Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries
Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
One of Europe's earliest glass-roofed shopping arcades, completed in 1847, lined with chocolate boutiques, bookshops, and cafés.
Designed by architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaer, the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert opened in 1847 and is one of Europe's earliest covered shopping arcades, about 20 years older than Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. It consists of three sections, the King's Gallery, the Queen's Gallery, and the Prince's Gallery, for a total length of about 200 meters. The Italian Renaissance-style facade is topped by a cast-iron and glass roof, so you can stroll comfortably even in the rain. Inside are prestigious chocolate shops such as Neuhaus, which opened its first shop here in 1857 and is credited with inventing the praline, Belgium's filled chocolate. Also here are Mary, Pierre Marcolini, glove shops, old bookshops, a theater, a cinema, and elegant cafés. One end of the arcade is close to the Grand Place, and the other leads toward Brussels-Central Station. Nearby Rue des Bouchers is a famous restaurant street, but the seafood restaurants touting for customers tend to be pricey, so check the menu prices carefully before ordering.
Opening hours
Arcade open all day; shops about 10:00–19:00
Nearby sights
- Grand-Place
- Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula
- Manneken Pis
- Belgian Comic Strip Center
- Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium & Mont des Arts
- Sablon & Notre-Dame du Sablon
- Royal Palace of Brussels
- Parlamentarium & European Quarter