The glass rotunda
The neoclassical façade above the terraces.
Peripitus — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Unknown author — Public domain · Toufik-de-planoise — CC BY-SA 1.0 · Marceli Januszewicz — Public domain
Le Botanique is Brussels' old botanical garden (1826), whose elegant neoclassical glasshouses have become a vibrant cultural centre: famous concert halls (among Brussels' foremost music venues), contemporary art exhibitions in the old greenhouses, and the summer festival "Les Nuits Botanique". The public garden before it is free: French-style terraces descending from the glass rotunda to a small lake, among dozens of bronze statues (including works designed by Constantin Meunier) and veteran trees — a surprising green oasis on the edge of the northern quarter. The original plants moved to the National Botanic Garden at Meise outside the city. Near the North Station and metro Botanique — a short break, or a musical evening for those following its concert programme.
The neoclassical façade above the terraces.
Dozens of sculptures among terraces and lake.
Rue Royale 236, 1210 Brussels
Comics Art MuseumThe Comics Art Museum is the temple of Belgian comics — for Belgium is the land 7 minutes walk4.1
Charlier MuseumA nineteenth-century private house turned museum, bringing three significant Bel10 minutes walk4.2
National Bank of Belgium MuseumA museum about money and its history run by Belgium's central bank, in a former 10 minutes walk4.5
Cathedral of St Michael and St GudulaThe Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula is Belgium's national church and Bruss11 minutes walk4.6
Belgian Museum of FreemasonryA museum on the history of freemasonry in Belgium and Europe, in a working mason13 minutes walk4.2No longer — the plants and collections moved to the National Botanic Garden at Meise (north of Brussels, worth a trip for plant lovers). Le Botanique today is a pretty public garden and a musical cultural centre. Visit it as a short green break or for an evening concert, not as a botanical garden.