A Perfect Day In Brussels

9.00am

Breakfast

Begin the day in style by having breakfast at the terrace café of the sumptuous Belle Époque-style Métropole Hotel, on place de Brouckère.

10.00am

The Grand-Place

Walk to the Grand-Place by way of place de la Monnaie, passing the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, the city’s neoclassical opera and ballet house, on the way. When you arrive at the Grand-Place, take in the magnificent spectacle as an ensemble. Then, going around the square, take time to view the ornate facades of the buildings, including the Hȏtel de Ville, Maison du Roi and guildhouses.

11.00am

A stroll through central Brussels

Walk to the Galeries Royales St-Hubert, an elegant 19th-century shopping arcade, emerging below the Gothic Cathédral des Sts-Michel-et-Gudule. Then go past Gare Centrale to the Mont des Arts, a fine city garden and restored showcase of 1950s architecture. Drop downhill through place St-Jean to view Manneken-Pis, and decide for yourself whether this much-loved symbol of Brussels is worth all the fuss. Return to the Grand-Place.

1.00pm

Lunch

There are many restaurants in the l’Ilot Sacré district just off the Grand-Place, but you can’t do better than join the throng for lunch in the traditional Belgian restaurant ’T Kelderke, set in an atmospheric Grand-Place cellar.

2.00pm

A choice of museums

Take a stroll through the Parc de Bruxelles. Emerging on its south side at place Royale, visit Belgium’s premier art museum, the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, or focus instead on the nearby Musée Magritte, dedicated to the work of Belgium’s great surrealist painter.

4.00pm

Two squares

Along rue de la Régence are place du Grand-Sablon and place du Petit-Sablon, the former home to fine antiques stores and a weekend antiques market, the latter a neat little park.

5.00pm

Avenue Louise

By tram or on foot you pass by the city’s vast Palais de Justice, looming above the atmospheric but poor Marolles quarter. Place Louise marks the start of avenue Louise, a long boulevard rich in upmarket shops. Along the way, rest your legs over a drink in a hotel, such as the Steigenberger Wiltcher’s hotel.

7.00pm

Indian dinner

Since you had a Belgian-style lunch, consider taking a tram or taxi to the far end of avenue Louise, for dinner at the superb Indian restaurant La Porte des Indes.

9.00pm

A Brussels café

If you’re up for a pre-sleep drink, head back to the city centre, to that grande dame of Brussels bars, À la Mort Subite, a few streets from the Grand-Place, and order a traditional Brussels beer, such as a gueuze.