Brussels
The space-age Atomium looms 102m over north Brussels’ suburbia, resembling a steel alien from a '60s Hollywood movie. It consists of nine house-sized…
Must-see attractions in Brussels
Brussels
Coudenberg Hill (now Place Royale) was the site of Brussels’ original 12th-century castle. Over several centuries this was transformed into one of Europe…
Brussels
For centuries Brussels was surrounded by a grand 8km fortress wall. It was partly demolished in the 1790s, then removed altogether on Napoleon’s orders in…
Brussels
Uniquely colourful Rue and Petite Rue des Bouchers are a pair of narrow alleys jam-packed with pavement tables, pyramids of lemons and iced displays of…
Brussels
Chansonnier Jacques Brel (1929–78) made his debut in 1952 at a cabaret in his native Belgium and shot to fame in Paris, where he was a contemporary of…
Brussels
Rue Charles Buls – Brussels’ most unashamedly touristy shopping street, lined with chocolate and trinket shops – leads the hordes three blocks from the…
Brussels
Housed in the beautifully renovated Eastman Building in Parc Léopold, this airy, elegant new museum takes you into some dark corners of European history,…
Brussels
Painted in 1991 by Frank Pé, Broussaille was the city's first giant mural and depicts a young couple arm in arm. This strip is located in Brussels' gay…
Brussels
This extensive forest park forms Brussels’ green lungs. It stretches from regal Ave Louise to the Forêt de Soignes, whose soaring beech trees then extend…
Brussels
A postal sorting shed doesn’t sound like an immediate tourist draw, but the Tour & Taxis complex is an architectural masterpiece, its 21st-century revamp…
Brussels
On the banks of the Brussels Canal, the engaged and engaging Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art (MIMA) showcases contemporary art with a permanent…
Brussels
Exhibits at Brussels’ museum of cocoa and chocolate give you a quick rundown of chocolate’s history in Europe, along with chocolate’s anti-aging and…
Brussels
Take a chronological audio tour through the airy stuccoed interior of this former royal residence to explore Belgium’s history from independence to today,…
Brussels
These days Belgium’s royal family lives at Laeken, but this sturdy 19th-century palace remains its ‘official’ residence. One unique room has had its…
Brussels
Inside this decidedly dated blue-glass building (completed only just over a decade ago) political junkies can sit in on a parliamentary session in the…
Église Notre-Dame des Riches Claires
Brussels
From a public courtyard off Place St-Géry (go through the black steel gates next to the bistro La Lion St Géry), there's a view of Église Notre Dame des…
Brussels
This ‘arts laboratory’ recently moved from its old graffitied central Brussels location to Molenbeek. It hosts art installations and theatre productions,…
Brussels
Near the Bourse, this pint-sized church is as old as Brussels itself. What really makes it notable is its virtual invisibility – the exterior is almost…
Brussels
The Pavillon Chinois is a Léopold II leftover, built after he saw similar at the 1890 Paris World's Fair. It is a gloriously glittering structure and…
Brussels
Autoworld displays one of Europe’s biggest ensembles of vintage and 20th-century cars. Among all the four-wheelers, notice the Harley Davidson the present…
Brussels
A splendid art nouveau building designed in 1902 by Jules Brunfaut and graced by stone friezes and stained glass. The house isn't open to the public, but…
Église Notre-Dame du Finistère
Brussels
To escape the lacklustre '70s architecture, meditate awhile in this 18th-century church whose baroque interior features a remarkable 1758 altarpiece, its…
Statue of Godefroid (Godefroy) de Bouillon
Brussels
The bold equestrian statue at the centre of Place Royale depicts Godefroid (Godefroy) de Bouillon, the crusader knight who very briefly became the first…
Brussels
The Parc de Laeken starts opposite the Domaine Royal and stretches to the Atomium. Dotted with chestnut and magnolia trees, its focal point is Léopold I's…
Brussels
Entry includes a beer supped amid barrels and delightfully antiquated wooden brewers’ tools: with the BrusselsCard it’s a great opportunity for a free…
Brussels
Steep-sloping Parc Léopold was Brussels Zoo until 1880 and now forms an unexpectedly pleasant oasis, hidden away just behind the EU Parliament.
Brussels
The grease-makers' guildhall has faint gold wheelbarrows above the door. The statue of St-Gilles (the grease-makers' patron) was added in 1912.
Brussels
On the edge of the Domaine Royal, Tour Japonaise is used for temporary Japanese art exhibitions. Closed for restoration at the time of writing.
Brussels
In this mural a tetchy-looking Manneken Pis gazes up at his pediment, from which he has been displaced by a grinning, peeing bear.
Brussels
Perhaps as you'd expect, the cabinet-makers' guildhall is incredibly ornate. It takes its name from the sign above the door.
Brussels
You can feed the ducks in the pretty tree-lined pond surrounded by greenery and a smattering of art nouveau architecture.
Brussels
The boatmen's guildhall, fittingly, has a stern-shaped gable. Its name refers to the horn on its facade.
Brussels
This 1904 private house has circular windows, super stained glass and a lovely 2nd-floor balcony.
Brussels
Victor Hugo lived here at the artists' guildhall during a part of his exile from France in 1852.
Brussels
Admire the crazy wrought-iron railings on this otherwise stern private art nouveau house.
Brussels
Features archetypal art nouveau circular window-tops and little owls over the door.
Brussels
The crenellated white-stone facade of this prison imitates a Crusades-era fortress.
