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Most people who visit Brussels for the first time stay near the Grand-Place. It is the obvious choice, the historic centre, the main sights within walking distance, the concentration of hotels at every price point. It is also a perfectly reasonable choice. But it is not the only one, and for some trips it is not the best one.

There is a side to Brussels in July that most visitors never get to see. It’s not the Grand-Place or the tourist trails, but the city that belongs to those who live there: the parks in the morning, the Wednesday market at Châtelain, the open-air cinema within the walls of an abbey. This side of the city is more accessible from Ixelles than from anywhere else.

Brussels has a habit of doing things exceptionally well without drawing attention to itself. It has more Michelin-starred restaurants per capita than Paris.

Most visitors to Brussels stay in the centre and move outward from there. The Louise quarter works the other way around.