Manila to Brussels Flights

  About Manila

The highly populous city of Manila is the capital of the Philippines. The urban city is recognised worldwide as a city prone to the maximum number of natural disasters, owing to it attracting a high number of cyclones regularly. Despite being vulnerable to natural disasters, Manila is actually known to be a fast-growing city in the Philippines. Located on the bayside, the city has been tremendously influenced by the Spanish as it was once a colony.

Best time to visit Manila

Manila is surrounded by waters on all sides, giving it hot and wet weather. Hence, it is best advised to visit the quaint city during their dry season. Manila's dry months start from January and last up to April. The rest of the year is pretty hot and humid. The flipside of the dry months is that it comes with the summer sun. This basically means you'll have to deal with hot and dry weather when you visit Manila. However, it is still a better bargain than the wet months. March and April see the peak summer with temperatures ranging from 23 degree Celsius to 35 degree Celsius. The weather is perfect for hitting the beach and cooling down. That is always an option that many tourists opt for. Besides, one can always indulge in renting out bicycles and riding in the streets of Manila, exploring new crevices of the lovely city. Due to the months being peak season, the city is often crowded with tourists resulting in high hotel prices. During these months, the hotel rates in Manila spike up to an exorbitant amount. It becomes quite unfavourable for budget tourists to make their bookings for hotels and flights to Manila as there is already a lot of demand for the city.

One can simply opt to make prior hotel and flight bookings to Manila. Although tourists tend to visit the city all-round the year, the safest ones are from January to April. From June to November, Manila is pretty much hot and humid with monsoon taking over. The weather gets rather unpleasant to indulge in tourist activities. This is one of the major concerns which makes tourists opt for the peak season. Monsoon is pretty bad as during this time, the streets get flooded, and the torrential rains destroy quite a lot of the habitat. Since Manila also attracts cyclones and other such calamities, it is best to avoid the wet season. It is essential to check the weather and all the reports before you make your flight and hotel bookings in Manila. Sure, the bad weather and lack of tourism does bring down the hotel prices in Manila. But it definitely wouldn't be worth it as you wouldn't be able to enjoy the city's spirits and tourist attractions. The best thing to do would be to make prior bookings of flight and hotels in Manila for the dry season.

Places to visit in Manila

As a country with some of the largest urban gardens and parks, you can start your tourist rendezvous in Manila by visiting some of them. Rizal Park is a popular garden in the city which was earlier called Bagumbayan, attracts a lot of tourists every year. The garden was built during the Spanish Colonial Period and has been a structure of historical significance. The park is beautiful and comes with lush green grasses and alluring sights. Next from here, you can visit some of the monuments in the city. You can check out Fort Santiago, a citadel created by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, a known Spanish navigator and governor. The defense fortress is recognised for its historical relevance of serving as a prison during World War II. San Agustin Church is another beautiful Roman Catholic structure which is acknowledged by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Aside from the usual, you can always make room for visits at the Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Manila Zoo and Casa Manila, to name a few highlights.

Things to do in Manila

There are many things that you can do in Manila, starting from the Manila Baywalk. The promenade overlooks the Manila Bay and offers a pristine view of the waterbody. You can actually take up carriage rides by the promenade. In the evenings, there are also some performances by locals and live band performances. Not to mention how the area has lovely cafes which serve multi-cuisines. Visiting the Manila Ocean Park should be on your list of things to do in Manila. It is an oceanarium and is owned by the China Oceanis Philippines Inc. The institute is located in proximity to Rizal Park. The place is beautiful as you get to walk through the oceanarium and view some exquisite and rare marine life. To learn more about the history and cultural heritage of the country, you should visit the National Museum of the Philippines. It falls under the government authority and is maintained by the officials. The architecture and exhibits preserved by the Philippines government in the museum will pique your interest. You can also indulge in some fine dining and relish the lavish cuisine.

Food and restaurants in Manila

The cosmopolitan city brings flavours from around the world in their cuisine. You will not miss any international cuisine as the Filipino food in itself has been derived from inspiration from aboriginal, North American, Chinese, Indonesian and Spanish cuisine. Most of the dishes in Manila would seem familiar, be it the flavours or the style of cooking. Manila's eclectic spread of food establishments is perfectly balanced with upscale restaurants and budget food joints. Wherever you go, you will be met with exquisite and memorable food. You can start with a buffet spread at Spiral Restaurant. It features some of the finest gourmet dishes with food inspired by 21 diverse countries. There's a Japanese station as well as a French station with fun cooking scenes. The place is high-priced so best to fill up your pockets before visiting the place. Another luxurious fine dining experience that you can check out is at Café Ilang-Ilang. This food establishment also has a buffet setting with cuisines such as Italian, Asian, Filipino, Japanese, Chinese and Western.

