Brussels’ classic
souvenir is chocolate. Fresh creamy pralines are
for sale at Wittamer, Place du Grand-Sablon, who
have had almost a century to perfect their wonderful recipes. Other
names to look out for is the top-quality Neuhaus,
Grand-Place 27 and Galerie de la Reine 25–27,
and Godiva, also in the Grand-Place. Less expensive
chocolates are available from the popular Léonidas
chain, Boulevard Anspach 46.
Belgian biscuits are also a gift guaranteed to bring a guilty smile
to the receiver with Dandoy, Rue au Beurre 31,
produce melt-in-your-mouth macaroons and the Brussels speciality
speculoos, a gingerbread biscuit with a crunch.
Beer
is best bought at Bière Artisanale, Chaussée
de Wavre 174 (website: www.users.skynet.be/beermania),
which stocks over 400 types of beer and of course glasses to suit.
Designer clothes are clustered around the smart Avenue Louise
and Avenue de la Toison d’Or. Key shopping
stops on Avenue Louise include Belgian designers at Shine’s
new flagship store, located at 82–84 Avenue Louise and fantastic
for stunning silk dresses and floaty, Chinese-inspired creations
with more down-to-earth daywear in muted tones at Caroline
Biss, 21 Avenue Louise. Established and up-and-coming Belgian
designers such as Olivier Strelli, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries
Van Noten and Carine Lauwers are located
in the fashionable Rue Antoine Dansaert. Innovative
Stijl has more avant-garde Belgian designer clothes,
by designers such as Xavier Delcour and Olivier
Theyskens, at number 74, underwear at number 47 and children’s
clothes at Kat en Muis, number 32.
Children’s and adults’ tastes alike are met at Brussels’
many comic book shops including the centrally located La
Boutique Tintin, Rue de la Colline 13.
Brussels
lace is on show at the Lace Museum, Rue
de la Violette 6 is for sale at F Rubbrecht, Grand-Place 23, or
at the city’s largest lace maker, Manufacture Belge
de Dentelle, Galerie de la Reine 6–8. The other souvenir
lace shops around Grand-Place are less authentic.
Every day is market day in the different parts of the city. Among
the best of these is the flower market, open Tuesday to Sunday 0800–1800
hrs, at Grand-Place, also the site of the Sunday
morning bird market.
Antiques are sold at the market on Place du Grand-Sablon,
Saturday 0900–1800 hrs and Sunday 0900–1300 hrs, while
the flea market at Place du Jeu de Balle, in the
Marolles district, is open daily 0700–1300 hrs, at its best
on weekend mornings. A more high street experience, however, is
at hand at City 2 shopping mall, in the shop-studded
Rue Neuve, where shops stay open on Fridays until 2000 hrs.
Standard shopping hours are 1000–1800/1900
hrs but the Grand-Place area stays open until approximately
2000 hrs.
Sales tax is 21 per cent and can be refunded to non-EU citizens
by any of the shops affiliated to Global Refund Belgium (telephone
number: (02) 479 9461, fax number: (02) 478 3664, e-mail: taxfree@be.globalrefund.com,
website: www.globalrefund.com).
Shops participating will issue a global refund cheque, which should
be stamped at customs and then cashed upon leaving the country.
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