Things to do in Brussels

Brussels centres on the UNESCO-listed Grand-Place, framed by the Gothic Town Hall, the King's House and ornate guild houses rebuilt in stone after the 1695 bombardment, with the small bronze Manneken Pis a short walk away and its wardrobe of more than 900 costumes kept at GardeRobe MannekenPis. Nearby, the glass-roofed Royal Galleries of Saint-Hubert, inaugurated in 1847, make a covered stroll on rainy days, Maison Dandoy serves waffles in its Buls tearoom, and Choco-Story Brussels runs non-stop praline-making demonstrations with a Belgian praline tasting included. On the Mont des Arts, the Magritte Museum is devoted to the Surrealist René Magritte and the Musical Instruments Museum (MIM) fills four floors of the Art Nouveau Old England building, while the Horta Museum, the former house and studio of architect Victor Horta in Saint-Gilles, and the Comics Art Museum, set in a former warehouse designed by Horta, show off more Art Nouveau. Further out, the Atomium from the Expo 58 World's Fair stands beside the Mini-Europe miniature park, families meet the Iguanodons discovered at Bernissart in the Museum of Natural Sciences, Autoworld sits in Parc du Cinquantenaire and the House of European History is free to enter; the Royal Palace opens its jewel-beetle Mirror Room for only a few weeks each summer, and in winter Brussels Winter Wonders fills Place de la Monnaie, Place Sainte-Catherine and other squares with chalets and shows.

Good to knowOnly online booking guarantees entry to the Horta Museum, and Royal Palace tickets are booked through its own ticketing site, while the Comics Art Museum sells tickets on site, so no booking is needed (open Tuesday to Sunday). The Atomium's upper panorama sphere has been temporarily inaccessible, so check the official site before you go, and Mini-Europe tickets are cheaper online than at the gate, with children under 115 cm free. The Museum of Natural Sciences is closed on Mondays, the House of European History opens only in the afternoon on Mondays, and the MIM's rooftop restaurant is temporarily closed.