Three covered passages near the Grand Place
The Royal Galleries of Saint Hubert (Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert) are a covered arcade in the old town, easy to reach on foot from the Grand Place. They consist of three connected passages: the Galerie de la Reine, the Galerie du Roi and the Galerie des Princes. A glass roof covers the whole walk, so the arcade works in rain as well as sun.
The galleries opened on 20 June 1847 in the presence of Leopold I. Building began in 1846 to a design by Jean-Pierre Cluysenaer. Shops, homes and cultural venues share the arcade, and it is a place to stroll more than a place with a ticket desk. If you would rather have the arcade explained, a guided walk through the old town often includes it. See our Brussels walking tours for options.
Our pick: the Royal Galleries on foot
This 2.5-hour walk passes the Royal Galleries, the Grand Place and Manneken Pis, with tips on where to eat and go out.
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.
Walking tours that pass the Royal Galleries
Old town walks and themed tours around the Grand Place, with live prices and availability.
How to walk the galleries
The arcade is a covered walk, so it works in any weather. Take it slowly and look up as well as into the windows: the glass roof, the lamps and the facades inside are part of the visit.
Shop and café hours are set by each business. Nothing in the arcade follows one common timetable, and you should not count on every door being open late at night. If a particular shop is the point of your visit, check its hours before you go.
Cafés line parts of the passages. You can sit with a coffee or a hot chocolate and watch the arcade, which is a good way to rest between the Grand Place and the lanes behind it.
The Îlot Sacré and the Rue des Bouchers
The lanes next to the arcade.
The Îlot Sacré is the tight web of old lanes between the Grand Place and the galleries. UNESCO describes the historic lower town around the square as a buffer zone with a partly preserved medieval street pattern, and the galleries and the Bourse are among the monuments there. That does not make the whole city centre medieval, so treat it as a quarter of lanes rather than a museum.
The Rue des Bouchers is one of these lanes and is known for its restaurant terraces. Look at a few menus, compare prices and expect busy evenings in high season.
Start at the Grand Place
Leave the square by one of the side streets and follow the lanes towards the arcade. The distance is short, so you do not need a plan.
Walk the three passages
Enter at one end, pass the Galerie du Roi and the Galerie de la Reine, and come out into the lanes again.
Finish in the lanes
End with a coffee, a chocolate stop or a meal on a terrace in the Îlot Sacré. For ideas, see Brussels chocolate tours and workshops.
Chocolate and the galleries
A short piece of history.
The arcade has a link to Belgian chocolate. The filled Belgian praline dates to 1912 and is tied to the Galerie de la Reine. The ballotin, the paper box used for pralines, followed in 1915. If you want to taste and learn rather than only buy, a tasting or a workshop is a better use of an hour.
The galleries are not a World Heritage site of their own. They have an entry on UNESCO's tentative list (Les passages de Bruxelles / Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, submitted in 2008), which is not an inscription. The Grand Place itself is inscribed, since 1998.
Plan the rest of your visit
Pages that fit this stop.
Royal Galleries of Saint Hubert: frequently asked questions
Can I visit the arcade in any season?
Yes, you can stroll through it all year, and the glass roof covers the walk. Individual shops and venues set their own prices and hours.
When did the Royal Galleries open?
On 20 June 1847, with Leopold I present. Building started in 1846.
Are the shops open in the evening?
That depends on each business. There is no single opening time for the whole arcade, so check the hours of any shop you plan to visit.
How far is the arcade from the Grand Place?
It is a short walk through the lanes of the old town. You can combine both in a single outing.
How many passages do the galleries have?
Three: the Galerie de la Reine, the Galerie du Roi and the Galerie des Princes.