In and Around Ixelles

The commune of Ixelles sprung up around the avenue Louise, which King Leopold II commissioned to connect the Bois de la Cambre woodland with the city center. Art Nouveau town houses and upscale boutiques border the avenue, while tree-lined residential streets lead down to the etangs d'Ixelles (Ixelles ponds), with their weeping willows, ducks and swans, and endlessly circling joggers. Farther south, streets bustling with grocers and Portuguese restaurants eventually give way to the more staid European quarter, which teems with besuited bureaucrats. Brussels' sizable French-speaking black population, hailing mostly from the Republic of Congo (the former Zaire), congregates in the area of Ixelles known as Matonge. Chaussée de Wavre is the principal street for African shops, bars, and restaurants.

For a self-guided walking tour of the area that takes in Art Nouveau and Art Deco houses, start at place Vanderkindere. From here, turn right and head down avenue Brugmann, past a remarkable assortment of Art Nouveau houses. Look particularly for Brunfaut's Hôtel Hannon, at the intersection of Brugmann and avenue de la Jonction, and the charming redbrick Les Hiboux next door. Cross chaussée de Waterloo and head up chaussée de Charleroi, then head right onto rue Américaine to the Musée Horta to see Art Nouveau at its source. Continue on rue Américaine, then turn left onto rue du Page, crossing place du Chatelain and turning left onto rue Simonis. Take a right onto rue du Bailli, then turn left onto rue du Livourne. Turn right onto rue Paul-Émile Janson, stopping at No. 6 to see the Tassel house, also designed by Victor Horta. At avenue Louise turn right, keeping your eye open for the Hôtel Solvay at No. 224, which is generally considered Horta's finest work. (As it's a private home, you can only admire the exterior.) Cross the street and walk down rue Lesbroussart toward place Flagey. Here you can see a 1930s radio building generally called Flagey—an Art Deco gem shaped like a ship.