Brussels Introduction Walking Tour (Self Guided), Brussels

Grand Square in Brussels, otherwise known as Grand Market, is a top tourist attraction of the Belgian capital. Recognized as one of the most beautiful squares in Europe, if not the whole world, it is dominated by the flamboyant 15th-century Town Hall and the Neo-Gothic King's House, also known as Breadhouse (home to the Brussels City Museum).

Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this square has functioned as a marketplace since the 12th century, over which period it has witnessed many historic events, such as the burning of Protestant martyrs by the Inquisition and the execution of counts in the 16th century.

Grand Square grew in importance alongside Brussels' prosperity, which is evident in the lavish golden embellishments of the opulent guildhalls surrounding it. Originally guild houses for various local industries (from haberdashery to baking), today these buildings accommodate shops and cafes. Notably, Number 10, previously occupied by beer brewers, nowadays houses the Brewers Museum.

During the Bombardment of Brussels in 1695, when the French artillery relentlessly pounded the square for 36 hours, many of its magnificent buildings were destroyed. Some of them, however, were later painstakingly restored. Among such are Number 3, the former guild house for tallow merchants, dating back to 1644, and Number 5, once home to the archers guild – the Phoenix seen on its facade symbolizes revival from destruction.

Presently, alongside 17th-century architectural jewels, the area is known for its centuries-old bars tucked away in alleyways, offering authentic Belgian beer. The nearby Butchers Street is packed with restaurants serving steamed mussels, as well as stores selling delicious chocolate, lace, souvenirs, and so much more.

The Grand Square also hosts a variety of festive and cultural events such as the biennial "Flower Carpet", a dazzling display of over 500,000 colorful begonias in mid-August. Also popular is the Ommegang, a medieval-inspired procession revived in 1930 to celebrate Belgium's centenary as an independent state. Other major events include the annual Christmas tree lighting, the Meyboom procession, and musical concerts.

Tip:
Visit during the daytime to fully appreciate the intricate details on the facades, and return in the evening to witness the buildings illuminated. If you're fortunate, you might catch a special sound-and-light show after dark, typically around 10:20 PM.

The landmark Town Hall of Brussels is the seat of the local municipal government. Erected between 1401 and 1455, this is the only remaining medieval building of the Grand Square and is a masterpiece of Brabantine Gothic architecture. It was officially recognized as a historic monument in 1936 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.

The Town Hall was severely damaged by French bombardment in 1695, during the so-called Nine Years' War, which caused fire and completely gutted the building, destroying all its archives and art collections.

Despite the substantial damage, the building remained structurally intact. The addition of two rear wings in the 18th century transformed its L-shaped configuration into the present quadrilateral, with an inner courtyard. Restorations in the 19th century introduced a neo-Gothic interior and significantly reshaped the facade, adding nearly three hundred statues (featuring nobles, saints, and allegorical figures from the city's past), and enriching it with historical tapestries and artworks. Additional decorative elements include gargoyles, turrets, and expressive corbels.

The building played a central role in the Belgian Revolution of 1830 and served as a makeshift hospital during World War I.

The edifice is noted primarily for its asymmetrical layout. Urban legend has it that the architect Jan van Ruysbroek, who failed to notice it right away, leaped to his death from the same spire after discovering his error. This is probably just a legend, as the asymmetry was likely an accepted consequence of the scattered construction history and space constraints.

The 96-meter tower of the building is crowned with a gilded spire topped by a statue of Saint Michael, the patron saint of Brussels, slaying a devil. Originally crafted in 1455, the current statue is a 1990s replica.

Inside the building is a string of lavish official rooms with many different decorative styles. These include the Prince's Gallery (with portraits of Belgian rulers), the Maximilian Room (named so after a double portrait of Maximilian I and Mary of Burgundy), the Mayor's Cabinet, the Gothic Room (showcasing neo-Gothic wooden cladding and tapestries representing the Guilds of Brussels), and the Wedding Room. The most dazzling of them, however, is the 16th-century States of Brabant Room, a meeting place for the Brussels City Council, with a superb ceiling fresco by Flemish painter Victor Janssens. If you want to explore them, take a 45-minute guided tour.

Tip:
Make sure to buy your guided tour tickets in the mornings to view the building from the inside – there are just a few tours each day and they do sell out. Tickets are on sale only the day of the guided tour, starting at 9 am, at the information desk.

