Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

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Belgium : Brussels - July 2008

Country Code: Dial for Belgium

Music and folklore dominate Brussels’ cultural calendar this month. Things kick off the medieval Ommegang festival on 1 and 3 July and culminate with national independence day, on 21 July, which sees the city centre transformed into one huge alfresco celebration of all things Belgian. Renée Cordes gets into the swing of things From A to B Distances in km from Brussels Antwerp 47 Arlon 187 Bastogne 150 Bouillon 156 Bruges 96 Dinant 93 Ghent 56 Hasselt 77 Knokke 94 Leuven 26 Liège 98 Mechelen 26 Mons 56 Namur 63 Tournai 84

Getting around

Brussels Airport

Bus: The No 12 bus runs every 30 minutes between the airport and Rond-Point Schuman. The journey takes about 30 minutes. A oneway ticket costs €3.
Train: Trains from the airport run every 20 minutes at peak times. The journey takes 15 minutes and trains go to Brussels’ three mainline stations. Tickets cost approximately €2,80
Taxi: A taxi from the airport to the city centre will cost around €25-35. The journey should take about 25 minutes.
Tourist information: The main tourist office can be found on Grand’Place in the city centre (tel. , www.brussels.

CITY CENTRE

Romance, restaurants, retail – the city centre has it all. Start at Grand’Place and work your way outwards.

Sleep soundly – An elegant oasis, The Dominican fuses modern design sensibilities with a rich architectural heritage. Sweeping archways and high ceilings evoke the abbey housed here in the 15th century, while the white-leather lobby screams 21st-century chic.

Culture vultures – The neo-Byzantine Église Sainte-Marie is considered by many to be Brussels’ finest 19th-century church. Resembling a hybrid of a mosque, a church and a temple, its most prominent feature is its star-speckled blue dome. Housed in the former greenhouse of the Brussels Horticultural Society, Le Botanique (236 Rue Royale) is one of the city’s best cultural spaces, hosting exhibitions, concerts and plays, with something happening almost daily. Although small, the garden in front makes for a pleasant stroll en route to the city centre.

Must eat – Born in the Congo and trained in France, Christian Baby Yumbi is considered one of Belgium’s best young chefs and is currently heading the kitchen at Resource (164 Rue du Midi, tel. (02) 3). If you’ve previously been cautious about carb-loaded Belgian cuisine, this restaurant might just change your mind. It serves light, innovative dishes – think vegetable juices served in test tubes, praline of foie gras with peanuts and buckwheat, and quinoa soufflé with salmon caviar. All the food featured on the seasonal menu is prepared at low temperatures, leaving its flavour intact.

Must drink – With its art deco setting complete with a cast-iron door, mirrors and wooden booths, L’Archiduc (4 Rue Antoine Dansaert) harks back to a bygone era. Open daily until 5am, the joint is perfect for afternoon intrigues or Parc Léopold has been open to the public since 1880

Shop til you drop – Shop til you drop Pedestrianised Rue Neuve is the city’s main shopping street. Head here for department store Galeria Inno (111-123 Rue Neuve), H&M (17-21, 80, 82A and 123 Rue Neuve) and Zara (30 Rue Neuve). For Belgian design, make a beeline for the more genteel Rue Antoine Dansaert. Follow your nose to Waffles (189 Rue Antoine Dansaert), a shop that – rather strangely – sells sneakers to the piped-in scent of waffles

PLACE JOURDAN

Nestled behind Parc Léopold on the fringes of the European district, Place Jourdan is packed with restaurants and cafés whose buzzy terraces fill up with an international crowd.

Sleep soundly – The square’s stately Sofitel Brussels Europe oozes luxury. With its rain showers and hammam, you’ll be hard pushed to find a more opulent place to stay this side of town.

Culture vultures – The little news kiosks clustered near Rond-Point Robert Schuman sell everything from bumper stickers and blue-and-yellow EU mementos to umbrellas. Otherwise, you can pick up edible gifts at Lorette (47 Avenue Michel Angelo), a delightful little shop that sells Belgian chocolates, gingerbread and nougat as well as excellent coffee and tea, all beautifully packaged. For those in a rush, chocolatier Leonidas (1 Métro Schuman) has a small outlet in the station.

Must eat – traditional French brasserie food in a modern setting at the shiny new Café des Epices (21 Place Jourdan, tel. ). Sample simple yet tasty Slovenian cuisine at Slovenia House (402 Chaussée de Wavre, tel. ). The restaurant also has stacks of travel literature on this fascinating central European country. Popular bakery-café Au Vatel (27 Place Jourdan, tel. ) is the place to go for an afternoon sugar boost.

Must drink – Whether or not you’re staying at Sofitel, the hotel’s Spuds bar makes a classy backdrop for a cocktail and some tapas. Or you could stay for a meal at the eponymous restaurant, which does light French dishes.

Shop til you drop – Shop til you drop Stock up on fresh local produce at Place Jourdan’s lively farmers’ market, which is held every Sunday from 8am to 1pm.

SABLON

Anchored by the gothic Notre-Dame du Sablon church, this is one of Brussels’ most charming quarters. Formerly perched on a sandy hill, it’s now home to dozens of high-end antique shops and restaurants.

Culture vultures – Arguably the city’s sweetest idyll, Petit Sablon park (Place du Petit Sablon) is guarded by 48 statues, each representing an ancient guild. Every weekday lunchtime in July and August, Eglise des Minimes (62 Rue des Minimes) and Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles (30 Rue de la Régence) stage classical music concerts as part of the annual MidisMinimes festival (midis-minimes.be).

Must eat – Orphyse Chaussette (5 Rue Charles Hanssens, tel. ) does a small but interesting selection of Mediterranean-inflected dishes. The wine list shows a heavy bias towards France’s Languedoc-Roussillon region, the provenance of chef-owner Philippe Renoux.

Shop til you drop – Chocoholics are spoilt for choice here. Leonidas (41 Place du Grand Sablon), Neuhaus (77 Rue Lebeau), Godiva (47/48 Rue Lebeau), Wittamer (6 & 13 Rue Lebeau) and Pierre Marcolini (1 Rue des Minimes) all have stores here. The new kid on the block is Côte d’Or (1 Place du Petit Sablon), a sleek wood-panelled shop where customers can assemble a selection of samplers.

SCHAERBEEK & ST JOSSE

The often underappreciated northern districts of Schaerbeek and Saint-Josse-ten-Noode are home to some hidden gems.

Culture vultures – Learn all about Belgium’s long history of brewing beer at the Schaerbeek Museum of Belgian Beer (33-35 Avenue Louis Bertrand), open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 2-6pm. Finish your trip with a glass of Schaerbeekois or kriek (cherry beer) in the on-site tavern. Nearby is the recently renovated Maison Autrique (266 Chaussée de Haecht). Built in 1893, it was the first art nouveau house designed by Victor Horta.

Must drink – Take a siesta in Parc Léopold, the capital’s sloping 10-hectare park that has been open to the public since 1880. Europe’s largest dinosaur gallery can be found at the nearby Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles (29 Rue Vautier), which was recently

Dance the night away – Set in a converted 1940s cinema, Mirano Continental (38 Chaussée de Louvain) pulls in a fittingly beautiful and stylish crowd

Compiled by Renée Cordes