Brussels, headquarters of the European Union and other international organizations like NATO, is characterized by its history as well as incipient modernity. A city that looks to the future, with a high standard of living and this is one of the most attractive destinations for Europeans.
The Capital of Belgium, next to the river Senne (now buried), and communicated by channels with Charleroi and Antwerp, and the North Sea through the canal Willibroek, has a population of over 1,100,000 inhabitants.
 
Visiting the city:
Starting the tour of the most prominent of the city center it is the Grand Place, a square that was in another era and a medieval market today is surrounded by guild houses and buildings Flemish Renaissance style, following the style of balance and harmony to the Baroque style. The Gothic town hall is also located in this plaza, there something very strange happens. Every summer for years and is upholstered with what is known as «Tapis de fleurs», a multicolored carpet of begonias of 1,860 square meters.

Brussels points out no doubt for its artistic and cultural heritage. Tourists can visit the building of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts, which houses the finest art treasures gathered from around the country.
At the Museum of Ancient Art can be an important collection of paintings by Flemish masters, including works by the great Dutch painters of the fifteenth to nineteenth centuries, such as Rembrandt, Jacob Jordaens and Frans Halsman Flemish painting from Van Eyck.
The Museum of Modern Art presents painting and writing of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including works by Courbet, Gaughin, Delacroix and Dalí and the Belgian surrealists, Magritte and Delvaux.

The symbol that characterizes the city is known as the Manneken Pis. A bronze fountain in the shape of a naked child and was conducted in 1619 by Jerome Duquesnoy. This figure has been stolen several times but later answer. In the Grand Place Museum are 345 costumes and uniforms to dress the child figure. Since 1985 there is also a replica of the female figure but that version is known as Jeannette Pis, which is also located near the town hall.

Another characteristic symbol of the city is the Palace of Justice, built between 1866 and 1883 by order of King Leopold II. This building, designed by the architect Joseph Poelaert, has a dome larger than that of San Pedro del Vaticano.
The city is known for its gardens. In the north, in the suburb of Laeken are the botanical gardens and greenhouses of Chateau Royal, filled with tropical plants brought from the Congo. This also resulted in two buildings were built oriental style, a Chinese pavilion, which houses an important collection of porcelain, and Japanese Pagoda, both brought from the Universal Exhibition of Paris of 1900.
On the occasion of the Universal Exposition held in the city in 1958 kept the Atomium, built for the occasion. This monument represents an iron molecule enlarged 160,000 million times. The structure of the monument is made of steel and aluminum exterior thereof. The height is 110 meters and has nine areas whose length is 18.5 meters in diameter.

The Church of St. Catherine, patron saint of fishermen, was built in 1854. Around this church is a paved plaza and piers that recall the era when the city passed the river Senne. These piers, constructed between 1878 and 1911 will breathe the spirit of the era in which the port was part of the city.

Cuisine:
Belgian gastronomy has always enjoyed a significant reputation. Meat and fish represent the basis of Belgian cuisine. Chips, chocolate and food are favorites of Belgian waffles and their acquaintances that have been popularized throughout the world. The dish is Mossel (mussels) that secocinan with white wine and served with a good serving of potatoes. In addition to the city’s cuisine there, its streets are filled with Italian restaurants, Turkish, American, Canadian, Irish or Greeks.

Near Brussels:
The traveling you can also go other places very near the city of Bruges. Capital of West Flanders, is established as one of the best preserved medieval towns and has a high tourist and cultural interest. It can be walking the streets looking at the Church of Notre Dame, with bricks made in the thirteenth century, which preserves the work in marble by Michelangelo Buonarroti, «Madonna with Child.»

A visit to Brussels, it is certainly to anyone that makes a great opportunity to find places full of history, art and charm.

Festivals:
During the summer, Brussels is encouraged with a huge variety of festivals and shows. Kunsten festival in May is one of the best performing arts festivals in Europe and the Audi Jazz Festival in October always draws a crowd of people. Brussels is also famous for its huge Christmas markets around an ice rink made to measure for the entire month of December.