Brussels Money and Shopping

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Galeries Saint Hubert

Chocolate!

Very few shops in Brussels open before 10AM, and most kick off about 10:30-11AM. Many shops are closed on Sunday and Monday.

• Shopping at Galeries Saint Hubert-Sint Hubertusgalerijen. The world's first shopping mall, opened in 1847, is a light and airy triple-gallery enclosing boutiques, bookshops, cafés, restaurants, and a theater and cinema.

• Marché aux Puces - Vlooienmarkt (Flea Market). Place du Jeu de Balle-Vossenplein, every day from 7AM to 2PM. This flea market offers everything from the weird to the wonderful at rock-bottom prices.

• Beer:
  • Belgium Beer Tour www.beertour.be is a tour operator specializing in tours of Belgium breweries. It offers a great way for beer lovers to visit their favourite breweries and discover new ones. The tours cover a wide range of beers and appeals to connoisseurs and amateurs alike
  • Beer Mania www.beermania.be, 174-176 Chausse de Wavre, 1050 Ixelles. Claims to have a stock of over 400 beers, but has been overrun by beer tourists. The stock is extensive, but quite pricey in comparison to GB, Del Haize, or Carrefour. Beer Mania is a great place to find out of the ordinary beers.
  • GB/Carrefour. Branches around the city carry a wide variety of beers, including almost all Trappist beer. Selection varies by store. The GB in Grand Place has a large selection and is approximately 33% of the price of the tourist shops.
  • Delhaize. Similar to GB/Carrefour, but a tad more expensive.
  • Match. Another store similar to GB/Carrefour, but has more of the unusual Belgian beers including Delerium.

• Film :
  • Cinema Excellence, 94 - 96 Boulevard Anspachlaan. A must for all movielovers. Great collection classics and rare dvd's, books, vintage movie posters, screenprints, postcards, Tel +32 2 502 84 68.

• Books:
  • Comic books and rare books. De Slegte on Rue des Grands Carmes-Lievevrouwbroersstraat, FNAC on Rue Neuve-Nieuwstra, 100 Boulevard Anspachlaan. Right in the center and one of the most up to date stores when it comes to contemporary comics.
  • Filigranes, the largest bookshop in Brussels, open 7 days a week, and features a small bar/café inside and quite often live music, located at 39 Avenue des Arts-Kunstlaan.
  • Sterling Books, One of the more popular English bookshops in downtown Brussels.
  • Pele-Mele, Boulevard Maurice Lemonnierlaan, 55 & 59 (Metro "Anneessens") - maze-like, second-hand bookshop with huge selection of used books at bargain prices. A bookworm's haven.
  • Waterstone's, 71-75 Boulevard Adolphe Maxlaan (Metro "De Brouckère"). English-language books.
  • FNAC, City 2 commercial center, Rue neuve. A big book/CD/DVD/electronics shop.
  • Mediamarket, 111-123 Rue Neuve. This shop is at the uppermost level of the Galeria Inno department store. Sells CDs, DVDs and consumer electronics. Slightly cheaper than FNAC.

• Chocolate:
  • Leonidas www.leonidas.com, branches across the city. Inexpensive and good quality, at €4.35 for 250gm, and very popular with the locals.
  • Neuhaus www.neuhaus.be, branches across the city. A bit more expensive than Leonidas and a bit higher quality. Very popular with the locals as well.
  • Marcolini www.marcolini.be/EN/accueil.html, 39 Place du Grand Sablon. Arguably the best Belgian chocolates and priced accordingly. The country-specific products are difficult to find and quite worth the price.
  • Wittamer, 6-12-13 Place du Grand Sablon. Another excellent chocolate maker.
  • Chocopolis, 81 Rue du Marché aux Herbes. Between Grand Place and Central Station. Pick and choose your favorite type of chocolates, all at reasonable prices.
  • Maison Renardy 17, rue de Dublin 1050 +32 02 514 30 17 Bruxelles. A great boutique shop with delicious chocolate and friendly service. Stop by for a cup of tea or coffee, and get one of their chocolates free with your tea. Still peckish? You're able to bring a whole box home.
  • Godiva, branches around the city. Not very popular and quite pricey.
  • For the frugal, you can buy 100-200 gram gourmet bars of chocolate in grocery stores for about €1 each. Good brands to buy are Côte-d'Or and Jacques, both are Belgian.

• Shopping:
  • General shopping along Rue Neuve-Nieuwstraat with GB supermarket at City 2 accessed from Rue Neuve-Nieuwstraat and Metro Rogier.
  • Galeria Inno, 111-123 Rue Neuve. Department store (fashion, cosmetics, etc.)
  • Belgian Lace is among the best in the world. Several shops are located at the Grand' Place-Grote Markt itself. Beware of some shops that sell Belgian lace even though production was outsourced abroad. Ask for a country of origin if purchasing around Grand Place.

• www.beertour.be
• www.beermania.be
• www.leonidas.com
• www.neuhaus.be
• www.marcolini.be/EN/accueil.html