A Brussels street has been named one of the coolest streets in the world by Time Out magazine.
Rue de Flandre in central Brussels was praised by the magazine for its charm, indie boutiques and eye-catching street art.
To compile the ranking, Time Out asked its local contributors to nominate streets that epitomise the “very best of their city”. The magazine then ranked each street against criteria including food, drink, culture, fun and community spirit.
Number one on the list was Rua do Senado in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Orange Street in Osaka, Japan came in second, while Porto’s Rua do Bonjardim ranked third.
Rue de Flandre came in at a very respectable 11th in the ranking. Time Out said of the Dansaert street: “Just a short stroll from Grand Place with its touristy waffle shops, Rue de Flandre feels refreshingly real. It’s got all the charm – cobbled streets, crooked façades and centuries-old houses – but without the clichés.
“Once the main route into the city from Flanders, it bursts with eclecticism: you can buy a bonsai tree with tiny apples, visit a falconry museum, browse vintage pop culture at Stuff, pop into the baroque La Bellone cultural centre, fix your bike, or watch artists work behind shopfront windows.
“Add in indie boutiques, a photomaton built into a wall, cafés, splashes of street art and some of the city’s most popular eateries, and you’ve got a street that captures the spirit of Brussels: creative, joyful and a little rough around the edges.”
The magazine suggested visitors could enjoy a meal at Nightshop or Présalé, then grab a reasonably-priced beer at Au Laboureur. It also recommended indulging in some retail therapy at one of the street’s many independent shops – highlighting Stop by Pauline Carton for vintage fashion and the Saint Martin bookshop for rare artists editions.
Time Out has long been seen as an arbiter of cool, and the magazine has been well-disposed to Belgium in recent times. Earlier this year, it named Bourgerhout in Antwerp as one of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods.
