Belgium’s obsession with chocolate is not imaginary; the country produces over 170,000 tonnes of the stuff every year. And although other cities such as Barcelona and Zurich can also lay title to ‘chocolate capital of Europe’, chocolate shops form a strong part of the urban scenery in central Brussels. Here are a few of the best places to get your hit:

Arguably, Brussels’ most celebrated virtue (besides moules frites, beer and chocolate) is Tintin, the intrepid cartoon character created by the Georges Prosper Remi, better known as Hergé. Whilst Tintin and his dog Snowy’s appeal is universal and enduring (Spielberg is currently making a trilogy of his adventures in 3D), there are plenty of other Belgium cartoonists whose work will be familiar to you; Jijé, Morris (who invented the lovable cowboy Lucky Luke), Frank Pé of Brousaille fame, the smurfs creator Peyo and many more besides have made Belgium synonymous with the ‘clean line’ style of comic strip art. There are many places in the centre of Brussels that pay homage to these early auteurs of animation, from Museums to bookshops to street art. Here are few suggestions:

The Grand Place in Brussels is one of the world’s largest and most spectacular squares and is lined with wonderful period buildings. The city centre area also has plenty of Brussels holiday apartments. In 1971, the first Flower Carpet was created within the Grand Place by E. Stautemans, a landscape architect. A graduate of Ghent Horticultural College, Stautemans often experimented with making carpets and rugs out of flowers and he had a particular fondness for begonias. Following years of practice, Stautemans was an expert in the creation of wonderful flower carpets which had sophisticated patterns and amazing floral colours. Size became an issue which is why Stautemans decided to create the most fantastic flower carpet in Brussels, surrounded by much of Brussels’ ancient architecture in Grand Place. Each year, the flower carpet covers over three hundred square metres and involves the use of over eight hundred thousand begonias. Within the carpet design are several fountains that spout water onto the blooms to keep them fresh in the hot August sun for four days. Once the carpet is finished, the result is almost beyond what the eye can take in. The multicoloured flower carpet creates a truly incredible centrepiece in the Grand Place ...