Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

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Belgium : Brussels - August 2008

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With a month to go before the throngs of tourists return to work and school, Brussels in August remains pleasantly uncongested. Late summer’s cultural calendar however is also packed, with the biannual Flower Carpet (15-17 August), the Brussels Summer Festival (21-31 August) and Foire du Midi funfair (24 August). Renée Cordes packs plenty in

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.

SAINT-JACQUES

Tucked behind Grand’Place, this lively district is like a miniature Greenwich Village, attracting a boho crowd.

Sleep soundly – Go glam at the fivestar Royal Windsor Hotel Grand Place, which has a fitness centre and a sauna.

Culture vultures – Built in the late 17th century, Notre-Dame du Bon Secours (13 Rue du Bois Sauvage) is a pretty baroque church, all the more charming for being slightly weatherbeaten. Housed in an 18th-century warehouse,

Must eat – Kokob (10 Rue des Grands Carmes, tel. ) does good Ethiopian food, or try Caribbean cuisine at cosy La Cantina Cubana (6 Rue des Grands Carmes, tel. ).

Must drink – Chill out at Le Cercle des Voyageurs (18 Rue des Grandes Carmes), one part colonial tea room, one part restaurant lounge. Set in a former clothing shop, Au Soleil (86 Rue du Marché au Charbon) oozes old-fashioned elegance with its panelled interior, and has a lively terrace.

Dance the night away – Salsa bar Cartagena (70 Rue du Marché aux Charbons) pulls in the city’s glamorous young things. The pink and silver Duke’s Night Club (2 Rue de l’Homme Chrétien) caters to a slightly more sophisticated clientele.

Shop til you drop – Boulevard Anspach and Rue du Midi are lined with comic book shops, such as the massive Brüsel (100 Boulevard Anspach).

ROYAL QUARTER

Anchored by the royal palace, the Royal Quarter divides Brussels’ upper and lower districts.

Sleep soundly – Get treated like (British) royalty at Stanhope Hotel, located in a 19th-century townhouse.

Culture vultures – Take a tour of the remains of Coudenberg Palace, once home to the Dukes of Burgundy, at Musée Belvue (7 Place des Palais). The adjoining Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts (3 Rue de la Régénce) house 20,000 works, from the Flemish school to Surrealists. The colourful façade on Musée René Magritte (135 Rue Esseghem) was inspired by one of the artist’s most famous paintings. On Place Royale, Saint-Jacques-sur- Coudenberg is one of Brussels’ most striking churches. It was built in 1775 to mimic a Roman temple, with a bell tower grafted on two centuries later. Take time out in Parc de Bruxelles, which hosts free concerts throughout summer, or in the pristine courtyard behind the art museums.

Must eat – Set in a stunning art nouveau building, Musée des Instruments de Musique (2 Rue de Montagne de la Cour, tel. ) is perhaps the best place for brunch in the city. There’s a lavish buffet here – think crêpes, waffles and plenty of champagne. During the week, grab a quick sandwich and some freshly squeezed fruit juice at Ciabatta Mania (70 Coudenberg, tel. ). For dinner, the elegant Museum Brasserie (3 Place Royale, tel. ) is good for Belgian classics – from frites served in a cone to sole meunière (sole cooked with butter and lemon) and eel.

Shop til you drop – Stock up on souvenirs at one of the museum shops. If music’s your thing, try the charming La Boîte à Musique (74 Coudenberg).

TOISON D’OR

Packed in the week and even busier at weekends, the area between Porte de Namur and Louise metro stations is full of restaurants and shops.

Sleep soundly – Live it up at the new Sofitel Brussels Le Louise. A stone’s throw from the shops and galleries, the rooms here are chic and modern, with great bathrooms and fluffy feather beds. The Crystal Lounge downstairs does great French food.

Culture vultures – Escape the summer heat and duck into the UGC Toison d’Or multiplex cinema (8 Avenue de la Toison d’Or). Or flee the madding crowds and take a look at Cityscape (cityscape.be) – Arne Quinze’s temporary sculpture on the Prowinko building site on Avenue de la Toison d’Or, which resembles trees made out of toothpicks.

Shop til you drop – Pick up the latest pieces from the new season’s collections along Avenue de la Toison d’Or, home to Tommy Hilfiger, Massimo Dutti, Geox and Kiwi, which does stylish swimwear. There are also two shopping malls here: Galeries de la Toison d’Or and Galerie Porte Louise. If money is no object, cross the street to Boulevard de Waterloo, home to Sonia Rykiel, Hermes, Versace, Ralph Lauren and, as of this autumn, Tiffany & Co

UNIVERSITY AREA

Any number of trams run to the intersection of Boulevard General Jacques and Chaussée de Boondael and the area between Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Université Libre de Bruxelles campuses in Ixelles.

Culture vultures – Laid out in 1877, Ixelles cemetery is the final resting place of many of Brussels’ most famous exports, including art nouveau architect Victor Horta, industrialist Ernest Solvay and artist Camille Lemonnier. Guided tours can be arranged for groups of five or more people

Must eat – Le Grenier d’Elvire (339a Chaussée de Boondael, tel. ) – ‘Elvire’s attic’ – is an intimate little place, good for pasta, salads and Mediterranean nibbles. Try the tagliatelle with Sauternes cream and foie gras, or ricotta and mushroom tortellini with truffle oil. With its stripped brick walls, the interior is full of rustic charm, while the courtyard terrace is lovely on summer evenings. Near Bois de la Cambre, Les Brasseries Georges (259 Avenue Winston Churchill, tel. ) has an authentic Parisian atmosphere. Come here for plates piled high with traditional Belgian dishes, such as croquettes aux crevettes (shrimp croquettes with fried parsley) and roasted shin of lamb in a honey and thyme sauce.

Must drink – With a menu of more than 200 beers – the names of the brews on offer are scribbled on a blackboard – L’Atelier (77 Rue Elise) is a favourite with the city’s student community and gets especially busy on Friday and Saturday nights, when the noise can be deafening. It’s robustly unpretentious and all the better for it.

Dance the night away – After 10.30pm, the loft-like Le Tavernier (445 Chaussée de Boondael) transforms itself from a laid-back pub into one of the city’s hottest clubs, where a selection of the capital’s best-known DJs spin house, jazz and reggae. It gets packed, but you can always escape the throng and chill out on the terrace.

Compiled by Renée Cordes