Americans on the grand tour of Europe used to poke fun at Belgium’s capital with the refrain, “If it’s Tuesday, it must be Brussels.” Sigh. And they pawed over the counters of gorgeous Belgian lace (now produced in China) in the bourgeois shops and then headed for the Grand-Place, arguably Europe’s most dramatic public space, for a look-see. Otherwise, Brussels was disposable—a blip on the way to Paris and London.

Today, the big little town doubles as the capital of the 25-nation European Union—what Americans like to call the “United States of Europe.” Though provincial in attitude, Brussels is where thousands of Eurocrats, drawn from EU member countries, make decisions on everything from antitrust and trade to the coordination of e-commerce.

What they oversee and attempt to manage today is larger than ever, now that the EU has brought a slew of Eastern European and Baltic countries into its fold. Is it stretching things too far to call Brussels the “Washington, D.C. of Europe”?

“More than a thousand

American multinationals

have offices in Brussels.”

Not really. Like its American model, the Belgian version plays host to a ragtag parade of statesmen, bureaucrats, politicians, promoters, lobbyists, tycoons, and all manner of other people who like to be at or close to the seat of power. Mixed in with the wannabe crowd is a constant flow of American executives and managers who enter and exit Brussels, hoping in the process to find out what’s going on here in the new, occasionally mysterious Europe that’s flexing its muscles. 

Languages: More than a thousand American multinationals have offices or reps in Brussels, largely as listening and lobbying posts to track the new EU rules and regulations and developments at NATO (which has had its headquarters there since 1967). And it’s not always easy to understand what’s being said. Apart from the EU government’s legalese, often as unintelligible as the fine print in an insurance policy, the city is now a babble of languages, from German and Spanish to Czech and Polish, spoken by the civil servants who fill departmental offices. But don’t feel like a Berlitz dropout: English is widely spoken and understood.

Euromoney: The language anyone can understand is money, which disappears fast in Brussels.  Traditionally an expensive town because of its well-heeled upper class (including royalty), the city is even more so, now that the dollar has fallen off a cliff and the euro stands tall at a painful 30 percent premium. Take a tranquilizer before paying hotel and restaurant bills.   

Comeuppance

But the power trip of bossing other Europeans has its vocal critics armed with stinging, sometimes hilarious barbs.

Eurocrats: Recently, the lively tabloid press in Britain, a nation that takes a dubious view of Brussels as the center of anything, let go with a salvo condemning the European Commission’s ban on Brazil nuts, a favorite seasonal food among Brits. “Only nuts in shells with dangerously high toxin levels are prohibited,” a nervous press officer retorted.

As if that weren’t silly enough, opponents of the Brussels eurocracy have picked on other real or planned power plays—among them, insisting that Europeans sing a new euro-hymn that includes a pledge of allegiance to a Stalinist-sounding “motherland” and banning homemade cakes from church functions. And there have been rumors that the powers-that-be want to change the names of London’s Trafalgar Square and Waterloo Station because they’re an insult to the French (who lost in the Battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo, now a tourist site in suburban Brussels).  

An ex-Financial Times employee, now a press officer in Brussels—Michael Mann—has already compiled “Get Your Facts Straight” for posting on the Commission’s Web site (http://europa.eu.int/comm/press_room/index_en.htm) as a riposte to the British badgering.

One fact is undeniable: Brussels is a largely French-speaking island in Dutch/Flemish-speaking Flanders, a situation that hasn’t made local politics easy.   

Getting There

If you were away on a very long trip—say, a few years—you might not have noticed that Sabena, once Belgium’s flagship carrier, has disappeared into the maw of bankruptcy. More or less in its place, now a discount airline flying from Brussels to some 25 European cities at discounts of up to 40 percent, is the SN Brussels Airline.

Trans-Atlantic: From the United States you can get to Brussels easily on a variety of nonstops, most of them daily. Here’s the list: American from Chicago (O’Hare) and New York (JFK), code-shared with SN Brussels; Continental from New York (Newark); Delta from Atlanta and New York (JFK), United from Washington, D.C. (Dulles).

