Like Paris, Brussels has broad boulevards and shady avenues, hundreds of local beers, dozens of historic art-nouveau buildings, and incredible cuisine. The city's architecture and museums rank with the best of Europe. Brussels is perhaps more international than most places in Europe - foreign leaders, business people, immigrants from Africa, Turkey, and the Mediterranean, add to the cosmopolitan mix of the city. There's not a huge variation in temperature from season to season, though July and August tend to be the hottest and rainiest months of the year. Mid-spring through early fall are good times to go.
Summer is usually best for festivals, though deep winter can bring out the film festivals.
The Grand Place is a history of Brussels in stone. Its magnificent Gothic Town Hall celebrated the grandeur of medieval Brussels when it was growing rich through trade. The renaissance guildhalls that surround it were built later by guilds of tailors, butchers, bakers, boatmen, cabinetmakers, and brewers. During the day, the Grand Place is a still a marketplace. There is a flower market every day and a bird market on Sunday.