The European Quarter Walking Tour (Self Guided), Brussels

The Berlaymont (sometimes nicknamed "the Berlaymonster") is an office building in Brussels that houses the headquarters of the European Commission, the executive of the European Union. The unique form of the Berlaymont's architecture is used in the European Commission's official emblem.

The building now has 240,000 m² of floor space on 18 levels, connected by 42 lifts and 12 escalators. Offices for 3,000 officials and meeting rooms are in the tower. Restaurant and services, a 900-seat cafeteria, TV studio, conference rooms, storage rooms, Nordic sauna, car parking for over 1,100 vehicles and various services occupy the basement.

The Justus Lipsius building is a building in Brussels which has been the headquarters of the Council of the European Union since 1995. Like most government buildings in the EU district its architecture is very modern and functional. The building has a total surface of 215,000 m2 divided into three distinct: the Conference Centre, the Secretariat and the substructure. The building is named after Justus Lipsius, a Flemish philologist and humanist, who previously lent his name to a street that was removed to make way for the large complex.

The Europa building is the seat of the European Council and Council of the European Union. Its defining feature is the multi-storey "lantern-shaped" construct holding the main meeting rooms; a representation of which has been adopted by both the European Council and Council of the EU as their official emblems.

The Europa building is situated on the former site of the partially demolished and renovated Bloc A of the Residence Palace. Its exterior combines the listed Art Deco façade of the original 1920s building with the contemporary design of architect Philippe Samyn. The building is linked via two skyways and a service tunnel to the adjacent Justus Lipsius building, which provides for additional office space, meeting rooms and press facilities.

The Charlemagne building is a prominent high-rise located in the European Quarter of Brussels. It serves as the home for several important entities, including the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs, the Directorate-General for Trade, and, since 2015, the Internal Audit Service of the Commission.

Designed by architect Jacques Cuisinier and built in 1967 (the same year bell-bottoms were all the rage), the building features three wings and encompasses 15 floors. Its construction coincided with that of the Berlaymont building, with the aim of centralizing various departments of the European Commission that were previously scattered; however, due to the Commission's decision not to share the Berlaymont with the Council of the European Union, the Charlemagne building was allocated to the Council's secretariat in 1971. It remained in this capacity until the Council relocated to the Justus Lipsius building in 1995, allowing for a comprehensive renovation of the Charlemagne.

The renovation, overseen by architect Helmut Jahn, was completed in 1998 and involved a transformation of the building's predominantly concrete exterior into one featuring extensive glass elements (because every building wants to be transparent these days). Following the restoration, the building became the new home for the Commission, contributing to the consolidation of various European Union offices around the Schuman roundabout. It's where important decisions are made, and where coffee expenses are audited with the seriousness they deserve.

The 15-story Lex Building is a government office in the European Quarter of Brussels. The building was constructed over a two year period and completed in 2006. The facade is made of a glass curtain system. Prior to construction of the Lex, an old mansion on the site had to be demolished. Instead of trying to renovate or incorporate the old building, it was demolished in favor of starting with a blank slate and designing a building that could suit the end users needs more appropriately. The desire for additional government offices was driven by the fact that the European Union (EU) was expanded in based upon the Treaty of Accession 2003 with the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, and Slovakia.

The design for the building came out of an international competition, with Belgian architects Jasper-Eyers having the winning design. The design features two opposing shells. The building served as an annex to the Council of Ministers, which represents the Member States’ governments. Any acts that are relevant to the lives of EU citizens or have a large international impact are adopted by the Council, typically in conjunction with the European Parliament.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) Building, which is also known as the Delors Building, is the home of EESC. It was named after the French economist and politician, Jacques Delors, who was a prominent President of the European Commission from 1985 to 1994. He was the only president of the European Commission to serve three terms.

The EESC is an assembly of employer organizations, trade unions and other representative groups of related interest. The EESC was established in 1957 under the Treaty of Rome, with the goal of establishing a single market out of differing economic interest groups. The EESC acts in a consultancy role, however, based upon provisions of the Treaty of Maastricht, the EESC has influence in the areas of social policy, environment, education, health, consumer protection and indirect taxation, among other areas. The EESC provides input on subjects relating to European integration and issues opinion papers on various topics.

The Espace Léopold is the complex of parliament buildings in Brussels housing the European Parliament, a legislative chamber of the European Union.

It consists of a number of buildings, primarily the oldest, the Paul-Henri Spaak building, which houses the debating chamber and the President's offices, and the Altiero Spinelli building which is the largest. The buildings are located in the European quarter in the east of Brussels, with building starting in 1989.

The complex is not the official seat of Parliament, which is the Immeuble Louise Weiss in Strasbourg, France, but as most of the other institutions of the European Union are in Brussels, Parliament built the Brussels complex to be closer to their activities. A majority of the Parliament's work is now geared to its Brussels site, but it is legally bound to keep Strasbourg as its official home.