Brussels great museums

The Museum of Natural Sciences with the new 'Dinosaur Gallery'.
The Museum reopened this 27 October with Europe’s largest dinosaur gallery, which will emphasis science and authenticity. With the famous iguanodons of Bernissart and lots of new dinosaur skeletons and casts as well as interactive exhibits and an on-site paleontology and geology laboratory for children. For the meetings industry professionals, there are new rooms available from November 2007: the Convent Hall with a view on the Gallery (room for 300 persons standing), the Mezzanine in the Dinosaur Gallery (room for 200 persons standing), and a VIP-room verging on the Gallery (room for 130 persons standing) + auditoria and other existing rooms in the museum.

The Royal Museums of Art and History can offer much more than their important art-historical collections. The Cinquantenaire Museum in the magnificent setting of the Parc du Cinquantenaire, the Chinese Pavillon and the Japanese Tower situated in the garden of the Royal Palace at Laeken, the Halle Gate (Porte de Hal) in the ancient heart of Brussels and the Musical Instruments Museum (MIM) in Art Nouveau Style are unique venues to organize private evenings, receptions, gala dinners, press conferences and other special events. All these venues give you the possibility to combine the event with a visit of the museum.

New hotels in Brussels

Hotel BLOOM!
(former Royal Crown Hotel Brussels) next to the Botanical Gardens has undergone a complete renovation... What makes it so special? A new project making over 4,100m² of bedroom wall space available to the best last-year students and recent graduates from 31 different European countries for ideas. The results are on the walls of these trendy Brussels hotel rooms!The theme of the hotel is ‘blooming’(flowering, growth, etc.). The first 174 rooms, the lobby and the reception area have already been transformed. The hotel also has 12 new meeting rooms.

The Dominican Brussels is situated behind the Monnaie Opera and just off the Grand’Place. All 150 rooms have been individually designed to produce a unique atmosphere. It is very trendy. There are 3 meeting rooms for up to 300 for reception.

Be Manos, a great hotel with an amazing decoration. It is a boutique hotel situated next to the Eurostar & Thalys terminals at Brussels South station. With 60 bedrooms and 2 meeting rooms for 12 to 60 people, you will be fond of this fashion & trendy hotel!

Mhum...Brussels

It's not a secret, Brussels is "the" place for "les plaisirs de la table"...

Start by walking to the rue au Beurre ( butterstreet), a perfect name for a street with one the oldest biscuit shops of the city. Dandoy has his shops there since 1858, it's also there that were made until 1960 the biscuits in the back shop.

When you walk in you will directly smell the different spices used for the making of those cookies....You will find there famous Belgian biscuits such as the speculoos, the pain à la grecque, almond bread, marzipan...

An other nice experience for your senses is the Cantillon brewery it's a family owned brewery, the last handcrafted one still active in the middle of the city.

And as it's a museum you can also see the whole process of brewing. The brew Lambic, Geuze, Faro and kriek.

Personally my favourite one is the Geuze, it as a special taste as no other beer, different from what we taste usually. And the trend is now for Bio, the Geuze is also certified 100% organic...no excuses anymore you have to try it!
You could go directly to the brewery or buy it in a specialised shop of the city

Kids' Corner

I'm fond of bookshops featuring children books, doll's houses & plushes, soft toys & wooden toys, puzzles, educational & parlour games...


Brussels holds many surprises in store for its visitors and their children...

Here are my favourite ones:

The Grasshopper
Rue Marché aux Herbes 39-43 - 1000 Brussels
Situated just off the Grand'Place in the centre of Brussels, "the Grasshopper" was founded in 1993 by a young and idealistic mother and has been flourishing ever since. It is not a bookshop but you can found plenty of funny, attractive & quality toys. There are even some books for small children. It's a great shop where you can spend hours to discover all sorts of objects, toys and decoration from all over the world. All items are carefully chosen for their play value, originality and quality. A must see in Brussels!

Multi Jeunesse
(next to "Multi BD"/"La Boule d'Or")

Boulevard Anspach 122 - 1000 Brussels
A wide range of children books, educational & parlour games, plushes, soft toys some crazy others charming... Open the door; you will discover a magic world. It took my fancy!

Tropismes Jeunesse & BD
Galerie du Roi 4 - 1000 Brussels
In the magnificent setting of the Royal Galleries, children will be delighted to discover a beautiful shop full of soft toys, children books and latest fairy tales...I recommend the parents to make a detour to the Gallerie des Princes 11, where the magnificient & well-known "Librairie Tropismes" is located. (But you don't need to go out if you don't want to... there is an easy access from the - 1st floor too).

