Brussels, built along a pretty pentagon of boulevards called the Petit Ring, doubles as the capital of Belgium as well as that of the European Union. More often then not Brussels is dismissed as the staid business capital of Europe, but one visit to the city and you will see how wrong that perception is. A stately yet modest city, Brussels represents the quintessential 21^st century European collusion of modernity and history.

Packed with lively squares and steely skyscrapers, breathtaking cathedrals in the old Town as well as bustling nightclubs, Brussels should enrapture you in no time at all. With a colorful history behind it, this bilingual city is today considered the heart of the European Union and a resounding symbol of continental unity and crumbling barriers.