largest park and offers wide open spaces for recreation such as walking, jogging, bicycling or even a game of frisbee or football. This tree-filled park invites picnickers to spread out their lunches, lovers to snuggle under the sky and animal-lovers to take long walks with their pets. The sheer beauty of the park's lakes, walking paths, and trees offer solitude for the weary in a habitat just minutes from the city center.

Brussels Park
Located across from the Royal Palace, Brussels Park is within walking distance from many downtown hotels as well as the Grand Place. Filled with rows of trees and walking lanes, Brussels Park offers city dwellers a quick respite from their offices and tourists a hiding place from all things 'touristy'. This park is historically significant as it was originally designed by the dukes of Brabant almost 1,000 years ago.