Brussels

• Hotels - Our Choice
  Our choice of Brussels's best character hotels.
• Hotels - Instant Booking
  Dozens of Brussels hotels, with instant online booking. Great for last minute availability.
  
• Essential Brussels
  Quick guide to Belgium's capital.
  

Hotels
Our choice of Brussels's best character hotels.

Stanhope Hotel *****
Rue du Commerce
A luxury establishment dripping with late 19th century English charm, Brussels first 5-star hotel retains its original charm and standards in the context of up to the minute facilities... (more)

Le Plaza Hotel *****
Boulevard Adolphe Max, Brussels
One of Brussels' premier hotels, Le Plaza has recently undergone substantial refurbishment to compliment its already high levels of comfort. Although design and architectural elements are high on the list of special features, Le Plaza is also an excellent place to stay in terms of service and location... (more)

Aris ***
rue marche aux Herbes Grasmarkt
Elegant architecture combined with modern facilities plus an unbeatable location make the Aris a hotel much sought after by those wishing to partake of Brussels' special charm... (more)

Astrid ***
Place du Samedi
Featuring a superb central location, well-appointed rooms and high levels of service, we think the Astrid, especially at our exclusive rates, represents top value for visitors to Europe's administrative capital... (more)

Comfort Art Hotel Siru ***
Place Rogier
To qualify for a Hotelgenie listing chain hotels have to do something special, and that's certainly the case with the Art-Deco fronted Comfort Art Hotel Siru... (more)

More Brussels Hotels
Dozens of Brussels hotels, with instant online booking. Great for last minute availability.

Essential Brussels
Quick guide to Belgium's capital.

Introduction
Known predominantly for its role as the centre of European Community government, Brussels is also home to an increasingly cosmopolitan population, an array of stunning Baroque architecture and some of the best food on the planet.

Top Sites
First stop for the vast majority of visitors is usually the atmospheric Grand Place, Brussels's Baroque central square where it is easy to spend half the day gazing up at the intricate architecture and down at your glass of Belgian beer. Around the corner there's the Mannekin Pis, a small statue of a small boy answering a call of nature, a skill, legend has it, the little fella used to help put out a big fire. Also near to the central square is Europe's oldest shopping arcade, the Galeries St-Hubert, an elegant mixture of high-class shops, eateries and theatres. Ten minute's walk south from the Grand Place are two attractive squares, Grand Sablon and Place Royal. The former is a meeting place of Brussels sophisticates while the latter affords excellent views of the old city below. Take a short stroll north of Grand Place you'll find Vismet, a vibrant area renowned for its sea food restaurants. Outside the centre of town lie two attractions, which keep children of all ages happy; the Musee des Enfants, a hands-on educational experience, and Mini-Europe, which features hundreds of the most famous buildings in Europe rendered small scale. Other museums of note include one of the best comic strip museums in the world, the Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinee, home to many Tintin originals among others; the Musee Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, a major centre for African artefacts and research; the Musee Horta, devoted to the Belgian king of Art Nouveau and the city's two major art showcases, the Musee d'Art Ancien, featuring the works of Rubens, Van Dyck among others and the Musee d'Art Moderne, whose highlight is probably its high quotient of Magrittes.

Culture
High culture fans will find their fix at the stunningly appointed Theatre Royal de la Monnaie which hosts major opera productions and at the Cirque Royal and Palais des Beaux-Arts which stage ballet and classical music concerts respectively. Theatre is represented by several top venues while central Brussels alone boasts a whole tranche of cinemas. Multi-culturally, Brussels has yet to develop the kind of hugely-varied scene of a Paris, London or New York, but the influx of many recent immigrant communities, plus the presence of EC workers from all around Europe, is starting to have some benign influences.

Shopping
Most visitors spend at least some time ambling through the beautiful Galaries St Hubert which hosts shops purveying top class goodies and gifts. For more substantial arty stuff try the Grand Sablon, up the hill near the Place Royale, where antiques and art galleries vie for attention. Fashion fans flock to the Rue Antoine Dansaert near Vismet where hip gear is on sale and to the Boulevard de Waterloo for more established catwalk and designer names. Most districts where tourists are to be found - that's the whole of central Brussels - contain shops selling two favourite Belgian souvenirs; specialty beers and praline chocolates.

Nightlife
Belgian food has recently started to achieve, on a world level, the status locals know it deserves. While Belgium is particularly famous for its mussel and pork dishes, it is also the case that even humble frites (don't call them 'French fries') come better here than anywhere else on the planet. Our tip is to enjoy a meal in one of the thousands of restaurants dominate the centre of town, and to wash the food down with some Belgian beer, another thing they do better here than anywhere. Bars are also in plentiful supply should you wish to concentrate your efforts in this area. Clubbers are also well catered for, with a mixture of ultra-trendy house venues and more conservative establishments all out for your custom.

Hotels
Thanks to the combination of ordinary tourists, business travellers and visitors on EC jaunts, Brussels, especially the central area, is jam-packed with hotels. Perhaps because of the competition, most are well equipped and friendly. The knack is finding one in a top location for a bottom price, though we are talking relatively here. Hopefully, we've pulled off just that trick with our picks here at Hotelgenie.com.

Essential Info
Currency - The Belgian Franc - BF - is divided into 100 centimes. There are approximately 40 Belgian Francs to the Euro, and about the same to the US dollar.

Weather - Typical northern European/continental climate, with often hot summers and cold winters.

Airports
Brussels National/Zaventem (North east of centre)
Trains from the airport head for the three centre of town stations; Central, North and South and take around 15 minutes.
Taxis take about twice as long.

Useful Links

• Brussels18-30
  www.brussels18-30.com
  Online guide about Brussels, Belgium with many useful sections for visitors.
• Brussels2001
  www.brussels2001.com
  Forum, MP3 radio, weather, other Belgian links.
• Tourist and Information Office of Brussels
  www.brusselsdiscovery.com
  Features virtual tour, sights, events, and more.

Hotelgenie.com carefully selects all hotels in this guide to bring you a choice of fine, character-rich establishments, many at exclusive discounts.