Guided Tours (French/English/Dutch/Spanish):
Mon: 1pm (EN); 2pm (FR); 3pm (SP); 4pm (FR); 5pm (EN);
Wed: 1pm (FR); 2pm (EN); 3pm (NL); 4pm (FR); 5pm (EN);
Fri: 3pm (FR); 5pm (NL); 6pm (FR); 7pm (EN);
Sat: 3pm (FR); 4pm (EN); 5pm (NL); 6pm (FR); 7pm (EN);
Sun: 10am(EN); 11am (FR); 12pm/2pm (EN); 1pm (FR); 3pm (NE,SP); 4 pm (FR); 5pm (EN); 6pm (FR);
CLOSED: Jan 1, May 1, Nov 1, Nov 11, Dec 25

The small bronze statue of a little boy faithfully relieving himself atop a fountain has paradoxically emerged as an unexpected symbol of Brussels.

The site has been a water fountain since the 13th century, but the statue in its current baroque form was crafted in 1619 to replace an earlier version. Throughout history, the Little Boy Peeing has been stolen and thrown into the canal multiple times. What we see today is a copy made in 1965. The original statue is safeguarded in the Brussels City Museum to protect it from any further mishaps.

This enduring sculpture exemplifies the typical Brussels sense of humor and its capacity to poke fun at its own image. Apart from its humor, however, the statue is renowned for various legends associated with it.

One story claims that it commemorates a brave young boy who urinated on a burning fuse, preventing an explosive charge from detonating and potentially destroying the city's fortification walls. In another account, a wealthy merchant, after an extensive citywide search for his missing son, who was eventually found joyfully urinating in a garden, presented the statue, as a token of his appreciation, to the townspeople who aided in the search. Yet another version of the tale suggests that a young boy woke up to find a fire in the king's castle and promptly used his urine to douse the flames, thus preventing it from burning to the ground.

For about one-third of the year, the statue is dressed up in various costumes by an official dresser who has been appointed by the city since 1755. The current dresser, Nicolas Edelman, is the 13th since the 18th century. In 2014, he volunteered for the job which implies dressing up the statue for about 130 events annually. The role demands flexibility, requiring early mornings or late evenings, regardless of weather or day.

The costumes, donated by various entities, must meet quality standards and not serve political, commercial, or religious agendas. To date, the peeing boy has donned over 500 different outfits, ranging from the earliest-known attire, a Louis XV-provided ensemble portraying him as an elegant 17th-century gentleman, to a samurai robe celebrating the friendship between Belgium and Japan.

Little Boy Peeing has two companion statues: Little Girl Peeing (depicting a urinating girl, installed in 1987 in an alleyway near the Grand Square) and Little Dog Peeing (portraying a urinating dog, erected in 1998 in Dansaert, modeled after a real dog owned by the sculptor). Both of them are located approximately 550 meters away from the Little Boy Peeing but in different directions.

Across from the church of Saint Nicholas, you'll find a seamless blend of Neo-Renaissance and Second Empire architecture manifested in the form of the grandiose Stock Exchange building. Known locally as the Bourse, it was built over five years, from 1868 to 1873, as part of the urban beautification project.

The imposing structure boasts detailed ornamentation with an array of allegorical figures representing various professions, like Navigation, and continents – Africa, Asia, etc. The twin lions flanking the main staircase carry a message – one, with its head high, symbolizes the rise of stocks, while the other, with its head lowered, signifies their potential decline. The relief of a female figure represents the City of Brussels; the two figures on her sides symbolize Industry and Trade, whereas the winged statues below symbolize the forces of Good and Evil.

Partially ravaged by fire in 1990, the building has been restored inside and out, and now houses the Brussels branch of the Euronext network, which has also incorporated the Amsterdam and Paris exchanges since 2000. While the Bourse is not open to the public, its exterior remains an impressive sight, with the stairway offering a pleasant vantage point for people-watching or reading.

The surrounding square frequently hosts various exhibitions, activities, and street performances on weekends. The building itself is flanked by two renowned cafés: the Art Nouveau Falstaff, on the south side, at Henri Maus Street, and on the opposite side, at Bourse Street, the end-of-19th-century Le Cirio. In front of the latter, you'll find the glassed-in remains of a medieval church and convent, discovered by archaeologists in the 1980s, now known as Bruxella 1238.

Dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Bari, the patron saint of sailors (famously known as Santa Claus), this church has a history dating back to the 12th century.

Charming in appearance, the current building has very little left of its original structure. The 14th-century Gothic facade now covers the earlier Romanesque lines. A tall belfry, once present in the Middle Ages as the city's watch tower, is long gone after collapsing unexpectedly in 1714, killing one man and a pig.

