Mary Chocolatier Brussels Belgium on a Budget

A Chocolate Tour of Brussels

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I originally started researching Brussels chocolate tours after I booked my waffle workshop and thought to myself “hey, why not take a chocolate tour too?”. The answer, I quickly found out, to “why not take a chocolate tour” is that they are expensive. Like, €30+ expensive. And unlike the waffle workshop that I took, there wasn’t unlimited chocolate on these tours. In fact, according to some of the reviews the sample opportunities were pretty limited. So I adopted a “fuck it, I’ll do it myself” attitude and DIY-ed my own dang Brussels chocolate tour. And it was awesome.

Such is the mind of a girl who is decided to travel Belgium on a budget.

I started my morning off with a trip to the Grand Place, which is just kind of where you end up ALL THE TIME when you’re in Brussels.

Grand Place Brussels

My first real destination of the day was just off the Grand Place, however…

Brussels Museum of Cacao and Chocolate

That’s right friends. An ENTIRE MUSEUM. Dedicated to CHOCOLATE. I think I was in heaven the second I walked through those doors.

Sure, it was a bit of a tourist trap, but I got to learn all sorts of fun stuff about the history of chocolate and how it’s made. Oh, and there were samples. Loads and loads of samples. #score

Brussels Museum of Cacao and Chocolate Samples

The real highlight of the tour, however, was the praline making demonstration.

There were only a small number of people in the museum at the same time as me, and all eight or so of us eagerly gathered in the workshop when the time came. The man making the chocolate spoke barely any English, but he had been making chocolate his entire life, so just watching how easily and gracefully he went about things was a treat in and of itself.

Brussels Museum of Cacao and Chocolate Praline Demonstration Scraping
Brussels Museum of Cacao and Chocolate Praline Demonstration

And at the end? More samples!

Brussels Museum of Cacao and Chocolate Praline Demonstration Samples

The Chocolate Shops of Brussels

Not gonna lie, I had already visited a few chocolate shops before I went on my self-guided tour of them. Any time I saw one that looked enticing on my trip, I popped in. And more often than not, I left with another little box of chocolate. But I was going to be damned if I didn’t actually concentrate on visiting some of the best chocolate shops that Brussels had to offer. So, off I went.

Mary Chocolatier

Mary Chocolatier Brussels

My first stop was Mary Chocolatier, purveyor of fine chocolates. I’m pretty sure my eyes glazed over when I entered this shop. All of the little chocolates, perfectly alined in their display, and all so beautiful and delicious looking. I had so much trouble deciding on just a few pieces (I had decided to limit myself to just a few pieces from each shop, since there was no way I had the room in my bag or my budget to go crazy in each one), but in the end I was very happy with my decision.

Mary Chocolatier Brussels Chocolate

I couldn’t actually tell you what I bought, though, as I didn’t have the common sense to write down what each of the chocolates were before I ate them. Easily one of my bigger blogger fails, I know.

Planete Chocolat

My next stop was only a little ways down the street from Mary Chcolatier – Planete Chocolat. This one was a little bit less classy than the store I had just been in, but it was chocolate all the same, wasn’t it? There was also less of a selection of loose pralines and more gift boxes, so I had an easier time choosing my designated three pieces.

What made this store a highlight, though, was the incredibly friendly shop assistant. We had a great little conversation while he was checking me out, and once I had paid he kindly let me know that there was actually a window to their workshop at the back of the store where you could watch them making the chocolate! How cool is that? Unfortunately, there was no one there when I went to look, but I thought I’d share that little tidbit for if you ever make it there yourself!

Chocolaterie Manneken Pis

Chocolaterie Manneken Pis Brussels

I was a little wary of visiting this chocolate shop because it was literally right next to the famous Manneken Pis and therefore in prime tourist trap area. But the GPS My City guide that I based my own walking tour off of had suggested it, so I went anyway.

I didn’t actually buy anything is this store, because there weren’t any pick-your-own options, so I would have been forced to buy a big box. But, if you’re looking for novelty Manneken Pis-shaped chocolates then this is definitely the place to go! If not, though, you’re probably not missing much by skipping it.

