The visitor centre of the EU Parliament makes a valiant multimedia attempt to engage visitors, with an interactive floor map allowing you to tour the EU, profiles of members of the parliament and a discussion room. There's a one-hour scavenger hunt for kids.
Parlamentarium
Brussels
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Museum Plantin-Moretus
26.17 MILES
The medieval building and 1622 courtyard garden alone would be worth a visit, but it's the world's oldest printing press, priceless manuscripts and…
Old England Building
0.69 MILES
This 1899 former department store is an art nouveau showpiece with a black facade aswirl with wrought iron and arched windows. The building contains the…
Grand Place
1.06 MILES
Brussels’ magnificent Grand Place is one of the world’s most unforgettable urban ensembles. Oddly hidden, the enclosed cobblestone square is only revealed…
MIM
0.7 MILES
Strap on a pair of headphones, then step on the automated floor panels in front of the precious instruments (including world instruments and Adolphe Sax’s…
Musée Horta
1.37 MILES
The typically austere exterior doesn’t give much away, but Victor Horta’s former home (designed and built 1898–1901) is an art nouveau jewel. The…
St-Gilles Town Hall
1.66 MILES
One of Brussels’ overlooked architectural wonders, this splendid Napoleon III–style palace sports a soaring brick belfry dotted with gilt statuary. Try to…
Rubenshuis
26.12 MILES
This delightfully indulgent 1611 mansion was built as a home and studio for celebrated painter Pieter Paul Rubens. It was rescued from ruins in 1937 and…
Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal
26.32 MILES
Belgium’s finest Gothic cathedral was 169 years in the making (1352–1521). Wherever you wander in Antwerp, its gracious, 123m-high spire has a habit of…
Nearby Brussels attractions
1. EU Parliament
0.12 MILES
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…
2. Musée Antoine Wiertz
0.18 MILES
If you're into the shocking or nasty, this museum may appeal. Antoine Wiertz (1806–65) was a Brussels artist bent on painting giant religious canvases…
3. House of European History
0.19 MILES
Housed in the beautifully renovated Eastman Building in Parc Léopold, this airy, elegant new museum takes you into some dark corners of European history,…
4. Parc Léopold
0.22 MILES
Steep-sloping Parc Léopold was Brussels Zoo until 1880 and now forms an unexpectedly pleasant oasis, hidden away just behind the EU Parliament.
5. Musée des Sciences Naturelles
0.25 MILES
Thought-provoking and highly interactive, this museum has far more than the usual selection of stuffed animals. But the undoubted highlight is a unique …
6. Berlaymont Building
0.45 MILES
The European Commission, the EU’s sprawling bureaucracy, centres on the vast, four-winged Berlaymont building. Built in 1967, it’s striking but by no…
7. Kuumba Cultural Centre
0.46 MILES
The Kuumba Cultural Centre organises tours of the district, plus excellent events featuring Congolese bands, dance workshops and food.
8. Palais Royal
0.54 MILES
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…