The elegant upper town — around the antique-shop-and-chocolatier square of Sablon and the museum-and-garden hub of Mont des Arts, home to the royal palace, the fine-arts and Magritte museums, and grand architecture. Refined, cultured and central, walkable to the Grand-Place; the base for travellers who want the big museums, antiques and a graceful, upmarket setting. Brussels at its most cultured. Elegant and central.
A look around
What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.
€200–340
typical per night in Belgium
You pay for the postcode
One of the pricier addresses in Brussels.
Where it sits
The circle is Sablon & Mont des Arts and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.
How far is everything?
From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.
- Manneken Pis7 min walk617 m
- Belgian waffles & chips7 min walk623 m
- The Grand-Place8 min walk680 m
- Belgian chocolate9 min walk791 m
- Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert10 min walk824 m
- Belgian beer11 min walk901 m
- Comic strip murals & museum12 min walk1.0 km
- Art Nouveau & the Horta houses18 min walk1.5 km
On your doorstep
What you’re living next to if you stay here.
- 6.The Magritte Museum — Belgium gave the world the surrealist master René Magritte, and the Magritte Museum on the Mont des Arts holds the largest collection of his work anywhere — the bowler-hatted men, floating apples, pipes that are 'not a pipe', and dreamlike, witty images that defined surrealism. Beautifully presented across several floors, it's a fascinating, mind-bending journey through the artist's world and a highlight for art lovers. Immerse yourself in Magritte's strange, playful genius; it perfectly captures the city's surreal streak. A superb, essential cultural highlight. Fascinating and delightfully odd.
- 11.Royal Museums of Fine Arts — One of Europe's great art collections — the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium on the Mont des Arts, spanning centuries of Flemish and Belgian masters, from the astonishing detail of Bruegel, Van der Weyden and Rubens to Ensor, the symbolists and the surrealists (the Magritte Museum is part of the complex). Beautifully displayed and rich in world-class art, it's a highlight for art lovers and a cool refuge on a rainy day. Wander the galleries of Flemish masterpieces; the collection is superb and easily fills a rewarding few hours. An excellent, essential cultural highlight. World-class.
- 12.Sablon & antiques — The elegant, genteel Sablon district is a lovely place to wander — its beautiful sloping square, the Place du Grand Sablon, is ringed by antique shops, art galleries, luxury chocolatiers (Wittamer, Pierre Marcolini) and cafés, with a lovely Gothic church and a weekend antiques market, near the pretty Petit Sablon garden. Browse the antiques and galleries, indulge in the finest chocolate, and enjoy the refined atmosphere; it's the city's most upmarket and charming quarter. A pleasant, upscale highlight for strolling and shopping. Elegant and delicious; lovely for a genteel afternoon.
When are you staying?
Booking.com & Airbnb open searched to Sablon & Mont des Arts; flights via Google Flights.