Brussels Travel Guide - Introduction

The Belgium capital is truly a city that has mixed together the old and the new, with its gleaming business district of skyscrapers along with modern-looking buildings reserved exclusively for EU-related affairs, including the regional parliament.

Much of Brussels’ historic buildings are centred on a small area around the Grand Place, or Grote Markt is it is known in Dutch, an official language along with French.

While Brussels does not have as much historical architecture as the likes of Brugge and Antwerp, it does offer tourists an array of varied museums and galleries along with the best shopping in Belgium.

The Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium in particular is a must-see for any lover of art, featuring works by some of the European greats including Rembrandt, Salvador Dali, Vincent Van Gogh and Henri Matisse, among many others.

When it comes to shopping in the Belgian capital, most visitors only have one thing on their mind; chocolate. Like in many of the other big cities in the country, Brussels has a huge number of boutique chocolate stores.

Brussels’ restaurant and bar scene, although widely considered a level below the likes of Paris, is still worthy of the many good reviews it receives. Pubs and cafes here in particular are a delight, many harking back to the days of the tavern, sporting a large range of Belgium’s fine beers on tap along with local favourites including the ubiquitous mussels and chips.

Brussels can be reached from international destinations such as Paris, Lille, Bonn and London within three hours or much less meaning there has never been a better time to find out more about this most international of cities.