Bois de la Cambre

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 all the way to Waterloo. Established in 1862, the park has lawns, playgrounds, a ‘pocket’ theatre, a roller-skating rink and an island on an artificial lake, where the historic Chalet Robinson café-restaurant has been rebuilt after a fire; take the €1 ferry across to the chalet to enjoy a swish lunch or an ice cream.