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Chocolate, cartoons and beer, Brussels is loyal to her fame but always ready to tackle a challenge. Take the EU Parliament, the thriving businesses (70% of visitors come on business), the excellent transport system, the flourishing cultural scene and you have a city heading into the future, poised confidently at the crossroad of Europe. The country suffered numerous upheavals before gaining its independence in 1831 but Brussels never ceased to re-invent itself, growing into today’s metropolis, nearly one million strong, a mostly francophone enclave at the heart of Flemish lands.

On the edge of town the Atomium reflects the modern image. Travel up the escalators through the nine spheres of an atom magnified 165 billion times, take a look at the exhibits and when you reach the top, 100 metres above ground, the city spreads in the distance, gathered around its spacious squares and the eclectic wonders of the past.

The Lower Town is best explored on foot. This was the original settlement and you will find no better place to feel the city’s pulse than the vast cobbled Grand Place, the highlight of Flemish Renaissance and a must-see for every visitor. The old Guildhouses dazzle with gables and turrets, arcades and colonnades but the Townhall steals the show, a 15th century extravaganza topped by a slightly crooked belfry. Every other year, for four days in August, the square is carpeted with millions of flowers, celebrating historical scenes.

Wander through the old quarters and you come across a church or two, the impressive façade of the Stock Exchange, the Lace Museum, the Puppet Theatre or perhaps the Théâtre de la Monnaie where a tenor singing of the homeland sparked the uprising in 1830. Then meet Tintin and the Smurfs in the Comic Strip Art Museum, the Art Nouveau building designed by Horta worth a visit in its own right.

Meanwhile shoppers head for Rue Neuve, the city’s longest pedestrian shopping street, or the ornate Galeries St Hubert, Europe’s first shopping arcade, or maybe the flea market promising bargains galore in Quartier de Marolles. Food lovers gather Petite Rue des Bouchers, the place to sample exotic cuisine or Belgian fare from eels in green sauce to rabbit stew or the popular mussels and chips. Nostalgia lingers in the lanes where gables and decorated doorways have been carefully preserved.

Traditionally the Lower Town belonged to traders and workers while the Upper Town was home to the French speaking aristocracy. Up there, above the escarpment which divides the city, Gothic churches mingle with neo-classical façades and a sprinkling of Art Nouveau. The enlightened Charles de Lorraine inspired much of the Quartier Royal in the 18th century while Leopold II later added the boulevards and the Parc du Cinquantenaire to mark the Golden Jubilee of independence. During World War II, much of the park was turned into vegetable plots to feed the city. Among the main attractions are the Fine Arts museums, the Royal Square and palaces adjoining Parc de Bruxelles and the 19th century Palais de Justice, the Law Courts, which dominates the skyline. The Gothic church of Sts Michel and Gudule took 300 years to complete and is now a cathedral and the national church.

Here the town likes to unwind around shaded gardens and fountains or in the fashionable bars and restaurants, Place du Grand Sablon, happy to share the upper reaches with royalty and MEPs. The sovereign’s residence is just a stone’s throw away and beyond is the European Parliament, a state-of-the-art structure, all steel and glass, rising above the green oasis of Parc Léopold. Committee meetings are held in these lofty surroundings but once a month MEPs move to Strasbourg for a plenary session.

In the aftermath of World War II, Strasbourg rose as a symbol of hope, free once again, ideally placed to bring together the people of Europe and build a better future. Home to the European Council, Parliament and Court of Human Rights, it is the historic and economic hub of Alsace and with a population of 500 000, its largest conurbation.

Students, businessmen, locals or tourists, the city never rests but parks and waterways give it an air of relaxation. First designed by Le Nôtre, creator of the Versailles gardens, the Orangerie is a great favourite with its cool lake and waterfall just across the road from the Palais de l’Europe, while at the heart of town, the river Ill oozes with charm. It flows around the UNESCO World Heritage Site and there is no better place to enjoy your first view than aboard a bateau-mouche, cruising past half-timbered houses tumbling with flowers and watching the pink sandstone cathedral rise above the rooftops.

With its delicate steeple, once the tallest in Christendom, its superb rose window and astronomical clock where figures of the Apostles parade at 12.30, ‘Our Lady’ has kept watch over the town for 800 years and in the nearby Musée de l’Oeuvre a unique collection of statues is on show, salvaged from the excesses of the French Revolution. Second only to the cathedral is the 18th century Palais Rohan, the former bishops’ residence mirrored in the Ill, now housing three of the city’s museums. Pride of place goes to the painting of ‘La Belle Strasbourgeoise’, hailed as the Mona Lisa of Alsace.

On the cobbled squares, in the meandering lanes or along the quays, Strasbourg is all gables and turrets, archways and oriel windows and elegant Renaissance façades. Look out for the half-timbered Maison Kammerzell, aloof on Cathedral Square, the old Corbeau Inn, the tanners and millers’ houses in the pretty district of ‘Little France’. Here everything seems smothered in bloom and you soon discover the three ‘Ponts Couverts’ and their square towers spanning the Ill, built to protect the ‘Free Town’. The best view of Little France and its bridges is from the terrace of Barrage Vauban.

In a privileged position close to the Rhine, this ‘city of roads’ has prospered since Roman times, joining France in 1681, shaking off nearly 50 years of German rule in 1918. Its prestigious reputation attracted Mozart, Goethe who studied at the university and Gutenberg said to have thought up the idea of the printing press during his visit. Here in 1792 Rouget de Lisle composed the battle song of the Rhine Army, later adopted as the French national anthem.

French, Alsatian, and European all in one, Strasbourg happily juggles her different roles but when it comes to gastronomy, nothing beats the local fare, whether you sample it in an upmarket restaurant or in a family-run ‘Winstub’. Foie gras and sauerkraut are the mainstay of Alsatian cuisine, followed by Munster cheese, bilberry tart or kougelhopf, a fluted almond and raisin cake. Add the wide range of Alsatian wines and the beer, brewed in the area since 1260, and you can rest assured the town will look after your needs. Meanwhile on Place Kléber, street artists entertain the crowds or you might come across folk dancers near the Rohan Palace, draped in ribbons and bells and spectacular headdresses for the ladies.

Strasbourg is a city of trade, claiming 15 kms of shops, from small boutiques to the Centre Halles complex, and numerous markets and fairs which draw the crowds year round. For local colour, try the Mountain and Craft Market where farm produce mingles with linen from the Vosges, decorative glass and the famous pottery and earthenware from nearby villages.

Traditional to the core but embracing wholeheartedly her European future, Strasbourg is sure to build on her success.

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