Brussels
Glories of the Middle Ages and Baroque
Brussels is often overlooked by travellers heading for the delights of Bruges and Ghent. But it has some superb medieval and Baroque buildings - the Grand'Place, a marvellous seventeenth-century rebuilding of the medieval heart of the city, and the fine Gothic cathedral, are well worth visiting.
Our tour of the cathedral shows you how the church developed through the ages, from a French-style Gothic building, with glorious Renaissance and Baroque stained glass, a Baroque pulpit, and contemporary works including a new organ and 'pelican' altar. You'll even see a stained glass window designed as a copy of a Rubens painting - by two or his assistants.
Take our tour around the Grand'Place and learn the stories of the houses - each one originally the headquarters of one of the city guilds. Learn where Victor Hugo lived - when he wasn't staying with his wife or his mistress, both of whom lived elsewhere in the city - and where Marx and Engels used to meet. You'll never look at the square the same way again.
Both these Podtours are free to download and use.
A couple of favourite places to relax with a beer in Brussels:
- The Mort Subite - a traditional beer bar near the Central Station. It's a glorious art nouveau style bar with a mirrored interior and serves its own brews. The 'sudden death' referred to isn't what might happen if you have too much beer - it's the name of a card game that was played by post office workers who used to hang out here.
- The Cantillon Brewery, not far from the Midi train station, brews gueuze - very much a local tradition. It can be an acquired taste, with its tartness and slight sulphur edge. Spontaneously fermented using wild yeasts in the air, you'll only find this kind of beer in Belgium (or America, where brewers like to experiment). Brewery tours include a glass of gueuze so you can make up your own mind whether you like it... or hate it.
Other Belgian cities with Podtours include:
- Bruges, medieval trading post;
- Antwerp, city of Rubens;
- Mechelen, ex-capital of the Low Countries;
- and Ghent, a busy trading city with fine buildings from the year 1000 onwards.
