Ixelles and Saint-Gilles

Lying just south of the city center, Ixelles includes the city's most upmarket shopping district and the vibrant beat of Brussels's African quarter, the Matonge. A favored haunt of artists and writers, it's now home to the bourgeois and bohemian alike. Its Art Nouveau homes give the area a lot of the charm that the city center has lost through overdevelopment. To get here, take Metro Line 2 to Porte de Namur or Louise. If you're driving, take the Louise exit from the Ring Road.