Holiday rentals in Brussels

Landscaped gardens, bijou jazz clubs, and an eclectic architectural mix are the hallmarks of Belgium’s capital city. Founded in 979, Brussels is officially older than the country it belongs to, and its Grand Place square is a Gothic-and-Baroque glory, from the medieval town hall to the 400-year-old guild houses. Elegant cafes and townhouses crowd its Art Nouveau neighbourhoods (look out for the iron-turreted Old England building, a department store turned music museum) while the European District, the headquarters of the EU’s parliament, commission, and council, is a modern monument in glass and steel. A centre for jazz and art lovers, Brussels is a characterful city where the epic Musée Royal des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, home to masterpieces by Europe’s most iconic artists, can sit down the road from a comic book museum. There’s no better place to get a feel for its heritage than the vibrant district of Les Marolles, with its historic buildings, secondhand shops, and famous flea market.

Spring and autumn are colourful times to appreciate the city’s spectacular parks and open spaces, while summer becomes a blaze of activity with the Foire du Midi funfair operating on the Boulevard du Midi, open-air concerts, and an urban beach on the banks of the Brussels Canal. May is a particularly fun month to stay in a holiday apartment in Brussels, thanks to a variety of local traditions and events, including Iris Day (which celebrates the capital itself), Europe Day, the Brussels Jazz Weekend, and, once every two years, the multicultural Zinneke Parade. September is another good month to be in town: If Belgian Beer Weekend is not for you, perhaps you’ll get a kick from the Comic Strip Festival.

The Europa Building

Dubbed the Space Egg for the vast circular lantern at its heart, this addition to the EU’s headquarters opened in 2017. Its multicoloured interior hosts the meetings of the European Council, and incorporates the 1920s complex of Résidence Palace in a marriage of Art Deco and postmodernism. You can tour the building for free, or just stand outside at night and bathe in the glow of its extraterrestrial light.

Bois de la Cambre

You’re spoilt for choice with green spaces in Brussels — the Parc de Bruxelles, the Cinquantenaire, the Jardin du Mont des Arts, the Parc de Laeken, and the Parc Tournay-Solvay all have their charms. To the south of the city, the elegant Bois de la Cambre, landscaped in the 19th century, covers 300 wooded acres before meeting the immense wild beech forest of the Forêt de Soignes.

Matongé

Centered on the busy thoroughfare of Chaussée de Wavre, this colourful quarter has been home to African life and culture since the 1960s, when it was a hangout for Congolese students. The neighbourhood has become a lively melting pot of cultures, revered for its independent shops and restaurants.