63 Best Sights in Brussels, Belgium

There is no grander Town Hall in Belgium than Leuven's 15th-century folly. Built to dazzle, the profits from its cloth trade were sunk into letting everyone know just how wealthy its merchants were. Some 235 individually carved stone figures decorate the outside, cut into small alcoves and giving the building a strange texture from afar. These figures were added after 1850, and each tells a different folk tale, bible parable, or story of the city; you'll also find grotesques of local nobles and dignitaries. Its daily tour has been put on hold while an extensive renovation takes place until 2029.

Few realize "Stella," the pilsner of choice among European soccer fans, is even Belgian, but it traces its Leuven roots back to 1726. These days, it's part of the massive AB InBev company, which owns everything from Budweiser to Leffe. As you'd expect, the brewery is highly automated, making for an interesting gear change to the usual small brewers most beer tours frequent. Two-hour English-language tours and tastings for individuals are held on Saturday from 3 pm and 5 pm and on Sunday from 1 pm and 3 pm, with online booking in advance advised if you want to get a slot.

The Tour & Taxis complex on the riverfront is now home to a number of unusual days out. The Pixel Museum, the city's first-ever computer-game museum, charts the history of gaming from 1972 and is still the standout here, eliciting great waves of nostalgia among those who know their Atari from their ZX Spectrum. Some of its more unusual neighbors include WOM (World of Mind), an illusion-based museum; Bubble Planet, a mix of VR, illusions, and, yes, ball pits; and a kind of real-life Mario Kart, Battlekarts, which blends AR and karting.