GETTING THERE

THALYS offers 22 daily connections. It is by far the quickest way to reach Brussels from Paris, in just 1 hour 20 minutes, with Paris-Brussels flights now only serving Brussels Airlines long-haul flights from the Belgian capital. In the Thalys Comfort 1 area, a meal is served instead of a meal, and a wide selection of newspapers and magazines is available to passengers. Travelling at the Flex fare means you can easily change your departure times, subject to availability, as you can take up to two trains either before or after the one originally booked. Since spring 2019, Thalys has been linking Marne-la-Vallée and Roissy-Charles de Gaulle stations with Belgium and the Netherlands. A direct link in just 1 hour 30 minutes to Brussels and 3 hours 30 minutes to Amsterdam.
Tel: +33 8 25 84 25 97 - Internet : www.thalys.com

HOTELS

HOTEL AMIGO

This is the city's benchmark for luxury hotels. Passed into the hands of the Rocco Forte group in January 2000, the Amigo was originally built in 1958 by Armand Blaton, a wealthy Brussels businessman, to entertain his friends during the Universal Exhibition. Adjacent to the Grand-Place, the building bears a striking resemblance to the old houses in the area. In fact, the floor of its lobby is made from the stones that paved the famous boulevard Anspach during the Renaissance. Today, the hotel is the one and only Belgian member of the Leading Hotels of the World. The service is absolutely impeccable, and the 173 rooms are extremely refined. This does not exclude a few touches of humour, with nods to Tintin and Hergé in the bathrooms and lounges, for example. In 2018, the hotel won Condé Nast's Reader's Choice Award.
1, rue de l'Amigo - Tel : +32 2 547 47 47 - Email : reservations.amigo@roccofortehotels.com - Internet: www.roccofortehotels.com or lhw.com

STEIGENBERGER WILTCHER'S

While the façade on Avenue Louise, where horse-drawn carriages once dashed, seems to have preserved the memory of the ballet of crinolines and fracs, unfortunately no details of the 1910s have been preserved inside this famous five-star hotel. Admittedly, the 267 rooms are ultra-luxurious and spacious - they are even among the largest in Brussels at 43 m² But it lacks a pinch of charm. On the other hand, since the establishment passed into the hands of the German brand Steigenberger a few years ago, the level of comfort is incomparable.
71, avenue Louise - Phone : +32 2 542 42 42 - Email : reservations.brussels@steigenberger.com - Internet : www.wiltchers.com

WARWICK BRUSSELS

Although this five-star hotel in the historic centre of Brussels has been in existence for 46 years, it has undergone numerous renovations, one of which is still ongoing. The fabulous terrace has recently been given a facelift and is now open in fine weather, particularly for after-work events. In all, there are 267 elegant rooms with concierge service, as well as several seminar rooms. The hotel is also a partner of many companies, making it easy to organise business meetings.
5, rue Duquesnoy - Phone : +32 2 505 55 55 - Email : info.warwickbrussels@warwickhotels.com  - Internet : warwickhotels.com

THE DOMINICAN

Opened around ten years ago just a stone's throw from the recently renovated Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, this 150-room Design Hotels establishment makes you feel like you're in a faraway place right in the heart of Brussels. It's not every day you hear Gregorian chants in a lift! The beautiful ambulatory of the former convent dating from the XV^e The original building from the 19th century is still clearly visible, and with good reason: the restaurant was set up in its centre. So you can enjoy breakfast while admiring the ancestral vaults. The decor is perhaps a little too baroque, but the place is well worth the diversions.
9, rue Léopold - Phone : +32 2 203 08 08 - Email : info@thedominican.carlton.be - Internet : www.thedominican.be

OTHER MAJOR BUSINESS HOTELS

PULLMAN BRUSSELS CENTRE MIDI
1, place Victor Horta - Tel: +32 2 252 898 00 - Email: H7431@accor.com Internet: www.accorhotels.com

NH COLLECTION BRUSSELS CENTRE
7, boulevard Adolphe Max. - Tel: +32 2 217 0120 - Email: nhcollectionbrusselscentre@nh-hotels.com - Internet: www.nh-hotels.fr

MARRIOTT GRAND PLACE
3 -7, rue Auguste Orts - Tel: + 32 2 516 90 90 - Email: mhrs.brussels@marriott.com - Internet: www.marriott.fr

SOFITEL BRUSSELS LOUISE
40, avenue de la Toison d'or - Tel: +32 2 514 22 00 - Email: H1071@sofitel.com - Internet: sofitel.accorhotels.com

LE CHATELAIN
17, rue du Châtelain - Tel: +32 2 646 00 55 - Email: frontdesk@le-chatelain.com - Internet: www.le-chatelain.com

SOFITEL BRUSSELS EUROPE
1, place Jourdan - Tel: +32 2 235 51 00 - Email: H5282@sofitel.com -
Internet: sofitel.accorhotels.com

RADISSON BLU ROYAL BRUSSELS
47, rue du Fosse-aux-Loups. - Tel: +32 2 219 28 28 - Email: reservations.brussels@radissonblu.com - Internet: www.radissonblu.com

