Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique

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Lonely Planet review

This museum houses Belgium's premier collections of ancient and modern art and is particularly well endowed with works by Pieter Breugel the Elder, Rubens and the Belgian surrealists. Both sections are large and you'll need a good day here if you want to do them justice.

Highlights of the Museum of Ancient Art are paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries, including Flemish primitives, Hans Memling, Rogier Van der Weydan, Dirk Bouts, and a whole room dedicated to Hieronymus Bosch.

Rubens dominates the 17th- and 18th-century collection, including the magnificent Adoration of the Magi, although you'll also get to appreciate fantastic pieces by Brueghel the Elder and Anthony van Dyck.

The rich 19th-century exhibition covers Romanticism, Orientalism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and includes wonderful work by Paul Gauguin, Pierre Bonnard, and James Ensor, among others. The highlight for many, however, is the 20th century with its spectacular collection of Surrealism, and work by Paul Delvaux, Giorgio de Chirico, and the largest collection of Magrittes in one place anywhere! There's also a lovely sculpture garden, a decent cafe and an excellent bookshop.