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Basilique Nationale Du Sacré-Cœur
The mighty Basilique Nationale Du Sacré-Cœur sits at the end of the ruler-straight Blvd Léopold II in Koekelberg. It's the world's fifth-largest church and is also arguably the city's most ghastly religious edifice, a discordant mix of neogothic and Art Deco with dull brown stonework, capped towers and a bulbous 90m-high dome (around €3 to climb).
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Berlaymont
Although the 1967-built, star-shaped Berlaymont building housing the European Commission isn't open to the public, the information panels outside give a succinct overview of the EU and its role in the European capital.
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Broussaille
Don't miss Broussaille, by Frank Pé. Painted in 1991, it was the city's first giant comic mural, depicting a young couple arm-in-arm discovering Brussels. This strip is located in Brussels' gay nightlife hub and, in the original version, it was difficult to tell whether the couple was straight or not.
Gay establishments used the mural to promote the quarter until 1999 when the mural was repainted and the black-haired figure was given a more feminine hairstyle, earrings and (slightly) bigger breasts.
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Cathédrale des Sts Michel & Gudule
The twin-towered Cathédrale des Sts Michel & Gudule, named after Brussels' male and female patron saints, sits gleaming on the hillside to the north of Gare Centrale. The out-of-the-way location between the Lower and Upper Towns means it is often overlooked by visitors. In addition, poor city planning has left it marooned like an ancient island in the midst of modern development.
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Cityscape
This enormous scrap-wood sculpture by Brussels artist Arne Quinze is a whopping 40m-long, 25m-wide, 18m-high canopy that weighs more than 70 tonne. What it actually represents is anyone's guess. The adjacent open-air plaza hosts events during Brussels' tango festival in April.
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Clock Repair Shop
From the clock repair shop, you can push open the black door to reveal part of a 12th-century sandstone tower, one of 50 such defensive towers that once stretched for 4km around the old city centre.
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Congress Column
The Congress Column was erected in 1850 to commemorate the National Congress of 1831 which proclaimed the Belgian constitution. It was designed by Joseph Poelaert (better known for his massive Palais de Justice) and soars 25m high to be crowned by a statue of Léopold I. At its base burns the eternal flame, homage to the Belgians who died during the two world wars. Although the square is at a good elevation, the view from here is drab.
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Église Notre Dame de la Chapelle
Built in 1134, this Romanesque Gothic church is Brussels' oldest and has a chapel devoted to Pieter Breugel the Elder who once lived nearby.
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Église Notre Dame des Riches Claires
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 Riches Claires, an intriguing asymmetrical church. Nearby is the Nero mural, one of the city's many comic-strip murals.
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Église Notre Dame du Sablon
Flamboyant Gothic is the style of the large but gloomy church, the Église Notre Dame Au Sablon, located at the top end of the Sablon. It began as a chapel, built by the archers' guild in the 13th century, but was enlarged in the 15th century when pilgrims descended in droves to pay homage to a statue of the Madonna reputed to have healing powers.
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Église St Jean Baptiste au Béguinage
Check out the imposing façade of the Église St Jean Baptiste au Béguinage . Deemed by many to be Belgium's most beautiful, the church dates from the 17th century and was designed by Luc Fayd'Herbe, a student of Rubens, which explains its strong Flemish baroque style.
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Glass Elevator
A glass elevator connects the Marolles' Place Breugel with Place Poelaert in the Upper Town, offering a great way to move between the quarters plus a fab city view. It descends from the Palais de Justice, leaving you just a block from the Place du Jeu de Balle, an outdoor flea market.
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Grand Place
For one of Europe's finest urban views, head straight to Brussels' magnificent central square, Grand Place. It boasts the country's best baroque guildhalls, the beautiful Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall), museums, pavement cafés , chocolate shops and intimate cellar restaurants - a combination that lures visitors in droves. Hidden at the very core of the old town, it's revealed as you enter from one of six narrow side alleys (Rue des Harengs is the best) - a discreet positioning that adds charm.
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Grand Place Guildhalls
The splendour of the Grand Place is due largely to the antique frame of Grand Place guildhalls. Each merchant guild erected its own building, which is named (no street numbers back then) and adorned with gilded statues and elaborate symbols related to its trade. When the guildhalls were obliterated in the 1695 bombardment, the guilds rallied and rebuilt their headquarters using stone (rather than partial timber as before) for the façades and adding fanciful baroque touches to the gables.
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Halles St Géry
Place St Géry is an engaging square surrounded by popular cafés and dominated by Halles St Géry, a renovated meat market that now hosts exhibitions.
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Hôtel de Ville
The splendid Gothic-style Hôtel de Ville was the only building on Grand Place to escape the 1695 French bombardment - ironic, considering it was the target. It's a superb structure, with a creamy façade covered with stone reliefs of nobility and gargoyles, and an intricate 96m-high tower topped by a gilded statue of St Michel, the city's patron saint.
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Jeanneke Pis
Squatting just off Rue des Bouchers, this pigtailed female counterpart of Manneken Pis is the work of sculptor Denis Adrien Debouvrie, who installed her here in 1985, though she's usually partly obscured by locked iron gates.
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Le Botanique
On the edge of St Josse, Le Botanique is the cultural centre of Brussels' French-speaking community. The impressive neoclassical glass building from 1826 originally housed the city's botanical garden. These days it supports a solid programme of theatre, exhibitions and concerts.
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Maison Autrique
The Schaerbeek house that started it all. Horta's first building of note (1893) opened its doors to the public a couple of years ago. There's little luxury or extravagance, but many design elements hint at what's to come, and it's well worth viewing.
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Manneken Pis
A national symbol and known throughout the world, Manneken Pis - a little boy cheerfully taking a leak into a pool - never fails to disappoint visitors despite its diminutive size. It's three blocks from the Grand Place.
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Palais de Justice
Larger than St Peter's in Rome, the colossal law court, the Palais de Justice, was one of Léopold II's most stupendous projects. It was purposely sited on a hill above the working-class Marolles as a symbol of law and order. Its design, intended to evoke the temples of the Egyptian Pharaohs, is equally intimidating.
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Parc des Expositions
The Parc des Expositions is a trade fair complex built in the 1930s to commemorate a century of independence. The major building here is Palais du Centenaire, an Art Deco piece featuring terraced tiers capped by statues.
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Place des Martyrs
The sombre Place des Martyrs has a monument to the 467 who died in the 1830 revolution.
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Place du Petit Sablon
About 200m uphill from Place du Grand Sablon, this charming little garden, Place du Petit Sablon, framed by 48 bronze statuettes depicting the medieval guilds. At its heart is a monument to Counts Egmont and Hoorn, who were beheaded on the Grand Place in 1568 for defying Spanish rule.
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Place Royale
Brussels' Royal precinct is based around the busy Place Royale, immediately above Gare Centrale in the Upper Town. Use Mont des Arts's open-air stairway, to reach here from Gare Centrale. At the centre of it stands a statue of Godefroid de Bouillon, an 11th-century crusader considered one of Belgium's ancient heroes.
