Said to be the biggest market in Europe, this sprawl of colourful stalls next to the railway lines has an international flavour, with North African and Mediterranean spices, cheeses, meats, clothing, leather goods and much more. Its food stands, selling Moroccan crêpes with cheese and honey along with mint tea, are a favourite with clubbers winding down from Saturday night.
Gare du Midi Market
Brussels
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
26.35 MILES
The medieval building and 1622 courtyard garden alone would be worth a visit, but it's the world's oldest printing press, priceless manuscripts and…
0.89 MILES
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0.78 MILES
Brussels’ magnificent Grand Place is one of the world’s most unforgettable urban ensembles. Oddly hidden, the enclosed cobblestone square is only revealed…
0.88 MILES
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1.21 MILES
The typically austere exterior doesn’t give much away, but Victor Horta’s former home (designed and built 1898–1901) is an art nouveau jewel. The…
1.03 MILES
One of Brussels’ overlooked architectural wonders, this splendid Napoleon III–style palace
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26.42 MILES
Set on the grounds of a former Cistercian Abbey, this 65-hectare park is home to more than 5000 animals (including pandas, koalas, gorillas and lemurs)…
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16.67 MILES
The inventive and touchingly nostalgic Hergé Museum celebrates the multitalented creator of comic-strip hero Tintin with an engaging, inventive and…
Nearby Brussels attractions
0.27 MILES
Beer lovers shouldn’t miss this unique living brewery-museum. Atmospheric and family run, it’s Brussels’ last operating lambic brewery and still uses much…
0.29 MILES
In one of the most distinctive Marolles murals, slinky chanteuse Josephine, with a leopard on a lead, shakes hands with a rotund monk. Behind, both in the…
0.35 MILES
Victor Horta's first civic commission, the charming Jardin d’Enfants in the Marolles still functions as a schoolhouse.
0.43 MILES
This Hergé character uses the terrace end brilliantly for a little spying.
0.46 MILES
For centuries Brussels was surrounded by a grand 8km fortress wall. It was partly demolished in the 1790s, then removed altogether on Napoleon’s orders in…
0.48 MILES
There is a museum in this step-gabled house where Pieter Bruegel the Elder lived and died, but it’s only open by reservation; phone ahead or check with…
0.51 MILES
A glass elevator leads from the Palais du Justice down to the earthy Marolles district.
8. Église Notre-Dame de la Chapelle
0.52 MILES
Brussels’ oldest surviving church now curiously incorporates the decapitated tower of the 1134 original as the central section of a bigger Gothic edifice…