BRUSSELS
Getting there: 2hrs 40mins by Eurostar from London Waterloo. Also flights by Sabena, British Airways, British Midland, Virgin Express and KLM UK.
Attractions: Grand Place, nearby Mannekian Pis, European Commission building and up to 70 museums including one dedicated to chocolate.
Food and drink specialities: chocolate, mussels and frites and numerous varieties of beer.
Tour operators: most short-break specialists such as Cresta and Bridge offer city breaks to Brussels.
Brussels has more Michelin-starred restaurants per square kilometre than Paris.
The word spa, meaning a thermal resort, comes from the city of Spa, near Liege in Belgium. Water cures have been taken here since the 16th century and it is where Spa mineral water is bottled.
The term ‘french fries’ is a misnomer. It was coined by an American soldier in Belgium after the war. He saw the small fried potatoes and, upon hearing the French language, assumed he was in France and so labelled them inaccurately. Apparently, the Belgians are incensed by this international faux-pas.
Brussels is home to many comic strip creations, including Tintin. Its Comic Strip Route walking tour passes buildings covered with comic murals while the Comic Museum houses an important collection of strip art.
There are more than 200 types of Belgian beer and around 600 different labels (with proper pouring procedures for each one). Five of the world’s six Trappist beers are brewed in Belgium.
Source: Belgian Tourist Office Brussels and Ardennes