# Mont des Arts

> A formal garden and free viewpoint over central Brussels, at the top of Place de l'Albertine, straight up the road from the apartment.

- Canonical URL: https://www.brusselsgrandplace.com/places/sightseeing/mont-des-arts
- Category: Sightseeing
- Address: Mont des Arts, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
- Coordinates: 50.844400, 4.356600

## Why we recommend it

You can see the foot of it from our balcony. Rue Saint-Jean runs straight into the Albertine, so the walk is about five minutes on the flat before the climb starts, and it is how we go to the museums and back.

## About

Rue Saint-Jean runs into **Place de l'Albertine**, and the Mont des Arts
begins on the other side of it. The bottom of the climb is visible from the
apartment balcony, and from the front door it is about five minutes on the
flat before the steps start.

The Mont des Arts is the staircase between two versions of Brussels. Below it
is the lower town, the Grand-Place and the shopping streets; above it, the
Place Royale, the fine arts museums and the road out to the Sablon. The garden
in between was laid out for the 1958 World's Fair, and it is still the most
efficient way to climb the hill.

The view is the reason to stop. From the top terrace you look straight down the
formal beds and over the rooftops, with the spire of the Hôtel de Ville rising
out of the lower town. It costs nothing and there is no queue.

Around the garden sit the Royal Library, the national archives and the entrance
to the museum quarter, so it is easy to combine with an afternoon indoors. The
small carillon tower at the top plays on the hour.

Going up is a climb. There are lifts, and a gentler route round the side from
the Albertine if the steps are not appealing.

## Distances

Straight-line distances computed from coordinates. Walking times are estimates, not measured routes.

| From | Straight line | On foot |
|---|---|---|
| Grand-Place | 390 m | approx. 7 min |
| Brussels Central | 150 m | approx. 3 min |
| Our apartment | 200 m | approx. 5 min |
| Place du Grand Sablon | 350 m | approx. 7 min |
| Manneken-Pis | 470 m | approx. 9 min |

## Links

- [Mont des Arts on visit.brussels](https://visit.brussels/en/place/Mont-des-Arts)

## Map

- [OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=50.844400&mlon=4.356600#map=18/50.844400/4.356600)
- [Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=50.844400,4.356600)
- [Walking directions from the Grand-Place](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&origin=50.846700,4.352500&destination=50.844400,4.356600&travelmode=walking)

## Nearby

- [Square du Petit Sablon](https://www.brusselsgrandplace.com/places/sightseeing/square-du-petit-sablon) — A small formal garden opposite the Sablon church, ringed by forty-eight guild statuettes, with a fountain and box parterres to sit beside.
- [Manneken-Pis](https://www.brusselsgrandplace.com/places/sightseeing/manneken-pis) — The small bronze fountain figure that has become the symbol of Brussels, a few minutes' walk from the Grand-Place.
- [Grand-Place](https://www.brusselsgrandplace.com/places/sightseeing/grand-place) — The UNESCO-listed market square at the centre of Brussels, three minutes on foot from the apartment.

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Source: [Mont des Arts](https://www.brusselsgrandplace.com/places/sightseeing/mont-des-arts) on [Brussels Grand Place](https://www.brusselsgrandplace.com/), the Grand-Place in Brussels building by building, written by people who live 200 m from the square.
Last updated: 2026-09-15.