Bruegel

Grote Markt, Grand Place, or whatever you want to call it, this impressive square facing the medieval Town Hall (built in 1402), is the undisputed tourist epicenter of Brussels. The surrounding neighborhood—sprinkled with hotels, cutesy cafés, restaurants and chocolate shops—draws throngs of shutter-happy tourists day after day.

A maze of cobblestoned alleys radiating from the square leads to the opera house, a commercial drag or the gay district, depending on which turn you take. Ornate guild houses, sidewalk cafés and souvenir shops crowd the neighborhood, making it a lively place around the clock.