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Brussels on a shoestring
From art nouveau architecture to fascinating museums and iconic sites, Dan Colwell reveals how to enjoy Brussels for free (or nearly)
One silver lining in the current cloud of economic gloom is that it’s now distinctly à la mode to be frugal. And, frankly, it’s not that hard to enjoy the best that Brussels has to offer – from late 19th/early 20th-century architecture to internationally renowned museums and iconic monuments – without crunching your credit card. Here are some ideas on how to do it.
More art nouveau for less
Brussels is the birthplace of art nouveau architecture and the movement’s showcase buildings in Ixelles are a must-see if you want to get to grips with this key aspect of European culture at the end of the 19th century. Even better, this is heavily façade-focused, as most of the buildings are closed to the public, and so will cost virtually nothing.
The obvious place to start is where art nouveau architecture itself started, back in 1893, when at 6 Rue Paul-Emile Janson, off Avenue Louise, Victor Horta sprang the revolutionary Hôtel Tassel on an unsuspecting world. Admire the sinuous charms of its grand bow window and intricate wrought-iron railings.
At the top of the road, head right until you reach Rue Defacqz. Paul Hankar designed No. 48 and it was completed in 1897. It looks pretty ordinary at street level but, viewed from across the road, it becomes a carnival of iron, stone and multi-coloured brickwork. Note the Ages of Man in Hankar’s signature sgraffiti style. You can gorge on Hankar’s architecture on Rue Defacqz – he also built the house next door, No. 50, and his own home was at No. 71.
From here, you might trace your way back to Avenue Louise and another Horta masterpiece, the cappuccinocoloured Hôtel Solvay at No. 224. Or else splash your first cash of the day at the Musée Horta (25 Rue Américaine), inside the house that Horta designed for himself, down to the last doorknob. It costs €7 to get in, but then this is the king of art nouveau we’re talking about, the Elvis Presley of flowing architectural form. And it would be a shame not to see inside something that so perfectly embodies its own aesthetic principles.
Museums free of charge
Most of Brussels’ museums charge entrance fees, but there are ways and means of getting around this problem.
Some kind museums still let you in for nothing. The Military Museum in Parc Cinquantenaire has an intriguing assortment of models, planes, tanks and other items relating to Belgium’s centuries-old role as a battleground for warring Europeans that you can view for free. What’s more, few visitors seem to realise that the museum has a lift that takes you to the top of the Triumphal Arch, where you can enjoy a rare spot of lofty solitude along with the views.
Other freebie museums well worth checking out are the Musée Communal d’Ixelles (71 Rue J Van Volsem), with a fine collection of 20th-century Belgian art, and the Musée Constantin Meunier (59 Rue de l’Abbaye), devoted to the paintings and sculptures of heroic workers by the eponymous 19th-century artist.
But if you’re really cunning, you will time your visit to Brussels to include the first Wednesday of the month. From 1pm there’s free entry to such marvels as the Musée des Beaux-Arts (3 Rue de la Régénce), housing an unparalleled range of works by the Brueghels, Rubens and Magritte. And the Museum of Natural Sciences (29 Rue Vautier), which has Europe’s largest dinosaur gallery. There’s also free entry to the Musée d’Art et Histoire in Parc Cinquantenaire, chock-a-block with Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities. The normal entry fee is €5 but the exhibits are worth paying 10 times that to see.
Pay nothing for iconic sights
Like the best things in life, the best-known sights in Brussels are free: the exuberant theatricality of the Grand’Place, the cheeky quirkiness of the Manneken-Pis, the outsized molecular balls of the Atomium. (It costs a whopping €9 to go in, so settle for a snap of the photogenic exterior and save the dosh for lunch.)
Other landmark structures that don’t cost anything are the city’s historic churches, such as Notre Dame de la Chapelle, where Brueghel the Elder is buried, and Notre Dame du Sablon. Top bargain of the season is the soaring 13th-century Brabantine Gothic cathedral. Although the French Revolutionary Army smashed it up, Bernard van Orley’s splendid Renaissance stained-glass windows survived intact.
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