Grand Place

The central market square in Brussels, a trip would not be complete without seeing it

Grand Place, or the central Market Square, is perhaps the best known attraction in Brussels.

The main market square is surrounded by the impressive Town Hall (constructed between 1402 and 1455), Guild Houses and the Bread House. The gothic architecture has to be seen to be believed, you really could spend hours just wandering around whilst staring up at the buildings. There are cafes scattered around where you can sit and watch the world pass by whilst enjoying a fine Belgian beer in one of the most beautiful market squares in Europe.

Grand Place was named by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1998.

Map and hotels near Grand Place

Booking.com

Gallery Pictures

Getting to Grand Place by train

The nearest major train station is Brussels Central Station (Gare Centrale). The Grand Place square is around 10 minutes walk from here, just head north east out of the station and you should stumble across it.

From the Eurostar station (Brussels Midi) it's around a 20- 30 minute walk. Just head out of the station on to Rue de la Tête d'or towards Rue des Pierres/Steenstraat, then Rue du Marché au Charbon, then walk along Avenue de Stalingrad/Stalingradlaan for 500 metres, then head left onto Boulevard du Midi - from here you should see it signposted, just follow the other people with cameras!