Travel Belgium About Brussels Upper Town Palais Royal
Late July to early Sept Tues-Sun 10.30am-4.30pm; free. Métro: Trône .
Just to the north of the Musées Royaux des Beaux Arts, around the corner from place Royal, is the long and architecturally repetitive Palais Royal , a sombre conversion of some late eighteenth-century town houses begun by King William I, the Dutch royal who ruled both Belgium and the Netherlands from 1815 to 1830. The Belgian rebellion of 1830 polished off the joint kingdom and since then the kings of independent Belgium haven't spent much money on the palace. Indeed, although it remains their official residence, the royals have lived elsewhere for decades and it's hardly surprising, therefore, that the
palace interior is formal and unwelcoming. It consists of little more than a predictable sequence of opulent rooms - all gilt trimmings, parquet floors, and endless royal portraits, though the tapestries designed by Goya and the magnificent chandeliers of the Throne Room make a visit (just about) worthwhile.
