 Belgium’s cosmopolitan capital city is the perfect holiday destination for travellers craving a dose of upscale European culture as it boasts a profusion of superb architecture, over 70 museums and countless restaurants and entertainment venues. Home to the European Parliament and located within close proximity of the Netherlands, France, Germany and Luxembourg, Brussels is often referred to as the ‘Capital of Europe’, with a multi-cultural population that includes over 20,000 ‘Eurocrats’.
Populated by almost 1,000,000 people and divided into 19 separate districts, Brussels’ residents are a mix of Flemish locals and Walloons or French Latin Belgians, with the balance made up by foreign expatriates. Though the city is located in Belgium’s Flemish northern reaches, Brussels is an exception to the surrounding towns and cities, with stronger ties to French culture and language.
 Brussels is divided into the Lower and Upper towns, with both sections easily navigable on foot. The beating heart of the city is the Grand-Place, located in the Lower Town and once home to all of Brussels’ food markets. The Grand-Place has functioned as Brussels’ social and commercial centre for hundreds of years and it still buzzes with activity and atmosphere. Perched on the hill above is the aesthetically pleasing Upper Town, featuring much of the city’s grander architecture, mingled with attractive spaces of green parkland.
 Belgium’s capital is positively brimming with magnificent museums and art galleries, offering endless hours of entertainment for culture vultures. The Royal Museum of Fine Arts, located in the Upper Town and made up of the Musée d’Art Ancien and the Musée d’Art Moderne, is arguably the city’s most distinguished cultural venue, closely rivalled by both the Museum of Musical Instruments and the Art Nouveau Horta Museum. Brussels also boasts a wide selection of impressive architecture, from ornate Gothic churches and classical palaces to stylish Art Nouveau structures.
 For fans of frivolous diversions, Brussels is a haven of shopping opportunities, with plentiful designer stores, boutiques, comic book centres, chocolate shops and antiques dealers. The city also has a high number of lively markets including the bird, horse, flower, flea and various food markets. These are excellent places to absorb the local way of life, offering as much viewing entertainment as shopping opportunities.
 Entertainment venues abound in Brussels, ranging from performance venues and fine restaurants to scores of bars, clubs and pubs. Visitors can take in concerts at the National Orchestra and National Opera House, watch performances at over 30 separate theatres, enjoy sublime seafood at De Broukère and haute cuisine in the city centre, or dance the night away at St Géry’s effervescent nightclubs. Live music – jazz in particular - is a popular feature of the Belgian social scene, with local and international artists performing at venues across the city.
Brussels offers a wide selection of high quality accommodation and most of the city’s hotels are in the high end price range. Five-star establishments such as the Astoria Hotel and the Amigo Hotel offer excellent facilities, first-class service and plush rooms, but are exorbitantly expensive, while more reasonable rates are offered at slightly less luxurious hotels.
History
 Brussels’ history goes back to around 2250 BC, when a Neolithic settlement was established in what is today the Schaerbeek district. Once the potential of the area was realised, it became a highly desirable destination and the years that followed saw a struggle for power between various civilisations including the Romans, Spanish, Austrians and the French.
During WWI and WWII, Germany occupied Belgium, but the Flemish government, under Léopold III, regained power in 1944. Léopold subsequently abdicated the throne to his son, Baudouin I, who became one of Belgium’s most respected leaders for his role in liberating the Congo, calming the tensions between the French and Flemish sectors of Belgian society and attracting the European Commission and NATO to Brussels. Since Baudouin’s death in 1993, Belgium has continued to develop as a key centre of commercial activity and international relations, though it is still troubled by tensions between its French and Flemish citizens. Today, it is a bustling multi-cultural and multi-lingual city that has much to offer the discerning traveller.
Weather
 Brussels has a relatively mild maritime climate that brings a high incidence of wet, grey weather. July and August are the warmest months of the year, with temperatures reaching around 22°C, while winter temperatures are much more daunting, with so-called ‘highs’ of between 4 and 7°C.
 The most popular time of the year to visit Brussels is between May and September, when the weather is pleasantly temperate, but the downside to this peak season are that the city’s sights are often overrun by crowds of tourists and accommodation is at its scarcest and most expensive. Between November and March, the weather is generally bitterly cold, with rain, slush and grey cloud.
However, the colder months have the advantage of fewer tourists and since most of the city’s attractions are located indoors, there’s really no need to spend much time outside.
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