Horta Museum in Brussels Q?

First, yes you can buy tickets on the tram and the driver will even give change (within reason)...a single ticket is about 1.40 or 1.45 euro. You can also buy tickets at any metro stop and from some newspaper stores (although not all and they tend to sell only the multi-ride tickets).
Take the 92 tram if you can. The 81 tram may get you slightly closer, but that line always runs older trams which are slow, very jerky (you better be hanging on tight if they make any sudden stops) and usually quite crowded. The 92 trams are all new(ish), much more comfortable and smoother riding.
If you'd like to combine the museum visit with a walk through a nice residential section of town, take the 93 or 94 trams (note: the 93 line is always new trams; the 94 line is mixed) up to the Vleurgat stop on the Avenue Louise, walk up Vleurgat, turn right on rue Americaine and walk down rue Americaine about 10 minutes.
If you visit the Horta museum on Wednesday (assuming it's open that day), then head over to the afternoon outdoor market on the nearby Place Chatelaine.
Or you could stroll up the Chaussee de Waterloo to check out the shops and the many nice, moderately priced restaurants. En Face de Parachute, Lettre a Elise, La Poste, etc., one of them might take your fancy).
Horta's house is in a residential area, so you won't find a lot of tourist-oriented things in the immediate vicinity.

Thanks again, BT.

Can you tell me where I can catch Tram 92 from the Old Town area? Looking from my map, it actually doesn't look that far. How long do you think it'll take to walk to Horta from Grand Place?

I tried to go there on my last visit and never did find it, so I thought it was difficult to find. I was trying to go by the underground, though, so if the trams you are citing are above ground, they may get you closer. I got out at the Horta stop on the underground and foolishly thought it would be very close to that, and within the station or just outside would be maps on the wall or something with directions, like for many places. There weren't. I enjoyed walking around the neighborhood and seeing some of the architecture, but I never did find it. I stopped in a shop to ask directions, and they were very complicated and the shopkeeper told me it was pretty far away from there. That was pretty far away already from the Grand Place so I don't think you would want to walk it.

Ah, well, the Horta undeground tram stop isn't anywhere near the Horta museum. It commemorates Horta, though, and if you look up while you're in the station you will see many examples of Art Nouveau ironwork that were rescued from buildings around Brussels (demolished to make way for gray, boring buildings that replaced many of the city's former architectural jewels).
But to get to the museum (the entrance is on 25, rue Americaine), YK, it looks like you are closest to the de Brouckere metro stop. Take the metro to Parc and catch the 92, 93 or 94 tram. You could also walk up to the Sablon and catch any of these trams in front of the Sablon church.
IF you catch the 92:
Stay on the tram past the Ave. Louise metro stop, the Place Stephanie, etc. Sit (or stand) on the right hand side for more interesting views, including the large faux gargoyles sticking out of a building housing a popular drinking spot. At Place Stephanie, the tram will veer to the right up the Chaussee de Charleroi. Get off at the Ma Campagne stop (it's at the intersection with Chaussee de Waterloo and it's where the Chaussee de Charleroi becomes the Ave. Brugmann)). You can either walk a slight bit back down the Chaussee de Charleroi and turn right on rue Americaine OR walk a VERY slight bit up Chaussee de Waterloo and turn left down the rue Africaine--take that for two blocks where it intersects with rue Americaine. You have walked too far on the Chaussee de Waterloo if you pass a nifty looking apartment building created from a former school (it also has a Thai restaurant and furniture store). But if you need euros, just past the school is a small branch of ING with a MisterCash ATM. If you walk down the Chaussee de Charleroi, check out the windows of the Marc Swine jeweler on the corner with Waterloo. He's a jewelry designer with good stuff at reasonable prices.
IF you take the 93 or 94 trams, follow the directions I gave in a previous post. Stand or sit on the left hand of the tram; after you pass Place Stephanie, keep your eyes peeled--you will pass the Solvay building, a very fine example of Art Nouveau architecture recently restored and reopened to the public (groups with reservations only). The Vleurgat stop is also the stop for the Blue Tower highrise; a good landmark for knowing when to get off.

You can actually get off at the stop before Ma Campagne (on the 92 tram), but I don't recommend it. It's a major, 5-point (at least) intersection, the streets aren't particularly well signed and it's very easy to go the wrong way. Also, you tend to waste a lot of time waiting for traffic lights. Drivers in Brussels tend not to be particularly respectful of pedestrians...

BT- Thanks! I'll print this out and keep it handy for next week.

By the way, if you are planning to be in Brussels next week-end and want to do something way off the tourist map, go to the showrooms of the Horta auction house. They have the items set for sale at the January auction on display Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Lots of fun, a lively crowd, they also have a cafe there so you can enjoy a glass of wine while you peruse the goods. Free entry, of course, with a small fee for the catalog. Some excellent signed pieces of Art Nouveau furniture and glassware will be up for sale. Some nice pieces of jewelry too. Horta isn't a particularly famous auction house (it's well known only to Belgians) so you can find some surprisingly reasonable prices there on antiques and collectibles.