Maison Dandoy

Okay, so this stop was less chocolate based than the others, but I couldn’t help stopping in after my instructor at the Brussels Waffle Workshop recommended it as the best place to try the traditional Belgian speculoos cookie. The store was super cute and the employees there were so nice. I bought a little bunch of speculoos cookies to take on the road with me, and set off in search of more chocolate!

Neuhaus Chocolaterie

You can find Neuhaus chocolate all over the place in Belgium, but I wanted to go to the place where it all started: their original store in the Galeries-Royales St. Hubert. This place was probably the highlight of my Brussels chocolate tour, because the guy at the counter was just so much fun. He also told me and the other couple in the store all about how they make ALL of their chocolate (that they ship all over the world) just outside of Brussels, so Brussels really is the best place to buy it.

I bought four pieces of chocolate from here (a big splurge, I know), and they were all delicious.

Leonidas

Leonidas Galeries Royales St Hubert Brussels

Also located in the Galeries-Royales St. Hubert is Leonidas, another famous Belgian chocolatier. Compared to the liveliness of the employee at Neuhaus, this place was just a little bit eerie – especially because I was the only one in the store. Bad luck, I guess.

Leonidas was also the cheapest place I stopped for chocolate along the way. I think I only spent a little more than €1 on three pieces of chocolate, which was a serious deal. I should have bought more from there because, like all Belgian chocolate, it was delicious! (Am I sounding repetitive yet?)

How to Take Your Own Brussels Chocolate Tour

You can, of course, take a guided tour of Brussels chocolate shops. But I don’t think I missed much by doing it by myself – and it was definitely cheaper that way! Sure, you might learn some cool facts about chocolate, but I thought I learned plenty at the museum that I visited at the beginning of the day.

Start your day off at the Museum of Cacao and Chocolate, and once you’ve learned all you can stand about chocolate, head off in search of some! Follow this map to make it to all of the places that I stopped:

I hope you have so much fun on your very own Brussels chocolate tour!

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Want to take a Brussels chocolate tour but don't have the cash? Use this post to inspire your very own self guided chocolate tour of Brussels! DIY your Belgian chocolate tour.

MY FAVORITE TRAVEL TIPS & RESOURCES

Booking Flights: The first place I turn when I’m searching for flights is actually just Google Flights - it’s great to figure out what sort of routes are available. Then, I check Skyscanner and Kiwi for deals. I also love Kiwi for its destination: anywhere feature!

Transportation: I love Omio for figuring out the cheapest way to get from one place to another, and Trainline for booking train tickets within Europe.

Accommodations: I absolutely love Booking.com for finding great hotel deals. After you stay a certain number of nights, you get Genius discounts! For hostels, Hostelworld is my go-to, and I use Airbnb occasionally as well (click here for $40 off your first booking!)

Travel Insurance: I knew that I shouldn’t travel without insurance for the longest time, but I really learned my lesson when I got an infected cut in Bali. Thank goodness I had travel insurance! I use and love World Nomads for their extremely comprehensive coverage.

Travel Insurance: I knew that I shouldn’t travel without insurance for the longest time, but I really learned my lesson when I got an infected cut in Bali. Thank goodness I had travel insurance! I use and love World Nomads for their extremely comprehensive coverage.

Tours: I always check Urban Adventures for great day tours of cities first–I’m obsessed with them! GetYourGuide and Viator are also great options. For multi-day tours, I highly recommend Intrepid.

Camera Gear: I use a Sony Alpha A6300 camera with an 18-105 mm lens and a 35 mm lens. My tripod is the MeFoto Backpacker Air and I loooooove it! I also use a DJI Mavic Air and a GoPro and which allow me to capture everything my regular camera can’t.

Addie Gray is a recent college grad and a passionate solo female traveler. Having traveled to more than 20 countries, she now shares her knowledge on budget travel, solo female travel, and travel photography.

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