中文 (香港)
Only a two hour’s train ride away from London is the dazzling city of Brussels, full of gastronomical and architectural treasures. The capital of Belgium is known to be small, but the three days I spent there wasn’t enough to visit everywhere I wanted to (though if you go all out on the transport, you might be more fortunate than me!). Here are my top five favorite places (though they are more like a concentrated area of sights) in the historical city:
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Grand Place
The most famous square in Belgium, the rectangular shaped Grand Place is declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is unique in the fact that the square is surrounded by historical buildings starkly different from each other: most notable of them all is the Flemish Gothic City Hall taking up the South West side, with a 99 m tall tower topped by the statue of Archangel Michael.
Opposite it is the House of the King, noted by its dark grey colour, it was the administrative building of governors but now a small museum telling the history of Brussels, especially that of the Grand Place and house a gorgeous collection of costume for the famous Manneqen Pis statue. Next To the SE is the House of the Dukes of Brabant, a row of six buildings with a uniform façade of golden gilded marble arches. The rest of the square are made up of unique guild houses, each different to the other.
Hills of Arts
Next to the Brussels Central Train station is Hills of Art, a small urban park that leads up to the Royal Palace and overlooking the lower town. The first things you will see are the equestrian statue of Albert I facing his queen, Elizabeth of Bavaria across the road. Behind Albert I are a neatly trimmed geometric grass patch lined with hedges and trees either side, leading up to a large fountain and staircase reaching up to the museum district with the Royal Palace visible from afar. Before you head up to admire the spectacular view of the Lower town, you should head to the NE corner of the park and visit the Carillon. 
This sun-shaped Art Deco clock mounted on the limestone building house many small figures representing Belgian national hero and chimes hourly.
Petit Sablon Square
A tiny green space nestled next to the busy main street leading towards Justice Palace, the Petit Sablon Square stands out immediately with its columned fence and statues. The 48 Neo-Gothic columns surrounding the park are each topped by a statue holding a symbol representing a guild; you can easily entertain yourself by walking around and guessing which one represents what. At the high point of the park are the statues of Count Horn and Egmont, commemorating their execution in the Grand Square in 1568. With a small fountain, geometric grass patch, the square makes a nice rest stop between sights. The columns line the perimeter of the part – if you have time to spare I highly recommend looking at all of them and play a guessing game for fun!
Cinquantenair Park
Bordering the east side of the EU district, a fair distance away from the town center, the park was built for the 50th anniversary of the independence of Belgium by Leopold II. Rectangular shaped and symmetrically laid out, this urban oasis is set atop the 2km long Belliard Tunnel connection Etterbeek district to downtown.
The western end is home to several Congo monuments, with the east dominated by the Military Museum of Belgium and Cinquantenaire museum set either side of the Triumphal Arch of Tervuren. If anyone is a car lover, the Autoworld behind Cinquantenaire museum is not to be missed.
Garleries Saint-Hubert and Statue of Charles Buls
The Galeries Saint-Hubert is the first covered shopping mall in Europe built in 1847. The glass high ceilings, two-tiered pastel beige neo-classical corridors are enhanced by the red-stoned columns and grey tiled floors. It now hosts many restaurants, chocolate shops as well as a bookstore and theater. Its main corridor is 200m long and connects to three smaller ones. Walking inside feels like you were back in the 19th century and the air oozes a sophisticated atmosphere lacking in modern day malls. Situated on a small square on the southern exit is a statue of Charles Buls accompanied by his dog sat on a bench in front of a fountain.
Charles Buls was the mayor of Brussels during the reign of King Leopold II in the late 19th century. The statue was created in 1999 by Henri Lenaerts, to commemorate the much-loved mayor.