Go to www.horta.be for more info. If you want to see photos of the auction item go to:
http://www.horta.be/result.asp?lg=1&c1=on&c4=on&sale=76&photo=on&bk=2

click on each picture to enlarge it.

We've been to a few of these sale previews but have never bid on anything. Would like to one of these days, though.

Looks like the auction place is a bit out of the city center. Yes, that's the weekend I'll be in Brussels, but I think I'll skip it if it's not close by.

topping this old post, as DH & I are planning to visit the Horta Museum in ~ 2 weeks from now.

BTilke - if you see this, what I have in mind is visiting the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in the morning (the Breugel show), then take the tram to Musee Horta in the afternoon.

Will the stop at the Sablon the most convenient for us to catch the tram (#92?) if we're coming from the Fine ARts Museum?

Also, should we just stick with the Museum cafe (not the museum brasserie as it is too $$$) for lunch (this will be a Sat), or are there better places around the Sablon? I hope to keep our lunches under €20 per person and finish within an hour or so.

Thanks!

Yes, take the 92 tram and get off at Ma Campagne.

I've never eaten at the museum cafe, so have no idea what the food and service are like.
Around the Sablon, you could stop in the restaurant at the Flamant flagship store. (scroll down through this link for the menu)
http://www.flamant.com/mainwww/collecti/kitchen.asp
There is a Pain Quotidien on the Sablon as well. If you just want a snack for takeaway, Wittamer has some very tasty little items, nice gourmet sandwiches, although they sell out quickly. You can eat there too, but I never have.
Lots of people like Le Perroquet which is close to the Sablon (about a block away), but it has never floated our boat. And service can be slow. IMO, a much nicer place to eat and it's in your budget, is Cap Sablon. It's close to the Godiva chocolate shop at the "bottom" of the Sablon square. The menu is online, you can see if it offers things you'd like:
http://sites.resto.com/capsablon/

Another option is to catch a 92, 93, or 94 tram up to the Place Louise, get off there and have lunch in the food court in the Galerie Louise (go straight through the Inno department store and into the shopping arcade, you'll see the food court). I often eat at the Tuk Tuk (Thai food) stand; it's made to order, quite good for a low cost meal, and you can eat a quick sit down lunch for about 10 euros (you order at the counter, then find a table, they'll bring the food to you). Popular with Saturday shoppers. Worth considering if you find yourself running short of time but still want to sit down for a light meal.

Then pick up the 92 tram on the Place Louise for the Horta museum.

If you have time after your Horta visit, take a wander up the Chaussee de Waterloo and check out the restaurants; you might find something appealing for your dinner that night.

As always, my highest recommendation is for Le Fruit Defendu. One of my three favorite restaurants in all of Europe:
http://sites.resto.com/lefruitdefendu/

Watch the little video on their web site. Reservations essential.

By the way, if you catch the 92 tram to the Horta museum: sit (or stand) facing out the right side.

Just before the Ma Campagne stop, the tram passes a "Brico" store (a DIY store), that's your cue to get ready to get off the tram.

BTilke - Yet, thanks again for your help. Cap Sablon looks good, and I know you've mentioned Le Pain Quotidien a few times before. Perhaps we'll see what's available at the Museum cafe and then decide.

Last time I went to Musee Horta, the tram driver told me where to get off. I'm bringing a better map this time so that I can follow the route along.

We might go to a concert that evening (Mahler No.9). But if we deicided not to, I'll keep Le Fruit Defendu in mind. What's a ballpark cost for dinner there (without wine)? I checked the website but I didn't see any menu and/or prices.

YK, if you haven't already seen them on your last visit, you must pass by the "Wave" stained glass window and the AN house with the mailbox curving down into a boot-scraper (forgot the name of the architect-- you've probably photos online). Both were walking distance from Horta Museum if I remember correctly. Also, did you go to the Hotel Hannon?

you must pass by the "Wave" stained glass window and the AN house with the mailbox curving down into a boot-scraper (forgot the name of the architect-- you've probably photos online). Both were walking distance from Horta Museum if I remember correctly. Also, did you go to the Hotel Hannon?

Hmmm... MademoiselleFifi, I don't think I saw the "wave" that you described. I checked my trip report and the other mansions I went to were:

- Paul Hankar's house (rue Defacqz No.71)
- Two other houses designed by Hanker (Nos. 48, 50)
- rue Faider Nos. 83 & 85
- Hotel Tassel by Horta (rue Paul-Emile Janson No.6).
- Hotel Solvay by Horta(ave Louise No.224), also by Horta

None of those fit your description. I guess I had to do some more investigation.

