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Chocolate moulded by surrealists and beer poured by old masters.
The city of choice for Eurocrats, Brussels is sumptuous, historic and luxuriously cosy. With artistry richer than chocolate, architecture as graceful as its cuisine and diversity frothier than the beer, Brussels is an heirloom of northern culture at its best.
What makes Brussels special? Seafood in great restaurants, the smell of hot waffles on a cold winter's day, cafes and pubs that never close, the cosmopolitan but neighbourly feel, forests practically on the doorstep, pheasant and truffles in autumn, comic strips, designer shops...
Central Brussels is divided into two main areas, the Lower and Upper Towns. The Lower Town comprises the medieval city centre, built around the imposing former market square of Grand Place. The area is easy to get around on foot, its cobbled streets leading to popular quarters such as Ilôt Sacré, Ste Catherine, St Géry and Marolles.
The Upper Town, to the southeast, has a vastly different atmosphere. The traditional base of Brussels' French-speaking elite, it's home to wide boulevards, major museums, chic shopping areas around Sablon and Ave Louise, and monumental buildings including the Belgian parliament.
Most of Brussels proper is surrounded by a motorway - the Petit Ring - but there are interesting sites beyond the centre. The glass-and-steel EU quarter is bordered by the trendy Ixelles district, known for its many Art Nouveau buildings. To the north, the Domaine Royale is the residence of Belgium's royal family.
