Schmap.com supports the following browsers:
PC
 The land of silk and money |
Avenue Louise Brussels 1050 Belgium +32 (0)2 513 8940 (Tourist information) |
Brussels' most exclusive shopping district provides a multitude of upscale and couture shopping on Boulevard de Waterloo, between its intersections with Chausée D'Ixelle and Avenue Louise, and down Avenue Louise itself. Just strolling through this neighbourhood, one notices a radical change in the way people dress and carry themselves. Jeans give way to Hugo Boss suits, and sneakers are replaced with Gucci stilettos. Visit during the summer and the two wide streets are veritable fashion runways. This is where Belgium's aristocracy hang out, where high-powered business execs book rooms (at one of the neighbourhood's top-of-the-line hotels), and where trust-fund bunnies spend hours replenishing their wardrobes. Cartier, Armani, Chanel anyone? Welcome to Brussels' equivalent to New York's Fifth Avenue, Paris's Rue Faubourg St. Honoré and London's Knightsbridge. Pull out your Gold Card and enjoy the browse. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Marc Hanot |
 Photo: Karel Uyttendaele |
 Photo: World of Jeff! |
 Photo: H.v.Münchhausen |
 Photo: Louis-Yagera |
 Photo: ashokmandy |
|
From Adolphe Adam to Alexander Zemlinsky |
74 Coudenberg SACoudenberg 74 Brussels 1000 Belgium +32 (0)2 513 0965 http://www.classicalmusic.be/i... |
La Boîte à Musique is situated next to the Palace of Fine Arts, with good reason. The presence of culture cannot be denied here, but the definition of culture is rather restrictive: you will only find classical music. This shop is run by the de Wouters d'Oplinter family, son Bertrand is in charge of the (small) record label Pavane, specialising in classical music. The shop's collection is very large, prices are very reasonable, and if you don't find that coveted CD in this shop, just cross the street. You'll find Domaine du Disque there, another Belgian classic. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Marc Vanstraelen  |
 Gigantic bookstore with CDs, tickets and stereos |
2 Rue Neuve Nieuwstraat/Rue Neuve Brussels 1000 Belgium +32 (0)2 275 1111 http://www.fnac.be |
FNAC is the giant of the Brussels bookshops. Few books cannot be found here, whether in French, Dutch, German or other languages. Their selection in English is decent. But Fnac is more than a book-store. There's a big CD department with a wide range in all genres. You can buy tickets for most local concerts, they sell cameras (and will develop your films), hi-fis, videos (tapes and equipment), video games and computers. They also organizes (free) concerts and exhibitions. This is a shop where you can easily walk around for a few hours. This megastore has just moved to the top floor of City 2. Even if you decide not to enter the shop, you should take the escalator; it gives you a beautiful view of the city. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: wcities |
|
Fashionistas have found a home |
between Boulevard Du Nieuport and Rue Van Artevelde Brussels 1000 Belgium +32 (0)2 513 8940 (Tourist information) |
Rue Antoine Dansaert lies between Boulevard Du Nieuport and Rue Van Artevelde. At first glance, this neighbourhood doesn't look like much. But that's precisely the point. Like Soho or Nolita in New York City, this is precisely the type of environment that becomes a breeding ground for a city's avant-garde art and fashion scene. And so Rue Dansaert has emerged as just that. This is where one finds the latest creations from Belgium's fashion elite: Dirk Bikkembergs, Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Raf Simons and others. One store, Stijl Men & Women, is credited for "trendifying" the neighbourhood when it opened its first shop here, stocking it with designs from what is now known as the Antwerp Six (internationally renowned avant-garde designers hailing from the fashion department of Antwerp's Academy of Arts). Hip, affordable shoe stores also line the street, and some side streets provide wonderfully innovative products for home design. If it's hip, this is where it's happening. Dansaert is the downtown hotspot for trendies and chicsters. Where else could the trustafarian go to find her Vivian Westwood "Gold" Range stock and the hipster sift through the latest Martine Sitbon menswear line? Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Yabby |
 Photo: Yabby |
 Photo: stttijn |
 Photo: Lejuste Nicolas |
 Photo: pyc |
|
Hightail it to Brussels' high street |
Rue Neuve Brussels 1000 Belgium +32 (0)2 513 8940 (Tourist information) |
This narrow shopping strip is jam-packed with commercial high street shops like Morgan, Esprit, H&M and Mango. At weekends, however, this is hardly the place to window shop, as the boisterous crowd of men, women and children, desperate to part with their hard-earned euros, pack together on this shopping alley and practically carry you like a wave from one end of the street to the other. If you're planning on doing some serious shopping, visit Monday through Friday, while the clothes manage to remain hanging on the racks and the shopkeepers don't seem so utterly worn-out. Shop here, and look your best, for less. Can't afford to spend EUR 450 on a designer shirt? Then make your way over to this shopping mecca and find its commercial cousin on sale for a more cheaper rate. You'll just have to fight the crowds to get to it! Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Ashish Tibrewal |
 Photo: herman VANDEWIELE |
 Photo: MariaTeresaCB |
 Photo: Frank Ribbens |
 Photo: Katherine de Vuyst |
 Photo: chicwithstix |
 Photo: Matthieu CADIOU |
 Photo: Chris Martindill |
 Photo: MEN IN BLUE 6960 |