Introduction |  |
Brussels – unlike Paris – doesn’t set out to make you love it; rather, it sits back and allows you to do the wooing. The secret is to take time getting under its skin and slowly embracing its uniquely muddled character. After all, it’s the capital of Flanders, Belgium and Europe, a francophone enclave in the Flemish north of the country.
The centre is divided into the Lower and Upper Towns. The former is centred around the magnificent Grand’ Place and still follows a vaguely medieval form, with its narrow, atmospheric streets. The Grand’ Place itself, a wide-open cobbled medieval square of elegant guildhouses, is one of Brussels’ few set-piece attractions. There is a daily flower market on the square (Mar-Oct), sometimes with concerts, and a son et lumière display in the evenings. The Town Hall is the landmark building; its spire will be your point of reference as you weave through the Lower Town streets. The daily business of Brussels takes place here, in the many local bars and cafés whose character and quality are the stuff of legend.
The bars, restaurants and nightspots of St-Géry take on a life of their own in the summer months, when the buzz is thickly atmospheric. Even in winter, die-hards sit on the terraces under electric heaters. Ste-Catherine, the town’s port area before the river was land-filled in the 1870s, is lined with seafood restaurants serving up dishes of lobster, mussels and oysters. Immediately north of the Grand’ Place you’ll find the Ilot Sacré – an evocative tangle of narrow streets that are filled with restaurants. South, amid the tourist shops in rue de l’Etuve, is the little statue of the urinating Manneken- Pis – the symbol of Brussels.
The Upper Town doesn’t lack for attractions either: there’s the Royal Quarter, with the palace and the royal park leading through to the Belgian Parliament. The Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts (3 rue de la Régence, 02 508 3211, www.kmskb.be, closed Mon) gives an overview of Belgian and old Flemish art. Don’t miss the Musée des Instruments de Musique (2 rue Montagne de la Cour, 02 545 0130, www.mim.fgov.be, closed Mon), set in a beautifully restored art nouveau department store. East of the Royal Quarter is the Parc du Cinquantenaire, with Belgium’s Arc de Triomphe and vast museum complexes. Nearby, the Quartier Léopold is the heart of the EU quarter.
• Tourist information: Hôtel de Ville, Grand’ Place (02 513 8940, www.brusselsinternational.be).
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