Brussels Holiday Guide

There are plenty of schedule and no-frills flights to the city and Eurostar has frequent departures between London Waterloo and Brussels Gare du Midi.

A lot of the city can be seen on foot, but there's a good public transport system with metro, rail, buses and trams to get you around. Cycling's a great way to get about – a new initiative by the Town Hall provides bikes for a small fee. Exploring beyond the city is easy too, with an efficient rail service to all parts of the country.

There's a lot to see in Brussels. The focal point of any tour is tourist-crammed Grand Place in the Lower Town – perhaps the most beautiful square in Europe, surrounded by ornate guild houses. Venture into the 15th-century Town Hall, for a glimpse of gilded interiors. To the south you'll find the 'Manneken-Pis', the bizarre national symbol of an urchin urinating that's cast in bronze.

The Upper Town is a grand region of parks, palaces, churches and museums, including the Musees Royaux des Beaux-Arts and the magical Musical Instrument Museum, housed in one of the best-preserved art nouveau buildings in the city. The EU Quarter is worth exploring too, for a look at the gleaming glass and steel heart of Europe.

Belgians love to dine out and the city is packed with great restaurants. Around the Grand Place it's choc-a-block with places to eat, though they tend to be packed with tourists. From top end Michelin-starred eateries to waffle cafés or stalls selling baguettes stuffed with chips, there's something for all palates and pockets.

National specialties include the likes of rabbit cooked in beer, or mussels served in piping cauldrons with plates of chips, and portions tend to be on the generous side. For fish, the Ste-Catherine area is the place to head, while many Asian restaurants are clustered in St-Gery.

Belgium is known for its beer – so no surprise much of the nightlife revolves around drinking it. There are countless bars, often housed in fantastic art deco or art nouveau buildings, boasting a list of beers that's longer than your arm. Try a fruit beer or a Trappist beer, made by local monks.

Many bars are open late and discos and clubs are plentiful across town – although Antwerp and Ghent are the real heart of Belgium's clubbing scene. For something more cultural,  there’s always a lot going on – from contemporary dance shows to experimental theatre.

Brussels is a family-friendly place, with lots for kids to do, from great museums with interactive displays to puppet theatre shows. It's got more green space than any other capital city in Europe (except Kiev) so there are plenty of big parks and woodlands to play in, many equipped with outdoor playgrounds too.

One of the highlights is Bruparck, a leisure park near the Atomium in Laeken, with attractions including Mini-Europe, filled with replicas of European monuments, Oceade, a sub-tropical pool complete with slides and chutes and a multi-screen cinema complex.

Belgium is a small country and other interesting cities like Antwerp, Bruges and Ghent, are just a short train ride away from Brussels, all offering something completely different.

To explore the leafy suburbs, hop on a tram to the village of Tervuren, 10km to the east of town. One of the highlights here is the Royal Central Africa Museum, with its collection of art from colonised Africa, surrounded by a park with canals and woods.

History-lovers should head to Waterloo, 16km south of Brussels, where the legendary battle that saw Napoleon defeated was played out. The Wellington Museum brings the past to life, with original documents, plans and models.

Brussels has no end of delights for shoppers, with shopping arcades housed in 19th-century buildings in the city centre (Galeries St Hubert is a must), alongside markets selling everything from antiques to second-hand clothes. There are plenty of quirky individual boutiques hidden away in windy lanes too, as well as the High Street names you'd expect to find in a European capital.

Traditional buys for tourists are lace, chocolate and Belgian beer. For chocolate Neuhaus and Godiva are among the best-known – but with 500 producers of handmade chocolate in the country there's a lot of choice.