As a square, there are few more beautiful examples in the world. La Grande Place/Grotemark is hemmed in by exceptionally attractive buildings, the highlight of which is the Hotel de Ville. It is a very impressive piece of secular gothic architecture, though perhaps not as good as its companion in Leuven 30 minutes away.

However the streets that run off from the main square are quite tacky, which always leaves me feeling slightly under whelmed by the whole experience of visiting central Brussels. The area is home to lots of cheap souvenir & chocolate shops and of course the Manneken Pis statue. It is just a short walk from Brussels Centraal station, which has to rank as one of Europe's most depressing travel interchanges.

Brussels is certainly an interesting place and the Art Nouveau heritage the city has to offer is almost unparalleled. However it has never really grabbed me and has always felt less than the sum of its parts. That said la Grande Place is an exceptional delight in its very core.