Brussels › Places and landmarks
Places and landmarks in Brussels
12 landmarks of Brussels, and the streets, squares and waterways around them, each with its story and where to find it.
Photo: iMahesh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Landmarks
Grand-PlaceGuild houses and a Gothic town hall round one of the most beautiful squares in Europe.
Town HallThe Gothic town hall with its 96-metre tower, topped by Saint Michael slaying the dragon.
King’s HouseThe neo-Gothic house facing the town hall, home of the city museum and Manneken Pis’ wardrobe.
Manneken PisA bronze boy barely half a metre tall, with a wardrobe of more than a thousand costumes.
Galeries Royales Saint-HubertOne of the first covered shopping arcades in Europe, opened in 1847 under a glass roof.
BourseThe old stock exchange of 1873, on a boulevard that has been free of cars since 2015.
Cathedral of St Michael and St GudulaBrussels’ Gothic cathedral on the slope towards the upper town, where royal weddings are held.
Mont des ArtsThe garden steps between the lower and the upper town, with a view over the city.
SablonThe square of antique dealers and chocolatiers, below the Gothic church of Notre-Dame du Sablon.
Also part of Brussels
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Streets, squares and waterways
The places that hold the centre of Brussels together. Point at one to find it on the map.
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1
Grand Place Grand-Place / Grote Markt square
The market square of Brussels, enclosed by the Gothic Town Hall, the King’s House and the gilded houses of the guilds.
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2
Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert / Koninklijke Sint-Hubertusgalerijen street
A glass-roofed shopping arcade of 1847, one of the first in Europe, with cafés, chocolate shops and a theatre.
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3
Rue des Bouchers Rue des Bouchers / Beenhouwersstraat street
The butchers’ street, now a lane of restaurants with tables outside, crossing the Galeries.
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4
Place de la Bourse Place de la Bourse / Beursplein square
The square in front of the Bourse, the former stock exchange of 1873, now a museum of Belgian beer.
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5
Boulevard Anspach Boulevard Anspach / Anspachlaan street
The boulevard laid over the vaulted Senne in the 1870s, a pedestrian zone since 2015.
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6
Rue de l’Étuve Rue de l’Étuve / Stoofstraat street
The street from the Grand-Place to the corner where the Manneken Pis stands on his fountain.
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7
Place Saint-Géry Place Saint-Géry / Sint-Goriksplein square
The square on the old island in the Senne where Brussels began, around an iron market hall of 1881, now ringed with bars.
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8
Place Sainte-Catherine Place Sainte-Catherine / Sint-Katelijneplein square
A square on the filled-in docks of the old port, known for its fish restaurants.
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9
Place de la Monnaie Place de la Monnaie / Muntplein square
The square of La Monnaie, the opera house where the Belgian Revolution began in 1830.
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10
Rue Neuve Rue Neuve / Nieuwstraat street
The busiest shopping street of the city, closed to cars, running north from the Place de la Monnaie.
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11
Place Sainte-Gudule Place Sainte-Gudule / Sinter-Goedeleplein square
The square below the Gothic Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula, where Belgium’s royal weddings and funerals take place.
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12
Mont des Arts Mont des Arts / Kunstberg square
A terraced garden beside the Royal Library, laid out for the World’s Fair of 1958, with a view over the lower town.
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13
Place Royale Place Royale / Koningsplein square
The 18th-century square on the Coudenberg, on the site of the old palace, with the church of St James on Coudenberg and a statue of Godfrey of Bouillon.
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14
Place du Grand Sablon Place du Grand Sablon / Grote Zavel square
A sloping square of antique dealers and chocolate makers below the Gothic church of Our Lady of the Sablon, with an antiques market at the weekend.