Brussels old town around the Grand Place
The old town of Brussels centres on the Grand Place. From the square you can walk to the Royal Galleries of Saint Hubert, Manneken Pis, the church of Sainte-Catherine, the Grand Sablon, the Mont des Arts and the cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudula. Together they make a sensible first day in the centre. This is a suggestion, not a surveyed route with measured walking times.
The streets around the square form the Îlot Sacré. The UNESCO World Heritage area is small, and the buffer zone around it keeps parts of the medieval street pattern. The city centre as a whole is neither inscribed nor uniformly medieval. If you would rather have a guide for the first orientation, see the Brussels walking tours.
What to see in the Brussels old town, in order
A suggested sequence from the station to the Mont des Arts.
1. Bruxelles-Central and the Royal Galleries
Start at the station. The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert opened on 20 June 1847 and consist of three passages, the Galerie de la Reine, the Galerie du Roi and the Galerie des Princes. The Rue des Bouchers is a lane in the same Îlot Sacré.
Royal Galleries →2. The Grand Place
Guild houses, the Town Hall and the King's House ring the square. Inside, you can visit the Town Hall for €15 or the City Museum for €10 at full price in 2026.
Town Hall →3. Manneken Pis
The fountain stands where the Rue de l'Étuve meets the Rue du Chêne. The original figure is in the City Museum, and the costume collection has its own museum, the GardeRobe MannekenPis, on the Rue du Chêne.
Manneken Pis →4. Sainte-Catherine
The Sainte-Catherine area belongs to the same stretch of the historic centre. Add it if you want to see more of the centre than the square and its lanes.
5. The Grand Sablon and the Mont des Arts
Keep these for the second part of the day. The Sablon has antiques and a Gothic church, and the Mont des Arts links the upper and lower town.
Sablon →Our pick: the old town on foot
To see the centre with a guide, this walk passes the Grand Place and Manneken Pis and includes a chocolate tasting.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in euros (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Brussels old town tours
Guided walks through the old town and around the Grand Place, with live prices and availability.
Bourse, Mont des Arts, cathedral and Rue des Bouchers
Four stops that people mix up or skip.
The Bourse
Belgian Beer World is housed in the former stock exchange building, not in the Maison des Brasseurs on the Grand Place. Opening hours and prices are on the beer page.
Belgian beer →Mont des Arts
The Mont des Arts is a garden below the Place Royale and a link between the upper and lower town. It was laid out for the 1910 World Fair, redesigned in the 1950s and restored in 2001. The step-free access runs along the Rue du Mont des Arts, and the other entrances use stairs.
The cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudula
The cathedral is one of the stops of the historic centre walk. If you plan to go inside, check the visiting rules on the day.
Rue des Bouchers
The Rue des Bouchers is a lane in the Îlot Sacré. Opening hours of its shops and restaurants vary, so there is no fixed schedule to plan around.
The old town stops compared
What each stop offers and where to read more.
| Stop | What you will find | Inside visit in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Place | Guild houses, Town Hall, King's House | No ticket for the square |
| Town Hall | Gothic building, inside visit and panorama tour | €15 or €25 (panorama) |
| City Museum | City history and the original Manneken Pis | €10 |
| Royal Galleries | Glass-roofed passage, three galleries | – |
| Belgian Beer World | Beer museum in the former stock exchange | €21.50 |
| Mont des Arts | Garden between upper and lower town | – |
For most first visits, start at Bruxelles-Central, walk through the Royal Galleries to the Grand Place and add Manneken Pis. Keep the Sablon and the Mont des Arts for a second part of the day or a second visit.
Go deeper
Pages for the stops above.
Weather for a walk in Brussels
Monthly averages for 1991–2020 at the Uccle weather station.
| Month | Average high | Average low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.1 °C | 1.4 °C | 75.5 mm |
| April | 15.0 °C | 6.0 °C | 46.7 mm |
| July | 23.2 °C | 14.1 °C | 76.9 mm |
| October | 14.9 °C | 8.1 °C | 67.8 mm |
These are averages, not forecasts. April has the lowest monthly rainfall in the series and July the warmest highs, but it rains in every month. Pack a light rain layer and keep an inside stop in mind, such as the Town Hall or the City Museum, as a fallback.
Brussels old town: frequently asked questions
Is the whole Brussels centre a World Heritage site?
No. The inscribed area is 1.48 ha around the Grand Place, with a buffer zone of 20.93 ha. The city centre is not uniformly medieval either.
Can I see the old town in one day?
The selection above fits a day if you stay mostly outside. There is no measured route, and the time depends on how many inside visits you add. The Town Hall inside visit alone takes at least an hour.
Where is Belgian Beer World?
It is in the Bourse, the former stock exchange building, and not in the Maison des Brasseurs on the Grand Place.
Is the Mont des Arts accessible without stairs?
One access is step-free and runs along the Rue du Mont des Arts. The other entrances use stairs.
Where do I start a walk in the old town?
Bruxelles-Central and De Brouckère are each about 5 minutes on foot from the Grand Place, so either works as a start. See getting there for trains from the airports.