Eurostar: From London, you can take the Eurostar “bullet train” through the Chunnel (under the English Channel) to Brussels (3 l/4 hours); from Paris, the sleek Thalys train (1 1/2 hours). Both trains arrive at the main Gare du Midi (South Station). The other two rail stations are the efficient, well-equipped Gare du Nord and the Gare Centrale, only steps from the Grand-Place, where trains connect with the airport.

Airport to City

Since the EU’s acceptance by the British and other doubters, the city has spruced up Brussels International Airport—also known as Zaventem—in keeping with the ebb and flow of diplomats, dignitaries, and corporate chieftains either stationed in town or on a quick visit. The high-tech terminal has white décor (including floors) and signs in English, French and Flemish. The Arrival Hall provides just about everything you may need, from cafes and ATMs to a beauty shop and a business center.

Rental cars: If you’re renting a car, do it before leaving the United States—it’s cheaper that way. And be sure you need a car: Belgium is a tiny country with companies and secondary cities a short hop away and accessible by train or bus. If you do want to shop for the best rental rate in the airport, you’ve got eight counters to visit: Alamo, Avis, Auto Europe, Budget, EuroDollar, Europe by Car, Hertz and Kemwell.

Taxi vs. Train: The tariff for the 8-mile, 15-minute (longer at rush hours) ride into town costs E27 (about $40 with tip). A better bet, unless you have an appointment at an out-of-the-way address, is to go downstairs and take the 17-minute shuttle train; it runs every 20 minutes and drops you off at Central Station near most hotels and business addresses. Buy the E2.6 ticket before boarding to avoid a surcharge.

Discount Airport: If you’re on a swing around Europe—and saving euros by flying on discount airlines—you may arrive and depart at Charleroi Airport south of Brussels. One of its biggest users, when it’s not in legal battles with critics, is Ryanair, Europe’s best-known and largest discount carrier. Though Air Polonia, a 2004 startup with Brussels-Warsaw service, has just gone bankrupt, that’s not stopping Europe’s discount air-travel craze. Wizz Air is taking up the slack from Polonia. And former Sabena employees have launched Beap (Belgian Employees Aviation Promotion) with routes to West African cities.

What’s Where

Though spread out (thanks to the 1958 World’s Fair), Brussels has a compact center, distinctly separated into an Upper Town and Lower Town that literally reflects the city’s two-tier topography.

An “inner ring” road encircles the upper city where you find most EU and corporate offices and many hotels and top shops (along Avenue Louise), along with major museums. You’re likely to have most of your appointments in this central business district.

Down the hill is the Grand-Place, a magnet for satellite hotels, cabarets and shops. In the lanes radiating from the square are bistros that serve Brussels’s famed mussels and fries, pubs dispensing Belgium’s myriad brands of beer and art shops selling prints, antiques and memorabilia. The main stem of the lower city is the rather glitzy Boulevard Anspach.

Where to Stay

Between EU visitors fall through spring and tourists in the summer, Brussels hotels tend to be full.  Room prices (below) are the lowest rack rate available in euros and do not include corporate discounts.

Uptown Hotels: Business travelers with EU appointments hang out at the Crowne Plaza Europa (E285), near the Parliament and Common Market headquarters. The venerable and popular Hilton (E155), on the Ring Road, has a perfect location between company and banking offices and the more touristy lower city. On the upscale Avenue Louise, which runs off the Ring Road, are the posh Conrad International (E555) and Hyatt Regency Barsey (E340). At the north end of the ring road, near the World Trade Center and Gare du Nord, is the Sheraton (E295, 50 percent more for a Towers suite).

Downtown Hotels: In the lower city near the Grand-Place, the historic Amigo (E450) features old stone floors, decorative rugs and furnishings, and eclectic but telecom-equipped guestrooms—altogether a favorite of executives who want something different. Nearby is the handsome, atrium-style Radisson SAS (E134) and the first-class Marriott (E99). The Metropole (E275) in the old city center is an authentically art nouveau showcase.

Getting Around

Bilingual street signs and outdoor ads carry on the polite rivalry between Belgium’s French and Flemish citizens. Note that Brussels is Bruxelles in French and Brussel in Dutch; similarly, Antwerp becomes Anvers and Antwerpen, Ghent is Gand and Gent, and Bruges comes out as Bruges and Brugge. 

