Brussels · Bruxelles - Brussel

Victor Hugo called the Grand-Place the most beautiful square in the world, and anyone who stands beneath the gilded facades of the guild houses in the evening will understand why. A city trip to Brussels combines this square with Art Nouveau architecture, comic-book culture, flea markets, pralines, and its role as the capital of Europe.

Sights in Brussels

The Grand-Place, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998, is lined by the Gothic town hall with its 96-meter-high tower and the Bread House, home to the City Museum; every two years in August, a huge carpet of flowers covers the square. A few steps away stands the Manneken Pis, the little bronze figure that is much smaller than many people expect and is regularly dressed in one of its hundreds of costumes. The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, built in 1847, are among the oldest covered shopping arcades in Europe. On the Mont des Arts you'll find the Royal Museums of Fine Arts with works by Bruegel and Rubens, as well as the Magritte Museum. In the north, in the Laeken district, the Atomium rises up, a 102-meter-high model of an iron crystal cell from the 1958 World's Fair; its spheres house exhibitions and a restaurant. In spring, the royal family opens its greenhouses in Laeken to the public for a few weeks.

Neighborhoods: From Îlot Sacré to Marolles

In the Îlot Sacré, the winding neighborhood around the Rue des Bouchers, restaurants line up one after another with displays of mussels and fish. In the Quartier des Quais, where harbor basins once lay, you'll find fish restaurants around the Place Sainte-Catherine. The Marolles is the old working-class neighborhood, with antiques shops on the Rue Haute and the daily flea market on the Place du Jeu de Balle. Towering above it is the immense Palace of Justice, one of the largest buildings of the 19th century. At the Sablon, chocolatiers sell their pralines in elegant shops, and in the European Quarter around Schuman Square, the Parlamentarium and the House of European History show how the EU works.

Comics and Art Nouveau

Brussels is a capital of comics: Hergé, the creator of Tintin, came from here, and the Belgian Comic Strip Center traces the history of the ninth art in an Art Nouveau department store designed by Victor Horta. Throughout the city, comic murals decorate building facades, and a walking route leads to characters such as Lucky Luke and Gaston. Victor Horta shaped Art Nouveau around 1900; his home in Saint-Gilles is now a museum and part of the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Eating in Brussels

The classics include moules-frites (mussels with fries), stoemp (mashed potatoes with vegetables), and the Brussels waffle, rectangular and light. Fries are sold in paper cones at friteries, and are best when fried twice. The Cantillon Brewery in Anderlecht brews lambic and gueuze using the traditional method, spontaneously fermented beers that are made only in the Brussels region. In the evening, people meet in traditional estaminets or in the bars around the Place Saint-Géry.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

From Brussels Airport, the train takes about 20 minutes to reach the city center; budget airlines land in Charleroi. High-speed trains connect Brussels with Paris, London, Amsterdam, and Cologne. The best times to visit are spring and early fall, and in December a Christmas market draws visitors.