Free tour of the European Quarter and the Atomium

Itinerary:

Our guide will meet you at Grand Place at 10:30. Then we head off towards Central Station to take the subway in direction to Merode. As we leave the station, we will stroll through the famous Tervuren Avenue until reaching the Cinquantenaire Park. As we enjoy the monument’s architectural design built by King Leopold II, we will also see and talk about the Royal Museum Complex it shelters. Some of these are the Royal Museum of Art and History, Autoworld Museum, Brussels Air Museum and the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History.

We then continue towards the heart of Europe, where we will arrive at Robert Schuman’s roundabout in which two out of the three main European Union’s institutions are based; the Berlaymont being the seat of European Commission, and the Justus Lipsius (actual Council to the European Union) with its new building known as “the egg in space”.  Here, is where the Heads of State and Member States’ representatives hold the famous European Summits.

We leave this emblematic area to visit Leopold park, a former zoo. Here we currently find the European History Museum in a recently restored building. Interestingly, it was built by philanthropist Eastman Kodak, who invented the photo film and founded several dental institutes for poor children in some European cities. Additionally, we find the Ernest Solvay building, today an elementary school where the medallions of the engineers who worked for Kodak are located.

Then, we will see some European Institutions such as the Economic, Regional and Social Committees of the Union and the European Parliament. The latter has two locations, one in Brussels and the second in Strasbourg (the Brussels-based building is an unquestionably architectural beauty), known as the ‘whim of God’. Here we will have a break.

Then, we will go by subway to the most visited monument in Brussels: the Atomium, a 100-meter tall structure located on the Heysel esplanade, which houses the Belgian pavilions of the 1935 and 1958 Universal Exhibitions. This area also houses the Mini Europe park and the Roi Baudouin Stadium.

Finally, we conclude our tour by giving you the appropriate recommendations to move around Brussels, visit the near-by attractions or simply stroll through the Laeken park, the former Royal Domain of Laeken where Empress Maria Teresa of Austria’s favorite daughter used to reside, and even Napoleon. Today it is the permanent residence of the Kings of Belgium.

Please keep in mind, at the end of April and beginning of May, the Royal Palace permanent residence of the Kings of Belgium opens its doors to visit the famous Royal Greenhouses. Do not forget to visit it!