There’s one good reason why I keep going back to shabby, squalid Brussels

Whenever I return to Brussels, tired and bleary-eyed on the early-morning Eurostar from London, I wonder why I spend so much time in this chaotic, bureaucratic city. For two decades, I’ve been coming here several times a year, and each time I’m shocked and saddened by the shabbiness and squalor that greets me when I emerge from Brussels Midi station.

Litter and graffiti, beggars and rough sleepers…The de facto capital of the EU could hardly make a worst first impression. There are far prettier places to spend a weekend. So why do I keep coming back?

Partly for the fine art – Brussels is the home of many of Europe’s greatest artists, from Breughel to Magritte, and one of Europe’s greatest galleries, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts.

Partly for the fine food, in its chic restaurants and cosy brasseries (I’ve never eaten better, in any other city), partly for the beer, of course (Belgians brew the world’s finest ales), but above all for the architecture – for amid its high-rise eyesores are some of the most beautiful buildings of the last century. And if you seek them out, you’ll see another side of this intriguing and maddening metropolis.

Really? Are you sure? Isn’t Brussels notorious for its brutalist monstrosities? Well, yes and no. It’s quite true that the Belgian capital is disfigured by some spectacularly awful tower blocks, but it’s also a hub for the loveliest building styles of modern times, Art Deco and Art Nouveau.

Of these two genres, Art Nouveau is better known. Brussels is littered with exquisite examples of this intricate style, above all the lavish villas of Victor Horta, the architect who pioneered this florid genre, which blossomed at the start of the 20th century, and was killed off by the First World War.

After the colossal cost and carnage of the war to end all wars, Brussels lacked either the money or the optimism to continue building in this exuberant and expensive style, and so Art Nouveau made way for Art Deco – a starker, more streamlined genre which flourished in Brussels between the wars.

Art Deco is less renowned than Art Nouveau, especially in Brussels. While tourists flock to the Horta Museum to marvel at its ornate interiors, the city’s Art Deco landmarks are often overlooked. Yet Art Deco was actually a lot more influential.

Art Nouveau bloomed brightly and briefly, the height of fashion for a decade yet rarely imitated thereafter. Art Deco, conversely, inspires leading architects and interior designers to this day. And now Brussels is aiming to put Art Deco back on the map, for 2025 is a year of Art Deco for Brussels, with many special events. To find out what’s in store, I went on an Art Deco trek around this fascinating, infuriating city, stopping off for a few beers and waffles along the way.

I started off at Villa Empain, an extravagant masterpiece of Art Deco in the smart embassy district (for a while, after the Second World War, it was the Soviet Embassy). It’s since been lovingly restored and is now a modern art museum.

It’s currently staging an illuminating exhibition, Echoes of Art Deco, which shows how this futuristic style shaped every avenue of the applied arts, from furnishing to advertising, from tableware to haute couture. Yet the best exhibit is the building itself, a glittering jewellery box of gold and marble, with a serene, seductive swimming pool outside.

My next stop was the Van Buuren House in the pleasant, prosperous suburb of Uccle. It was built for a wealthy Dutch couple, David and Alice van Buuren a century ago.

They kitted out the entire house with the finest Art Deco furniture, and lived here throughout their lives. David died in 1955, Alice in 1973, and straight after her death it was preserved as a museum. Consequently, coming here takes you right back to the 1920s. Debonair yet homely, it’s the sort of place you dream of living in.

Next morning, I dropped into Bozar, the city’s leading arts centre. Part gallery, part concert hall, it’s also a popular rendezvous. The café, restaurant and bookshop are always busy – it’s not just a place for exhibitions and recitals, it’s also a place to hang out. I’m sure this would have pleased the brilliant man who built it, Victor Horta (yes, him again), who, having put his stamp on Art Nouveau, then became a pioneer of Art Deco.

I ended up at Flagey, a lively music venue showcasing everything from orchestral to jazz. It’s housed in a striking brick building which was built as the headquarters of Belgium’s national broadcaster – hence, the acoustics are superb.

The fixtures and fittings are so stylish, like the interior of a classic ocean liner.

There’s something supremely soothing about the Art Deco aesthetic. At its best, there’s nothing spectacular about it. It’s simply a pleasure to be around. The surrounding area, Ixelles, is one of Brussels’ most attractive districts, full of sleek Art Deco villas and imposing Art Deco apartment blocks.

I concluded my architectural odyssey with an Art Deco pub crawl – purely in the interests of journalistic research, you understand. After a scrumptious Filet Américain at Le Variétés, Flagey’s suave in-house restaurant, I went next door for a beer at Café Belga, then took a tram back into town for a few more, at L’Archiduc and L’Espérance, two immaculate relics of Art Deco (L’Archiduc is a renowned jazz venue, L’Espérance is a friendly but basic hotel).

Back on my homebound Eurostar, I tried to work out what to make of Brussels. To my mind, it really is the best and worst of cities, perverse and paradoxical: shambolic yet sophisticated; charming yet austere. Hunting for its Art Deco treasures, you certainly see the better side of it, almost enough to forget its bleaker aspects (and there are quite few of those).

For me, the thing that makes it so alluring, in spite of all its faults, is that it’s so close to home yet entirely different. After so many visits, it’s still a thrill to step off the train and find myself in a place that feels so foreign. And isn’t that what travel should be all about?

The worst of Brussels

The Berlaymont building

Brexiteers often assume that Brussels must be crawling with EU bureaucrats. In fact, the anonymous offices of the EU Commission are some way out of town and barely impinge upon the city centre, but this bland assemblage of glass and steel would surely test the loyalties of even the most ardent Europhile.

Brussels Midi

The train connection with London is superb, and the station is functional (if uninspiring), but the surrounding area is seedy and rundown. Its drab, dismal thoroughfare, Avenue Stalingrad, is being redeveloped, which bodes well for the future, but for now the roadworks merely add to the aura of decay.

The best of Brussels

The Grand Place

It’s full of sightseers taking selfies, but the Grote Markt (as Flemish speakers call it) is still stunning – a flamboyant ensemble of baroque architecture.

Belgian Comic Strip Center

From Tintin to Lucky Luke nobody does comic strips quite like the Belgians. This sublime building, designed by Victor Horta, houses all the classics.

The Magritte Museum

The doyen of surrealist artists, Magritte, spent almost all his life in Brussels. This atmospheric gallery is a shrine to his melancholic, dream-like work.

William Cook was a guest of Visit Brussels. For more details of Brussels’ year of Art Deco, visit Urban Brussels. BRAFA, Brussels’ annual art fair, runs from January 26 to February 2, with a special focus on Art Deco.