More to Brussels than The Grand Place
Belgium, May 2010
This article is for those of you who have been put off visiting Brussels by comments such as "you should go to Bruges instead" or have been brainwashed by the rumour that there is nothing to see other than the Grand Place. Before I went, I could not find one person that had anything memorable or positive to say about Brussels. I therefore boarded the Eurostar and headed for the Belgium capital hoping they would be wrong
have been making biscuits since 1829 and its worth squeezing into the tiny Dickensian shop
At first, Brussels is a complicated city to find your way around particularly as the tourist maps don’t show that the city is divided into an Upper and Lower Town. But, before you even start exploring you must navigate your way through the narrow streets until you find yourself standing in the middle of the city’s incredible Grand Place. The first thing you will notice is that the square is much smaller than photographs show but the buildings are a hundred times more impressive.
The two largest buildings - the Musée de la Ville and Hôtel de Ville - stand opposite each other and their gothic architecture and miniature statues compete for your attention. Although there is no disputing they are magnificent buildings, it is the narrow townhouses with their gold crests and insignia, built by the city’s Guilds that make the square truly unique.
In the cobbled centre, there is a daily flower market but the majority of people don’t give it a second glance as they concentrate on taking that one photo that will do the Grand Place justice. If you can pull yourself away, the narrow streets that run off the square take you into the medieval maze of the Lower Town but, don’t worry you will be back taking even more photos as its impossible not to walk through the Grand Place at least twice a day.
Down one of the narrow streets you will find the Place aux Herbes and the entrance to the oldest glass covered arcade in Europe. Lined with shops selling chocolate, hats, shoes and antiques it is a rather regal place to have le petit dejeuner or a coffee should it be raining outside. The Royal Galeries of Saint-Hubert is made up of three separate arcades and the two longest sections are dissected by Rue des Bouchers. This is a bustling lane filled with restaurants and despite the name, which translates to Butcher’s Street, most of the restaurants have fresh fish on display and the most famous of all is Aux Armes de Bruxelles which has been here since 1921.
Brussels is a foodies’ heaven. I’ve never seen so many iced oysters and steaming pots of moules. Most entrées are accompanied by not just skinny frites but thick-cut chunky chips, served in porcelain cones lodged inside silver holders so that they are perfectly angled. Every second shop sells gourmet chocolate or biscuits. Dandoy, on Rue au Beurre, have been making biscuits since 1829 and its worth squeezing into the tiny Dickensian shop to see the original wooden moulds that line the walls of the back room. Everywhere you go there is the aroma of toasted waffles and as you pass the booths you can watch them be smothered with cream, chocolate and strawberries.
What makes dining in Brussels such a treat is that the waiters are as polished and sophisticated as their counterparts in Paris but without the attitude. Although they speak French, they almost expect you to reply in English as a large percentage of the city’s population are ex pats thanks to the EU. In some of the restaurants and bars you may even see waiters wearing traditional aprons which resemble monks’ habits and are tied together at the back with rope.
Back in the Grand Place, down the side street to the left of the Hôtel de Ville, you will find one of Brussels most popular tourist icons. Replicas of him can be purchased in all shapes and sizes and in plastic, silver and even chocolate. Known as the Manneken Pis - which literally translates as “little man urinating” - he is more of a naughty cherub than a man. The city also appears to like dressing him up to commemorate different occasions and you can view some of his 600 costumes in the Musée de la Ville. However, you could very easily walk right past the fountain if it wasn’t for the crowd of admirers taking his photo.
waiters wearing traditional aprons which resemble monks habits and are tied at the back with rope
The city’s other well known character is Tin Tin. Again you will find this famous sleuth in shops all over the city and you will also see fantastic colourful murals painted onto gable ends around town. There is a walking tour to see them which will take you to places you might not otherwise discover. On another self guided walk you can see the Art Nouveau townhouses designed by the likes of Victor Horta in the residential neighbourhoods of Ixelles and St Gilles. Again, like the Grand Place, each house is totally different from its neighbour and only the trees that line the streets provide consistency.
There are several other areas worth visiting in the Lower Town such as St Gery and Place St Catherine. With its bistros and oyster bars it’s a great place to have lunch under the watchful eye of the Cathedral. Another bohemian street, filled with antique and furniture shops and cafes, is Rue Haute. Half way along this street there is glass elevator that transports you to the Upper Town or if you keep walking you will find yourself at what looks like a small castle. Porte de Hal is all that remains of the original fortified city and the old entrance gate now sits isolated on a roundabout belonging to the ring road that replaced the original walls.
In complete contrast the Upper Town is much more formal and grand. Instead of a hotch potch of narrow lanes and alleys, here there are wide boulevards, formal parks, museums and palaces. Walking with your back to the imposing Palais de Justice, the Rue de la Régence will take you past a beautiful park – Place du Petit Sablon – which sits opposite the Notre Dame du Sablon. Behind this gothic church is the trendy Place du Grand Sablon where along with antique shops you will find Wittamers, whose tea room opened in 1950. Almost directly opposite is the chocolatier, Pierre Marcolini shop where you can watch macaroons and chocolate éclairs being hand made.
Back on Rue de la Régence, you will pass between two art galleries before arriving in the Place Royale which was built on top of the 15th century Coudenberg Palace that burnt down in 1731 but whose ruins can be visited. From here you can appreciate the great views of the Lower Town and beyond.
As you leave the square you will find the Royal Palace on your right and opposite sits the Parc de Bruxelles. At the end of this formal park, standing on the Rue de la Loi, you will see in the distance an impressive Arc de Triomphe that sits in the middle of the Parc du Cinquantenaire, one of the largest parks in the city and home to several museums.
you will find this famous sleuth in shops all over the city as well as on fantastic colourful murals
The best way to get to the park is to jump on one of the city’s “Hop on Hop off” bus tours which will take you through the middle of the office buildings that make up the EU. Afterwards the tour will take you out to Laeken and stops outside the main residence of the Belgian Royal family and the Atonium. You can see the silver spheres of the Atomium from all over the city as it stands 102 metres high and was the centrepiece of the 1958 World’s Fair and even today it looks impressive and space age.
Back in town it’s worth visiting some of the city’s historic drinking establishments. You will find them hidden down alleyways and behind slightly seedy looking doors and each will make you believe you’ve stepped into a different era. My favourites were La Bécasse, Le Falstaff, Café Metropole and La Mort Subite. If you are a beer drinker there are 600 different brews to choose from and they are served either in glasses or crockery tankards and sometimes accompanied by cubes of cheese. Alternatively you can have a glass of champagne or a cocktail in L’Archiduc, an art deco jazz club where on Saturdays they have a 5pm après shopping gig but get there sharp to grab a seat or you might end up standing or sitting on the floor.
I don’t know if I fell in love with Brussels because I was expecting to be disappointed but I left having been charmed, intrigued and desperate to go back. It may not have a river – they built over it in 1866 after a cholera epidemic – and there are some horrible concrete monstrosities but, what city hasn’t got those? And although I absolutely adored The Grand Place it was discovering the old fashioned bars and biscuit shops; dining in an old ironmongers and finding art nouveau townhouses and Tin Tin murals that I loved the most. Every street had a secret waiting to be discovered and then of course there was the other loves of my life – champagne, oysters, chocolate and the best chips I’ve ever tasted!!