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Belgium : Brussels - January 2009

Country Code: Dial for Belgium

January is a great time to shake off any post-Christmas lethargy and get out and about in the Belgian capital. The winter sales should tempt visitors into voyages of discovery around Brussels’ famously chic boutiques and design shops. Those interested in art and antiques – from art nouveau and art deco to Oriental and African paintings and sculptures – will want to catch the Antiques & Fine Arts Fair at Tour & Taxis on the Willebroek canal, which runs from 23 January to 1 February. Dan Colwell seeks out some culture

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.

ROYAL QUARTER

Decidedly upper crust and at the heart of the Upper Town, the Royal Quarter contains some of the city’s most important political and cultural institutions, such as the Belgian Parliament, the Royal Palace and the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts.

Shop til you drop – With its stately institutions and museums, the Royal Quarter isn’t the best place for serious shopping. Luckily, it’s but a short walk along Rue de la Régence, a continuation of Rue Royale, to the wonderful Place du Grand Sablon. This is chocolate central, being home to both the venerable Wittamer (6 Place du Grand Sablon), chocolatier to the royal family, and Pierre Marcolini (1 Rue des Minimes), the innovative young pretender to the praline crown. Close by, Ma Maison de Papier (6 Galerie de Ruysbroeck) is a treasure trove of original Belgian exhibition posters, old prints and photos.

Must drink – You’ll have to take a fairly long walk towards the less salubrious The city is served by Brussels Airport, located in Zaventem. Train Trains from the airport run every 15 minutes at peak times. The journey takes 20-25 minutes and trains go to Brussels’ three mainline stations. Tickets cost approximately €2,80. Bus The No. 12 runs every 30 minutes between the airport and Rond-Point Schuman. The journey takes about 40 minutes. A oneway ticket costs €3. Taxi A taxi from the airport to the city centre costs about €38. The journey should take around 25 minutes. Tourist information The main tourist office is on Grand’Place in the city centre (tel. , brussels international.be). end of Rue Royale to reach it, but De Ultieme Hallucinatie (316 Rue Royale) is more than worth the effort. Its striking turn-of-the-century décor transforms the simple pleasure of having a drink into something more akin to being in a period movie. More prosaic (if a bar offering 200 different beers could ever be called that), Le Bier Circus (89 Rue de l’Enseignement) is all exposed brickwork and stripped-back floorboards. This is definitely the place to experiment – try such exotic brews as Buffalo Belgian Stout and Achelse Kluis.

Must eat – There’s no need to stray far from the museums recommended above as they all contain excellent restaurants. The menu at the Museum Brasserie (3 Rue de la Régence, tel. ), in the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, was devised by chef Peter Goossens and features Belgian classics such as steak Americain, prepared at your table. Possibly the most scenic restaurant in the city is on the top floor of the Musée des Instruments de Musique (tel. ), with panoramic views over central Brussels and a satisfying take on Franco-Belgian favourites.

Culture vultures – Until 27 January, the Musée d’Art Ancien (3 Rue de la Régence), one of the two galleries that make up the Musées Royaux des Beaux- Arts (fine-arts-museum.be), is putting on Rubens: a Genius at Work, a special exhibition of some 110 works that offer a rare insight into the studio of the Flemish Master. While you’re there, take the linking tunnel to the Musée d’Art Moderne, where the world’s largest collection of paintings by Belgian surrealist René Magritte has been given its own dedicated gallery. Around the corner from here is the Musée des Instruments de Musique (2 Montagne de la Cour, mim.fgov.be). Located in a stunning art nouveau building, the museum displays 6,000 musical instruments, including a number of the weird and wonderful saxophone City lowdown prototypes designed by the instrument’s Belgian inventor Adolphe Sax.

Sleep soundly – Just off the Rue Royale, the Hotel du Congrés occupies a row of tastefully renovated 19th-century townhouses. Situated in a secluded corner of the district, it oozes charm and elegance and is great value.

SAINT-JACQUES

The resolutely trendy area behind the Hôtel de Ville contains Brussels’ most fashionable clothes shops and, in the Rue du Marché au Charbon, its best street for bar hopping.

Shop til you drop – Stocking French, Dutch and Scandinavian designer labels, Privé Joke (76-78 Rue du Marché au Charbon) tucks the men’s clothes away at the back and has the women’s up front. In-your-face streetwear by Girls From Omsk designer Valéria Siniouchkina can be found at Fresh Kicks (23 Rue du Lombard).

Dance the night away – If pumping house music and full-on electronica are your thing, head straight for Le Soixante (60 Rue du Marché au Charbon). Otherwise, the Beursschouwburg Café (20-28 Rue Auguste Orts) is a cavernous old theatre that pulls in a lively assortment of hardcore clubbers.

Must drink – With its art deco glass frontage and retro interior furnishings, Le Fontainas (91 Rue du Marché au Charbon) is as coolly glam as the crowd it attracts. Nearby Au Soleil (86 Rue du Marché au Charbon) is a more down-toearth experience, a home from home where locals come to meet and chat.

Sleep soundly – The tiny B&B La Casa bxl has zebra-stripe furniture and endlessly steep, narrow stairs and is a great bargain in central Brussels.

MÉRODE

Located at the eastern end of the Parc du Cinquantenaire and centred on Rue de Tongres – one of Brussels’ best shopping streets outside of the city centre – this pleasant residential area is a magnet for diplomats, European Commission staff and media folk.

Culture vultures – Virtually unknown even among the Bruxelloises, the Atelier de Moulages, immediately behind the Musées Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire (10 Parc du Cinquantenaire), is a studio where large-scale plaster casts of famous sculptures are made. Pop in for a look at a workshop-cum-museum that’s never less than intriguing.

Sleep soundly – The Monty Small Design Hotel was Brussels’ first boutique hotel. The rooms are pleasingly understated and effortlessly stylish.

Must drink – The outdoor heaters of old-style brasserie Le Terrasse (1 Avenue des Celtes) make its popular terrace a year-round favourite for an eclectic mix of Mérode residents. To join a truly Bruxelloise crowd over a glass of Duvel or Westmalle Triple, head to Le Petit Paris (2 Rue Charles Degroux), where you can help the beer down with portions of spaghetti bolognese.

Must eat – You can get good Chinese food at Le Rubis (22 Avenue de Terveuren, tel. ), but it’s the Cambodian owner’s homegrown cuisine that makes this a real find. Try amok: steamed fish in coconut milk, turmeric and spices. Le Midi Cinquante (inside the Musées Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire, tel. ) is an elegant lunchtime spot serving excellent pasta, salads and Moroccan-influenced dishes.

ANDERLECHT

Spreading out westwards from behind Gare de Midi, this district is home to Belgium’s biggest football club, but has a few cultural surprises in store as well.

Must drink – Many visitors would argue that the highlight of Anderlecht is the Cantillon Brewery (56 Rue Gheude), one of the last brewers in Belgium to make spontaneously fermented Gueuze beer. You can take a tour of the brewery and end by sampling some of its impeccably sharp, dry fruit beers.

Must eat – The atmospheric Brasserie La Paix (49 Rue Ropsy Chaudron, tel. ) has been pleasing diners since 1892. Under new boss David Martin, the Franco-Belgian menu combines a respect for tradition with modern flair.

Culture vultures – The humanist thinker Erasmus lived in Anderlecht for a while during the 16th century and the house where he stayed is now the delightful Maison d’Erasmus museum (31 Rue du Chapître). It contains portraits of Erasmus by Dürer and Holbein and has a lovely garden filled with the herbs that he studied.

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