Royal Palace of Brussels
Palais Royal de Bruxelles
Belgium's royal palace for official business, free to visit for a limited period in summer. The Mirror Room's ceiling is decorated with the wing cases of over a million jewel beetles.
Located on Royal Palace Square in the Upper Town, across the street from Brussels Park, the palace is where the king conducts official business and state functions. The royal family lives at Laeken Palace. The palace is normally closed to the public, but each year from shortly after National Day (July 21) until about the end of August, it opens for free visits. You can see the Throne Room, the Grand Gallery, and the Mirror Room ceiling, which features The Heaven of Delight, an installation by the artist Jan Fabre made from about 1.4 million Thai jewel beetle wing cases. A flag raised on the roof signals that the king is in the country. In other seasons, you can photograph the exterior, then visit Brussels Park across the street and the nearby BELvue Museum.
Opening hours
Summer about 10:30–16:45 (closed Mondays; check official notices)
Nearby sights
- Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium & Mont des Arts
- Sablon & Notre-Dame du Sablon
- Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula
- Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries
- Belgian Comic Strip Center
- Grand-Place
- Manneken Pis
- Parlamentarium & European Quarter