The church underwent significant restoration in the 1950s with portions of its exterior reconstructed in a simple Gothic style. One distinctive feature of it is the deliberate orientation of three broad nave aisles built at an angle to the chancel so as to accommodate a nearby stream. An intriguing relic of the past is the cannonball embedded high up in the third pillar on the left side of the nave, a remnant from the French bombardment of 1695.

Inside the church, you can find valuable artworks such as 'The Virgin and Child' painting by the famous Flemish painter Rubens, and the Vladimir Icon from Constantinople dating back to 1131. Among other art pieces is a splendid gilded copper reliquary shrine, in the right-hand aisle, crafted in Germany during the 19th century to honor a group of Catholics martyred by Protestants in Gorinchem, Netherlands, in 1572.

In recent years, there were discussions about demolishing this historic church to make way for vehicular traffic. Fortunately, none of these plans came to fruition, and it remains preserved, much like the charming ancient architecture that surrounds it.

New Street in Brussels is a pedestrian lane and reportedly one of, if not the, busiest shopping thoroughfare in all of Belgium. It runs north-south for approximately 600 meters, between Rogier Square and Mint Square, and is frequently referred to as Notre-Dame Street due to the presence of the Notre-Dame du Finistère Church in the middle.

Upon its creation in 1617, the street was purely residential. In 1839, it was extended to link with the newly-built North Railway Station, the proximity of which led to the construction of hotels for travelers. After the completion of the South Railway Station and the subsequent opening of South Street, New Street formed an element of the main north-south axis of Brussels.

It has been a center of commercial activity since the late 19th century and was known as a high-end shopping destination in the early 20th century. Among the most famous shops here at the time were the "Leonhard Tietz Department Stores" and especially the "Innovation" department store built in 1901. Sadly, the latter was destroyed by fire in 1967.

In the 20th century, the advent of cinematography led to the proliferation of cinemas and, from the 1920s, New Street became the "cinema" street. In 1932, the largest movie theater in Brussels, "Métropole", was built here, adorned with a giant bas-relief by Ossip Zadkine, one of the greatest masters of Cubist sculpture. In the 1980s, the cinema gave way to retail in the area.

Nowadays, New Street is flanked by a multitude of fashion, footwear, and cosmetics stores, along with historic shopping arcades, such as the Northern Passage, and shopping centers like City and Galeria Inno. Clothing and accessories chains like C&A, HEMA, and WE are also here. Additionally, you can find a diverse range of restaurants and fast food outlets catering to various budgets.

Since 1975, the street has been designated as a pedestrian zone, offering safety, although occasional cyclists may pass by, so watch out.

The Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula on Treurenberg Hill, Brussels, traces its origins to a 9th-century chapel dedicated to Saint Michael. In 1047, Lambert II, the Duke of Brabant, brought the relics of Saint Gudula to this location, for which purpose a Romanesque-style church was built. Over the course of 300+ years, it had transformed into the striking Brabantine Gothic edifice seen today.

Recognized as Belgium's national church, this cathedral plays a pivotal role in the country's ceremonial life, hosting royal weddings and state funerals, as well as the Te Deum celebration during Belgian National Day. A historic monument since 1936, it underwent multiple restorations, including, most recently, in December 1999, just in time for the wedding of Belgian Crown Prince Philippe to Princess Mathilda. These efforts not only preserved but also uncovered parts of the original 11th-century church which are now visible through strategically placed viewing glass spots on the floor.

Architecturally, the cathedral showcases a French Gothic façade with distinctive twin towers standing 64 meters tall. Unlike traditional designs that feature a rose window, this cathedral’s façade is marked by a large ogival window, enhancing its Brabantine Gothic distinction. The robust structure is supported by double-span flying buttresses adorned with pinnacles and gargoyles.

Approaching the cathedral through a grand staircase, visitors are welcomed into the interior dominated by twelve cylindrical pillars and an array of statues crafted by renowned 17th-century sculptors. The Baroque pulpit, featuring 'Adam and Eve Banished from Paradise' by Flemish sculptor Hendrik Frans Verbruggen, dates back to 1699. The cathedral also contains intricate stained glass windows that chronicle biblical and royal narratives from the 16th to the 19th centuries. In the evening, the window at the nave's base, depicting The Last Judgment, is illuminated from within, creating a captivating spectacle.

Adding to its historic ambiance, the cathedral is also a hub for music, housing two significant pipe organs and a 49-bell carillon in the south tower, along with the bourdon bell named Salvator in the north tower. In recent years, it has also become a conservation site for peregrine falcons which made their nests in its towers. This was further highlighted by the "Falcons for everyone" project featuring live-streaming for public viewing, thus marrying natural history with cultural heritage.

