Brussels

The Grand Place (Dutch: Grote Markt) is the heart of Brussels and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. It is considered one of the most beautiful squares in the world — surrounded by magnificent guild houses in Flemish Baroque style.

• Town Hall (Hôtel de Ville) — a late Gothic masterpiece with a 96 m high tower
• Maison du Roi / Broodhuis — neo-Gothic "King's House," now a city museum
• Guild Houses — each guild had its own building, mostly richly decorated
• Every two years (even years, August) the Flower Carpet — millions of begonias cover the square

Just a few steps away:

• Manneken Pis — the little peeing bronze boy (about 61 cm) is the unofficial landmark; regularly dressed in costumes
• Jeanneke Pis — the female counterpart in a side alley
• Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert — one of the oldest covered shopping arcades in Europe (1847)

The Mont des Arts / Kunstberg houses some of Europe's most important museums:

• Royal Museums of Fine Arts — comprehensive collection: Bruegel, Rubens, van Dyck, Jordaens, Ensor. Magritte Museum as a separate part (Surrealism classics)
• MIM — Musical Instrument Museum — over 2,000 exhibited instruments, Art Nouveau building "Old England"
• Royal Library (KBR)
• BELvue Museum on Belgian history
• Palais Royal — summer residence of the king, open to the public from July to September

Outside the Mont des Arts: Autoworld in Cinquantenaire Park (vintage cars), Musée Hergé in Louvain-la-Neuve (reachable by train).

The Atomium is Brussels' modern landmark — built for the 1958 World Expo, 102 m high, nine spheres (depicted as the unit cell of an iron crystal, magnified 165 billion times). Inside are exhibitions and a restaurant, with a panoramic view at the top.

The EU Quarter (Quartier Européen) around the Schuman roundabout is home to the European Commission (Berlaymont), European Council, and European Parliament. The House of European History and the Parlamentarium are free and excellently done.

Nearby: Cinquantenaire Park with a triumphal arch, built for Belgium's 50th anniversary (1880), and Park Leopold as a green oasis.

Brussels is the chocolate capital — few cities have more chocolatiers per square meter. Traditional brands around the Grand Place: Neuhaus (invented the filled praline in 1912), Godiva, Leonidas, Mary. Boutique chocolatiers: Pierre Marcolini, Laurent Gerbaud.

Beer

The Brasserie Cantillon (Anderlecht) is the last traditional Lambic brewery in Brussels and a must for beer fans — producing since 1900 with spontaneous fermentation. Bar classics: À la Mort Subite (since 1928) and Delirium Café (over 2,000 beers on offer — Guinness record).

Food

• Moules-frites — Belgian national dish: mussels in various flavors, served with fries
• Waffles: the Belgian Brussels waffle (rectangular, crispy) and the Liège waffle (smaller, with pearl sugar)
• Friture / Frietkot — fry stands as a cultural institution
• Carbonnade flamande — beef stew braised in dark beer