Sablon & Notre-Dame du Sablon
Place du Grand Sablon
An upscale quarter of the Upper Town, home to a Flamboyant Gothic church, weekend antique markets, and famous Belgian chocolate shops such as Wittamer and Marcolini.
The Sablon district sits on a slope between the Grand Place and the Royal Palace. Notre-Dame du Sablon is a masterpiece of Flamboyant Gothic architecture, and when the interior lights come on in the evening, its stained-glass windows are especially dazzling. Around the Grand Sablon square are antique shops, galleries, and famous Belgian chocolate shops, including Pierre Marcolini, Wittamer, and Neuhaus, which are good places to buy souvenirs. Antique markets are held on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Across from the church, in the Petit Sablon park, stand 48 bronze statues representing medieval guilds. A few minutes' walk south leads to the viewing terrace in front of the Palace of Justice, which overlooks the Lower Town.
Opening hours
Open all day; antiques market Saturdays 09:00–18:00, Sundays 09:00–14:00
Nearby sights
- Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium & Mont des Arts
- Royal Palace of Brussels
- Grand-Place
- Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries
- Manneken Pis
- Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula
- Belgian Comic Strip Center
- Horta Museum