For those interested in the national history of Belgium, the BELvue Museum is the place to be. The museum is next to the Royal Palace and is located in the 18th century Bellevue Hotel. The hotel served as a resting point for wealthy travelers and dignitaries. In 1977 the hotel was transformed into the present-day museum. Spread over three floors and twelve rooms, the museum exhibits cover the major periods in Belgium’s history from 1830 to 2005, with special emphasis on the Belgian Revolution, World War I and World War II. Contemporary topics like suffrage, the golden 60s, and state reforms are also presented. The exhibits are rich in original documents and audiovisual testimonials, which provides additional context to the topics on display. Two floors of the museum maintain the original styles of Napoleon III and Louis XV, and are decorated with 18th century furniture. Each of the Belgian kings has an exhibit which takes the visitor through a series of works and portraits which display each king’s unique personality and accomplishments. Temporary rotating exhibits are also presented at the museum. The BELvue is open daily, except Mondays and also has a restaurant and gift shop.

The Magritte Museum is dedicated to showing the works of the famous Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte. Centered in Paris, the surrealist movement began in the 1920s and incorporated an element of surprise and unexpected connections. Known for his humorous and witty images, Magritte challenged the viewer’s perception of reality. He said “If the dream is a translation of waking life, waking life is also a translation of the dream.” His artwork featured common objects in uncommon circumstances, such as umbrellas, pipes, stones, apples and men in bowler hats. The museum opened in 2009 and has over 25,000 square feet of exhibit space and five exhibition levels. With over 200 original paintings, sculptures and drawings, the museum is the largest collection of his works in the world. Work on display includes The Empire of Light, Scheherazade, and The Return. In addition to serving as a repository for Magritte’s works, the museum is also the hub of research and information related to the artist. The museum is arranged chronologically and provides an overview of the artist’ life and the progression of his artwork. The Magritte museum is housed in the lovely Altenloh Hotel, a restored neo-classical landmark which is part of the Museum of Modern art complex on Brussels’ Place Royale.

The Musical Instrument Museum started out as a place to display the musical instrument collection of two individuals: Françoise-Joseph Fétis and Raja Sourindro Mouhun Tagore. The collection was further expanded under the leadership of the museum’s first curator, Victor-Charles Mahillo, who headed up the museum in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Subsequent contributions to the museum expanded the collection. Today, over 1,500 instruments are on display. The collection includes musical instruments from many countries and from different time periods, with some pieces over 500 years old. The exhibits are spread over four floors. Visitors to the museum are provided with headphones to listen to individual samples of over 200 of the instruments exhibited. The museum was originally located adjacent to the Brussels Royal Conservatory, where its primary purpose was showing students early instruments as part of their curriculum. In 2000, the museum moved to its current location, a beautiful Art Nouveau-style building that housed the former Old England department store. The store name is still visible on the upper façade of the building. The interior of the building was significantly renovated when it became a museum. The top floor of the museum features a restaurant and tea room which affords sweeping views of Brussels and is particularly popular in summer.

The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, is one of the most famous museums in Belgium. It is situated in the capital Brussels in the downtown area on the Coudenberg. There are four museums connected with the Royal Museum, and two of them (the Museum of Ancient Art and the Museum of Modern Art, Brussels), are in the main building. The other two (the Museum Constantin Meunier and the Antoine Wiertz Museum) are dedicated to specific Belgian artists, are much smaller, and are located at different points in the city. The Royal Museum contains over 20,000 drawings, sculptures, and paintings, which date from the early 15th century to the present. The museum has an extensive collection of Flemish painting, among them paintings by Bruegel and Rogier van der Weyden, Robert Campin, Anthony van Dyck, and Jacob Jordaens. The museum is also proud of its "Rubens Room", which houses more than 20 paintings by the artist.

The Museum of the 18th Century exhibits the aristocratic and intellectual life at the time, including sedans, china, silver ware, clocks, scientific instruments and medals. The exhibited works are from the collections of the Royal Museum of Art and History and the Royal Library. The museum is housed in the Palace of Charles of Lorraine, the governor-general of the Austrian Netherlands from 1744 to1780. The building started out as an old townhouse for the Counts of Nassau, but was transformed into a neoclassical palace. The building features a neoclassical style façade. Notable features of the building include a rotunda with a central rosette made from 28 different types of Belgian marble and the ornamented façade which features works by the sculptor Lauren Delvaux. The marble came from the Prince’s personal collection of minerals. The Prince was very interested in science and his personal collection of mineral pieces numbered over 5,000. The palace has five halls, each decorated in stucco and silk. Each hall reflects a particular aspect of Charles de Lorraine’s life, including science, leisure, traveling, freemasonry and music. It is in these halls that guests were entertained and state affairs were handled.

