Get the buzz
If you love art and culture, you'll love Brussels, the remarkably cool capital of Belgium that thrives on festivals, galleries, exhibitions and cultural events of every kind. Oh and beer...
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Vibrant, compelling, entertaining... Brussels is buzzing. Not only is it the capital of Belgium and at the heart of the EU, it's also rapidly becoming a capital of cool. This is a city of dynamic museums, hip shopping districts, great brasseries, lively music venues and wonderfully atmospheric bars.
Rue Dansaert, west of the city's fabulous Grand Place, is where the designer crowd hangs out. The Marolles, just to the south, was formerly one of Brussels' poorest districts but is now a haven of boutiques and retro-cool shops.
Further south again, leafy Ixelles is newly hip, particularly the Flagey neighbourhood, while the area wryly known as Ixelles Cemetery is a lively hub of bars and restaurants and a favourite haunt of students.
Back in the city centre, take in fabulous art at the Mont des Arts, where you'll find old masters in the Musée d'Art Ancien. Modern works and contemporary installations are housed in the adjacent Musée d'Art Moderne.
Wander the streets of the St Jacques district and you'll come across everything from fashion to second-hand book shops. Then browse the galleries and antique shops of lovely Place Grand Sablon.
When you're ready to sample Belgian beer, try timeless A La Morte Subite on Rue Marchés aux Herbes Potagères, or Le Cirio, on Rue de la Bourse, with its riotously ornate interior. Alternatively, seek out the haunt of surrealist master René Magritte and his fellow artists at La Fleur en Papier Doré on Rue des Alexiens. It's lined with surrealist memorabilia.
IN THE PIPELINE
Brussels is getting ready to open a major new art galley dedicated to the Walloon artist Magritte, who is probably Belgium's most important modern artist.
Magritte and his art live on in posters, films and a host of other modern media. Although he spent two years in Paris in the 1920s, Brussels was very much the centre of his universe and during the 45 years in which he lived in the city, he created some of the most striking images of the 20th century.
The new Magritte museum is due to be completed in the spring of next year. It will contain around 200 pieces by the artist – the largest collection of his work in the world. The museum will be housed in a large neoclassical building known as the Altenloh Hotel, which forms part of the Musée d'Art Moderne in the city centre. More information is available from the Foundation Magritte at www.magritte.be.
CAPITAL OF COMIC-BOOK HEROES
Tintin, the Smurfs, Lucky Luke, Blake and Mortimer... Brussels celebrates its comic-strip characters in style. More than 700 artists have turned the Belgian capital into the world's greatest centre of this accomplished art of storytelling. The Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée is a glorious gallery and museum where you can see a "treasury" collection of at least 3,000 original plates and documents by the masters of the craft, including Hergé, Morris and Peyo, Marc Sleen, André Franquin.
You'll also learn about the entire production process, from the initial concept of a comic strip to the finished product. Displays take you through the different stages of storyboarding, colouring and shading, and final printing. There is even a reference library here, the largest comic-strip library in the world. Housed in a fine 1903 building designed by Victor Horta, the museum is just north of the city centre at Rue des Sables 20 (00 32 2 219 1980; www.comicscenter.net).
Wander around Brussels and you'll come across some striking murals of cartoon characters. At the Halles St-Géry, you'll see a homage to Néron by Marc Sleen; at Rue du Marché au Charbon, beside the Plattesteen café, Frank Pé's Broussaille looks down on you; at Rue du Chevreuil, you'll find Roba's Boule and Bill. And there's much more besides.
Next year, these characters take centre stage. Brussels has declared 2009 the Year of the Comic Strip and has planned many exhibitions, an exciting competition and a colourful opening carnival in February.
CLOSER THAN EVER
You can now reach Brussels by train from London in just one hour and 51 minutes, which is quite a bit quicker than the rail journey between London and Manchester. Since the opening of St Pancras International last November and the re-routing of the Eurostar, which reduced journey times, the number of passengers travelling to Brussels by rail has increased by a staggering 30 per cent. The new route has been so successful that Eurostar (www.eurostar.com) will be adding an extra service and, from 14 December, 11 trains a day will run from London to Brussels.
If you don't want to let the train take the strain, several airlines serve Brussels from the UK. Brussels Airlines (www.brusselsairlines.co.uk) flies from Birmingham, Bristol, Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester and Newcastle; BA (www.ba.com) flies from Gatwick and Heathrow; BMI (www.flybmi.com) flies from Leeds, Edinburgh, Heathrow and Nottingham; and Flybe (www.flybe.com) flies from Birmingham, Bristol, Exeter, Manchester, Newcastle and Southampton.
FIND OUT MORE
We've highlighted attractions and hotels which we thought would be of especial interest. For more information and to find out what's on in Brussels, contact the Belgian Tourist Office on 020 7531 0390 or visit www.belgiumtheplaceto.be and www.brussels151.com.
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