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Center of the city this UNESCO World Heritage site has been labelled as one of the most beautiful town squares in Europe
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Grand-Place
Center of the city this UNESCO World Heritage site has been labelled as one of the most beautiful town squares in Europe
The most regal-looking park in all of Brussels is again a brainchild of Leopold II. The Cinquantenaire Park’s grand triumphal arch commemorates Belgium’s 50th anniversary as a nation, and the historic goodness continues in three sprawling museums (Autoworld, the Royal Military Museum and the Cinquantenaire Museum). Sunny days see the vast lawns fill up with picnickers and frisbee players.
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Jubelpark
The most regal-looking park in all of Brussels is again a brainchild of Leopold II. The Cinquantenaire Park’s grand triumphal arch commemorates Belgium’s 50th anniversary as a nation, and the historic goodness continues in three sprawling museums (Autoworld, the Royal Military Museum and the Cinquantenaire Museum). Sunny days see the vast lawns fill up with picnickers and frisbee players.
Nearly everyone knows about Manneken Pis, the strange peeing-boy statue that Bruxellois like to dress up and have good-humouredly adopted as their symbol. Lesser known are the Manneken’s family members – both girl sculpture Jeanneke Pis and dog sculpture Zinneke have been doing their business on the streets of Brussels since the ’90s.
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Männeken Pis
Nearly everyone knows about Manneken Pis, the strange peeing-boy statue that Bruxellois like to dress up and have good-humouredly adopted as their symbol. Lesser known are the Manneken’s family members – both girl sculpture Jeanneke Pis and dog sculpture Zinneke have been doing their business on the streets of Brussels since the ’90s.
While nine balls of steel balancing on a bunch of sticks might seem like a weird monument, the Atomium actually represents the composition of an iron crystal, magnified to 165 billion times its size. Engineer André Waterkeyn designed the 102-metre-tall (335-foot-tall) giant for the Brussels 1958 World Fair to symbolise a firm belief in the scientific process. The building-and-sculpture hybrid became so popular that it’s now a permanent fixture on the capital’s skyline.
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Atomium
1 Pl. de l'AtomiumWhile nine balls of steel balancing on a bunch of sticks might seem like a weird monument, the Atomium actually represents the composition of an iron crystal, magnified to 165 billion times its size. Engineer André Waterkeyn designed the 102-metre-tall (335-foot-tall) giant for the Brussels 1958 World Fair to symbolise a firm belief in the scientific process. The building-and-sculpture hybrid became so popular that it’s now a permanent fixture on the capital’s skyline.
Brussels is a treasure trove of Art Nouveau architecture, and shining examples of the revolutionary pre-war movement are Victor Horta’s town houses. The Hôtel Tassel, Hôtel Solvay, Hôtel van Eetvelde and Maison & Atelier Horta clearly show their architect as a pioneer of the elegant curves, decorative ironwork and spacious floor plans so essential to the style.
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Horta-Museum (Musee Horta)
27 Rue AméricaineBrussels is a treasure trove of Art Nouveau architecture, and shining examples of the revolutionary pre-war movement are Victor Horta’s town houses. The Hôtel Tassel, Hôtel Solvay, Hôtel van Eetvelde and Maison & Atelier Horta clearly show their architect as a pioneer of the elegant curves, decorative ironwork and spacious floor plans so essential to the style.
The 19th-century flâneur is deeply indebted to Brussels for constructing one of Europe’s first covered shopping arcades. The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert is split up into three magnificent halls – the King’s Gallery, the Queen’s Gallery and the Princes’ Gallery – and provides a lush setting for a good window shop.
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Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
5 Galerie du RoiThe 19th-century flâneur is deeply indebted to Brussels for constructing one of Europe’s first covered shopping arcades. The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert is split up into three magnificent halls – the King’s Gallery, the Queen’s Gallery and the Princes’ Gallery – and provides a lush setting for a good window shop.
Translated to ‘Mountain of Arts’, the hillside close to Brussels Central Station is a prominent Leopold II legacy. The Belgian ‘Builder King’ dreamed of seeing a sophisticated cultural nucleus outside of his Royal Palace’s windows – a wish that has led to a fabulous slope-garden, followed up by a generous smattering of prestigious museums (RMFA, MIM, Magritte Museum, etc) and cultural temples (Cinematek, Bozar).
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Mont des Arts
Translated to ‘Mountain of Arts’, the hillside close to Brussels Central Station is a prominent Leopold II legacy. The Belgian ‘Builder King’ dreamed of seeing a sophisticated cultural nucleus outside of his Royal Palace’s windows – a wish that has led to a fabulous slope-garden, followed up by a generous smattering of prestigious museums (RMFA, MIM, Magritte Museum, etc) and cultural temples (Cinematek, Bozar).
It’s the royals’ favoured coronation, marriage and state funeral spot, a seasonal go-to for Christmas carol concerts and “the purest flowering of the Gothic style” according to Victor Hugo. The monumental St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral atop Treurenberg Hill may have taken 300 years to complete, but its singular beauty now reigns supreme over Brussels’s skyline.
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Kathedrale St. Michael und St. Gudula, Brüssel
Esplanade de la Sainte-GuduleIt’s the royals’ favoured coronation, marriage and state funeral spot, a seasonal go-to for Christmas carol concerts and “the purest flowering of the Gothic style” according to Victor Hugo. The monumental St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral atop Treurenberg Hill may have taken 300 years to complete, but its singular beauty now reigns supreme over Brussels’s skyline.
