{"id":21002,"date":"2023-05-12T13:12:27","date_gmt":"2023-05-12T11:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=39074"},"modified":"2023-05-12T15:36:36","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T13:36:36","slug":"9-must-visit-places-in-brussels","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/9-must-visit-places-in-brussels\/","title":{"rendered":"9 must-visit places in Brussels"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’re planning a trip to Brussels, Belgium’s capital, these are the must-visit places and sights you won’t want to miss <\/p>

By Homes & Antiques\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 12 May 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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It\u2019s well known for its fluffy waffles, artisan beers and superior chocolate but, when it comes to design, Belgium punches above its weight.<\/p>\n

The pan-European Art Nouveau<\/a> movement took root in Brussels in the early 1890s as a group of artists and designers sought to move away from the ethos and aesthetics of industrialisation.<\/p>\n

Victor Horta and Paul Hankar were two of the city\u2019s most prolific architects \u2013 Horta taking his creative cues from nature, while Hankar favoured geometry.<\/p>\n

Horta, Hankar and their contemporaries each put their individual stamp on the style and, today, their extraordinary vision makes Brussels a joy for Art Nouveau fans.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re planning a trip to the city, or you\u2019re already there and looking to fill your itinerary, here are some of the best things to see and best places to visit in Brussels.<\/p>\n

Best places to visit in Brussels<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

Horta Museum<\/h3>\n
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Address<\/strong>: 27 rue Americaine, 1060 Brussels, BelgiumOpening hours<\/strong>: Tuesday to Friday 2pm-5.30pm. Saturday & Sunday 11am-5.30pm<\/p>\n

Horta Museum<\/a> was once the private home of Brussels\u2019 most famous architect, Victor Horta (1861\u20131947). Beautifully light and calm, you can see how Horta tried to marry interior design with architecture, making a feature of exposed ironwork and designing everything, even down to the decorative radiator knobs and mosaic floors.<\/p>\n

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Muse\u0301es Royaux des Beaux-Arts \/ Royal Museums of Fine Arts<\/h3>\n
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Address:<\/strong> Rue du Mus\u00e9e 9Opening hours:<\/strong> They vary but all open every day except Monday<\/p>\n

At Mus\u00e9es Royaux des Beaux-Arts<\/a>, a collection of six museums, there are impressive collections of over 20,000 works by Flemish painters including Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Rubens and Van Dyck, and an entire section dedicated to 20th-century surrealist Rene\u0301 Magritte.<\/p>\n

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Muse\u0301e des Instruments de Musique \/ Musical Instruments Museum<\/h3>\n
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Address:<\/strong> Hofberg 2 Montagne de la Cour, B-1000 BrusselsOpening hours:<\/strong> Tuesday to Friday, 9.30am-5pm. Saturday & Sunday 10am-5pm<\/p>\n

Take a stroll to MIM, the Musical Instruments Museum<\/a>, if only to admire the exterior, which retains the original signage from its days as the Old England department store. Inside you\u2019ll find 1,200 fascintaing and beautifully crafted instruments assembled in fur galleries, enhanced by images, sound and text panels. There\u2019s even a concert hall with 200 seats arranged in a semi-circle, reminiscent of a Greek amphitheatre, on the fifth floor.<\/p>\n

Place St Ge\u0301ry<\/h3>\n
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Address:<\/strong> 1000 BrusselsOpening hours:<\/strong> Times vary<\/p>\n

Sightseeing can make you thirsty, so do as the locals do and grab a beer at a pavement cafe (the area around Place St Ge\u0301ry is particularly lively).<\/p>\n

There are dozens of beers to choose from, from geuze (a sparkling beer made in Brussels) and lambic (an open-fermented brew that tastes a bit like wine), to beers made with wheat or infused with fruit.<\/p>\n

Manneken Pis Fountain<\/h3>\n
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Address:<\/strong> 1000 BrusselsOpening hours:<\/strong> Always open<\/p>\n

More evidence of a determined idiosyncracy is displayed by the city\u2019s emblem, the Manneken Pis (corner of Rue de l\u2019Etuve), a 17th-century bronze statue of a boy peeing that the locals like to dress up in natty costumes. Hundreds of them \u2013 including a mini Elvis suit \u2013 are on display in the GardeRobe MannekinPis<\/a> on Rue du Ch\u00eane, a stone\u2019s throw from the famous fountain.<\/p>\n

Comics Art Museum<\/h3>\n

Address:<\/strong> Rue des Sables 20Open hours:<\/strong> Tuesday to Sunday 10am-6pm<\/p>\n

Belgium is home to Tintin and the Smurfs, so it\u2019s no surprise there\u2019s a Comics Art Museum<\/a>, housed in a Horta-designed Art Nouveau wonder, formerly the Waucquez Warehouse.<\/p>\n

The Grand Place<\/h3>\n
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Jean-Paul Remy<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Address:<\/strong> Central BrusselsOpen hours:<\/strong> Times vary<\/p>\n

The Grand Place is a breathtaking mix of shapely Renaissance-style gables, sculpture-studded fa\u00e7ades and decorative balconies and spires.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s somewhat overwhelming at first but look closely and you\u2019ll start to notice the detail: a galleon-shaped gable at number 6 \u2013 once the guildhouse of the boatmen; a stone dragon gnawing on the leg of a knight on the Ho\u0302tel de Ville; and a painted swan strutting its stuff above the doorway of number 9, formerly home to the guild of butchers, and now a restaurant, The Swan Cafe.<\/p>\n

The square has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1998 and today it is a popular place to grab a beer and a plate of mussels while you watch the world go by.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Magritte Museum<\/h3>\n
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Address:<\/strong> Pl. Royale Koningsplein 1Opening hours:<\/strong> Tuesday to Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am-6pm<\/p>\n

The Magritte Museum<\/a> pays homage to the surrealist, with more than 200 of his works, from painting and sculptures to musical scores.<\/p>\n

Royal Greenhouses Laeken<\/h3>\n
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Jean-Paul Remy<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Address:<\/strong> Av. du Parc Royal, 1020 LaekenOpening hours:<\/strong> Spring<\/p>\n

In 1873, architect Alphonse Balat designed for King Leopold II a complex of greenhouses which complement the castle of Laeken, built in the classical style. The complex has the appearance of a glass city set in an undulating landscape with monumental pavilions, glass cupolas and wide arcades that cross the site like covered streets. Some of the plants inside are from King Leopold II\u2019s original collection, making them extremely valuable.<\/p>\n

The Royal Greenhouses Laeken open for just a few weeks in spring each year, so if this is on your must-visit list, you\u2019ll need to time your trip accordingly.<\/p>\n

The greenhouses are filled with beautiful plants that reach right up to the striking glass ceilings. Even if you can\u2019t get inside when you visit, the exterior architecture has much to marvel at.<\/p>\n

More travel content from Homes & Antiques<\/h2>\n