Taxis: You can hail Brussels taxis in the street or find them at taxi stands near Metro Schuman and the Grand-Place. But they’re not cheap—at US$4 on the meter drop and about $2 per kilometer. Some drivers don’t speak English, so have your address written down. Tip a small amount, rounding out the fare to the nearest euro.

Metro: The city’s modest subway system is cheap, quick and generally crime-free with three lines designated by the names of the final destinations at each end. Obviously check a map to be sure a line goes where you’re going. Buy a single ticket (trajet) at a machine or kiosk with 10 trips (dix voyages) loaded on it. Service slows up after 8 p.m.

Business Etiquette
Don’t just “drop in” on EU or Belgian contacts. Fax or e-mail a formal letter well in advance to arrange an appointment. Eurocrats like to look busy—with full appointment calendars.

Adding to the stuffiness is the banker contingent—the city is a major European financial center with some 60 foreign branch banks. But Belgians have a jolly side to them. And just because a corporate vice president you meet has a title such as “Baron,” not uncommon among upper-echelon executives, doesn’t mean he can’t loosen up and talk casually. (By the way, you’d address him as “Monsieur le Baron.”)

Business Entertaining

Talking with EU officials over lunch or dinner can be a pleasant break from the formalities of Belgian business, particularly with so many Brussels restaurants (21) awarded one to three stars in the Guide Michelin and known for their French cooking and German portions. Reservations are a must. Expect the bill to include a service charge, but you still should tip 5 percent to 10 percent.

There’s a lot of schmoozing over drinks and food in the restaurants of the top-of-the-line hotels—for instance, the new Le Verlaine at the Amigo, which serves Provencal specialties, or the Café d’Egmont at the Hilton, ideal for working breakfasts and brunches. The Radisson SAS, a stylish hotel, has an outstanding Sea Grill featuring, as its name suggests, fine fish dishes.

Several Brussels restaurants are world-class—the kind that foodies visit, review and gush over (or pick over if they don’t live up to their reputations). Two of the best are Comme Chez Soi, a cozy gem at Place Rouppe with classic sole, lamb and lobster dishes, and the Villa Lorraine, a rustic villa indeed with a lovely garden in a suburban setting away from Brussels’s bustle. 

There’s a whole string of candidates for a business lunch in this big-eating town. Among the recommendations: the Balthazar (63 Rue Archimede), Chez Marius en Provence (1 Place du Petit Sablon), Lola (33 Place du Petit Sablon), and Restaurant da Fanfani (Rue Stevin 128).

When it’s time for drink orders to lubricate a lunch or dinner, try sampling one of the dozens of fine Belgian beers done in an amazing variety of flavors and styles. In the evening, hook up with a colleague or a contact and make the rounds of the bars at Place St. Gery. Many stay open until 2 a.m. or beyond. Fill up at the Cobra or Zebra—for starters.     

Side Trips

If you have business outside Brussels—or simply want a weekend break—most destinations such as Antwerp (29 miles), Ghent (35), and Liege (61) are about an hour’s drive or train ride away. If you want to sightsee, stay through a weekend when hotel rates are 50 percent off. 

Bruges (60 miles from Brussels and 30 minutes beyond Ghent) lives up to its label: “The Venice of the North.” It has a nest of lovely canals and merchant houses dominated by a beautifully preserved medieval and Renaissance square.   

FYI: Brussels population: about 1 million. Entry requirement: U.S. passport. Advice in United States: Belgium Embassy, Washington, 202-333-6900, Belgian Consulates, 212-586-5110, NYC, 323-857-1244, L.A. Phoning from United States: 011-32-2 (int’l call, country, city). Currency: $1.35=E1.  Brussels phone numbers: U.S. Embassy, 508-2111; U.S. Mission to the European Union, 508-2222/2774; American Chamber of Commerce, 513-6770; American Express, 676-2111. Hours: business, 8/8:30-6; banks, 9-1, 2:30-3:30; government, 8-5/5:30. Weather: Pack a collapsible umbrella to cope with Brussels’s endlessly rainy days.