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No trip to Brussels would be complete without a visit to the Grand Place – even if it’s just to stock up on some Belgian biscuits or chocolates. A remarkable legacy of the city’s Gothic and Renaissance past, it is also a monument to the values and ingenuity of the artisans and merchants who were the architects of Brussels’ prosperity (see The Grand Place, Brussels).

This is a superb, “must-see” collection, notable because it focuses almost exclusively on Flemish and Belgian art. Highlights include rare works by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, the exhilarating Rubens collection, and an unparalleled assembly of works by the Belgian Symbolists, as well as some classic paintings by the Surrealists Magritte and Delvaux (see Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts).

The famous “MIM” collection of historical musical instruments has recently been rehoused in the remarkable Art Nouveau department store known as “Old England”. Take the children too: easy-to-use infrared headphones bring the exhibits to life by showing visitors what the instruments sound like when played (see Musée des Instruments de Musique).

Reflecting the huge popularity of comic-strip books in Belgium – and, indeed, most of continental Europe – this unique “Belgian Centre of the Comic Strip” is a shrine to the art form. Archive material and other exhibits focus above all on Belgian contributors to the genre – most notably, of course, on Hergé, the creator of Tintin (see Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée).

In Brussels you can’t avoid this cheeky little chap, famously pissing with carefree abandon just as little boys do. Among other things, he’s on postcards, T-shirts, key rings and corkscrews. So why not take a pilgrimage to see the real thing – a tiny bronze statue – and bask in the happy absurdity of it all? It must be worth a photograph (see Manneken-Pis).

Brussels’ largest and finest church, built over three centuries from 1225 onward, has recently been renovated. Now, the honey-coloured stone of its 15th-century twin towers glows from the cathedral’s raised pedestal, especially in the evening light. It is a fine example of the light and flowery style called Brabantine Gothic. The soaring space of the interior is impressive. It contains some fine 16th-century stained glass and a wonderful Baroque pulpit (1699). Dedicated to St Michael, patron saint of the city, the cathedral’s name also acknowledges St Gudule, a local 8th-century saint who outfoxed the Devil.

Brussels is a city of grand old 19th-century mansions, or maisons de maître . This museum provides a rare opportunity to look inside one. The original owner, Henri van Curtsem, commissioned Victor Horta (see Victor Horta) to redesign the interior. In the hands of van Curtsem’s adoptive heir, sculptor Guillaume Charlier, the mansion became a centre for Brussels’ avant-garde. On his death in 1925, Charlier left the house to the city, and it retains much of the decor of his era. There are works by leading artists of the time, such as James Ensor, Léon Frédéric, Fernand Khnopff and Rik Wouters, plus an impressive collection of antique furniture.

This charming 18th-century church, with its Roman-style façade and lantern bell tower, sits on the top of the Coudenberg, the aristocratic enclave of the Upper Town. It is attached to the Royal Palace, and has seats for the royal family in the choir. During the anticlerical days of the French occupation in the 1790s, it was converted first to a “Temple of Reason” and then a “Temple of Law” before reconsecration in 1802.

The name Sablon refers to the sandy marshland that occupied this site until it was reclaimed in the 17th century. The Place du Grand Sablon is a centre for antiques and is home to two of Brussels’ leading chocolate makers: Wittamer and Pierre Marcolini. The Place du Petit Sablon is dominated by its park, which is adorned with 48 statues of the medieval guilds of Brussels. Separating the two is the Église Notre-Dame du Sablon.

Béguinages were pious institutions for single women (see Bruges). This one was built in the 17th-century. The façade is full of Baroque detail, while inside, the mood is one of calm. Note the tombstones of the béguines set in the floor.