How many stops are on the Architecture walking tour in Brussels?

The Architecture route in Brussels includes 7 curated stops.

How long does the Architecture tour in Brussels take?

The Architecture walking tour in Brussels takes approximately 3.5 hours at a leisurely pace.

Is the Architecture walking tour in Brussels free?

Yes, Promenario's Architecture tour in Brussels is free to download and use, with full offline support.

🇧🇪 Brussels, Belgium

Architecture in Brussels

Iconic buildings, monuments, and landmark design. Explore 7 curated stops in Brussels, including Grand Place (Grote Markt), Atomium, and Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula. Highlights include Grand Place (Grote Markt), rated 4.7/5 by 28,000 visitors.

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7 places in this collection

Architecture places

7 places in this collection

Image by Joseolgon, CC BY-SA 4.0

Grand Place (Grote Markt)

The Grand Place ('Grand Square'; also used in English or Grote Markt; 'Grand Market') is the central square of Brussels. It is surrounded by opulent guildhalls and two larger edifices, the city's Town Hall, and the King's House or Breadhouse building containing the Museum of the City of Brussels. The square measures 68 by 110 metres (223 by 361 ft). The Grand Place is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in Brussels. It is also considered as one of the most beautiful squares in Europe, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. In the evening, surrounded by bright illumination, it is simply ravishing. Some evenings a music and light show is provided with the buildings serving as a canvas. Have a 'gaufre de Liège-Luikse wafel' here (Belgian waffle with caramelized sugar)—the best ones are available from the little shops off the northeast corner of the Grand Place-Grote Markt.

Image by Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer), CC BY 4.0

Atomium

In Square de l'Atomium/Atomiumplein (Take Metro line 6 direction Roi Baudouin-Koning Boudewijn and get off at Heysel-Heizel - approximately 5 min easy walk from the station). Open daily from 10:00 AM till 6:00 PM. Ticket Sale ends at 5.30 PM. Unavoidable icon of Brussels and Belgium, important place for international tourism, unique creation in the history of architecture and emblematic vestige of the World Fair in Brussels (Expo 58), the Atomium continues to embody its ideas of the future and universality, half a century later. In its cultural programme, it carries on the debate of 1958: What kind of future do we want for tomorrow? Our happiness depends on what? Its recent renovation in 2006 gave its original brightness back, and the new equipment guarantees its durability. Five of the nine spheres are open to the public (so they say, but not really true). One of them is housing a permanent exhibition dedicated to Expo 58 (just some small models of some countries' pavilions). Another sphere is dedicated to temporary exhibitions with scientific themes (often closed when there is no exhibition). The upper sphere offers spectacular views of the city of Brussels. When the sky is clear, the view reaches till Antwerp. There is a 'kids zone' sphere which staff will happily direct you to even though you can never go in, it is only open to touring schoolchildren, and there is nothing inside except places for kids to sleep. In truth, there are only three spheres: the top (restaurant), middle (snack bar), and bottom.

Image by Donaldytong, CC BY-SA 3.0

Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula

The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula is a Roman Catholic church in Brussels. The church was given cathedral status in 1962 and has since been the co-cathedral of the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels, together with St. Rumbold's Cathedral in Mechelen. The dimensions of the building are: exterior length 114 metres (374 ft), interior length 109 metres (358 ft), exterior width at the choir 57 metres (187 ft), interior width 54 metres (177 ft) and height of towers 64 metres (210 ft). The cathedral is built of stone from the Gobertange quarry, which is located approximately 45 km south-east of the site of the Cathedral. The western facade with its three portals surmounted by gables and two towers are typical of the French Gothic style, but without a rose window, which was replaced by a large window in the Brabantian Gothic style. The two towers, the upper parts of which are arranged in terraces, are attributed to the Flemish architect Jan Van Ruysbroeck (1470–1485), who also designed the tower of Brussels' Town Hall. The south tower contains a 49-bell carillon by the Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry on which Sunday concerts are often given. The Salvator bell was cast by Peter van den Gheyn. At the end of the 1990s, Brussels ornithologists discovered a couple of peregrine falcons hibernating on top of the towers of the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula. In 2001, ornithologists of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) in association with the Fonds d'Intervention pour les Rapaces installed a laying-nest on the edifice in an attempt to encourage nest-building. This laying-nest was never used, but in the spring of 2004, a pair of falcons nested on a balcony on top of the cathedral's northern tower. At the beginning of March, the female laid three eggs. As a result of watching the three chicks perform acrobatic feats on the cathedral's gargoyles, at the end of May 2004, the project 'Falcons for everyone' was developed by the RBINS in association with the Commission Ornithologique de Watermael-Boitsfort. The project installed cameras with a live video stream on their website.

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Image by Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 3.0

Royal Palace

The Royal Palace of Brussels is the official palace of the King and Queen of the Belgians 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 Palace of Laeken on the outskirts of Brussels. As often mentioned it has a facade 50% longer than that of Buckingham Palace but its floor area of 33,027 m2 is less than half of Buckingham Palace's floor area (77,000 m2)

Image by Q. Keysers, CC BY-SA 3.0

Brussels Park (Parc de Bruxelles)

The Parc de Bruxelles (French; 'Brussels' Park') or Warandepark (Dutch), is the largest urban public park in the centre of Brussels, Belgium. The area of the rectangular park is 13.1 ha (32 acres). An avenue leads to the main pond, from which three other avenues offer views of three important places in Brussels: the Palace of Justice, the Royal Palace and the Place du Trône/Troonplein.

Image by Lou Salomé, CC BY-SA 3.0

Stock Exchange Building

The Brussels Stock Exchange was founded in 1801 by decree of Napoleon. As part of the covering of the river Senne for health and aesthetic reasons in the 1860s and 1870s, a massive programme of beautification of the city centre was undertaken. It was to be located on the former butter market, (itself situated on the ruins of the former Recollets Franciscan convent) on the newly created Anspach Boulevard (then called 'Central Boulevard'). The building was erected from 1868 to 1873, and housed the Brussels Stock Exchange until 1996. The building does not have a distinct name, though it is usually called simply the Bourse/Beurs. It is located on Boulevard Anspach, and is the namesake of the Place de la Bourse/Beursplein, which is, after the Grand Place, the second most important square in Brussels. The building combines elements of the Neo-Renaissance and Second Empire architectural styles. It has an abundance of ornaments and sculptures, created by famous artists, including the brothers Jacques and Joseph Jacquet, Guillaume de Groot, French sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse and his then-assistant Auguste Rodin.

Image by Steven Lek, CC BY-SA 4.0

Brussels Parliament Building

The Brussels Parliament building is a neoclassical building located on Rue de Lombardstraat and houses the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region. It largely dates back to the early twentieth century, although it has had some wings date back to the seventeenth century and certain later renovations. The hemicycle is on the top floor of the building, with the roof being of modern zinc and glass design. The chamber is encircled by a long curved wooden wall and there is an overhanging press and public gallery. Committee rooms have likewise been updated with modern technology but much of the building remains neoclassical. There is also a cafeteria and reading room for deputies. The four rear wings have administrative functions, including housing the Presidents offices. There is also 400 square metres of hanging gardens extending to heights of up to 27 metres. Not to be confused with the European Parliament building in Brussels.

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