The Rue de Flandre is a meandering cobbled road that was once, many years ago, the main route into Brussels from the north. It’s now a relatively quiet street with not too much traffic, not too many tourists and a long list of interesting places.
No chain stores or big hotels. Just a few local bars that have been around for years, like Au Laboureur at the far end where might you catch people playing cards, reading De Morgen or sitting with a caged canary on the table.
Add to that several restaurants with interesting menus, like Selecto with its relaxed bistro mood, La Marée for Fish from the North Sea and the tiny Italian restaurant Nuova Signora Ava.
Then there are the small and unusual shops that are fun to brows around. You can drop into Bel’Arte for handmade Belgian jewellery and notebooks, or take a stroll around Urban Therapy to admire their impressive collection of terrariums. And if you ever need your bike fixed, you can drop it off at the Cyclo workshop.
Some people argue that Rue Dansaert is the coolest street in town. But Rue de Flandre has maybe got the edge.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