Am Stram Gram
Rue General Mac Arthur 1 - 1180 Brussels
Another bookshop that is worth a visit, "Am Stram Gram" is a fairy place where children books & youth novels should not be missed. Harry Potter lovers will be fond of...

Le Rat Conteur
(next to "A Livre Ouvert" bookshop)
Rue Saint-Lambert 116 - 1200 Brussels
Do you like beautiful reading books with beautiful stories and beautiful pictures? If the answer is YES: Well, it is the place to discover! Within a few steps from the Woluwe Shopping Center, this children bookshop also sell soft toys & educational games for all ages...Every first Saturday of the month, storytellers are reading for 4-7 year olds kids!

You think you know all our special venues...I don't think so...

Brussels has this particularity the offer quiet unusual places to hold an event.

Did you know you could rent on of the balls of our famous Atomium? Not only the one on top in the Restaurant, they go by the name Prigogine...

K-nal : In a former warehouse facing the Canal of Brussels.

The building is a mixture of industrial material and canadian beachwood.

When the weather is nice you can also extend your event to the terrace in front or roll-up the windows of the first floor, to have a open air dinner.

Hotels with a special déco

The Royal Windsor Hotel, 5 Rue Duquesnoy, 1000 Brussels, offer a nice surprise for the visitors that would stay in on of his "designer rooms".
This hotel took the challenge, being in a Fashion Designers Capital to ask Belgian

Designers to redecorate in their style some of his hotel rooms.

Regularly new rooms are added to the ones already present. They already count 12 of them.
Some names that may sound familiar to the fashion victims among you Jean-Paul Knott Gerald Watelet Marina Yee Mademoiselle LucienNicolas Woit Kaat Tilley Pascale Kervan Romy Smits Nina Meert Haider Ackermann

A new comer in Brussels with a resolute "vintage style" is the BE Manos, 23 square de l’aviation. Brussels.
Dominant colours are apple green, black and white, surprising deco for a hotel, but it really offers a change.
You can pick apples in the corridors from the walls…on the way to your meeting room.

Some of our favority places to eat out

Here are some restaurants of all type and prices where we like to go with friends or colleagues...

Our first "coup de coeur" ;


L’Estrille du vieux Bruxelles, rue de Rollebeek, 7 Roolebeekstraat – 1000 Brussels

What I appreciate a lot about this place, beside the location, as it is really like a hidden place behind a small passage, is the special dish of the house.
This dish is present on a large plate with 6 different typical Belgian dishes, so you get to discover 6 different preparations in just one dish.

In the summer I like to eat outside on the terrace, it offers an intimate feeling in centre of the city. In the winter the open fire gives you the felling to go back in time, you can see them preparing the Crêpe flambé grand Marnier with mandarins…mhum a real pleasure!

When the weather is nice and we want to enjoy a nice terrace for a business lunch, I like to take my guests to La Manufacture, Rue N-D du Sommeil 13, besides the fact that it’s the former Delvaux manufacture, they have a great Bambou terrace, and there business lunch during the week is always a good choice, I like to way they prepare things in an unexpected way…Herbs and sweet sour associations are very much appreciated here.

Viva Boma! Vlaamsesteenweg 17 Chssée de Flandre. A typical Belgian name for a typical Belgian restaurant. What’s funny about it is that in the first part of this house you can find fantastic sandwiches where you will always see people queuing and behind a Boucher’s door you will find the entrance for the restaurant. In a very Brussels’s ambiance you can order a “boulette sauce tomate” or américain and do not miss the Dame Blanche for dessert with the warm chocolate sauce!
Again an unexpected place in an unexpected location

When I feel like eating salad there a several good addresses in Brussels, the first one is 2 steps away from my office: Crazy Salad Spoormakersstraat 54 rue des Eperonniers. 1000 Brussels. My favourite salad there is the one with chicken and quinoa the present there salads in a crispy baked bread tulip and I always.

Special Places for Tea Time

Here are some of our favourites places to enjoy tea time.
What is special about Belgium when you order a coffee or tea is that you always get some sweets with it...chocolates or biscuits.

Our first place is held by a nice couple and a famous dog " Cezanne" ; My friend Gisèle had there her best Latte she ever tried

AM Sweet, Kartuizersstraat 4 rue des Chartreux. 1000 Brussels

Our second place is a quite new one, it opened last month, I enjoyed there a fantastic green tea ( tea pearls) with home made biscuit, a relaxing moment in a feminine but taste full décor.

L’arrière cuisine, rue des Grands Carmes 11 Lievevrouwbroerstraat.1000 Brussels