10 Cool Buildings in Brussels You Thought Were Boring

Nothing says historic Brussels like the Gothic and baroque guild houses on the cobbled Grand‘Place. Look out for the one-time brewers' guild, The Golden Tree, at number 10, the former tallow makers' guild, The Wheelbarrow, at number 2 and The Bag, once home to cabinet-makers and coopers, at number 4.

The neo-Gothic Maison du Roi (King's House) houses the Brussels City Museum, which spells out the city's gripping history in a collection of gold, paintings and tapestries. Fashion fans should check out the Mannekin Pis statue's expansive wardrobe of 800 costumes on the third floor.

He may be just 61cm tall, but the famous Manneken Pis peeing boy statue has earned his place in history. Despite being kidnapped twice in the 18th century and smashed to pieces in the 19th century, Manneken Pis still pees proudly today and has become Brussels' humorous mascot.

Once the home and studio of acclaimed Belgian architect Victor Horta, his namesake museum epitomizes the romance of early 20th-century Art Nouveau. Sweep up twisting iron staircases to explore rooms full of curving stained glass, graceful furniture and artworks evocative of the age.

If walls could talk, the Gothic Town Hall on the Grand’Place would tell tales of medieval guildsmen, Hapsburg dukes and stampeding French invaders. Lace-fine turrets and stonework guide the eye to the gilded statue of St Michael, Brussels' patron saint. See the Town Hall glow gold by night before returning to your Brussels hotel.

Inspired by Paris' Notre Dame, the Gothic Cathedral of St Michel and Gudula sits on a hilltop overlooking Brussels. Seek reflection in the vaulted interior, lit by 16th-century stained-glass windows, and the Romanesque crypt. The cathedral reverberates to Gregorian chant during Sunday mass at 10am.

A La Mort Subite (Sudden Death) bar evokes the glamor of Art Deco with its polished dark wood tables, globe lights and brass mirrors. Take a pew in one of Brussels' most historic taverns for a Lambic or cherry-sweet kriek beer.

The Cinquantenaire Museum is a treasure-trove of artifacts and applied arts. Housed in a 19th-century pavilion, the collection revisits Ancient Egypt with a 4,500-year-old Saqqarah tomb, Rome with intricate mosaics, and 15th-century Belgium with ornate altarpieces.

Glide back to the Renaissance and times of religious turmoil at the little-known redbrick Erasmus House, where the great scholar and theologian Erasmus lived in 1521. A visit takes in oil paintings, Albrecht Dürer prints and Erasmus' early manuscripts.

Trace history on canvas at the outstanding museum. Among the 15th- to 18th-century works are standouts by Flemish masters. Take time to appreciate Rubens' vivid baroque canvases, Renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder's colorful peasant scenes and Hieronymus Bosch's inventive altar paintings.