Here's my photo of the "Wave" (La Vague) window at rue de l’Arbre Bénit n° 123: http://images18.fotki.com/v328/photos/8/852267/5655879/DSCF9434e-vi.jpg

It's easy to miss when not back-lit-- the window is on the ground floor but above eye-level and much darker than in pictures.

The "boot-scraper" house was one of the rue Faider ones you saw.

Hotel Hannon http://www.contretype.org/fr/01/frsethotel.html
is definitely worth a visit. And the Daniel Ost flower shop. http://images32.fotki.com/v1045/photos/8/852267/5655879/DSCF9618-vi.jpg

This is a good brochure: http://www.brusselsartnouveau.be/index.php?pos=folder&spos=telecharger

YK, a 3-course dinner costs about 50€ per person, excluding drinks. You can easily go without dessert or appetizer if you want to keep the costs down. Wine is reasonably priced, several wines by the glass are available and I think you can order wine by pichet as well (I just had a glass of champagne to start and then a glass of wine.) The service there is very warm and welcoming and Madame the hostess is a charming woman (her husband is the chef).

The menu changes every day; there is no printed menu, it's just on the blackboards that are taken to your table. Probably why they don't have a sample menu online. There is always a good variety--last time I was there, my starter was 3 kinds of asparagus (green, white, wild) with a poached egg sauce, my main course was a wonderful piece of sea bass with diced vegetables, and my dessert was a chocolate concoction. All delicious. The total, with wine, was about 60€.

One caveat: the wine is reasonably priced, but I thought the per glass price for DuVal champagne was a little steep (7€).

MademoiselleFifi - Thanks. We will try to make it to Hotel Hannon (looks fab) and the florist shop. The "La Vague" house is a bit further away, so I may have to save it for next time.

Now I see - the boot scraper house is No.83 rue Faider. I had taken photos of the window on the parlor level, but the letterbox/boot scraper had completely escaped my detection. AFterall, it was very cold when I last visited (Jan) and I had to cut the walk short.

I actually had bought the Art Nouveau walk map from the tourist office last time, but now it's gone missing! I think I lent it to my dad and he forgot to return it.

BTW, have you visited the Van Buuren Museum in Brussels?

BTilke - If we decide not to go to the concert, I think we can justify spending a bit more on dinner instead. We will be there on a Saturday... do you think it's possible to secure a reservation for early dinner if I call on the same day?

On a weekday, it would be ok as they would be open for lunch. Unfortunately, on Saturdays, they're closed for lunch so you wouldn't be able to reserve a table until close to their opening hours and by then I think it would be too late.

IMO, I suggest you make the reservation in advance (if you think you might like to dine there) and then if you decide to go to the concert, call them ASAP (you could leave a message on their machine), I'm (almost) sure the table will get picked up...every time I was there on a Saturday, I saw several people come in hoping for an open table, only to be turned away. So if you told them early in the evening, it's a near certain bet the table wouldn't go to waste.

Re the Van Buren museum, it's interesting, but I wasn't particularly wowed by their collection. Not as much to my taste as I'd expected. I did like their maze and it's smack in the middle of a residential area, so you see a bit of Brussels away from the main sights. It's a pleasant way to spend an open slot in your itinerary--however, peruse the What's On section in The Bulletin newsmag, you may find a temporary exhibition somewhere that's more interesting. Lots of good exhibitions, festivals, etc. come and go through Brussels that aren't well publicized.

BTilke - I see that Le Fruit Defendu is fairly close to Musee Horta. I think Le Fruit Defendu starts dinner service at 7:30pm, yet Musee Horta closes at 5:30pm. Are there any nearby cafes you would recommend for us to hang out for an hour? I expect we'll do some walking around the area to check out the other ARt Nouveau buildings, but probably won't be more than an hour.

Sorry for the delay in replying, I was out and about today.

If it were me, I'd make a dash back to my hotel to freshen up, but if you do want to relax in a cafe, you have lots of choices. Stroll "up" rue Americaine, you will pass several. Or cross over to the Place Chatelain area, plenty of cafes around there.
There is a nice Art Nouveau style cafe/restaurant along the rue Americaine about a block from the Place Chatelain, but I'm sorry, I don't know the name. Anyway, there are plenty of spots to try in the neighborhood, see whatever takes your fancy.
The Toucan brasserie is popular for drinking and dining. They usually have a few tables set aside inside for drinking and also outside, but if they are really booked solid for dinner, they may have them set up for meals. It's a very sociable spot.
Food not nearly as good as Le Fruit Defendu (which is only a block away), but if you decide you want something more casual, Toucan is perfectly ok. Or, On the opposite corner is Lettre a Elise, which specializes in grilled dishes.
http://www.toucanbrasserie.com/fr/index.html