Top Ten: Brussels
To coincide with the tenth anniversary of Maasmechelen Village we give the low-down on ten great things to see and do in Brussels. Some take place this autumn, others are perennial pleasures…
1. Uncover one of Art Nouveau’s leading exponents
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Victor Horta, the influential Art Nouveau architect who left such a lasting mark on the city. Horta-designed or influenced buildings can be seen throughout Brussels, but to gain a better understanding of his life and work it’s well worth visiting La Maison Autrique, the first building created by Horta, where a major exhibition, Victor Horta, a Lost World, will be on display until the end of this year. It spans his career and is part of a broader celebration of his work across the city.
Entrance: €6, open 12pm to 6pm, Wednesday to Sunday.
See www.autrique.be/exposition/exposition_010
2. Join a culinary tour of the city
Get your taste buds tingling and learn a bit about Brussels at the same time on a walking tour of this city that knows its food. One option is to join a local guide for a tour of several eateries, trying delicacies such as chocolate, escargots and cheese along the way. Another is to visit four local restaurants with a guide for an evening meal with a difference – eating a course in each venue, tasting seasonal specialities and passing some of the main city sights as you go.
‘Amuse Guele’, a walking dinner of Brussels with Vizit costs around €55 – €75. ‘Nibbling Through Brussels’, €80 per guide for groups of up to 25 persons.
See www.vizit.be/E_Brussels.html
3. Spend a night at the museum
Each Thursday evening during the autumn (until 15 December) a selection of the many excellent museums in Brussels will stay open late as part of Museums Nocturnes, a season of events in which visitors can join guided tours, get rare behind-the-scenes access and listen to exclusive talks from curators. The Horta-designed Centre for Fine Arts (BOZAR), Le Botanique and the Museum of Fantastic Art are among those taking part. For a full list of participating venues see www.brusselsmuseumsnocturnes.be/index-en.php
4. Feel the music
Smooth grooves and mellow melodies will be sounding out across Belgium as the Skoda Jazz Festival returns this autumn. This celebration of jazz, blues, hip hop and other musical styles is considered one of the best festivals of its kind in Europe, with performances in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent and other cities. With a previous roll-call that includes Miles Davis, Nina Simone, Ray Charles, Herbie Hancock, Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins, this year’s line-up will be looking to hit the high notes once again.
At various locations until 17 December. See www.skodajazz.be for more.
5. Discover some grand designs
For anyone with an interest in design and architecture an upcoming exhibition in Brussels on the Bauhaus design movement is not to be missed. It opens on 23 October at CIVA (the Centre International pour la Ville, l’Architecture et le Paysage’) and runs until 5 February 2012, highlighting the ongoing influence of a style that was founded in Weimar, but has gone on to have a wide-reaching impact on art and design far beyond Germany. It showcases some of the most iconic achievements of Bauhaus architecture, depicted in a series of images by US photographer Gordon Watkinson.
‘Bauhaus XX-XXI: An ongoing legacy’. Tuesday to Sunday, 10.30am to 6pm. Entrance €6 for adults. See www.civa.be.
6. Take in panoramic city views at Atomium
Imagine the structure of a molecule, its individual atoms joined together by chemical bonds. Now, envisage it billions of times larger and you’ll have a good sense of one of Brussels’ most popular and recognisable landmarks. Atomium, a fantastical structure of nine giant metal spheres connected together by tubes, has been a much-loved local attraction since 1958 – when it was built as the centrepiece of the World Expo. Five of the nine spheres are open to the public, one of them housing a permanent exhibition about Expo 58, with photos, videos and artwork from the time. The upper sphere, at 102 metres, provides perhaps the best reason to visit, however, with an observation deck affording fabulous views across the city and, on clear days, as far as Antwerp’s cathedral and port. There’s also a panoramic restaurant up there, reached via an elevator that was the fastest in the world when it was built.
Atomium is open year-round from 10am to 6pm, entrance €11 for adults. The restaurant is open from 10am to 5.30pm and 7.30pm to 11pm. Reservations required. See www.atomium.be for more.
7. Stay in a colourful local hotel
One of the more unusual accommodation choices in Brussels is the Pantone Hotel, inspired by the colour palette used by printers and creatives around the world. Each floor utilises a distinctive pantone hue against a white canvas – from the silky pink Pantone 238 C and the fresh mint green Pantone 353 C to the aquatic blue Pantone 298 C and the fiery red Pantone 200 C. There are 61 rooms and two corporate meeting spaces, together with a shop selling all manner of Pantone products.
Rooms from €89 per night. Check out www.pantonehotel.com.
8. Grab a local beer
Belgium loves beer, with more brewers per head than any other nation – and Brussels is a great place to try some of the astounding variety of beers that they produce. There are strong, dark brews made at Trappist monasteries, aged Lambic beers, fruit beers and light wheat beers – and plenty more besides. The glasses are often specific to each brew and experimenting with the different beverages in the city centre’s many drinking holes is a real pleasure. A Brussels specialty is Gueuze, a lambic blend made from wheat, malted barley, hops and water, and a trip to the Cantillon Brewery – housed in the Musée Bruzellois de la Gueuze – offers the chance to find out about the brewing process and quaff a glass or two at a tasting session at the end of the tour.
The Cantillon Brewery is open from Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and on Saturdays from 10am to 5pm. A tour and complimentary beer costs €6. Visit www.cantillon.be.
9. Get your skates on
As autumn turns to winter, the beautiful Grand Place is the focus for Brussels’ seasonal festivities, with a large Christmas market set up in the enclosed city square. The Gothic town hall and adjacent guild houses are lit up by sparkling illuminations, while in nearby Place Sainte-Catherine and the Marché aux Poissons there are funfair rides, a skating rink, one of the largest Ferris wheels in Europe and dozens of wooden stalls selling arts and crafts, tasty winter snacks and mulled wine.
Winter Wonders runs from 25 November to 01 January 2012. See www.plaisirsdhiver.be
10. Visit Maasmechelen Village, buy a cupcake and help a good cause
Join Anouck Lepère, the top model from Antwerp and the Village’s Fashion Ambassador, in celebrating Maasmechelen’s tenth anniversary and lending support to a hugely worthwhile cause. Catwalk icon Anouck is a passionate supporter of Kageno, a non-profit organisation in Kenya and Rwanda whose name means ‘a place of hope’. During her year as Fashion Ambassador she has been working alongside the Village’s collection of more than 100 boutiques to raise funds for the project.
Purchasing a Maasmechelen Village Gift Card is one way to lend your own support, with €2 donated to Kageno for every card sold before the end of October.
Buying a birthday cupcake is another, with all proceeds from the sale of master patissier Roger Van Damme’s delicious sweet treats at Maasmechelen Village’s restaurants going to the cause. Gastronomia Cellini, Grand Café Cellini, The Foodmaker and Brasserie Musette are among the venues where birthday cupcakes can be bought.
Maasmechelen Village is located within an hour of Brussels and easily reached by taking the Shopping Express. Opening times: Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm, weekends 10am to 7pm. Click on www.MaasmechelenVillage.com for all the latest news from the Village and visit www.kageno.org to read about the work being done in Africa by Kageno.
Take advantage of a new special partner rate with the exclusive hoteliers Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ when planning your visit to one of the nine Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages. Click here for more details.
19-10-2011
