Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée (Belgian Comic Strip Museum). A splendid Art Nouveau building houses the world's first comic-strip museum. Peruse over 400 original Tintin plates-created by Hergé, a Belgian-or 25,000 other cartoon works. Rue des Sables 20, tel. 02/219-1980. Admission: BF120. Open Tues.-Sun. 10-6. Metro: Rogier/Botanique; Trams 90, 92, and 93; Bus 38.

Grand'Place. This jewel box of a square is arguably Europe's most ornate. The soaring lines of the Gothic Town Hall dominate one side, in contrast with the elaborately decorated Baroque guild halls that surround it. There's a daily flower market, a bird market on Sunday morning, and frequent musical performances.

Grand Sablon. This elegant square is surrounded by restaurants, cafés, and exclusive antiques shops, some in intriguing alleys and arcades. Every Saturday and Sunday morning a lively antiques market takes over the upper part of the square. The Petit Sablon, the other half of the square, is surrounded by a magnificent wrought-iron fence topped by 48 small bronze statues representing the city's guilds.

Manneken Pis. This small bronze statue of a chubby boy peeing into a fountain is known as "Brussels' oldest citizen." The first mention of the statue comes from 1377, but the current version is a copy; the original was kidnapped by French soldiers in 1747. In restitution King Louis XV of France presented the statue with a gold-embroidered suit, the first of a collection of ceremonial costumes that now numbers over 500. Corner of Rue de l'Etuve and Rue du Chêne.

Musée d'Art Ancien (Museum of Ancient Art). Most visitors head straight for the Bruegel and Rubens rooms, but there are also works by Van Dyck, Bosch, and the great Flemish Primitives of the 15th century, and a fine collection of 19th-century works. Rue de la Régence 3. Admission free. Open Tues.-Sun. 10-noon and 1-5.

Musée d'Art Moderne (Museum of Modern Art). Housed in an exciting feat of modern architecture that burrows seven floors underground around a central light well, this collection holds mainly Belgian and French art of the past 100 years. Highlights include works by the Belgian surrealists Delvaux and Magritte. Place Royale 1. Admission free. Open Tues.-Sun. 10-1 and 2-5.

Musée Horta (Horta Museum). The house where Victor Horta (1861-1947), the creator of Art Nouveau, lived and worked until 1919, is the best place to see his joyful interiors and furniture.Rue Américaine 25, tel. 02/537-1692. Admission: BF100 (weekends BF200). Open Tues.-Sun. 2-5:30. To house: Tram 91 or 92 to Ma Campagne.

Place Royale. White and elegantly proportioned, this splendid neoclassical square is the centerpiece of the Upper Town.

Quartier de l'Ilôt Sacré. Pickpockets, flimflam artists, and jewelry vendors mingle happily with the crowds in the narrow Rue des Buchers and even narrower Petite Rue des Buchers. Still, except for the pickpockets, it's all good-natured fun in the liveliest area in Brussels, where restaurants and cafés stand cheek by jowl.