Also rocking an extraordinary Art Deco interior, the Van Buuren Museum and Gardens is the result of two lifetimes worth of fierce patronage. David and Alice van Buuren spent three decades in the 20th century transforming their Uccle home into a total work of art, complete with an Erik Satie piano, Van Gogh paintings and the Heart Garden.
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Van Buuren Museum
41 Av. Léo ErreraAlso rocking an extraordinary Art Deco interior, the Van Buuren Museum and Gardens is the result of two lifetimes worth of fierce patronage. David and Alice van Buuren spent three decades in the 20th century transforming their Uccle home into a total work of art, complete with an Erik Satie piano, Van Gogh paintings and the Heart Garden.
From the hand of Victor Horta’s mentor Alphonse Balat came the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken, a metal-and-glass wonder that allowed King Leopold II to build a collection of thousands of exotic plants and trees. The sprawling complex of pavilions, cupolas and arcades almost feels like its own city – one that only opens for a few weeks a year during April and May.
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Royal Greenhouses of Laeken
61 Avenue du Parc RoyalFrom the hand of Victor Horta’s mentor Alphonse Balat came the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken, a metal-and-glass wonder that allowed King Leopold II to build a collection of thousands of exotic plants and trees. The sprawling complex of pavilions, cupolas and arcades almost feels like its own city – one that only opens for a few weeks a year during April and May.
There is no better time or place to hunt for second-hand steals than early in the morning at the Place du Jeu de Balle, a veritable bric-a-brac heaven. Bargaining is key at this daily open-air market in the Marolles neighbourhood, where couleur locale is always in heavy supply, and you’d do well to keep your eyes peeled for diamonds in the rough among the discarded toasters.
Place du Jeu de Balle
Place du Jeu de BalleThere is no better time or place to hunt for second-hand steals than early in the morning at the Place du Jeu de Balle, a veritable bric-a-brac heaven. Bargaining is key at this daily open-air market in the Marolles neighbourhood, where couleur locale is always in heavy supply, and you’d do well to keep your eyes peeled for diamonds in the rough among the discarded toasters.
Museums
A scion in the Brussels museum family since April 2016, the Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art (MIMA) is determined to haul what they’ve dubbed ‘culture 2.0’ out of the shadowy periphery and into the limelight. Located inside the old Belle-Vue breweries and overlooking the canal, the MIMA showcases everything from graffiti to digital and subculture arts.
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Mima
41 Quai du HainautA scion in the Brussels museum family since April 2016, the Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art (MIMA) is determined to haul what they’ve dubbed ‘culture 2.0’ out of the shadowy periphery and into the limelight. Located inside the old Belle-Vue breweries and overlooking the canal, the MIMA showcases everything from graffiti to digital and subculture arts.
One such pearl on the Mont des Arts is the Musical Instruments Museum. While many mistakingly assume that its eye-catching location is a Victor Horta design, it was actually Paul Saintenoy who outlined the former Old England store and its iron-cast turret. The impressive building houses an internationally renowned collection of 7,000 instruments and has a lovely rooftop patio.
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Museum musikalischer Instrumente
2 Rue Montagne de la CourOne such pearl on the Mont des Arts is the Musical Instruments Museum. While many mistakingly assume that its eye-catching location is a Victor Horta design, it was actually Paul Saintenoy who outlined the former Old England store and its iron-cast turret. The impressive building houses an internationally renowned collection of 7,000 instruments and has a lovely rooftop patio.
Surprisingly, you’ll find the most penny-pinching way to see all of the continent’s most prized architectural achievements in the shadows of the Atomium. Suitable for both children and adults, the theme park Mini-Europe – and its adorable turtle mascot – present to you the ‘best of the best’, a pantheon of Europe’s most famous monuments, shrunken down to 1/25th of their size.
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Mini-Europa
1 Av. du FootballSurprisingly, you’ll find the most penny-pinching way to see all of the continent’s most prized architectural achievements in the shadows of the Atomium. Suitable for both children and adults, the theme park Mini-Europe – and its adorable turtle mascot – present to you the ‘best of the best’, a pantheon of Europe’s most famous monuments, shrunken down to 1/25th of their size.
One focusses on showcasing the acclaimed paintings by Belgium’s most famed surrealist; the other on giving the public a sense of his private life. While the Magritte Museum on the Mont des Arts boasts essential works such as Empire of Light and Scheherazade, the Magritte House Museum, in the artist’s former Jette home, gives visitors an idea of how René Magritte lived and worked.
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Magritte-Museum
1 Pl. RoyaleOne focusses on showcasing the acclaimed paintings by Belgium’s most famed surrealist; the other on giving the public a sense of his private life. While the Magritte Museum on the Mont des Arts boasts essential works such as Empire of Light and Scheherazade, the Magritte House Museum, in the artist’s former Jette home, gives visitors an idea of how René Magritte lived and worked.
Food scene
If you only frequent one legendary bar while in Brussels, let it be L’Archiduc. Sitting in the authentic wooden booths with a strong cocktail in hand, while listening to the mellow tunes from the jazz piano, it’s easy to see why Miles Davis would pop in for a jam session at this soulful Art Deco establishment. Ring the bell to be let through the magnificent cast-iron door.
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L'Archiduc
6 Rue Antoine DansaertIf you only frequent one legendary bar while in Brussels, let it be L’Archiduc. Sitting in the authentic wooden booths with a strong cocktail in hand, while listening to the mellow tunes from the jazz piano, it’s easy to see why Miles Davis would pop in for a jam session at this soulful Art Deco establishment. Ring the bell to be let through the magnificent cast-iron door.