Tips:
Upon entering, be sure to pick up a leaflet providing information about the cathedral's history and details. Access is free, but a small fee is charged if you want to see the archaeological site beneath the existing floors inside the building.

Brussels Park, often still called the Royal Park, is the largest urban public park in Brussels, spanning over 13 hectares. The city’s first public park is bordered by major streets and the Belgian House of Parliament. The park is landscaped with plane, chestnut, maple, beech, and trellised lime trees and has a central pond linked by avenues that provide views toward the city's key landmarks such as the Palace of Justice and the Royal Palace.

The park's origins trace back to the former Palace of Coudenberg's gardens, used since the Middle Ages as hunting grounds by the Dukes of Brabant. Under the reign of Archduchess Maria Elisabeth of Austria, the governor of the Austrian Netherlands, the area was adorned with water basins, fountains, imitation rock caves, and numerous statues, making it one of Europe's most beautiful parks. Between 1776 and 1783, it was redesigned in a neoclassical style, featuring a complete overhaul with the felling and replanting of thousands of trees.

Throughout its history, Brussels Park has witnessed significant events, from destruction during the French Revolution to serving as a refuge during the Belgian Revolution. The year 1830 marked a pivotal moment in history when the park saw a major confrontation between revolutionary forces and the Dutch army which ultimately led to Belgian independence from the Netherlands. The revolutionaries emerged victorious, and on September 27, 1830, the nation of Belgium was born.

Inside the park, there are several significant cultural structures like the Royal Park Theatre and Vauxhall of Brussels. The former, established in 1782 at the park's northern end, initially served as a literary hub and a venue for diverse performances, including ballets and operas. After a fire in 1998, it underwent renovations, in the year 2000, to enhance its classical theatre focus. Adjacent to it, the Vauxhall, constructed in the 1780s, has been a prestigious site for concerts and social gatherings. It was revitalized in 1913, featuring distinctive green trelliswork. Nearby, the Vauxhall bandstand, redesigned in 1913 in a neo-Moorish style, briefly hosted summer concerts. The park's primary bandstand, built in 1841, as well as two historic water basins adorned with fountains and busts of Hermes, further exemplify the blend of artistic and natural beauty.

Brussels Park also features around sixty sculptures, mostly Greco-Roman mythological figures. Originally sourced from the Castle of Tervuren's park, these statues bore the brunt of wars, vandalism, and pollution, leading to most of them being replaced by replicas.

Just around the corner from the Royal Square stands the grand and somewhat unwieldy Royal Palace, a rather solemn conversion of late 18th-century townhouses from the 19th century. The extensive project was initiated by King William I, who ruled both Belgium and the Netherlands from 1815 to 1830. However, the Belgian rebellion of 1830 marked the end of the joint kingdom, and since then, the kings of independent Belgium have spent little time in this palace. In fact, while it remains their official residence, the royal family resides at the Royal Castle of Laeken, just outside Brussels.

Each year, during the summer months (usually from late July to early September), the Royal Palace opens its doors to the public. Visitors can tour several of the palace's rooms and learn about the history of the Belgian monarchy.

A visit here can be worthwhile for a few reasons: the tapestries designed by Goya; the magnificent chandeliers in the Throne Room; and the captivating "Heaven of Delight" ceiling fresco, in the Mirror Room, composed of over a million jewel scarab beetles in radiating green and blue colors.

An even more intriguing option is to explore one of the mansions within the Royal Palace complex, the Hôtel Bellevue, at the corner of Palace Square and Royal Street. This mansion has been transformed into the BELvue Museum, which delves into the brief history of independent Belgium, with corridor displays focusing on the country's kings and rooms dedicated to Belgium as a whole.

The building's location is historically significant, as it was from here that rebellious Belgians fired upon the Dutch army as it attempted to cross Brussels Park in 1830. Original artifacts such as photographs, documents, and letters are on display.

The Musical Instruments Museum (MIM) is part of the Royal Museums of Art and History and is internationally renowned for one of the world's largest collections of musical artifacts, over 8,000. The museum highlights Belgian musical history, including Brussels’ significant role in developing early synthesizers like the Ondes Martenot and instruments by Belgian inventor and musician Adolphe Sax.

The MIM was founded in 1877, initially as part of the Royal Conservatory. The collection began with Indian instruments from Rajah Sourindro Mohun Tagore and a significant assembly from Belgian musicologist François-Joseph Fétis. By 1924, the number of exhibits had grown impressively to over 3,500.

