Best hotels in Brussels: where to stay, from the Grand-Place to Avenue Louise

Right behind the Grand-Place

Amigo sits on a narrow street just behind the town hall on the Grand-Place, in a building that once served as the city jail. Today it is an elegant hotel with artwork by Belgian comic artists in the rooms and a bar where locals drop in after work.

It gets our vote as the romantic pick: step out of the door and you are on one of Europe's most beautiful squares within a minute. It is expensive, and the surrounding streets are busy with visitors by day. Early in the morning, before the tour groups arrive, you have the square almost to yourself.

A monastery site behind the opera

The Dominican sits behind the La Monnaie opera house, on the site of a former Dominican monastery. The hotel is built around a covered courtyard with tall windows, and the rooms are calm and modern with dark wood and deep colours.

It is our pick for a first visit: central, yet with a stillness that is rare so close to the Grand-Place. The galleries and restaurants of the centre are minutes away. Rooms are not large, but well planned, and the courtyard restaurant is a fine place for a long breakfast on a rainy day.

A grand hotel from the 1930s

Le Plaza stands on Boulevard Adolphe Max in the north of the centre and opened in the 1930s. The lobby has marble, chandeliers and a theatre salon still in use, and the rooms are large and classic.

It works best for travellers who want old-world elegance and space at a sensible price. The boulevard outside is busy rather than beautiful, but the Grand-Place is a ten-minute walk and Brussels-Nord station is close.

Design by Sainte-Catherine

Juliana is a small design hotel in Sainte-Catherine, with velvet, brass and art on the walls and a small indoor pool in the basement. The restaurants along the old fish market are right outside the door.

It takes our design pick and suits couples who want food and atmosphere around them. Rooms are few and rates are high. The Grand-Place is ten minutes away on foot, and in the evening the square outside fills with people eating oysters by the fish halls.

Room for the whole family

Steigenberger Wiltcher's is a large hotel in the middle of Avenue Louise, with big rooms, a pool and a spa. It caters to business travellers and families alike, and the tram stops right outside.

It earns our family pick: spacious, calm and with a pool, which is rare in Brussels. The Grand-Place is a quarter of an hour by tram or metro. The mood is more international than Belgian. Children will appreciate the pool after a day at the Atomium and Mini-Europe.

On the edge of the Art Nouveau quarter

Le Louise Hotel sits near Place Stéphanie at the start of Avenue Louise, a modern hotel with French polish. From here you walk into the side streets of Ixelles, with Art Nouveau houses, cafés and small restaurants.

It is ideal for couples and travellers who want good service and a quieter neighbourhood than the centre. It is a city hotel without a garden or pool, so you are paying for the location. Place du Châtelain, with a popular food market on Wednesday afternoons, is a short walk.

Views across the city

The Hotel occupies a tall tower at the end of Avenue Louise, and from the upper floors you see across the whole of Brussels, from the Palace of Justice to the Atomium. Rooms are modern and bright with big windows.

It is right for travellers who want a view and a modern base with good connections. The building has little charm, and the neighbourhood is mainly shops and traffic. The bar on the top floors is a good spot to watch the city lights come on.

Norwegian-run in the heart of the EU

Thon Hotel EU sits on Rue de la Loi, between the EU institutions, and is run by the Norwegian hotel group. Rooms are practical and modern, breakfast is generous in true Norwegian style and the metro to the centre stops right outside.

It is our value pick, especially at weekends when rates often drop. The area is quiet in the evening with few restaurants, so plan on the metro or a twenty-minute walk into the centre. The Parlamentarium visitor centre nearby is free to visit.