La Vieille Lanterne

You can easily pass by the tiny La Vieille Lantern bed and breakfast many times without noticing it. Situated in a brick guild house above a souvenir shop, this family-run inn has no reception area and no dining room. It does, however, have cozy, cute rooms that come with homespun hospitality—literally in the middle of the old city.

The six unassuming rooms are rustic, with hardwood beds, quilted bedspreads, tall dressers and copper lamps. Though cramped, the space doesn’t feel cluttered. And the view out to the cobblestoned street is lovely. All rooms are equipped with cable television and free Wi-Fi. The tile-and-plastic bathrooms each have a shower stall and a clean toilet, but could use a facelift to bring them up to this decade.

Along with the souvenir shop they run downstairs, the bed and breakfast has belonged to the Goedleven family since 1958. The building’s history reaches back a few hundred years more, however. In the basement, there is still a trace of the medieval church that used to occupy the lot. (Today, it’s just the hotel’s laundry, and unfortunately not open to visitors.)

The inn is tiny, with a cramped staircase that winds up three flights. But its minuscule size can be a good thing—breakfast (included in the room rate) is served right in your room. Think of it as home-style room service, delivered by the two gregarious sisters who run the place.

La Vieille Lantern’s biggest draw is its unbelievable location. From the inn, you can toss a coin at the famed Mannekin Pis.