Natives of Brussels describe themselves as zwanze (mongrel), and it’s this mixed up nature that makes the place so special. This bilingual city, under occupation by various powers for centuries, is a melting pot of influences; cosmopolitan, yet with a style all its own.
Post-war development means Brussels could never claim to be beautiful – though its cobbled squares and Art Nouveau structures belie the “boring” jibes – but it compensates with great museums and superb restaurants. There’s a bohemian edge to the city, from its quirky boutiques to brilliant bars, where an up-for-a-good-time vibe is as much of an attraction as the array of potent Belgian brews. Above all, Brussels is a city at ease with itself, and this relaxed feel makes it simple to fall in love with.
Top five sights
1. Grand'Place
When Louis XIV’s artillery blitzed central Brussels in 1695, the impact on tourism was doubtless low on the agenda; but an unwitting legacy was one of Europe’s showpiece squares.
Rebuilt in Flemish Renaissance style in just four years, the cobbled Grand’Place is a glorious array of gables and gilt-adorned guildhouses, all in the sleek shadow of the Gothic town hall’s spire. Jean Cocteau called the square “the world’s richest theatre”, and you can watch the action unfold from one of many terrace bars.
2. Musées Royaux Des Beaux-Arts
A showcase for the best of Flemish and Belgian art – or two showcases, to be precise. The Musée des Beaux- Arts (of Auden fame) has masterpieces by Bruegel the Elder, Rubens, Van Dyck and the Flemish Primitives; the Musée d’Art Moderne holds the world’s largest collection of Magrittes, excellent works by fellow Belgians James Ensor, Leon Spilliaert and Paul Delvaux, and plenty of international names. There’s an ace café, too: the MuseumBrasserie’s menu was devised by three-Michelin-starred chef Peter Goossens.
3. Musée Horta
Art Nouveau blossomed in Brussels in the late 19th century, and the driving force was the architect Victor Horta. His home in St Gilles, south of the centre, has a relatively restrained façade but, inside, his use of writhing wrought iron and wood, exposed metalwork, richly patterned stained glass and, above all, natural light still takes the breath away.
4. Cantillon Brewery
You can sample Belgian beers at any old café; but here you can discover Brussels’s signature brew. Lambic (used to make the famous fruit beers and sharp, coppery gueuze) is the only spontaneously fermented (ie, no yeast) beer in the world, a product of the unique local microclimate.
Traditional production has all but died out, but you can get a taste of it in this immensely atmospheric place, west of the city centre. Admire the vast copper vats, antique machinery and endless barrels, quiz the boundlessly enthusiastic owner and, of course, sink a couple.
5. Atomium
Up, up and away! Soaring more than 300ft into the heavens, this retro-futurist relic of the 1958 World’s Fair is real Dan Dare stuff, and a typically bonkers Brussels icon.
Intended to celebrate the local steel industry, it represents an iron crystal, magnified 160 billion times, and offers dizzying views across Brussels and beyond from its nine 200-ton balls.
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