Brussels, BelgiumBelgium's most iconic structure — a 102m model of an iron crystal built for the 1958 World Expo with nine spheres connected by tubes you can walk through. The top sphere has panoramic views and a rotating restaurant; the interior has surprisingly good exhibitions on Modernist design and the Space Age.
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One of the most beautiful public squares in the world — a UNESCO World Heritage site of Gothic guild houses, the 15th-century Town Hall, and the Breadhouse, all in gold-tipped Baroque splendor. Victor Hugo called it the most beautiful square in Europe; for once, the superlative seems understated. Free to enter; magical at night.
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Belgium's national art collection — six interconnected museums spanning Old Masters (Bruegel, Rubens, van Dyck) through Magritte's Surrealist dreamscapes to contemporary Belgian art. The Magritte Museum alone justifies the visit; the Old Masters collection is one of the finest in Europe.