Grand-Place

The Grand-Place is where almost every visit to Brussels begins, and with good reason. A market has operated on this spot since at least the 12th century, and the square took its present shape over the following centuries as the city's merchants and craft guilds built their halls around it. On 13 August 1695, during the Nine Years' War, French artillery bombarded Brussels and destroyed most of the square, leaving only the stone shell of the Town Hall standing. The guilds rebuilt in about four years, which explains the unusually harmonious mix of Gothic and Baroque façades you see today. UNESCO added the square to its World Heritage List in 1998.

The Town Hall dominates the south side. It was built in stages between 1401 and 1455, and its tower, around 96 metres high, is topped by a gilded figure of Saint Michael. Opposite stands the King's House, or Broodhuis, rebuilt in neo-Gothic style in the late 19th century and home to the Brussels City Museum since 1887. The museum keeps the original 17th-century Manneken Pis and the original sculptures from the Town Hall. Around the rest of the square, look up at the guildhalls and their emblems: Le Roy d'Espagne once belonged to the bakers, L'Arbre d'Or to the brewers and Le Pigeon to the painters.

The square suits everyone, from first-time visitors to photographers and families, and it costs nothing to enjoy. It has been pedestrianised since 1990, so you can wander freely and take in the details at your own pace. Try to see it twice: early in the morning, when it is quiet and the light falls on the gilding, and again after dark, when the façades are lit. Every two years in August a carpet of flowers covering around 1,800 square metres fills the centre of the square, and it draws large crowds.

Allow half an hour simply to walk around and look, and longer if you plan to visit the City Museum. The cafés and restaurants on the square itself charge for the setting, so many visitors prefer to admire the view and eat in the side streets. Watch your belongings in the busiest hours, as with any major tourist spot.

The square is a short walk from Brussels-Central station and from the Bourse/Beurs premetro stop. The Royal Galleries of Saint-Hubert, the Manneken Pis and the Mont des Arts are all within a few minutes on foot, so the Grand-Place works well as the starting point for a walking day in the old town.