Royal Galleries of Saint-Hubert

The Royal Galleries of Saint-Hubert were among the first covered shopping arcades in Europe, and they remain one of the most elegant places to walk in Brussels. The architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar designed them, construction began in 1846 and took thirteen months, and the galleries were inaugurated on 20 June 1847. Together they run for 213 metres under a glazed roof, giving shoppers and strollers shelter from the Brussels weather in a setting of arched shopfronts beneath the glass.

The arcade is made up of three sections. The King's Gallery and the Queen's Gallery form the main straight run, and the shorter Princes' Gallery branches off to the side. Along the way you pass boutiques, cafés and chocolatiers. The Queen's Gallery is home to Neuhaus, whose shop here is said to be the birthplace of the praline, and to the Taverne du Passage, a brasserie that was known as the Café des Arts until 1892. The King's Gallery houses the Royal Theatre of the Galleries, and the Queen's Gallery has the Cinéma des Galeries, which dates from 1939.

The galleries suit almost everyone. They are free to walk through, they are covered, which makes them useful on a rainy day, and they are close to many of the city's main sights. Chocolate lovers will want to compare the different chocolatiers, while architecture fans can simply enjoy the proportions and the light through the glass roof. Families will find it an easy, traffic-free stroll.

Walking the full length takes only a few minutes, but most people linger for half an hour or more, longer if they stop for coffee or a meal. Early in the day the arcade is quiet and good for photographs; in the late afternoon and evening it fills with shoppers and diners heading to the restaurants of the surrounding streets. Shop opening hours vary from business to business.

The galleries cut through the block between the Rue du Marché aux Herbes and the Rue d'Arenberg, just north of the Grand-Place. The Rue des Bouchers, with its many restaurants, runs alongside, and Brussels-Central station and the Cathedral are a few minutes away. Many visitors use the arcade as a pleasant route between the Grand-Place and the Cathedral.