Belgium
Brussels in January
🧥 WinterCold and some showers.
🎒 Pack: warm jacket for evenings
Why January scores 7.7What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort6.6
- !Cold (6°C highs / 1°C lows)
- ✓Comfortable humidity (dew point 2°C)
- ✓Mostly dry (~76 mm rain)
- Air quality8.3
- ✓Moderate (PM2.5 ~16 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline7.5
- ·Increased caution
| Jan | Jul | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 7.7 Very good | 9.4 Excellent |
| Season | 🧥 Winter | ☀️ Summer |
| High / low | 6° / 1° | 23° / 14° |
| Rain | 76 mm | 77 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 2° | dew pt 13° |
| PM2.5 | 16 µg/m³ | 8 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast). Temperatures: Brussels weather-station normals. Rainfall: Brussels weather-station normals (national met service).
Holidays & crowdsJanuary 2027
Long weekendThere's at least one long weekend. Domestic travel picks up and popular spots get busier over those days.
- New Year 1–3 Jan · 3 days off in a row
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Nature calendarBlossoms, leaves & seasons in Brussels
- Snowy daysIn JanuaryTypical datesSnow likely Nov–Mar (most in Feb: ~5 days)
Average number of days with snowfall at Brussels.
Source: Brussels weather-station normals (national weather service, via Wikipedia climate table)
Explore BrusselsEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyBelgium's capital and the de facto capital of the European Union, known for the Grand-Place, comic-strip culture, art museums, chocolate and beer.
Winter Wonders (Plaisirs d'Hiver)Date variesUsually late November to early January
A winter market with stalls, rides and light shows.
Why go: Most lively in the evenings.
Where: City centre from Grand-Place to Place Sainte-Catherine
Coming up later
OmmegangDate variesUsually late June or early July
A historical pageant with hundreds of costumed participants, recognised by UNESCO.
Why go: Seats for the Grand-Place show are ticketed.
Where: Grand-Place and Sablon
Belgian National DayEvery year21 July every year
A military parade, festivities and fireworks mark the national holiday.
Why go: Many shops and offices close.
Where: Around the Royal Palace and Place des Palais
Grand-Place
The city's ornate central square, surrounded by guildhalls and the Gothic town hall.
Manneken Pis
A small bronze fountain statue, often dressed in costumes, a few minutes from the Grand-Place.
Atomium
A giant model of an iron crystal built for the 1958 World's Fair, with exhibitions and views inside.
Royal Museums of Fine Arts and Magritte Museum
Major art collections from Flemish masters to Belgian surrealism.
Royal Galleries of Saint-Hubert
Elegant 19th-century glass-roofed shopping arcades near the Grand-Place.
Comic strip walls
Murals of Belgian comic characters such as Tintin painted on buildings around the centre.
💡 The Belgian Comic Strip Center covers the art form in more depth.
Belgian waffles
Light Brussels waffles and denser Liège waffles, sold from stands and cafés.
Fries
Double-fried fries served in a paper cone with sauces.
💡 Friteries
Moules-frites
Mussels with fries, a Belgian staple.
Gueuze and lambic beer
Spontaneously fermented sour beers traditional to the Brussels area.
💡 Cantillon brewery in Anderlecht and specialist beer bars
Speculoos
Spiced biscuits traditionally made for St Nicholas.
Chocolate
Pralines and bars from Belgian chocolatiers.
💡 The Sablon area and the Royal Galleries
Comic merchandise
Books and figures of Tintin and other Belgian comic heroes.
💡 Comic bookshops in the centre
Lace
Traditional Belgian lace.
💡 Shops around the Grand-Place