Cinquantenaire Park

Jubilee Park, known in French as Parc du Cinquantenaire and in Flemish as Jubelpark, is a spacious city park in the centre of Brussels. The architectural monument on its grounds was commissioned by King Leopold II to mark 50 years of Belgian independence, hence the French name which means “park of the 50th anniversary”. A remarkable archway dominates the landscape here, while extended wings stretch out in either direction. Apart from being visually striking, the building is home to three museums which are all worth a look.

The south wing contains two of these museums, of which one is Autoworld, a museum of automotive history. There are over 400 vehicles on display here dating as far back as 1886. The layout of the museum encourages visitors to walk around in a clockwise circuit, and leads you through a brief history of transportation from horse-drawn carts to the present day, ending with an inquisitive blank space to represent what the future may hold.

In the other half of the south wing you’ll find the Cinquantenaire Art Museum whose collection includes masterpieces from all over the world. The collection also includes a sensory museum of art aimed at blind visitors.

Over on the other side, in the north wing, you’ll find the Royal Military Museum. Amongst the items on display here are F-16 fighter planes and a number of relics from the 19th century. From this museum you’ll be able to climb to the top of the arch where you can enjoy great views over Brussels.

Don’t forget that there’s a whole park to explore here too. There are plenty of trees which make for great shady picnic spots on sunny days, and it’s a lovely place to have a walk and enjoy the environs.

Jubilee Park is in the European Quarter and can be reached by metro. For those who want to drive, there’s some on-street parking nearby but you’ll probably have to pay. The park is open daily and has no admission charge, although you’ll have to pay a fee to enter the museums.