Brussels Cathedral vs Church of St. Nicholas, Brussels
Two churches in Brussels. Brussels Cathedral has no online ticket listed; Church of St. Nicholas, Brussels has no online ticket listed. The table and the two notes below put them side by side; the full pages have what to see, the ticket and the timing for each.
The cathedral stands on a slope between the lower and upper towns, five minutes from the central station, and entry to the nave is free. Two paid extras are worth considering: the archaeological crypt under the west end, which shows the foundations of the Romanesque church that stood here before, and the treasury. Both are inexpensive and neither takes long. Guided walks of central Brussels pass the front on the way between the grand square and the royal quarter, and comic-strip and art nouveau tours ignore it entirely, which is a reasonable choice if that is your interest.
The Church of Saint Nicholas stands a few steps from the Grand-Place in the centre of Brussels, beside the Bourse, and entry is free. It is one of the oldest churches in the city and a quiet refuge from the crowds of the square, although it is easy to miss because it is wedged between buildings. Walking tours of Brussels pass it on the way between the Grand-Place, the Bourse, the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert and the Manneken Pis.
