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The City of Brussels (founded circa
580), is the capital of Belgium (and
Flanders). Brussels has grown from a
10th-century fortress town founded by
Charlemagne's grandson into a metropolis
of more than one million inhabitants.
Although historically Dutch-speaking,
Brussels has become increasingly
francophone. Today, most inhabitants are
native French-speakers, although both
languages have official status.
The currency in Belgium is the Euro.
Beer
Prices .Currency
Converter.
Flights take about 1 hour 30 minutes
between UK Airports and Brussels
Airports. Some hotels may provide airport
shuttle buses.
Ryanair provide regular
flights between Brussels South Charleroi Airport and
Dublin . Edinburgh . Glasgow/Prestwick . Shannon .
Brussels
South Charleroi Airport is situated
about 28 miles south of Brussels. Ryanair
operate their own bus service into
central Brussels, to the southern
entrance of Gare du Midi/Brussels Zuid.
There is also a shuttle bus to the
Charleroi Train Station where you can
catch a train to Brussels or most other
Cities in Europe.
BMI . British
Airways and Flybe provide flights
to Brussels National Airport. To view the
UK Airports they fly from, or
International Flights, visit: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_Airport.
Brussels
National Airport is situated about 9
miles northeast of Brussels. The Airport
Bus Line is an inexpensive 30-minute
express service between Brussels Airport
and the Brussels Centre. More
Information. Taxis.
CarHire at Brussels South Charleroi
Airport can be booked through CarTrawler who will scan the
best available deals from CarHire
companies based at Brussels South
Charleroi Airport.
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When entering the Market Place in
the Old Town of Brussels, one's
eyes are drawn automatically to the
gothic tower of the town hall. Up
to this day, the "Hotel de Ville",
or "Stadhuis" is considered to rank
among the most beautiful city halls
in the Low Countries.
The construction of the building
represents the growing power of
Brussels as the capital of the
Dukedom of Brabant. Until the end
of the 14th century, some small
wooden houses and inns used to
stand on this site.
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Belgium
Map . Europe
Map . Brussels Map .
Bus
Tours.
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Every two years,
the Grand Place / Grote Markt, in
the centre of Brussels,
is the location of the 'Flower
Carpet' (Tapis de Fleurs /
Bloementapijt).
It is a vast display of flowers
covering the majority of the
square.
More
Information .
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The Kunstberg and Albertine
Plaza is a showcase square created
for the Universal Exposition held
in Brussels in 1910. It originally
featured a park and a monumental
staircase with cascading fountains
descending the gentle slope.
The original square was
destroyed during the post-war
construction frenzy known as
Brusselization; between 1954 and
1965.
Many major tourist attractions
are located within walking distance
from the Kunstberg: the Musical
Instrument Museum, the Royal
Museums of Fine Arts, the Royal
Palace, and the city’s
cathedral.
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The Royal Palace of Brussels is
the official palace of the King of
the Belgians, situated in the
centre of the nation's capital
Brussels. However, it is not used
as a royal residence, as the king
and his family live in the Royal
Castle of Laeken on the
outskirts of Brussels.
The palace is
situated in front of Brussels Park,
largest park in the city.
More
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Right is another view of the
Kunstberg area in the centre of the
Old Town.
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The Law Courts of Brussels, or
Brussels Palace of Justice, is the
most important Court building in
Belgium, and a notable landmark of
Brussels.
It was built between 1866 and
1883 in the eclectic style by
architect Joseph Poelaert. The
total cost of the construction,
land and furnishings, was somewhere
in the region of 45 million Belgian
francs. It is believed to be the
largest secular building
constructed in the 19th
century.
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The St. Michael and St. Gudula
Cathedral is located at the
Treurenberg hill in Brussels
centre.
In 1047, Lambert II, Count of
Leuven, founded a chapter in this
church and organized the
transportation of the relics of
Saint Gudula, before then housed in
Saint Gaugericus Church on Saint
Gaugericus Island.
In the thirteenth century, the
cathedral was renovated in the
Gothic style. It is an
archiepiscopal cathedral of the
Archbishop of Mechlin-Brussels, the
Primate of Belgium, currently
Cardinal Godfried Danneels.
