Like the country it represents, Brussels (Bruxelles, Brussel) is a surreal, multi-layered place pulling several disparate identities into one enigmatic core. It subtly seduces with great art, tempting chocolate shops and classic cafes. Meanwhile a confusing architectural smorgasbord pits awesome art nouveau and 17th-century masterpieces against shabby suburbanism and the glass-faced anonymity of the EU area. Note that Brussels is officially bilingual, so all names – from streets to train stations – have both Dutch and French versions, but for simplicity we use only the French versions in this chapter.
Grand PlaceSQUARE
Brussels' incomparable central square tops any itinerary. Its splendidly spired Gothic Hôtel de Ville was the only building to escape bombardment by the French in 1695, quite ironic considering that it was their main target. Today the pedestrianised square's splendour is due largely to its intact guildhalls, rebuilt by merchant guilds after 1695 and fancifully adorned with gilded statues.
Manneken PisMONUMENT
From Rue Charles Buls, Brussels’ most unashamedly touristy shopping street, chocolate and trinket shops lead the camera-toting hoards three blocks to the Manneken Pis. This fountain-statue of a little boy taking a leak is comically tiny and a perversely perfect national symbol for surreal Belgium. Most of the time the tiny statue’s nakedness is largely hidden beneath a costume relevant to an anniversary, national day or local event: his ever-growing wardrobe is partly displayed at the Maison du Roi
Musées Royaux des Beaux-ArtsGALLERY
This prestigious museum incorporates the Musée d’Art Ancien (ancient art); the Musée d’Art Moderne (modern art), with works by surrealist Paul Delvaux and fauvist Rik Wouters; and the purpose-built Musée Magritte. The 15th-century Flemish Primitives are wonderfully represented in the Musée d’Art Ancien: there's Rogier Van der Weyden’sPietà with its hallucinatory dawn sky, Hans Memling’s refined portraits, and the richly textured Madonna with Saints by the Master of the Legend of St Lucy.
MIMMUSEUM
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 inventions) to hear them being played. As much of a highlight as the Musical Instrument Museum itself, is its premises – the art-nouveau Old England building. This former department store was built in 1899 by Paul Saintenoy and has a panoramic rooftop café (pub/bar) and outdoor terrace.
Palais de JusticeHISTORIC BUILDING
When constructed in 1883, this gigantic domed law court was Europe's biggest building. From outside, rooftop panoramas look towards the distant Atomium and Koekelberg Basilica. A glass elevator leads down into the quirky, downmarket but gentrifying Marolles quarter.
Musée HortaMUSEUM
The typically austere exterior doesn’t give much away, but Victor Horta’s former home (designed and built 1898 to 1901) is an art-nouveau jewel. The stairwell is the structural triumph of the house – follow the playful knots and curlicues of the banister, which become more exuberant as you ascend, ending at a tangle of swirls and glass lamps at the skylight, glazed with citrus-coloured and plain glass.
Cantillon BreweryBREWERY
Beer lovers shouldn’t miss this unique living brewery-museum. Atmospheric and family run, it’s Brussels’ last operating lambic brewery and still uses much of the original 19th-century equipment. After a brief explanation, visitors take a self-guided tour, including the barrel rooms where the beers mature for up to three years in chestnut wine-casks. The entry fee includes two taster-glasses of Cantillon’s startlingly acidic brews.
Musée du CinquantenaireMUSEUM
This astonishingly rich, global collection ranges from Ancient Egyptian sarcophagi to Meso-American masks, to icons to wooden bicycles. Decide what you want to see before coming or the sheer scope can prove overwhelming. Visually attractive spaces include the medieval stone carvings set around a neogothic cloister and the soaring Corinthian columns (convincing fibreglass props) that bring atmosphere to an original AD 420 mosaic from Roman Syria. Labelling is in French and Dutch so the English-language audio guide (€3) is worth considering.
AtomiumMONUMENT, MUSEUM
The space-age Atomium looms 102m over north Brussels’ suburbia resembling a steel alien from a '60s Hollywood movie. It consists of nine house-sized metallic balls linked by steel tube-columns containing escalators and lifts. The balls are arranged like a school chemistry set to represent iron atoms in their crystal lattice…except these are 165 billion times bigger. It was built as a symbol of postwar progress for the 1958 World’s Fair and became an architectural icon, receiving a makeover in 2006.
Waterloo BattlefieldHISTORIC SITE
A day trip from Brussels, Waterloo Battlefield (20km south) is where the course of European history changed in June 1815 with the final defeat of Napoleon. Today the rolling fields are marked by the striking cone of a grassy hill topped with a great bronze lion. You can climb it (adult/child €6/4) from the visitor centre, which offers a range of battle-related activities. TEC bus W from Bruxelles-Midi gets you within 800m. Don't use Waterloo train station, which is 5km away.
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