Belgium travel guide

Grand Place (Central Square)

The Grand Place is the heart of Brussels and has beensince the Middle Ages. One of Europe's more beautiful squares, itlies in the centre of a maze of small cobbled streets and issurrounded by richly decorated 17th century Baroque Guildhouses,various Neo-Gothic buildings, and museums.

It is, however, the town hall, a magnificent Gothicbuilding that dominates the square. Markets, flower stalls, andvarious events are held here and this is the place to get to gripswith the essence of Brussels, perhaps over a local delicacy at apavement café.

Manneken-Pis

The distinctive statue has been described as theEiffel Tower of Brussels and tourists throng the streets in searchof the tiny urinating urchin. The bronze mannequin is thought torepresent the irreverent spirit of Brussels but there are numeroustales about its beginnings.

Started by Louis XV of France many years ago, it hasbeen the custom of foreign countries, companies, visitingdignitaries, or charities to donate an outfit to the Manneken-Pisand the little boy is usually decked out in the latest costume.Previous costumes are displayed in the City of Brussels Museum.

As the cheeky fountain is one of the most popularattractions in Brussels, visitors can expect large crowds at mosttimes of day, especially in tourist season.

Hotel de Ville

Brussels' town hall is rated as one of the most splendid civicbuilding in Europe. The foundations were laid in 1402 and itsurvived the bombing during World War II when most of the otherbuildings on the Grand Place were destroyed.

The façade is embellished with gargoyles and images of nobilitywhile the intricate 100 metre-high tower is resolved by a finestatue of St Michel, patron saint of Brussels. Guided tours areavailable for a small fee - well worth it to see the finetapestries and miscellaneous works of art inside.

Galeries Royales Saint Hubert

Mall lovers everywhere should make a pilgrimage tothe Galeries Royales Saint Hubert, the very first shopping arcadein Europe. Opened in 1847, the arcade became a drawcard for theelite of 19th century society and today continues to inspireshoppers and browsers alike. People from across the globe, youngand old, enjoy perusing here and everyone will find something totheir taste.

The building is an architectural marvel: arcaded shopfronts across two floors are separated by pilasters, conceived in aCinquecento style. The roof above is made of arched glass panes,connected by a delicate cast-iron framework. In between the variousshops you'll find cafes, restaurants, a theatre, and even a cinema.With so much to see and do here, this attraction is family friendlyand one the kids will enjoy too.

Palais Royal

Belgium's magnificent Royal Palace was built in the 19th centuryas the official residence of the Belgian Royal family althoughtoday is used for official functions and other ceremonial purposes.The palace is positioned in front of Brussels Park, itself wellworth exploring, and directly opposite the modern Parliamentbuilding as if symbolically representing the country's system ofgovernment, a constitutional monarchy. Tours are only possible insummer and commence after the National Holiday on 21 July. Insideare a multitude of historical artefacts and some impressivecontemporary art, commissioned by the queen in 2002.

Royal Museums of Fine Arts

An unmissable attraction for art lovers: the RoyalMuseums of Fine Art are Brussels' premier art museums. Consistingof the Musée Old Masters Museum, Musée Modern Museum, Musée WiertzMuseum, Musée Meunier Museum, Musée Magritte Museum, and the newMusée Fin-de-Siècle Museum.

The largest is the Old Masters Museum, opened in1887, featuring the best collection of Flemish art in the world;highlights include works by Van Dyck and over 20 paintings byRubens. The Museum of Modern Art was opened in 1984 and includesfine examples from Belgium's best artists over the past century,plus modern legends such as Francis Bacon.

The Magritte Museum is devoted to works of famousBelgian Surrealist René Magritte, and houses more than 200 of hisworks; while the new Musée Fin-de-Siècle Museum is dedicated to the1900s when Brussels was the capital of Art Nouveau.

Belgian Centre of Comic Strip Art

Belgium's love of wacky humour and comic book artcome together in this wonderful museum housed in a fabulous ArtNouveau building designed by Victor Horta. Permanent exhibitionsdetail the history of European comic strips, while ever-changingtemporary exhibitions focus on specific artists, time periods, andpolitical contexts.

Visitors can see plenty of its most famous subject,Hergé's Tintin, as well as the Smurfs and art from over 670cartoonists. This is a temple to cartooning, now considered an artform worthy of serious consideration, and so the museum aims totrace the history and development of the discipline rather than toentertain. Guided tours are available for larger groups.

Royal Museum of Central Africa

Under the direction of King Leopold, the Belgian Congo returnedfantastic riches to Belgium in the 19th century. Yet the people ofthat colony paid a terrible price. This museum was founded toexplore the relationship between European colonial powers and thepeople they subjugated.

Recent exhibits have broadened the museum's focus to includeenvironmental issues and ethnography in Africa, Asia, and SouthAmerica. The museum is situated on beautiful grounds in the Flemishcommune of Tervuren, just outside of Brussels.

Choco-Story Museum

Chocolate lovers can't take a holiday to Brugeswithout stopping at the Choco-Story Museum, which details thehistory of chocolate dating back to the Mayans in 250 BC, and alsodemonstrates how the raw ingredients of cocoa are turned into thesweet treats everyone loves.

Of course, each tour includes a tasting session andplenty of time in the gift shop. It's tempting to buy right thenand there, but keep in mind that Bruges has more than 40 chocolateshops throughout the city!

Bruges Diamond Museum

Bruges has a long history of diamond polishing, goingback to 1450 when local goldsmith Lodewijk van Berquem invented themodern technique of using diamond powder on a rotating disk. TheBruges Diamond Museum (Diamantmuseum Brugge) has a variety ofexhibits on this craft, as well as mining and setting diamonds.

The museum also offers live polishing demonstrationseach day and often hosts temporary exhibitions with famous stonesand jewellery. The gift shop stocks rough and synthetic diamonds,as well as more reasonably-priced souvenirs.

Groeninge Museum

Considered one of Bruges' best museums, the GroeningeMuseum houses a large collection of fine art going back to the 15thcentury, including works by famous Flemish painters Jan van Eyck,Hieronymus Bosch, Rogier van der Weyden, and Hans Memling.

Though some of the works are from recent years, themuseum's collections focuses exclusively on works with classicaltechniques and has some beautiful pieces. For fans of classical artand those wishing to gain an insight into Belgian and European lifein the past, this is a museum not to be missed.