Organized Tours

By Bus -- Bus tours, which last 3 hours and operate throughout the year, are available from Brussels City Tours, rue de la Colline 8 (tel. 02/513-77-44; www.brussels-city-tours.com; Métro: Gare Centrale). Each tour is 27€ ($43) for adults, 24€ ($38) for students and seniors, and 14€ ($22) for children. Reservations can be made through most hotels, and hotel pickup is often available.

From June 15 to September 15, Le Bus Bavard, rue des Thuyas 12 (tel. 02/673-18-35; www.busbavard.be), operates a daily 3-hour "chatterbus" tour at 10am from the Galeries Royales St-Hubert (Métro: Gare Centrale), a mall next to rue du Marché aux Herbes 90, a few steps off the Grand-Place. A walking tour covers the historic center city, followed by a bus ride through areas the average visitor never sees. You hear about life in Brussels and get a real feel for the city. Most tours costs around 8€ ($13). You don't need a reservation for this fascinating experience -- just be there by 10am.

ARAU, bd. Adolphe-Max 55 (tel. 02/219-33-45; www.arau.org; Métro: De Brouckère), organizes tours that help you discover not only Brussels's countless treasures but also problems the city faces. It runs 3-hour themed coach tours: "Grand-Place and Its Surroundings," "Brussels 1900 -- Art Nouveau," "Brussels 1930 -- Art Deco," "Surprising Parks and Squares," and "Alternative Brussels." Reserve ahead. Tours by bus are 15€ ($24), and 12€ ($19) for those 25 and under; tours by foot are 10€ ($16). They take place on Saturday mornings from March to November; private group tours can be arranged year-round.