# 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.

- Canonical URL: https://www.brusselsgrandplace.com/places/sightseeing/square-du-petit-sablon
- Category: Sightseeing
- Address: Rue de la Régence, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
- Coordinates: 50.840400, 4.356500

## Why we recommend it

We come here to sit for twenty minutes when the centre gets loud. Watching the fountain is the whole activity, and the benches around it are usually free even when the Grand Sablon across the road is full.

## About

The garden is neo-Renaissance, laid out in the 1890s, and small enough to cross
in two minutes. Around the railing stand **forty-eight bronze statuettes**, one
for each of the old Brussels trades, each holding the tool of its craft. They
are worth a slow circuit before you sit down.

At the top of the garden, the monument to the counts of **Egmont and Hoorn**
rises above a fountain that falls into a stone basin. Benches face it. Sitting
there and watching the water is the point of the place, and it is the quietest
thing to do within five minutes of the Sablon.

The lawns are edged with low box hedging and are **not for walking on**. A
warden patrols the garden and will tell you so, politely and in French, if you
try it. Stay on the gravel and the benches.

The church of **Notre-Dame du Sablon** stands directly across the Rue de la
Régence, and the antiques market on the Grand Sablon is a minute further on.

Entry is free and the garden opens every day of the year, but the closing time
moves with the season, and in winter it catches people out: in December the
gates shut before dark. Last entry is a quarter of an hour before closing.

| Season | Hours |
|---|---|
| 1 May to 31 August | 08:15 to 20:30 |
| 1 to 30 September | 08:15 to 19:30 |
| 1 October to 31 March | 09:30 to 16:45 |
| 1 to 30 April | 08:15 to 18:30 |

Hours are those published by
[gardens.brussels](https://gardens.brussels/fr/espaces-verts/square-du-petit-sablon)
and are worth checking there before a late visit.

## Distances

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

| From | Straight line | On foot |
|---|---|---|
| Grand-Place | 760 m | approx. 14 min |
| Place du Grand Sablon | 110 m | approx. 2 min |
| Our apartment | 500 m | approx. 10 min |
| Brussels Central | 590 m | approx. 11 min |
| Manneken-Pis | 690 m | approx. 13 min |

## Links

- [Petit Sablon on visit.brussels](https://visit.brussels/en/place/Square-du-Petit-Sablon)
- [Opening hours on gardens.brussels](https://gardens.brussels/fr/espaces-verts/square-du-petit-sablon)

## Map

- [OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=50.840400&mlon=4.356500#map=18/50.840400/4.356500)
- [Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=50.840400,4.356500)
- [Walking directions from the Grand-Place](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&origin=50.846700,4.352500&destination=50.840400,4.356500&travelmode=walking)

## Nearby

- [Mont des Arts](https://www.brusselsgrandplace.com/places/sightseeing/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.
- [Place du Grand Sablon](https://www.brusselsgrandplace.com/places/sightseeing/place-du-grand-sablon) — A sloping square of antique dealers, chocolatiers and cafés, with a weekend antiques market, ten minutes uphill from the apartment.
- [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.

---

Source: [Square du Petit Sablon](https://www.brusselsgrandplace.com/places/sightseeing/square-du-petit-sablon) 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: 2026-08-19.