SHOPPING BRUSSELS

Brussels has a wide range and variety of goods on offer although it's not the cheapest of cities in which to shop . There are two main shopping areas in the city: the city centre around the Grand-Place , and the south part of the Upper Town . The city centre's main shopping street is rue Neuve , which is home to City 2, the ultimate inner-city shopping mall.

Not far from the Grand-Place, Galeries St Hubert accommodates a smattering of conservative boutiques in stark contrast to the Galerie Agora , which peddles cheap leather jackets, incense, piercing jewellery and ethnic goods directly opposite. Behind the Bourse, rue Antoine Dansaert caters for young, cutting-edge fashion-groupies, housing a number of young designers as well as shops selling clothing ranging from the internationally known to such Belgians as the Antwerp 6 and Raf Simons. Neighbouring St Géry contains rue des Riches Claires and rue du Marché au Charbon which have streetwear shops and vintage stores.

Uptown, the chaussée d'Ixelles has most of the big stores and a lively feel in the African quarter around the Galerie d'Ixelles. The label-conscious will want to shop at the smartest addresses on avenues Louise and de la Toison d'Or, where shops offer everything from DKNY to Giorgio Armani, as well as Belgian designers.

The Grand Sablon has a weekend antiques market and the surrounding area has a good selection of similar shops. For bric-à-brac, it's best to wander down to the Marolles district - the closest Brussels gets to New York's Lower East Side - and the daily flea market at the place du Jeu de Balle. There is a labyrinth of old books in the stores of the Galerie Bortier near Gare Centrale.

Belgian beer, chocolate and lace - though found throughout the city - are highly concentrated in the tourist areas around the Grand-Place. Shops catering to another national passion, the comic strip or "bande dessinée" (BD), can be found a little further afield near the Bourse and on the chaussée d'Ixelles near place Fernand Cocq

Opening hours
Shops are generally open from 10am to 6-7pm from Monday to Saturday. On Friday, department stores stay open until 8pm. In some districts, certain shops - mainly those selling booze, news, cigarettes and food - also open at night and/or on Sunday. For instance, the corner shops in St Josse stay open till around 10-11pm. The Grand-Place and the Bourse and St Géry areas have night shops staying open till between 2-5 am. The White Night mini-market chain has central branches at rue du Lombard 8, rue E. Allard 3 and place du Châtelain 43, as well as branches in the outskirts (all open Sun-Thurs 6pm-1am and Fri-Sat 5pm-2am

Art and antiques
Aeroplastics Contemporary Rue Blanche 32. (Tram #93, #94. Wed-Sat 2-8pm.) Beautiful townhouse with regular displays of themed contemporary art, featuring works by up-and-coming artists such as Skip Arnold, Koen Wastijn and Dana Wyse. ...
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Books and comics
Le Bande des Six Nez Ch de Wavre 179. (Métro: Schuman. Mon-Sat 10am-7pm.) Stocks a variety of new comics, as well as original editions from the 1940s and 1950s. It also sells original drawings, and those who think cartoon art is kid's stuff might be...
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Chocolate
Godiva Pl du Grand Sablon 47/48. (Métro: Louise. Daily 9am-7pm.) Godiva definitely holds its own against the best of the rest. Jealously-guarded recipes and seasonal, handcrafted packaging ensure customers keep coming back for more, despite the...
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Department stores and galleries
City 2 Rue Neuve. (Métro: Place Rogier.) A huge temple to shopping with an abundance of boutiques, restaurants and cinemas, as well as a department store and the massive Fnac store. Galerie Agora Off rue des Éperonniers. (Métro:...
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Fashion
Elvis Pompilio Rue du Midi 60. (Métro: Bourse. Mon-Sat 10.30am-6.30pm.) From eccentric hats which look like wedding-cakes to simple berets and his trademark cowboy hats, Belgian hatter Elvis Pompilio deserves his high-fashion reputation. The women's...
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Food and drink
Au Suisse Boulevard Anspach 73-75. (Métro: Bourse. Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat & Sun 10am-9pm.) Despite the name, a Belgian-style deli which serves up traditional nosh such as maatjes (Belgian herrings), filet américain (raw...
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Lace shops
F. Rubbrecht Grand-Place 23. (Métro: Gare Centrale. Mon-Sat 9am-7pm, Sun 10am-6pm.) Traditional lace shop specializing in handmade Brussels lace. They do wholesale and retail, and also valuing and buying. Manufacture Belge de Dentelle ...
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Markets
The Grand-Place daily flower market wins the prize for the most picturesque of Brussels' markets (Mon-Sat 8am-6pm); the Grand-Place also hosts a bird market on Sundays 9am-1pm. Although the swankiest antiques and collectibles market is held at...
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Music
BCM Plattesteen 6. (Métro: Bourse. Mon-Sat 11am-6.30pm.) If you've come to Belgium to explore the techno scene, this is where to find your vinyl. They also stock lots of drum 'n' bass, speed-garage, and house. Arlequin Rue de...
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