You can also opt for dining with a great view of the Sky Deck View Bar. The aerial view of Manila from the rooftop restaurant is beautiful. For a quaint but authentic Filipino food, head to The Aristocrat. Barbara's Heritage Restaurant is another such place which serves Filipino food as well as a spectacular vibe. Some more establishments that would put a smile on your face are Ilustrado Restaurant, Harbor View Restaurant, Movie Stars Cafe, Bistro Remedios and My Kitchen by Chef Chris. Your food expedition in Manila would be quite an experience as there are far too many places to pick from.

How to reach Manila

Flight connectivity to Manila from India is extremely good. There are many flights that fly to Manila from India. Most of the South Asian countries have impeccable flight connectivity with Indian cities. Even Manila sees regular flights flying from Indian cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, to name a few. The most popular route to Manila chosen by travellers is from Singapore and Hong Kong. The flight connectivity to Manila from these international cities is immaculate. Airlines such as Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Dragon Air, Philippine Airlines, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are some of the prominent names that have flights reserved for Manila. There are no direct flights that fly to Manila from India. There are mostly connecting flights and layovers that take place in international cities such as Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. International routes connecting Manila from cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore and even Bangkok are more favoured. The number of flights in service are more, plus the duration is also less time-consuming.

It takes about eight hours and fifteen minutes to reach Manila from India. However, the only way you will get to reach so early would be if you pick the fastest flights with exorbitant ticket costs. The popular flights to Manila have tickets at the price range of INR 20,000 to 27,000. The difference in duration of flights is also barely of an hour or two, making these options more affordable. There are cheap flight tickets to Manila, and if you book in advance, you might be able to get some benefits of discounts too. There are countless deals that take place online, and you can easily avail some flight deals to Manila by snooping around the web. In fact, there are combo deals of flights and accommodation too that is recommended. You can get a cheap flight and hotel bookings in Manila, as long as you make prior reservations and find good deals online. The peak season might see a tremendous change in the flight ticket cost to Manila as well as the hotel prices. During the wet seasons, the hotel prices in Manila drop to an all-time low, making budget travelling possible.

  About Brussels

As the de facto capital to the European Union, Brussels is a city that celebrates Flemish culture with exquisite architecture. The city is blessed with rich Gothic and Baroque-styled architecture that adds to the beauty of Brussels. The city is the capital of Belgium and has influences of the Dutch and French as it was once a colony. Brussels is one of the populated cities in Belgian and enjoys the status of being the wealthiest city in the country. Brussels has also turned into an important political and financial centre on international levels. The city is bilingual with citizens speaking both Dutch and French. However, the population leans more towards the French language.

Brussels is blessed with some exquisite UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Grand Palace. While the city has some of the finest architectural bliss to witness, it's the food and beer culture that caters to a wide population of tourists. The Belgian witbier is a famous crafted beer that has been recognised worldwide. Even the waffles made by the Belgians have received honour and stature in the culinary industry to be the best. Booking a flight ticket to Brussels is quite convenient, as is living in the city. There are many options for a backpacker or even a luxury traveller to be entertained as Brussels does accommodate all kinds of travellers.

The hotel rooms are also cheap, provided you make some prior bookings and ensure to get your travel expenses sorted beforehand. It's all about planning perfectly.

Best time to visit Brussels

Spring and fall are the best seasons in which you can visit Brussels. The months March to May and September to October, see Brussels in new lights. With the onset of summer, the city rings in various music festivals as the climate is drier in comparison to other times. With the temperatures falling between 10 degree Celsius to 15 degree Celsius, the chill breeze roaming the city paints quite a romantic picture. This is also a favourable time to visit for many tourists, making flight tickets to Brussels slightly expenses. Even accommodations take a hike with tourists from the UK, Netherlands, Germany and other parts of the neighbouring cities visiting the city. Mainly, people flock over to Brussels to revel in the carnival hosted in the city. In the month of May, the city hosts Iris Day Festival and Brussels Jazz Weekend. These festivities often pique the interests of tourists who wish to engage in the carnivalesque celebrations. During this time, flight tickets to Brussels see a spike, as does the accommodation. The best thing that would make sense for you is to book your flight tickets and hotels in Brussels, months ahead. You might also receive some cheap flight deals online.

September to October sees the temperatures fall to the mid-60s. The atmosphere is quite breezy and beautiful, which makes travelling within the city a good trip. In September, Brussels hosts the Brussels Comic Strip Festival as well as Belgian Beer Weekend. These festivals are attractive, they don't bring in as much crowd as one would hope. Travelling to Brussels from India during September and October would be quite fun as the temperatures are lovely. Plus, with less crowd, the accommodation also sees a drop, giving you ample options to choose instead of settling for some hotel in Brussels.

