City Go

The Corner tower is one of the towers of the first encircling wall, which was built at the end of the 11th century or beginning of the 12th century and was known as the Corner tower because it stood at the corner of the ramparts. The wall was over 4000 metres long and had seven gates and 50 defensive towers. The Corner tower was close to a prison for criminals and political offenders, the "Steenport" gate. Albeit being known as Corner tower, it is named Anneessens tower after François Anneessens, dean of a Brussels guild, arrested here before his decapitation in Grand Place, for his resistance to innovations in the city's government, detrimental to the power of the Brussels guilds and for his supected involvement with uprisings within Austrian Netherlands. The tower was damaged in 1957 by the railroad works but restored in 1967. How to go: Central Station metro and train station.

This bell tower belongs to the 14th-century church dedicated to Saint Catherine, replaced in the 19th century by the current church, standing just beside it. The bell tower was built in the baroque style in the 16th century, when the old church was renovated, losing its gothic features. However, by the 19th century, the old church was too small and constantly flooded, having to be closed down and demolished. How to go: Sainte-Catherine metro station

The chapel was part of a convent built in the 13th century by the Saccites monks and destroyed in 1580 by the Calvinists. It was built in the 15th century in the late Brabant Gothic style. Given the many restorations and reconstructions, the building presents older elements and more recent ones, like the baroque portal from 1637 or the contemporary stained glass windows. How to go: Central Station metro/ train station.

The City Museum is located in the most emblematic square of Brussels, the Grand Place. It is housed in the Maison du Roi (king's house), a neo-gothic building that used to be the home of the Dukes of Brabant; in the 16th century, this was Charles V, also the king of Spain. The building is also known as Broodhuis (Bread house) because it is located on the site of an ancient bread market. The museum is dedicated to the history and folklore of the city of Brussels, including a small exhibition on the iconic Manneken Pis. It features paintings, tapestries, sculptures, photos and models that illustrate the story of Brussels from the early days to today. The museum was inaugurated in 1887, after the recovering of the building.  Opening hours: 10 am to 5 pm, closed on Mondays, Jan 1, May 1, Nov 1, Nov 11 and Dec 25. Entrance fee: €8 How to go: Metro Central Station.  

The collection originated during the French Revolution, when many works of art were seized by the occupant, especially from religious institutions. The museum was founded in 1801 by Napoleon Bonapart but it was only in 1830, with the independence of Belgium that it became a bigger institution. The remarkable collection of Old Masters covers a period running from the 15th to the 18th centuries, including Roger van der Weyden, Petrus Christus, Dirk Bouts, Hans Memling, Hieronymus Bosch, Lucas Cranach, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, Jack Jordaens, Phillippe de Champaigne, Le Lorrain, Jusepe de Ribera. Opening hours: Tue. to Fri. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; weekends 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Entrance fee: €8 How to go: Central Station or Parc metro stations.

Despite its Gothic appearance, Saint Catherine church was actually built between 1854 and 1874, over the foundation of a 14th-century church, of which only a tower remains. Its style is inspired by the 16th-century French churches and is a mixture of Gothic in its shapes and Baroque in its decorations. Opening hours: Mon-Sat 9.30 am to 8 pm (7 pm on Sun) How to go: Sainte-Catherine metro station

Sainte-Catherine Place is located very close to the Grand Place and is known for the fish restaurants along Quai au Bois à Bruler and Quai aux Briques. Quai means dock or wharf, a reference to the ancient port of Brussels that used to be located here and that left traces not only in the toponomy but also the fish market- the former canal docks were covered in the 1880s and the resulting square housed a large fish market until 1950, now replaced by the appealing seafood restaurants.  Sainte-Catherine is also one of the venues of the "Plaisirs de Hiver" Christmas Market , held every year from November to January. How to go: Sainte-Catherine metro station. In Sainte Catherine: Christmas Market Saint Catherine Church Saint Catherine Tower Tour Noire

The Black Tower was built in the early 13th century as part of the first fortifications of Brussels. The city quickly outgrew them and when the second fortifications were built in the late 14th century the tower became obsolete, probably being sold to a private owner. In the 16th century, the tower survived the creation of a new dock at the site where the church of Saint Catherine now stands. It became a tavern called "In de Toren". In 1888, when the street was sanitised the tower was once again almost demolished, but instead was saved and restored. It's currently surrounded by a hotel. How to go: Sainte-Catherine metro station.

The park, also known as Royal Park, is the largest urban park in the center of Brussels. During the Middle Ages, the Dukes of Brabant used the land as hunting grounds and it was only in the 1770s that the area was renovated and transformed into a park full of sculptures and footpaths. It was designed in a neoclassicist, geometric style by Guilles-Barnabé Guimard and Joachim Zinner. The park was last renovated between 2000 and 2002. How to go: Park metro station; in a walking distance from Grand Place and Central Station.