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Welcome to Brussels !
The capital of the European Union has the pleasure of welcoming you to the 2026 IMA World Congress.
Inspiration for all things Brussels can be found on the website of Visit Brussels.
Visiting Brussels: some hints from your local organizers
If you have some spare time before or after (not during!) the IMA congress, the local organizing team at CAPE happily share some hints on what to visit with you.
Grand-Place
The majestuous central square of Brussels, UNESCO world heritage since 1998, is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful squares in the world. The square is surrounded by the Gothic Town Hall, the Neo-Gothic King’s House (Broodhuis), and magnificent 17th-century guildhalls. Can you spot the Maison du Cygne where Marx and Engels wrote their Communist Manifesto?
The Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries
On your way between the conference site and the Grand-Place, you find one of Europe’s oldest covered shopping arcades: the Royal Galleries Saint-Hubert. The complex consists of three sections: the King’s Gallery, the Queen’s Gallery, and the Princes’ Gallery. Besides some luxury boutiques, you can also find there some world-famous chocolatiers, cafés, restaurants, and cultural venues. Also have a look at Maison Dandoy, famous for its ‘Speculoos’ or its ‘Pain à la grecque’ (which, despite their name, are indeed a Brussels specialty).
Manneken Pis
On walking distance from the conference site, you can find Manneken Pis, one of Belgium’s most cherished national symbols. Where other countries have the Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower, Big Ben etc., Belgium has a small statue of a pissing toddler. You will understand Belgium if you understand why all this makes sense. Did you know that Manneken Pis has also a sister named Jeanneke Pis?
The Magritte Museum
Besides Manneken Pis, Belgium is also the country of surrealism. Conference participants interested in surrealist art are encouraged to visit the Magritte Museum (also at walking distance), as well as the neighboring fine arts museums.
The Cantillon Brewery
The Brussels region is also home to a unique and complex Belgian beer: the Gueuze, a spontaneous fermentation beer sometimes referred to as the “Champagne of the beer world” (or “Champagne of Brussels”) due to its effervescence and sophisticated flavor profile. Gueuze is not brewed in the conventional sense, but rather “blended” from different batches of lambic beer. Lambic beers are also not brewed like other beers by adding specific yeasts: lambic wort is exposed to the open air in shallow, open vessels called “coolships”, for natural cooling during the cold season (limited brewing season…). The inoculated wort is transferred into old oak or chestnut barrels for maturation, which can last from one to three years or more. This long aging process allows a complex microflora to develop, giving the lambic its unique sour and dry character. The Gueuze blender creates the final product by blending lambics of different ages. The young lambic still contains fermentable sugars and active yeasts, which are necessary for the next step. The blended beer is bottled (often in traditional champagne bottles to withstand the pressure) and undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle for several months to a year or more. This creates the high carbonation and complex, refined flavors that define the Gueuze beer.
Brussels still has one historical Gueuze brewery in its city center, near Brussels Midi Station: Cantillon. The historical brewery can be visited, and you can taste some of these unique beers.
The Atomium
The Atomium is an iconic landmark and the most popular tourist attraction in Brussels, Belgium. It was originally built as the central pavilion and symbol for the 1958 World’s Fair (Expo 58). The Atomium was designed by engineer André Waterkeyn and architects André and Jean Polak. It represents a single cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. The Atomium and nearby other attractions such as the Mini-Europe Park can be reached by public transport from the conference venue (20’ from metro stations Rogier or Botanique).