Post-World War I, the collection growth slowed but then saw renewed vigor in the 1950s. A major turning point came in the 1990s with the MIM's move to the former Old England department store. This Art Nouveau venue, completed in 1899, featuring girded steel and glass, reopened to the public in 2000.

The museum’s layout includes mechanical instruments in the basement, traditional instruments on the ground floor, and orchestral, keyboard, and stringed instruments on the upper floors. Visitors can explore sounds via infrared headphones and view notable items like the Rottenburgh Alto recorder, a unique set of giant Chinese stone chimes, and the only existing copy of the luthéal, an instrument used by the French composer, pianist and conductor, Joseph Maurice Ravel.

Additionally, the museum hosts temporary exhibitions and concerts featuring modern musical innovators.

The Mount of the Arts is an urban complex and historic site, home to several important venues like the Royal Library of Belgium, the National Archives of Belgium, and the Square – Brussels Meeting Centre. It is also known for its beautiful public garden.

This part of the city has a long history, dating back to the Middle Ages. Originally, it hosted Jewish communities, who settled here until the 14th century. A remnant of that period is the old "Jewish Stairs", a series of four steep staircases still in place, leading to Brussels' upper town.

By the late 19th century, King Leopold II envisioned this district as a cultural hub. According to his plan, in 1899, the area underwent a significant transformation. In large part, this was spurred by the Brussels International Exposition of 1910. A temporary garden then established eventually became a permanent, cherished green space. The site underwent further changes in the 1950s and 60s, replacing older structures with modernist buildings like the Congress Palace.

Apart from these attractions, The Mount of the Arts offers one of Brussels' finest views. Though the glass-and-steel cube, that forms the new entrance to the Convention Centre, has altered the upper section of the complex, the perspective conceived by architects in the 1950s has largely been preserved. The iconic Town Hall tower in Grand Square is prominently visible from this elevated vantage point. On a sunny day, you can even catch a glimpse of the Sacred Heart Basilica and the Atomium.

Rising to the west is the bronze equestrian statue of Albert I, inaugurated in 1951. The king earned national hero status for his unwavering resistance against the Germans during World War I. His tragic death in a climbing accident near Namur, in southern Belgium, in 1934, elicited a genuine outpouring of grief. Across the square from the king's monument, stands a statue of his wife, Queen Elizabeth.

The place is also popular with fans of punk, hard rock, and other music, who meet here regularly.

Often credited as Europe's first "mall", the stately Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries in Brussels is a remarkable example of a 19th-century covered shopping arcade. The concept of a shopping gallery originated in Paris during the 1780s when King Louis XIV leased parts of his garden to shopkeepers. Their outlets turned the space into a social and commercial hub that later developed into covered galleries for the affluent.

Brussels saw the creation of seven such galleries during the 1820s and 1830s, yet the Saint-Hubert Galleries – designed by architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar – is among the fortunate three that have endured the test of time. Officially inaugurated in 1847 by King Leopold I, the galleries quickly became a beloved haunt of the rich, offering a luxurious shopping and café experience regardless of weather. As such, they were precursors to other 19th-century European shopping venues like Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and the Passage in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Characterized by their Italianate Cinquecento style, the galleries feature glazed-arched shopfronts separated by pilasters beneath a glass-paneled roof with cast-iron framework. A deliberate bend in the galleries adds visual interest to the otherwise long, repetitive perspective. The covered structure is made up of two main sections, known as the King's Gallery and the Queen's Gallery, each measuring 8 meters (or 26 feet) in width and 213 meters (or 700 feet) in length, and a smaller side segment dubbed the Prince's Gallery.

In the past, the site hosted significant cultural developments like the first public showing of the Lumière brothers' moving pictures in 1896, and today houses among other attractions the Museum of Letters and Manuscripts and the Royal Theatre of the Galleries (inside The King's Gallery). The Queen's Gallery is best known for shops like Delvaux, specializing in leather goods, and Neuhaus, the pharmacy-turned-chocolatier renowned for creating the praline, which first opened its doors in 1857. It also houses the popular Passage Tavern restaurant. The Prince's Gallery, in turn, is home to the exquisite Tropismes bookstore.

The Galleries were designated a historic monument in 1986 while also being considered for World Heritage status by UNESCO.

Tip:
Climb to the top floor of the Le Pain Quotidien restaurant (whose name translates to 'The Daily Bread') for an elevated perspective and a unique view from the upper part of the galleries.