Shopping & galleries

Royal Galleries Saint-Hubert

Elegant 19th-century glass-roofed shopping arcade, one of Europe's oldest.

Open in Google Maps Get directions

What to see

Glass vault, chocolatiers, bookshops, cafés.

Why it matters

A pioneer of European shopping arcades and still a refined Brussels meeting place.

Traveller tip

Perfect rainy-day stop. Try a praline at a historic chocolatier.

Best time to visit

Rainy days, late afternoon

Cultural context

Inaugurated in 1847 by King Leopold I and designed by Jean-Pierre Cluysenaer, the Galeries Saint-Hubert were among the first covered shopping arcades in Europe — predating Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II by 30 years. Verlaine, Baudelaire and Apollinaire all walked beneath its glass vault.

Related places