Day trip from Amsterdam to Brussels

My boyfriend and I are planning on a day trip from Amsterdam to Brussels via train and had a couple of questions.

He specifically wants to visit the Delerium Cafe (huge beer lover). Which train stop do we need to get off at to get to Delerium? Also, can anyone give specific walking directions to this cafe? I understand it%26#39;s down a small side street and can be hard to find??

We really enjoy our beer so we%26#39;re open to any other recommendations as well!

Thank you all in advance for your help - we really appreciate it!

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Delirium is not far from Gare centrale. However you can only get off at Gare centrale if you are coming from Amsterdam by InterCity train so if you were coming on Thalys, you would have to get off at Gare du Midi and change.

From Gare centrale, exit via the main entrance/exit, cross the road to Citibank and go under the archway between the bank and the Méridien hotel. Turn right and walk down the hill, keep going (down rue du Marché aux Herbes) until you come almost to the bottom. One block from the traffic light at the bottom (flat bit) turn right into rue de la Fourche then first right into rue des Bouchers and almost immediately left into the Impasse de la Fidélité, and it is in the basement on your left.

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Thank you Gaminari, I appreciate the quick reply. We do plan on arriving via the Intercity since we%26#39;ve heard the Thalys doesn%26#39;t save much time and is quite a bit more expensive.

I forgot to ask in my earlier post if there are certain days of the week which are better for visiting Brussels? We will be in Amsterdam for 10 full days so our schedule is very flexible. In addition to visiting Delerium we would like to do a little shopping, see Grand Place and then just wander a bit. Are stores closed on Sunday%26#39;s?

Thanks again for all the info!

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As you walk down the rue du Marché aux Herbes, if you detour to the left you will be in the Grand%26#39; Place (you can see the belfry as you walk down the hill). You could also detour to the right into the Galeries St. Hubert but you might prefer to do that after visiting Delirium by continuing up the rue des Bouchers (do NOT eat in this street, incidentally, other than at Chez Léon or Aux Armes de Bruxelles: it%26#39;s one big tourist trap). If you come of out Delirium and turn left into rue des Bouchers, continue up past all the restaurants and you will arrive in the Galeries; if you turn left there and go out the other end, cross the street to the cartoon character %26quot;statue%26quot; and take the street that is just across up the hill, and you will find the beer café A La Mort Subite (named after a beer called Sudden Death).

Most museums are closed on Mondays and shops on Sundays, except tourist shops in the Grand%26#39; Place area, which includes chocolate shops in the Galeries St. Hubert, and art, antique and decorating shops in the Sablon/Marolles area, between the antiques market in the Sablon and the flea market in Place du Jeu de Balles. But if you are only coming for the day and you want to go drinking you probably won%26#39;t want to leave the GP area.

Incidentally if you have time to visit the Manneken Pis which you can find from the Grand%26#39; Place by taking the rue de l%26#39;Etuve, there is another beer café next to it called Poechenellekelder, which is the only place I know that issues the bill in Bruxellois.

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Thank you again Gaminari. I really appreciate the detailed info you provided on the area around GP, especially the tip about avoiding restaurants on a specific street. We def. prefer to avoid the usual tourist trap type restaurants.

Thanks again,

tbeans

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Just to add one thing about train fares, at the weekend they are much cheaper so Sat/ Sunday could save you on the return journey from Amsterdam on the international train.

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