Brussels Belgium and surrounding areas
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Amongst Europeans, Brussels is best known as the home of the EU, which,
given recent developments, is something of a poisoned chalice. But in fact,
the EU neither dominates nor defines Brussels, merely forming one layer of a
city that has become, in postwar years at least, a thriving, cosmopolitan
metropolis. It's a vibrant and fascinating place, with architecture and
museums to rank among the best of Europe's capitals, not to mention a superb
restaurant scene and an energetic nightlife. Moreover, most of the key
attractions are crowded into a centre that is small enough to be absorbed over
a few days, its boundaries largely defined by a ring of boulevards known as
the "petit ring".
The layout of this city centre embodies historic class divisions. For
centuries, the ruling class has lived in the Upper Town, an area of wide
boulevards and grand mansions which looks down on the maze of tangled streets
that characterize the Lower Town, traditionally home to shopkeepers and
workers. This fundamental class divide has in recent decades been further
complicated by discord between Belgium's two main linguistic groups, the
Walloons (the French-speakers) and the Flemish (basically Dutch-speakers). As
a cumbersome compromise, the city is Belgium's only officially bilingual
region and by law all road signs, street names and virtually all published
information must be in both languages, even though French-speakers make up
nearly eighty percent of Brussels' population. As if this was not complex
enough, since the 1960s the city has become much more ethnically diverse, with
communities of immigrants from North Africa, Turkey, the Mediterranean and
Belgium's former colonies as well as European administrators, diplomats and
business people, now comprising a quarter of the population.
Each of these communities leads a very separate, distinct existence and
this is reflected in the number and variety of affordable ethnic restaurants.
But, even without these, Brussels would still be a wonderful place to eat :
its gastronomic reputation rivals that of Paris and London, and though
restaurants are rarely inexpensive, there is great-value food to be had in
many of the bars . The bars themselves can be sumptuous, basic, traditional or
very fashionable - and one of the city's real pleasures. Another pleasure is
shopping : Belgian chocolates and lace are de rigueur, but it's also hard to
resist the charms of the city's designer clothes shops and antique markets,
not to mention the numerous specialist shops devoted to anything and
everything from comic books to costume jewellery.
Many of the city's best bars and restaurants are dotted round the city
centre, within the petit ring, and this is where you'll find the key sights.
The Lower Town centres on the Grand-Place, one of Europe's most magnificent
squares, boasting a superb ensemble of Baroque guildhouses and an imposing
Gothic town hall, while the Upper Town weighs in with a splendid cathedral and
a fine art museum of international standing, the Musées Royaux des Beaux
Arts. Few visitors stray beyond the petit ring, but there are delights here
too, principally in St Gilles and Ixelles , two communes (or boroughs) just to
the south of the centre, whose streets are studded with fanciful Art Nouveau
residences, including the old home and studio of Victor Horta, the style's
prime exponent.
Includes special deals such as these
HOTEL LE PLAZA BRUSSELS
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BRUSSELS $79.95-$962.18
HOTEL SABINA
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BRUSSELS $65.95-$109.95
CITADINES TOISON D'OR
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BRUSSELS $65.95-$149.95
RADISSON SAS HOTEL
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BRUSSELS $109.95-$771.95
HOTEL DU CONGRES
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BRUSSELS $65.95-$139.95
EUROFLAT HOTEL
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BRUSSELS $55.95-$119.95
TOP 149 EUROPARTHOTEL
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BRUSSELS (Check Rates)
VAN BELLE
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BRUSSELS $69.95-$249.95
CITADINES STE CATHERINE
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BRUSSELS $75.95-$109.95
ASTRID CENTRE HOTEL
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BRUSSELS $75.95-$239.95
JOLLY HOTEL DU GRAND SABLON
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BRUSSELS $85.95-$685.68
HOTEL MADOU
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BRUSSELS $65.95-$109.95
HOTEL QUEEN ANNE
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BRUSSELS $79.95-$149.95
BEDFORD BRUSSELS
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BRUSSELS $109.95-$179.95
EUROFLAT HOTEL
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FLORIS LOUISE
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BRUSSELS $79.95-$219.95
VENDOME
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BRUSSELS $75.95-$329.95
FLORIS GRAND PLACE
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BRUSSELS $95.95-$219.95
DE BOECK'S HOTEL
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BRUSSELS $85.95-$149.95
NH GRAND PLACE ARENBERG
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BRUSSELS $59.95-$229.95
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