Live like a local: Brussels

Saturday morning

Wander through the southern suburb of Chatelain, dotted with trendy boutiques and teashops. Stop for lunch at the Winery on Place Brugmann or pick up cheese and bread in one of the many independent food stores on Rue Vanderkindere and head for Tenbosch Park, behind the grand Art Nouveau buildings of this residential area. Saturday afternoon After lunch walk to Avenue Louise for some shopping – don't miss Dille & Kamille for reasonably-priced gift ideas.

Saturday evening

Book dinner at Belga Queen, a restaurant housed in the cavernous surroundings of an old bank in central Brussels. For post-dinner drinks, head to l'Archiduc, a Brussels institution which regularly hosts jazz. Finish off the evening with a late cocktail in the Lord Byron.

Sunday

Head to St Gilles for the morning food market, and stop for brunch at Maison du Peuple or Chez Franz in Ixelles. Take the tram to Sablon, Brussels' old antiques area and wander through the art galleries. Finish the day sipping a Belgian beer in one of the bars that line the Grand Place and watch the sun go down on the goldfacades of one of Europe's oldest squares.

Suzanne Lynch is European Correspondent and has lived in Brussels for three years

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