On Friday we are heading to Brussels on EUROSTAR from St Pancras for a weekend to take in Design September (pictured above) by the invitation of Visit Flanders for our next HIP TRIPS series.

Creative, functional and aesthetic: design, initially an industrial art, is a whole combination of very appealing qualities.

Fifty or so events are organised around this discipline, which is applied to the most diverse sectors: from furniture to decorative objects, from graphic art and design to architecture, from consumer product packaging to fabric prints.

We are staying in the beautiful Hotel Sofitel Brussels which is located close to the Eurostar station and is filled with stylish modern design - quite befitting our reason for visiting.

Fully refurbished in 2008, the Sofitel Brussels Le Louise is located in the exclusive Avenue Louise area. Shoppers will find a selection of luxury boutiques just moments away. The Sablon area and its numerous antique dealers is also nearby, leading on to the famous Grand Place. Our rooms and suites offer contemporary luxury and our Crystal Lounge offers an unforgettable experience in a magnificent setting.

VISIT FLANDERS TOP 5 THINGS TO DO

1. The Magritte museum, dedicated to Belgium’s famous surrealist painter, which opened in June 2009, is a definite must-see when in Brussels.      

2. Get your chocolate fix in one of the many chocolate shops on the Grand Sablon. Pierre Marcolini, Wittamer, Neuhaus… are all vying for your taste buds.

3. Leave modern society behind and step into the world of family-owned brewery Cantillion, where the brewing process has not changed since its foundation in 1900.      

4. Discover Brussels through the eyes of TinTin on one of the comic strip theme walks.

5. Rue Dansaert is the epicenter of the Brussels fashion district, with lots of designer shops, galleries and trendy restaurants. Have a drink in one of the most atmospheric bars in Brussels, L’Archiduc.

LONELY PLANET’S TOP 5

1. Kick Back
 - The Grand Place on a summer’s evening
2. Jewel in the Crown
- The capital’s Art Nouveau gems
3. Art History - 
Old masters and surrealists at the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Art
4. Popping Beers - 
Strange brews at the Musée Bruxellois de la Gueuze
5. Bizarre Booty
Koninklijk Museum voor Midden-Afrika

We are leaving our schedule quite open as we’ll be trying to fit in a selection of the Design September events. However we are on the look out for great little shops, interesting bars, stylish restaurants and any tips we can gather. So a recent Hip Trips tweet asking for info resulted in a response from Mygola who kindly posted our tweet on their website. Less than 24 hours later we received a response from Anupama Mukhia with some great tips…

Brussels is a wonderful place to eat where restaurants serve a lively mix of refined cuisine, hearty favorites, and food from all over the globe. The city’s restaurants rival the best Parisian restaurants which also means that eating in Brussels can prove to be expensive.  At the same time, it boasts of its quality and value of its smaller, neighborhood restaurants. From tapas bars to African buffets, Brussels has it all.

Recommend restaurants:

Moules at La Tortue in Brussels (Source: Jessica Spengler)

In’t Spinnekopke
Address: Place du Jardin aux Fleurs, Brussels 1000, Belgium
In ‘t Spinnekopke is another restaurant that serves traditional Flemish-Belgian cuisine. It is located 10mins away from the Grand Place. This restaurant has an extensive beer list to choose from, the reason being the owner Juan Rodriguez is also the author of a few books on cuisine à la bière (beer cuisine), and practices his art here six days a week. Try their Flemish rabbit dish, it’s said to be one of the best.

Cantillon Gueuze (Source: Bernt Rostad)