Anyone who has visited Brussels can testify to its remarkable architectural heritage, marked by Art Nouveau styles initiated by architect Victor Horta, and Art Deco, which appeared right after the First World War. With Le Mont des Arts, a building which once played host to the Old England sign, designed by Paul Saintenoy in 1899, and now hosting the Musical Instruments Museum, one discovers one of the city's finest examples of Art Nouveau architecture. As for Art Deco, it can be admired through the streets on mansion facades but also in the Villa Emplain in the prestigious Avenue Franklin Roosevelt neighbourhood. Built in the early 1930's by Swiss architect Michel Polak, it has been fully restored by the Boghossian Foundation and now orchestrates a dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures. Its monumental entrance door and its hall with a skylight are well worth the detour. 

With its many art-galleries displaying modern and contemporary art, Brussels is also known as an essential European arts capital. Staying here offers an opportunity to discover the talent and creativity of Belgian and international artists, well-known but also emerging. To celebrate its 35th anniversary, the Galerie Xavier Hufkens has reopened its historic showcase at 6 rue Saint-Georges following two years of renovation. From Louise Bourgeois to Daniel Buren, Paul McCarthy and Robert Mapplethorpe, its impressive collection is now shared out on four floors! Another gem not to be missed: La Verrière-Hermès. Tucked away in an old car-park, rehabilitated and featuring a huge skylight, behind the store on Boulevard Waterloo, the gallery stages top-quality exhibitions of contemporary art along with presentations of design throughout the year.

Brussels will delight fans of home decor with many specialized boutiques and high-end concept stores. Among fashionable new addresses: SIGNE, a follow-up to the LINE design boutique based since 1966 in the famous Galeries Royales Saint Hubert. This new showroom on the trendy Rue de Namur offers 300 sq.m devoted to the most iconic brands such as Hansen, Cassina, Edra, Knoll and Vitra. Other essential ports-of-call include boutiques presenting the well-known Belgian home decor brand, Flamant, to refurbish your home. Interior decor is also found at Hunting & Collecting, a renowned concept store which also proposes a discerning selection of ready-to-wear, shoes and accessories bearing today's trendiest labels, such as AMI Paris, Maison Kitsuné and Acne Studios. Finally, do not leave Brussels without paying a call to the Delvaux boutique in the Galerie de la Reine, the oldest brand of luxury leather goods in the world. 

Address book

• Musical Instruments Museum : Rue Montagne de la Cour 2, 1000 Brussels
• Boghossian Foundation - Villa Empain : Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 67, 1050 Brussels
• Galerie Xavier Hufkens : Rue Saint-Georges 6, 1050 Ixelles
• La Verrière : Boulevard de Waterloo 50, 1000 Brussels
• Signe : Rue de Namur 48, 1000 Brussels
• Flamant : Place du Grand Sablon 36, 1000 Brussels
• Hunting and Collecting : Rue des Chartreux 17, 1000 Brussels
• Delvaux : Boulevard de Waterloo 27, 1000 Brussels