Brussels anchors the European Union, hosting the Commission and Council since the 1950s and NATO headquarters since 1967, among the densest concentrations of diplomats and lobbyists anywhere. It was founded around 979 AD when Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine, moved the relics of Saint Gudula to a chapel on an island in the Senne. Officially bilingual in French and Dutch, its Grand-Place, a UNESCO-listed square of gilded guildhalls, sits a few streets from the Belgian Comic Strip Center, tracing an industry that produced Tintin and the Smurfs.
Nights sit around 11°C and afternoons around 20°C, though some days reach 26°C.
Brussels has real seasons: summer afternoons sit around 22°C, winter ones around 7°C.
Some summer days reach 31°C, and some winter nights drop below freezing.
Rain is spread through the year — about 838 mm in total, from 87 mm in August down to 47 mm in April — so no single month is a washout.
Air quality is worth watching: February averages an AQI of 61, while July clears to 40.
Days stretch to about 16.3 hours of light in June and shrink to 7.7 in December — something to weigh if you work to a fixed timezone.
No month in Brussels matches what you're after, so come for the place rather than the weather. Expect fast internet (264 Mbps) and a high cost of living (about €2350 a month).
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