Best Areas to Stay in Brussels, Belgium

The Grand Place (Grote Markt in Flemish) is undoubtedly the most beautiful place in Brussels.

The Grand Place is a collection of Gothic buildings typical of northern European architecture. It houses the Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall) and its 96-meter tower, visible from many points of the historic center of the city. Also on the Grand Place you can find the King’s House and many other buildings topped in gold, such as the home of the Dukes of Brabant, and the ancient headquarters of many of the most powerful guilds of medieval Brussels.

Not far from the Grand-Place, you can find the royal galleries Saint-Hubert, a covered market with a large glass roof built at the beginning of the 20th century. This elegant shopping center houses many stores, including chocolate shops, designer clothing boutiques and souvenir shops.

Other attractions in the area include the Royal Museums, the Magritte Museum, several typical chocolate houses and the famous Manneken Pis.

The historical center of Brussels stands out for its beauty, its many museums and for being an extremely easy area to move around on foot.

The historic center, particularly in the vicinity of the Grand-Place, is the best area to stay in Brussels. To move to other corners of the city, the Bourse metro station (lines 3 and 4) is particularly useful.

Ixelles (Elsene in Flemish) is the epicenter of cultural life in the city of Brussels.

Ixelles is a district of contrasts located in the southeast of Brussels, in the central area of the city.

Although the most central area of ​​Ixelles is less than 20 minutes on foot from the Grand-Place, it is officially a separate entity from Brussels. The city of Ixelles begins near the commercial arteries of Porte de Namur and extends southeast towards the wooded areas of the Abbey of Cambre.

It is the student neighborhood of Brussels par excellence. It hosts the Free University of Brussels, which brings together students, artists and intellectuals. Audrey Hepburn, Karl Marx and General Boulanger all lived in Ixelles.

Ixelles is a town full of history that mixes very different neighborhoods. With its numerous theaters and cinemas, it is the best area to stay in Brussels for nightlife and the cultural center of the city. The district of Porte de Namur and the luxurious Golden Fleece, with its great boutiques and luxury shops, can be considered as the second center of Brussels.

This neighborhood has the Porte de Namur metro station. On the borders of Ixelles, you can reach the Louise and Throne stations, which are also in the “Petite Ceinture” (small belt) of the Brussels metro.

The European Quarter of Brussels, formerly called Quartier Léopold, is located east of the Old Town of the city and is bounded by Place du Luxembourg, place Jourdan, rond-point Schuman and Place Jean Rey.

It is one of the most elegant and modern districts of the Belgian capital. It houses lively squares, shops, green spaces, museums and, as it name suggests, an interesting collection of buildings, headquarters to several European institutions.

The European Quarter of Brussels is home to different architectural gems. Several art deco and art nouveau buildings can be seen in its squares, such as the house Saint-Cyr or the house Cauchie. The Cinquantenaire Park is another highlight of the European Quarter.

Leopold Park houses a unique architectural heritage, including the magnificent Solvay Library and the Eastman Building, home of the European History Museum. Nearby, you can find the Berlaymont building, the European building and the Residence Palace.

The Quartier Européen is connected by various metro stops (Maelbeek, Schuman, Arts Loi) and a train station (Bruxelles Luxembourg).

Its large green spaces, the presence of the European Union headquarters and the architectural richness of the district make the Quartier Européen one of the best areas to stay in Brussels.

Saint-Gilles is one of the 19 communes that make up Brussels and is located in the south-center of the city.

Saint-Gilles went from being a mainly working-class districts to one of the most coveted districts in Brussels.

The neighborhoods of Saint-Gilles are either elegant or working-class depending on their location. The proximity of Avenue Louise and Boulevard de Waterloo represent the fancier part of the district, while the area around the Gare du Midi is a bit rougher and with a high concentration of foreign communities.

The district of Saint-Gilles is appreciated by young people who seek to expand their social and cultural life. Saint-Gilles esplanade and its cafes and bars are always full. A few steps away is the Jacques Franck cultural center. The area around the Maison Communale, full of charm, has many restaurants. Avenue Louise and its shops are not far away.

Saint-Gilles is the hipster district of the city and an excellent area to stay in Brussels for young travelers. This commune also concentrates a good part of the budget accommodation in the Belgian capital.

Molenbeek is a commune located west of the center of the city.

Molenbeek is one of the traditional neighborhoods of Brussels, it has been the home of immigrants throughout the centuries.

Known by locals as Molen, this neighborhood is located next to the Brussels Canal. Along the canal, on the Molenbeek side, you can see colorful windmills that move where there’s breeze. Molenbeek, comes from a combination of Flemish words, and can be translated into English as “stream mills”.

Like Saint-Gilles, Molenbeek is a neighborhood in constant transformation. Young, alternative and with a distintive ethnic character, this neighborhood is quickly being gentrified.

Molenbeek houses the recently inaugurated MIMA Museum. Founded in April 2016 next to the Brussels Canal, the mission of MIMA is to showcase contemporary art. MIMA presents the most significant art of its time and explores a history of culture 2.0.

Molenbeek also offers a wide range of flavors of the world: restaurants, snacks, tea rooms, cafes, cakes, and more.

Despite its reputation as a tough neighborhood, Molenbeek offers visitors a look at the hipster movement in Brussels.