South of the Pentagon

Settle into your accommodation south of the Pentagon — the Châtelain and Bailli strips of Ixelles put you within easy walking distance of everything on today's programme.

Begin where art nouveau is most concentrated: the former home and studio of Victor Horta. Every banister, skylight and floor tile was designed as a single flowing organism, and standing inside makes every photograph of the building feel inadequate. Come early to beat the tour groups.

A short walk away, the Hôtel van Eetvelde is another Horta masterpiece — built for a senior Congo Free State official and remarkable for its glass-and-iron central octagon that floods the interior with light. The exterior alone rewards a slow circuit of the street.

Named for the same architect who defines the morning, Brasserie Horta makes a logical and satisfying pivot to the table. Pull up a chair for a Belgian brasserie lunch before the afternoon's Saint-Gilles stretch.

Walk or take the tram to the Parvis de Saint-Gilles, the lively square that anchors the commune. From here, wander the side streets — Rue Defacqz and Rue Paul-Émile Janson in particular — where wave after wave of art-nouveau and art-deco frontages line the pavements. No single ticket required: the neighbourhood itself is the attraction.

The only surviving medieval city gate in Brussels stands at the southern tip of the old Pentagon, marking the boundary between the old city and the southern communes. Its Gothic silhouette is unexpected and dramatic — a genuine medieval keep dropped into a 19th-century boulevard.

A historic café that once drew the Surrealists and has kept its soul intact ever since. Run by a non-profit and named after art dealer and poet Geert Van Bruaene, it pours local beers and serves straightforward Brussels plates. The walls are still covered in verse, drawings and dedications — worth reading while you sip.

Round off day one with dinner at Amadeus, a well-loved address in the Marolles-adjacent southern quarter. The setting has character to spare, and the kitchen leans on Belgian and European comfort food — exactly what you want after a day on foot.

Start the second day slowly at a neighbourhood café near your accommodation — Brussels does morning coffee well, and there's no rush before the Bois opens up.

The southern lung of Brussels, designed by the same hand that shaped the Bois de Boulogne in Paris. The island in the middle of the lake is reached by a small hand-pulled ferry, and the circuit of the pond takes just enough time to shake off the morning. A genuinely calm hour before the European quarter's grand gestures.

Gramm is a compact, thoughtful spot with a following for its brunch and daytime plates. Settle in for a proper mid-morning meal before the European quarter's longer stretches of walking.

Housed in a converted art-deco building in the Parc Léopold, the House of European History traces the continent's political story from the 19th century to the present. The permanent collection is free for EU residents and genuinely engaging — the section on the World Wars and postwar reconciliation is particularly well constructed.

A well-reviewed Thai address near the European quarter with over a thousand satisfied regulars — a reliable and flavour-forward break from Belgian classics. Exactly the kind of neighbourhood find that rewards an afternoon in this part of the city.

The star-shaped glass headquarters of the European Commission is best appreciated from the rond-point Schuman, where you can take in the full scale of the building and the symbolic geography of the EU quarter around it. The nearby Europa building adds a second architectural note worth pausing at.

The Europa building — home to the European Council and the Council of the EU — sits directly across from the Berlaymont and is recognisable by its lantern-like glass egg cradled in a restored 1920s building. The square between the two institutions gives a clear sense of how decisively Brussels shaped itself around European politics.

Wind the trip down with a glass of something well chosen at Le Wine Bar des Marolles, a relaxed spot that suits the transition from sightseeing to a proper last evening in Brussels.

End the trip in a vaulted cellar on the Grand-Place — a fitting full stop. 'T Kelderke has been serving Belgian classics daily since long before it became a landmark in its own right. Order the stoemp, the carbonnade or whatever the kitchen is pushing that evening, and take the long way back.