Have you met Magritte?

Immerse yourself in another culture and discover more about the places you visit. Did you know that the Belgian Artist Magritte was born 110 years ago? Did you know that Gustave Eiffel who designed the Eiffel tower also invented suspenders?

We’ve found interesting places and exhibitions so you can discover a different side to the cities you visit. Be it the latest exhibition, a crazy one-off event, or the most talked about new opera, you won’t miss out on the best events.

If you’ve just visited either Lille, Brussels or Paris let us know what you discovered on little break? What do you know that no one else does? Sarah

Nuit des Musées in Lille

Lille
Art & Culture
March 10th, 2010

Museums in Lille open for free for one spring night, offering a chance to see the city’s finest collections from dusk until 1am. The Nuits des Musées initiative opens up museums across France to a background of debate and workshops. Over 2,500 museums of art, ethnography,... [Read more]

Randonnée Paris du Printemps walks

Paris
Art & Culture
March 1st, 2010

Hikers of all ages come out for the annual Randonnée Paris du Printemps walks. Setting out from the Gymnase Henry de Montherlant, walkers opt to complete one of two circuits of varying lengths, each taking in the beautiful Bois de Boulogne. A 10km hike takes in the Bois’ waterfalls... [Read more]

Truc Troc at the Bozar Centre

Brussels
Art & Culture
December 19th, 2009

While it may seem like we plug many events at the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts on this site, this is mainly because of the sheer frequency of innovative events which are on offer there. Truc Troc is just the latest in a long line and no doubt more will come up in the future. The first... [Read more]

Belgian Cinema Fete

Brussels
Art & Culture
December 5th, 2009

Belgian cinema is often derided. This is clearly unfair. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne have won the Palme D’or at the Cannes film festival twice and In Bruges was a terrific film. Perhaps because of this general derision towards Belgian cinema, the Belgians themselves tend to have... [Read more]

Meet a Legend in Lille

Lille
Art & Culture
December 1st, 2009

If you ask any person in the UK who is the biggest British politician of the 20th century, people are likely to mention Winston Churchill first. Ask the same question about France and the name of Charles de Gaulle will inevitably come up. British people might be quite defiant about... [Read more]

An Evening at a Brussels Museum

Brussels
Art & Culture
November 26th, 2009

Autumn brings with it moody dark evenings, quieter streets, and woolly hats. But in Brussels it also brings with it a cultural extravaganza. This is because, every Thursday night up to and including the 17th of December, one can enjoy An Evening at a Brussels Museum. Make no mistake:... [Read more]

The Paris Boat Show

Paris
Art & Culture
November 25th, 2009

Attending any boat show is partly an aspirational thing. The reality is, that many of the super-yachts on display are beyond the means of any visitor to the boat show. But they give boats shows an element of grandeur. They also give the organisers an element of risk. I have never been as terrified, as when, age 7, I started the engine on one of the boats at the London Boat Show which wasn’t in the water and almost burnt out the engine. The way I was shouted at by the employees should have been... [Read more]

Sexties at the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts

Brussels
Art & Culture
November 23rd, 2009

Sexties really is a criminal name for an exhibition. Not only is it an awful pun, it’s just not punny (I’ll get my coat…) Nonetheless, it probably is quite a good name: for the exhibition currently on at the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts (continuing until the 3rd of January 2010)... [Read more]

The Salon Page Book Fair

Paris
Art & Culture
November 21st, 2009

Books are brilliant. In a world of war and poverty, this is one of the few things which is almost universally agreed upon. Arguably, French books are even better: Zola and Camus, are just two of the pantheon of great French writers. Thus, the Salon Page Book Fair – taking place... [Read more]