The 500 Hidden Secrets of Brussels

Book excerpt: * A practical guide to discovering Brussels' finest places, buildings, restaurant, shops, museums, neighborhoods, parks, hotels and cafés* Revised and updated edition"If you really want to get under the skin of a city, the 500 Hidden Secrets series, which covers a number of cities from Havana to Ghent, all written by people who know the cities inside out, is ideal. It's an innovative and refreshing take on the traditional travel guide." - The Independent The 500 Hidden Secrets of Brussels is a guide to the Brussels that no one knows. It takes you to undiscovered art museums, forgotten squares and secret shops. The aim is to challenge the idea that Brussels is a boring city and to uncover the hidden places that give this city its charm. The book doesn't mention everything there is to see. There are already more than enough guides that cover the familiar tourist places. This book goes one step further and lists the places the author would recommend to friends if they asked him where to go in Brussels. Here you will find the the 5 best places to eat frites, the 5 small museums that no one should miss and the 5 best record shops in town. The aim is to take the reader to the unexpected places that are different in some way from the normal tourist destinations, like the cafeteria on the top floor of the national library, or the metro station that is decorated with 140 characters from Tintin albums, or the art cinema that seats just 20 people. You do not have to do everything listed in the book, but you are urged at the very least to drink a beer in one of the 5 best Brussels bars, eat at one of the 5 best fish restaurants, and visit one of the 5 best small cinemas. If you do, you will begin to discover a city that no one else knows. 500 Hidden Secrets of Brussels offers a practical guide to Brussels' finest places, covering all bases to ensure no visitor to the city is ever anything short of captivated. The 'secrets' are listed thematically and include 60 places for good food, 45 places for a drink, 50 places to shop, 20 places for fashion, 40 buildings to admire, 40 places to discover the world, 25 things to do with children and 60 activities.