Place to visit in Brussels

Brussels is blessed with some very European tourist attractions. From the Belgian Comic Strip Museum to the Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, many places in the city would give you the tourist vibe and at the same time will pique your interest. To start with, the first on your list should be the Grand Palace, a royal Gothic and Baroque-style structure that has even been tagged by the UNESCO World Heritage Site. While you're around this area, you can also visit the attractions close to the palace such as St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral. The famous Manneken-Pis, literally a bronze statue of a small boy relieving himself, is a landmark that should definitely be witnessed. The city also has a museum dedicated to musical instruments called Musical Instruments Museum. It's quite a fancy place to visit as it houses 1,200 instruments extracted from around the world. You should also check out archaic Renaissance-inspired arcade Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubter, which is also popularly called 'umbrella of Brussels' in the city.

Things to do in Brussels

At Brussels, there are two things that you simply cannot miss, waffles and beer. The country is famed for its Belgian waffles and Belgian witbier. You can either go separately on an excursion to check out waffles and beers, or you can mix it up in one tour. Brewery hopping is certainly something you would enjoy as you will get to taste some of their finest crafted beers. A day at the theme park, Mini Europe, will do you good. You can take a day trip to the theme park and get to see miniature versions of all the famous European tourist attractions. Plus, their chocolates are another trip to the factory that deserve to be explored.

Food and Restaurants in Brussels

Brussels sees an interesting amalgam of flavours from the French and Dutch style of cooking. Needless to say, mussels also play an important role in their cuisine. Their dish for summer, mosselen-friet, is a lovely melange of mussels and fries, something that would definitely go down well with you. One of the main reasons why summer is ideal to try this dish out is because it is the harvest season of mussels, which means you will be blessed with some lip-smacking fresh mussels on a plate. Much of their cuisine gives seafood a lot of emphasis. Garnalen krokkettenm, one of their dishes, is basically varied types of teeny grey shrimp put together with rich béchamel sauce and served with bread. While seafood does take centre stage in their cuisine, the Belgians do know how to cook good meat as well. You will find some impeccable thick beef stew which is often cooked with beer. Speaking of which, beer plays a staple to their meals just like Belgian frites (fries), and stoemp is to their evening meals. They simply cannot do without the presence of potato and beer.

Talk about Belgian food, and you simply cannot miss waffles and chocolates. They definitely know how to make people go weak in the knees with their savouries. The country is literally recognised for the waffles made by them. While you will see various toppings put on the dessert, the best is the classic Belgian waffle with whipped cream and probably Nutella. Some patisseries don't even add these toppings and let the customer experience the true nature of a lovely plain and crispy waffle. For the classic Belgian food interspersed with French cuisine, head straight to Maison Antoine. As for some more interesting take on Belgian recipes visit Pistolet Original, Au Vieux Marché, Le Clan des Belges, Noordzee Mer du Nord, La Quincaillerie and Delirium Cafe, to name a few. You will return with a big smile on your face after visiting these restaurants and their exquisite culinary.

How to reach Brussels (Transportation)

By Air

As the capital of Belgian, Brussels airport witnesses a good number of tourists at the Brussels International Airport. Flight connectivity of Brussels to many important European cities is excellent. Although the city's airport is located in Flanders, which is away from the Brussels main city, thanks to airport shuttle services, buses and rentals, travelling within the city are possible and convenient. You can book direct flights to Brussels from India. Cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai. Kolkata, Kochi and Bangalore have provisions of direct flights to Brussels. While there are some airlines that would have layovers or might need connecting flights, usually that's not a problem.

The major Indian cities provide non-stop flights to Brussels, making travelling favourable and seamless. Airlines such as Emirates, Etihad Airways, Air India, Lufthansa, KLM Royal Dutch, Air France, Gulf Air, have frequent flights connecting Brussels and India. Booking your flight tickets to Brussels from India should be done well in advance though, if you wish to get good flight deals. It would be even better if you peruse through online for flight as well as accommodation deals. Options from luxury stay to hostels are available. As long as you book your hotel in Brussels before leaving India, it would be favourable.

By Rail

Many travellers visiting Brussels are often travelling across Europe. The connectivity of the European countries is immaculate, making travel easier. Even for Brussels, you can take flights to Germany, Netherlands or France, have some good time exploring those countries and then take a train to Brussels. A majority of the big European cities are connected by rails. Not only would the trip be amusing as the scenic views are worth all the duration, but this way, you can save up as well. Multiple rail options are available from Munich, Luxembourg, Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin and more.