Rooftops in Brussels: the capital of Europe from above
One capital, nineteen municipalities
The capital of Belgium, Brussels is also home to most of the institutions of the European Union and to NATO headquarters. The city in the broad sense corresponds to the Brussels-Capital Region, one of the country's three regions, which brings together nineteen municipalities and just over 1.2 million inhabitants around the municipality of Brussels proper, the “City of Brussels”. Officially bilingual, it lives in French and Dutch, and its streets bear their names in both languages.
The historic heart, the “Pentagon” traced by the old city walls, is organised around the Grand-Place, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its Gothic Town Hall and its guild houses. The upper town lines up the Mont des Arts, the Place Royale and the Palace of Justice; to the north rise the towers of the Northern Quarter, to the east stretches the European Quarter and, to the north-west, on the Heysel plateau, the Atomium recalls the 1958 World's Fair. Brussels is also a capital of Art Nouveau, with the houses of Victor Horta, and of comics, whose murals brighten the walls of the centre.
Why head up high
For a long time, Brussels hardly looked up at its rooftops. In recent years, rooftops have multiplied: on the roof of the former Stock Exchange, on a City administrative building, on the Royal Library, atop hotels and towers. From the centre, the view sweeps towards the Town Hall spire, the dome of the Palace of Justice and, on clear days, the Koekelberg Basilica and the Atomium. From the towers, the whole city spreads out at your feet. Most venues combine an indoor room with a terrace that comes alive mainly in fine weather, and a few are genuine glass-walled rooms perched more than a hundred metres up.
Where to get a view in Brussels
Around the Stock Exchange and the Grand-Place
On the roof of the former Stock Exchange, above the Belgian Beer World, The BeerLab serves some 150 Belgian beers, around fifty of them on tap, at the foot of the dome and facing the Town Hall spire, with no reservations. A few streets away, Rooftop 58 crowns Brucity, the City's administrative building erected on the site of the former Parking 58: a glass penthouse open all year round on the 8th floor and, from roughly April to October, a huge open-air terrace on the 9th, with a 360° view all the way to the Atomium. Close to the Grand-Place, the Secret Rooftop by Warwick hides a wooden terrace on the hotel's roof facing the Town Hall tower, with classic cocktails and Belgian gins.
From the Mont des Arts to the Rue du Midi
On the 5th floor of the Royal Library, on the Mont des Arts, Albert combines a room with 1960s furniture and a vast terrace over the rooftops of the centre; people come here for an organic, seasonal lunch or for the weekend brunch. Further south-west, on the 8th floor of the Hotel Bedford on Rue du Midi, The Eight Rooftop is the address for cocktail lovers, with a long terrace facing the Town Hall spire and the Palace of Justice.
In the towers of the Northern Quarter and Saint-Josse
On the 29th floor of The Standard hotel, near Brussels-North station, Lila29 serves Iberian-inspired plates behind large picture windows, with a partly covered, planted terrace. Not far away, near Place Rogier, Akai occupies the 30th floor of the Cardo hotel in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode: red velvet, Japanese and Mediterranean cuisine and a panorama over the whole city. On the 22nd floor of The Hoxton, near the Botanical Garden, Tope goes Mexican, with tacos, margaritas and DJ nights.
Avenue Louise, the European Quarter and the canal
On Avenue Louise, La Villa in the Sky sets a Michelin-starred table in a glass box on the 25th floor of the IT Tower, more than a hundred metres above the ground. In the European Quarter, The Roof by The 1040 opens a lounge terrace in fine weather on the 7th floor of the Sofitel on Place Jourdan, with cocktails and sharing boards. In Anderlecht, by the canal, Café COOP extends its dining room with a panoramic terrace on the roof of a former flour mill: a daytime, weekday address with low prices.
A restaurant in the Atomium
The symbol of the city since the 1958 World's Fair, the Atomium houses a panoramic restaurant in its upper sphere, nearly 100 metres above the ground. The Atomium Restaurant serves seasonal Belgian cuisine and cocktails there, and a restaurant booking does not require an entrance ticket to the monument: an unusual experience, by day or by night.
As a couple, with friends or for a special occasion
For an exceptional dinner, La Villa in the Sky, Akai or the Atomium Restaurant make an impression. With friends, The BeerLab and Rooftop 58 offer a relaxed atmosphere, while Tope and The Eight Rooftop keep the evening going over cocktails. Albert is ideal for weekend brunch, Lila29 for a sunset aperitif, and Café COOP for a lunch break off the tourist trail.
Getting around easily
The centre is easy to explore on foot, and STIB's metro, premetro, trams and buses serve the whole region. De Brouckère and Bourse stations lead to The BeerLab and Rooftop 58, Gare Centrale to the Secret Rooftop and Albert, Anneessens to The Eight Rooftop. Gare du Nord, Rogier and Botanique serve the towers of the Northern Quarter, tram 8 runs along Avenue Louise and metro line 6 takes you to the Atomium, Heysel station. Café COOP can be reached from Jacques Brel and Delacroix stations, and The Roof by The 1040 is about a ten-minute walk from Schuman and Maelbeek stations.
Tips for enjoying the rooftops of Brussels
Season, booking and dress code
The climate is oceanic and showers are frequent: open-air terraces are at their liveliest from April to September, and several only open when the weather allows, such as the 9th-floor roof of Rooftop 58, closed in winter, or The Roof by The 1040. The glass-walled rooms of Lila29, Akai, La Villa in the Sky and the Atomium Restaurant, on the other hand, stay open all year round. The BeerLab and the Secret Rooftop do not take reservations; elsewhere, it is best to book for sunset, especially at weekends. Finally, smart dress is expected at the most upscale restaurants, such as La Villa in the Sky, Akai or the Atomium Restaurant.
Photo : Celuici / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0