The Printing Museum is housed in the Royal Library building and focuses on the technology and history of books, printing, book crafts, and office equipment. The museum started in 1975 and has the most significant collection of printing equipment in Europe. The museum owns over 400 presses dating from the 18th century through the 20th century. Particularly notable presses in the museum include a wooden 18th century typographical press, a metallic arm press, a Stanhope printing press, and unique presses from Elskamp, Curvers and Rops. The museum also presents a cylindrical press from 1916 that was used by German forces that were occupying Brussels during World War I. The museum also displays gilding and bookbinding samples as well as presses and furniture associated with copperplate engraving, offset printing, typography and screen printing (silkscreens and stencils). The office equipment portion of the museum displays typewriters, copy machines and calculation machines. As a historical note, the printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg in 1440. Gutenberg was born in Mainz, Germany. His creation of a press that included movable type remained the primary method of printing until the late 10th century.

The Museum of Costume and Lace is located near the Grand Place and focuses on the textile history of Belgium, specifically lace and fabric. The clothing and manufacturing industry is one of the reasons that Brussels and the surrounding area was so prosperous during the Middle Ages. If you love fashion, fabric, or lace, this museum will be a “must see” on your list. The museum has a mix of permanent and rotating exhibits. Some of the costumes in the museum date back to the 1800s. In addition there are accessories, lace samples and other related items. The museum is housed in two 18th century houses that had their interiors redesigned so the flow would work for a museum space. The collection covers three floors. The first and second floors display handmade costumes from many eras. The third floor shows fine delicate lace on display. Visitors to the museum will be provided a printed guidebook during their visit. English language booklets are available, though the film on fashion that is screened in the museum is only in French. The museum is open daily, except Wednesday and major holidays.

Situated in the basement of the historical Maison des Brasseurs (Brewer’s House), the Belgian Brewers Museum provides the visitor with an overview of the history of beer brewing in the country. The history of beer in Belgium dates back to the Middle Ages and the tradition of brewing has continued since that time. Today, over 400 varieties of beer are brewed annually in the country. The museum sits adjacent to the Town Hall in a baroque-style building adorned with bas-relief golden barley. Visitors to the museum will experience representations of three different brewing time periods during their visit. The first is an 18th century brewery from Hoegaarden, which includes brewing and fermentation tubs, boiling kettles and other typical materials from the time period. The second is a cozy café, where you get a feel for what a bar/café scene would have been like. From the antique porcelain, old beer tankards and old inn-keeping objects, the details create a sense of authenticity. The third portion of the tour is a representation of a modern state-of-the art brewery. Visitors will learn about different raw materials that go into making beer. The best part … beer samples are included at the end of the tour.

By now you have probably realized that chocolate is a national passion in Belgium. The 2,000 chocolate shops in the country certainly speak to that fact. The Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate is another example that the country is crazy for chocolate. The museum was founded in 1998 and is dedicated to all things chocolate. A guided tour is included with a visit to this museum and presents an overview of the history of chocolate in Latin America and Europe and how it is made in modern times. Special attention is given to the Belgian praline; a candy featuring a soft fondant center dipped in chocolate and produced in the shape of a shell. The tour includes a chocolate demonstration where you can watch a master chocolatier make the popular pralines. The museum includes two floors of exhibits and is permeated by the scent of melted chocolate. Particularly unique items in the museum include chocolate sculptures and chocolate-decorated fabrics. The museum director is Jo Draps. She is the granddaughter of Joseph Draps, the founder of Godiva chocolates. Tours are available in English and French. Visitors are encouraged to sample the chocolates being made by the demonstrating master chocolatier and by dipping cookies into a chocolate fountain.

The King’s House, also known as Maison du Roi, is designed in a Neo-Gothic style incorporating many decorative statues. The Dutch name for the building is “Broodhuis”, which translates to “bread house”. This gives a clue to the early origins of the building. In the beginning of the 13th century a wooden structure stood on this location and was used by bakers to sell their products. In the early 1400s a stone structure was constructed to replace the original wooden building. In the 1500s bakers favored selling their bread door-to-door and the need for a bread selling house slowly diminished. Instead of letting the building sit empty, it began to be used as a government administrative building. Over the next couple of hundred years the building declined to the point that it had to be rebuilt. In 1860 the city purchased the building and initiated a complete tear down/restoration. The neo-gothic architecture of the King’s House was inspired by the Oudenaard City town hall. Today the building houses the City Museum of Brussels. The museum portrays the history of the City and features pieces of Brussels’ heritage including original statues of the town hall, wall tapestries, earthenware, silverware, paintings and other artifacts that speak volumes about the past of the Belgian capital.