BUDGET HOTEL

VINTAGE HOTEL

In this former mansion a stone's throw from the famous Avenue Louise, transformed since 2007 into a small, colourful hotel with a pop feel, most of the 30 rooms, with parquet floors and mouldings, have a slightly psychedelic feel. Adventurous business travellers on a budget will love this offbeat atmosphere.
45, rue Dejoncker - Phone : +32 2 533 99 80 - Email : info@vintagehotel.be - Internet : www.vintagehotel.be

RESTAURANTS

HUMUS AND HORTENSE

In a former tearoom with a whimsical Art Nouveau-inspired decor, this is an address opened in 2017 by chef Nicolas Decloedt and his partner Caroline Baerten. Together, they have created an entirely organic and healthy table, but in the spirit of haute gastronomy, with plates resembling paintings.
The flavours are astonishing: Jerusalem artichoke cocktails, celery hummus on buckwheat pancakes, cabbage with juniper berry oil, hazelnut pudding...
2, rue de Vergnies - Phone : +32 474 65 37 06 - Email : info@humushortense.be - Internet : Humushortense.be

THE LOCAL

Traceability of products, all local and in season, zero waste approach, use of peelings to make drinks such as kombucha or soups, particularly one with... parsley root. Strange, yet delicious. A wonderful menu, very affordable for lunch, which will delight business travellers looking for healthy, planet-friendly dishes.
51, rue de la Longue-Haie - Tel: +32 2 647 68 03 - Internet: www.lelocalbxl.be

SENZANOME

Nadia and Giovanni Bruno's restaurant, which has held its Michelin-starred accolade high for many years, moved to the Place du Sablon three years ago. With just a few tables, the attention to detail on the plate has been taken to the extreme. The menu features a choice of four or six surprises. And, as Italy is obliged to do, each dish is a re-edition of a classic. The Apulian burrata is accompanied by a tomato sorbet, the chanterelle egg is dressed in a parmesan crumble, the chestnut ice cream comes to life under a persimmon coulis.
1, place du Petit Sablon - Tel: +32 2 223 16 17 - Internet : www.senzanome.be

LA FABRIQUE

You'll walk in with the certainty of finding something healthy to eat, and even better. Élodie Michiels, the instigator of this warm and refined space, insists that everything is homemade: vegetable quiches, tartines, salads and mezze platters for lunch, pastries and detox juices at tea time. All in the spirit of the Ixelles district: aesthetic, authentic and tasty.
122, rue Américaine. - Tel: +32 2 537 56 36 - www.facebook.com/restolafabrique

GRAMM

This address on the rue de Flandre - where promising young chefs are concentrated - was opened by Erwan Nakata, a Japano-Breton with a love of eclecticism. His dishes are as simple as can be, using organic produce from local farms: cream of fresh goat's cheese on red beetroot jelly 'sauced' with crusty bread, stracci with lime cream, confit of pork belly, salted butter biscuit on quince compote.
86, rue de Flandre - Phone : +32 2 324 99 66 - Email : book@grammrestaurant.be - Internet : grammrestaurant.be

SAN

Sang-Hoon Degeimbre, a Korean-born chef who has won two Michelin stars for his restaurant in Liernu, around sixty kilometres from Brussels, has just opened his own restaurant on the rue de Flandre. For this beautiful two-storey bar-restaurant, he has chosen a plant and floral theme, echoing the highly poetic creations he serves exclusively in bowls. The first pleasure is visual, but it's also tactile, as you grab these pretty wooden or ceramic containers with both hands before your palate discovers a whole vocabulary of flavours combining crunchy and juicy, raw and fermented, milky and tangy... It evokes both Korea and the sweetness of childhood.
19, rue de Flandre - Tel: +32 2 318 19 19 - Internet: sanbxl.be

GIRLS

A group of ingenious, gourmet friends have bought themselves a house in the Dansaert district: on the ground floor, a pretty grocery shop, and upstairs, cookery classes and big tables. On the first floor, you'll find tables d'hôtes with mismatched plates, a well-thought-out décor and a set menu... but you can help yourself as often as you like. It's friendly, economical, warm and, above all, delicious. For a quick, relaxed meal, on your own or with colleagues.
46, rue du Vieux Marché aux Grains. - Tel: +32 2 534 04 83 - Internet : www.lesfilles.be

PRACTICAL GUIDES

BRUXELLES CARTOVILLE, Gallimard (2019); UN GRAND WEEK-END à BRUXELLES, Hachette (2019).

INFORMATION

VISIT BRUSSELS > Of course, you'll need to contact the Brussels Tourist Office, which is a real mine of information. Live calls are treated with great care. 2-4, rue Royale -
Tel:+ 32 2 513 89 40 - Email : tourist@visit.brussels - Internet : visit.brussels

HUB.BRUSSELS > 110, chaussée de Charleroi - Phone : +32 2 422 00 20 - Email : info@hub.brussels - Internet : hub.brussels

BRUSSELS COMMISSIONER > 63, avenue d'Auderghem - Tel : + 32 2 430 66 00 - Email : info@commissioner.brussels - Internet : www.commissioner.brussels

PERSPECTIVE BRUSSELS > 59, rue de Namur - Phone : +32 2 435 42 00 - Email : info@perspective.brussels - Internet : perspective.brussels

CCI France BELGIUM > Interneta : ccifrancebelgique.be