The Royal Square and Coudenberg Palace, Brussels

The Place Royale and the Coudenberg Palace, in Brussels

The Place Royale is an elegant neoclassical square of Brussels, beneath which subsist the remains of the former Coudenberg Palace. The Brussels audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this place laden with history, between classical architecture and a vanished palace.

The classical square and the buried palace

The Place Royale is one of the most elegant squares of Brussels, laid out in the eighteenth century in a harmonious neoclassical style, with its symmetrical white façades, the church of Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg and the equestrian statue of Godfrey of Bouillon in its centre. But beneath the square hides a treasure: the remains of the Coudenberg Palace, former residence of the dukes of Brabant then of Charles V, one of the most prestigious palaces of Europe, destroyed by a fire in the eighteenth century. You can today explore these underground ruins, rooms, cellars and buried streets, which tell the lavish and imperial past of Brussels.

What to see

You admire the elegant neoclassical square with white façades, the church of Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg and the statue of Godfrey of Bouillon, and you explore, beneath the square, the underground remains of the Coudenberg Palace, former residence of Charles V. This place tells the imperial past of Brussels. It is a major stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Place Royale lies in the upper part of Brussels, reachable on foot. The square is a public space freely accessible; the underground site of the Coudenberg follows its own hours and visit conditions, which vary. It is best to check the arrangements to explore the remains.

What is the Coudenberg Palace in Brussels?

The former residence of the dukes of Brabant then of Charles V, one of the most prestigious palaces of Europe, destroyed by a fire in the eighteenth century; its underground remains subsist beneath the Place Royale.