As it is located in the national
capital, it is often used for
Catholic ceremonies of national
interest, such as royal marriages
and state funerals.
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Notre-Dame de Laeken church was
built in the 19th century.
Dedicated to Louise-Marie, first
Queen of the Belgians, it contains
the Royal Crypt.
The choir of the original 13th
century church is in early Gothic
style and is in the cemetery where
numerous wellknown personalities
are buried. They include, the
playwright Michel de Gholderode,
the architects Poelaert, Balat and
Suys as well as the violonist
Charles de Beriot and his wife, the
famous opera singer, known as "La
Malibran".
Among the works of art
decorating the tombs and chapels is
the famous "Thinker" of Rodin. Can
be visited free of charge.
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Jubelpark, or Parc du
Cinquantenaire, is a large public,
urban park, in the easternmost part
of Brussels.
Most buildings of the horse-shoe
shaped complex, that dominates the
park, were commissioned by King
Leopold II for the 1880 National
Exhibition, commemorating the
fiftieth anniversary of Belgian
independence.
The centrepiece triumphal arch
was erected in 1905. The structures
were built in iron, glass and
stone, symbolising the economic and
industrial performance of
Belgium.
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The Brussels Stock Exchange
(BSE) was founded in Brussels by
Napoleonic decree in 1801. On
September 22, 2000, the BSE
merged with Paris Bourse, Lisbon
Stock Exchange and the stock
exchanges of Amsterdam, to form
Euronext N.V., the first
pan-European exchange for
equities and derivatives, with
common trading and clearing of
all products. This led to it
being renamed Euronext
Brussels.
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The Atomium is a monument built
for Expo '58, the 1958 Brussels
World's Fair. Designed by
André Waterkeyn, it is
102-metres (335 ft) tall, with nine
steel spheres connected so that the
whole forms the shape of a unit
cell of an iron crystal magnified
165 billion times.
Tubes which connect the spheres
along the 12 edges of the cube, and
all eight vertices to the centre,
enclose escalators connecting the
spheres which contain exhibit halls
and other public spaces. The top
sphere provides a panoramic view of
Brussels.
The Atomium is located just
north of Brussels centre, in Heysel
Park. Just next to it lies the
Mini-Europe park .
More
Information & Opening
Times.
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Brussels can also serve as a
base to explore the region as there
are many tours that depart from the
city.
A popular Day Tour is to
Antwerp, 33 miles north of
Brussels, a city and municipality
in Belgium and the capital of the
Antwerp province in Flanders, one
of Belgium's three regions.
More
Information . Tours.
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Another popular Day Tour is to
Ghent, 35 miles west of Brussels, a
city and a municipality located in
the Flemish region, Belgium.
It is the capital and largest
city of the East Flanders province.
The city started as a settlement at
the confluence of the Rivers
Scheldt and Lys, and became in the
Middle Ages, one of the largest and
richest cities of northern Europe.
Today, it is a busy city with a
port and a university.
More
Information . Tours.
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Another popular Day Tour is to
Bruges, 63 miles west of Brussels,
the capital and largest city of the
province of West Flanders in the
Flemish Region of Belgium. It is
located in the northwest of the
country.
The historic city centre is a
prominent World Heritage Site of
UNESCO. Along with a few other
canal-based northern cities, it is
sometimes referred to as "The
Venice of the North".
More
Information . Tours.
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A longer Day Tour is to
Amsterdam, 131 miles north of
Brussels, the capital and largest
city of the Netherlands, located in
the province of North Holland in
the west of the country.
Amsterdam's main attractions,
including its historic canals, the
Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum,
Anne Frank House, its red-light
district and its many cannabis
coffee shops, draw 4.2 million
tourists annually.
More
Information . Tours.
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Another popular Day Tour is to
Luxembourg, 140 miles southeast of
Brussels.
The city of Luxembourg is a
commune with city status, and the
capital of the Grand Duchy of
Luxembourg. It is located at the
confluence of the Alzette and
Pétrusse rivers in southern
Luxembourg and contains the
historic Luxembourg Castle,
established by the Franks in the
Early Middle Ages, about which the
area grew up.
More
Information . Tours.
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