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Take the train to Brussels

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Strolling through the streets is the best way to discover what Brussels, the capital of Belgium and Europe, is all about. A multicultural city with a unique atmosphere, visitors are immediately charmed by its diversity.

A stone’s throw from its magnificent historical centre, the heart of which is dominated by the famous Grand-Place, you can just as easily find yourself in the city’s trendiest quarter, Saint-Géry-Dansaert, as in the most popular, the Marolles, with its Place du Jeu de Balle and its numerous brasseries. Looking for luxury and sophistication? Head for the Place du Grand Sablon and Avenue Louise, where you’ll find all you could wish for in the many top-of-the-range brands. With museums, heritage, contemporary architecture, large green spaces, shopping, dining, surrealism, art nouveau, comic books and more, this multifaceted city has a thousand and one things to discover.

Some of the must-see sights include the Grand Place, the Manneken Pis, the Atomium, the Horta buildings, the Belgian Comic Book Centre, the Magritte museum, the Koekelberg Basilica, the Galeries Saint-Hubert, and the European Institutions. Whatever you do, Brussels will leave its mark on you!

Brussels
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This section of Belgium’s Royal Museum of Fine Arts exhibits the work of surrealist artist Magritte. The multidisciplinary collection of art is the largest in its kind and includes more than 200 pieces, including oils on canvas, gouaches, drawings, sculptures and painted objects, as well as advertisement posters, music scores, vintage photographs and movies by the hand of Magritte himself. In this field of work, the Magritte Museum would undoubtedly be the world’s number one centre for any studies conducted on this artist.

Address: Musée Magritte, Place Royale, 1000 BRUXELLES

More information: http://www.musee-magritte-museum.be/

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Not only can you admire the archeology section (the museum is situated in the former Waucquez warehouses, built by Victor Horta in 1906), but you can also discover the museum’s original collection (the theme being comic strips) bathed in an atmosphere of space and light. The museum focuses mainly on the history of comic strip art in Belgium, with Hergé being the undisputed number one in a series of artists.

Address: Belgian Centre for Comic Strip Art: 20 rue des sables, 1000 Brussels

More information: http://www.comicscenter.net/en/practical-information/address-and-contacts

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The Koekelberg Basilica is the world’s fifth biggest church. It is also recognised as one of the most impressive art deco monuments in Europe. Thanks to its lift, you can ascend to a height of 52.8 metres. Under the dome, an external gallery offers an unobstructed view over Brussels.

Address: Parvis de la Basilique 1 - 1081 Brussels

More information: http://www.basilique.be

 

Would you like to find out about the Grand-Place, the Marolles district or the area around Place Sainte-Catherine in a really novel way? If so, you should visit the website of D*Tours and download one of their guided tours. These are available in German, English, Spanish, Italian and French. Then, armed with your MP3 player, you can go to the exact location in the city and press play. A voice will then invite you to follow it and you can enjoy a stroll through the city as you listen. Soothed by music, film extracts, sound effects and even the voices of the people who live there, you will never have seen – or heard – a city in this way before! This really is a unique experience.

Address:

More information: http://www.d-tours.org/

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A must-see symbol of Brussels, the Atomium was created as part of the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958. A futuristic-looking vestige of the past, the Atomium is composed of nine interlinked spheres and is a gigantic representation of an iron crystal atom (magnified 165 billion times). A surrealistic walk through tubes and spheres takes you to the top of the 120m-high structure, where you will have one of the most beautiful views over the city. The Atomium also features an exhibition dedicated to the history of the structure, as well as temporary exhibitions.

Address: Atomiumsquare - 1020 Brussels

More information: http://www.atomium.be

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