Shopping

Brussels is not the place to come expecting bargains. It's expensive, though no more so than Paris, Amsterdam, and Cologne. Still, there are reasonable prices to be found, even some bargains. A lot depends on where and when you shop. As a general rule, the upper city around avenue Louise and Porte de Namur is more expensive than the lower city around rue Neuve and the center-city shopping galleries around La Monnaie and place de Brouckère. But this is not a fixed rule. For example, rue Haute, in the upper city, is inexpensive, while the Galeries Royales St-Hubert, in the lower city, is expensive.

Shopping hours are generally from 9 or 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday. On Friday evening, many center-city stores, particularly department stores, stay open until 8 or 9pm. A useful source of shopping information is the weekly English-language magazine The Bulletin, which keeps tabs on the latest shopping ideas and trends, and reviews individual stores.

Belgian Specialties: Chocolate & More

Belgians know a thing or two about chocolate. Just ask anyone who has ever bitten into one of those devilish little creations -- handmade pralines, made and sold by Wittamer, Nihoul, Cornez, Neuhaus, Léonidas, and . . . well, it's a long list. So addictive are they that they really should be sold with a government health warning. You'll find some of the finest confections at Chocolatier Mary.

Lace is another old favorite that's widely available in the city, particularly in and around the Grand-Place. Purchase from Maison Antoine or Manufacture Belge de Dentelle.

For local beers like gueuze, kriek, and faro -- among the 450 or so different Belgian beers -- head for A la Mort Subite.

Other traditional products include jenever (gin), of which there are some 270 brands produced by 70 distilleries; crystal, particularly superb Val-Saint-Lambert crystal from Liège; ceramics; jewelry; hand-beaten copper or bronze; and even diamonds, though Brussels is nowhere near as sparkling in this respect as Antwerp.

Finally, sweet-toothed shoppers should try Dandoy.

An Affordable Wine Source -- If you're planning to purchase wine by the bottle, don't be fooled into the idea that you have to go to an expensive wine store to get something worthwhile. The midprice Delhaize supermarket chain has built up an enviable reputation and a loyal local following for the quality of its wine department. Delhaize's buyers look for good value in all price categories and have an adventurous streak that makes them look beyond the classic names. There are Delhaize supermarkets all over Brussels (and Belgium). Ask at your hotel desk for the nearest branch.

Shopping Promenades

Many of Brussels's most interesting stores are clustered along certain promenades or arcades. Rue Neuve, which starts at place de la Monnaie and extends north to place Rogier, is practically a pedestrian shopping mall; this busy and popular area is home to many boutiques and department stores, including City 2, a modern shopping complex. Boulevard Anspach, which runs from the Stock Exchange up to place de Brouckère, is home to a number of fashion boutiques, chocolate stores, and electronic-appliance stores. The Anspach Center (near place de la Monnaie) is a shopping mall.

One of Europe's oldest "malls," the glass-roofed Galeries Royales St-Hubert, is a light and airy arcade hosting boutiques and other upmarket stores, sidewalk cafes, a theater and a movie theater, and street musicians playing classical music. Constructed in Italian neo-Renaissance style and opened in 1847, architect Pierre Cluysenaer's gallery offers shopping with a touch of class and is well worth strolling through even if you have no intention of window-shopping. The elegant gallery has three connected wings -- Galerie du Roi, Galerie de la Reine, and Galerie des Princes -- and was the forerunner of other city arcades like the Burlington in London. It is just north of the Grand-Place, between rue du Marché aux Herbes and rue d'Arenberg, and is split by rue de Bouchers. There are entrances on all three of these streets.

Avenue Louise attracts those in search of world-renowned, high-quality goods from such stores as Cartier, Burberry's, Louis Vuitton, and Valentino.

The Galerie Agora (off the Grand-Place) offers a wide variety of modestly priced merchandise, including leather goods, clothing, souvenirs, records, and jewelry.

Outdoor Markets

At the Vieux Marché flea market on place du Jeu de Balle, a large square in the Marolles district, you find some exceptional decorative items, many recycled from the homes of the "recently deceased," and unusual postcards, clothing, and household goods. So you should be able to snap up a bargain on everything from the weird to the wonderful. The market is held daily from 7am to 2pm.

Every weekend, the place du Grand Sablon hosts a fine Antiques Market. The salesmanship is low key, the interest is pure, the prices are not unreasonable (don't expect bargains, though), and the quality of the merchandise -- which includes silverware, pottery, paintings, and jewelry -- is high. The market is open Saturday from 9am to 6pm and Sunday from 9am to 2pm.

May to October, Tuesday to Sunday, the Grand-Place hosts a Flower Market that's open from 8am to 6pm. Nearby, at the top end of rue du Marché aux Herbes, in a square called the place de l'Agora, there's a weekend Crafts Market here, with lots of fine specialized jewelry and other items, mostly inexpensive.

From mid-May to September, painters, sculptors, potters, photographers, and other artists sell their work -- and some of them produce it, too -- at the Marché d'Art, Parvis Saint-Pierre, Uccle. The market is on Sunday from 10am to 1pm.

Two weekends before Christmas is the occasion for the European Union Christmas Market on and around place Ste-Catherine. From Friday evening until Sunday evening, the square is a hub of activity, as each country of the EU sets out its stall with traditional foods and products. There's music, singing, and dancing, and the festive spirit is fueled by mulled wine and typical national drinks. The main problem is that at times the square gets so busy that it is almost impossible to move. Still, this is a colorful and memorable event.