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Welcome to Brussels, Belgium! Charleroi Airport Hotels offers great rates on over 50 hotels near Charleroi Airport. All of our hotels have been approved by AAA and the Mobile Travel Guide, the authorities in hotel inspection. All hotels offer a generous savings off of regular hotel rack rates. Book securely online for great rates on hotels near Charleroi Airport!

>About Brussels

Charleroi Airport Hotel Map

Best Western Leonardo Charleroi
Boulevard Mayence 1a
Charleroi, Belgium

Leonardo Hotel Charleroi City
Boulevard Joseph Tirou 96
Charleroi, Belgium

Hotel Chateau De Limelette
87 Rue Charles Dubois
Limelette, Belgium

Grand Hotel Waterloo
Chaussee De Tervueren 198
Waterloo, Belgium

Hotel Beauregard
Avenue Baron De Moreau 1
Namur, Belgium

Leonardo Wavre Brussels Est
Rue De La Wastinne 45
Wavre, Belgium

Best Western Wavre Hotel
Rue Du Manil 91
Wavre, Belgium

Chateau Du Lac Hotel
Ave Du Lac 87
Genval, Belgium

Leonardo Hotel Namur
Chaussee De Dinant 1149
Namur, Belgium

Dolce La Hulpe Brussels
165 Chaussee De Bruxelles
La Hulpe, Belgium

Mercure Mons
Rue Des Fusilles 12 - Mons
Belgium

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About Brussels

Brussels is often said to be a fascinating meeting point between the last millennium, and modern day Europe. Not long ago many locals were skeptical of the foreign diplomats and politicians arriving en masse. Now they are proud that their city has become an international celebrity.

Legend has it that Brussels grew from of a small chapel built by the preacher Saint Gorik in the 6th century. Yet 979, the year its first fortress was built, is considered the city's official birth year. It was later expanded and became a walled centre of trade. Towards the end of the 12th century the population reached 30,000, and the city become famous for its exclusive handicrafts. The surrounding marshes were drained, and the 17.5 mile Willebroek Canal was built. Many foreign rulers have laid claim to the city, including the house of Habsburg and the Spanish. The French king Louis XIV destroyed large parts of the city during an attack in 1695. After the Napoleonic wars the demand for independence rose up throughout Belgium. In 1831 Leopold I was crowned king, and Brussels named the country's capital. The city is officially French- Dutch bilingual, embracing both the Flemish and Walloon history of the city, and is apparent in the bilingual street signs. After World War II Brussels entered the world stage as the host nation for both the European Union and NATO's head quarters. The city is a fascinating mix of history on one hand, with its narrow streets and smoky cafés; and on the other, the modern EU offices along with the EU's tens of thousands of employees.

Brussels is an exciting, modern city, yet it is rich in strikingly beautiful medieval and art nouveau buildings. It has outstanding museums and galleries and a vibrant cultural life. The heart of the capital city of Belgium lies inside a circle of main roads. The inner city can easily be explored within this circle on foot, by bus, or by tram. For areas outside it, there is an excellent subway system.

Over the centuries, Brussels (Bruxelles in French; Brussel in Flemish) has been ruled by every major power at or near its boundaries from the Romans to the Spanish to the Germans. Its colonial history provided a fitting prelude to its current status. Brussels has become an international business community composed of diplomats, lobbyists, and euro-politicians connected with NATO and the European Union. International business arrived in the past three decades, resulting in blocks lined with steel-and-glass office buildings. However, these modern edifices are only a few steps from the cobbled streets, splendid cafés, and graceful art nouveau architecture that speak to the city's eventful past.

Belgium's unique languages date back to the time when the Franks were forcing Celts and Gauls into the land's southern regions, making an early form of the Dutch language the norm in the north. French (with Dutch influence), is the accepted language in the south. Brussels, located in the middle, is one of the world's few officially bilingual capitals. Residents of Brussels tend to be politically and religiously conservative and to cling to family and national traditions. The vast majority of Belgians are Roman Catholics, and despite a decline in church attendance, religious customs still flavor much of Belgium's daily life.

Until the late 19th century, Brussels was a riverside city, built along the banks of the River Senne. At that time, a decision was made to brick over the river and thus eliminate it as a source of flooding and any other annoyance it might cause. The river still flows under the bricked boulevard that covers it. In order to photograph the Senne,however, one must travel outside the city.

Early Belgian artists are credited with inventing oil painting, and the country has produced many masterpieces. The Flemish primitive Jan Van Eyck started the tradition in the 15th century. Pieter Brueghel followed with his portrayals of peasant life in the 16th century, and Pieter Paul Rubens dominated early 17th century art as the leading artist of the Baroque period. For most of the 18th century, while Brussels was under Austrian rule, buildings were designed in a modest rational, neoclassical style. After the war of independence ended in 1831 Brussels built with a new exuberance in an effort to catch up with and surpass the extravagant structures of London and Paris. The first covered shopping gallery was a product of this period. The glass covered Galeries Saint Hubert is still open today, and is as astounding as when it was built!

The most dramatic post World War II structure is the Atomium, which is modeled on a molecule of iron. It was built for the Belgian metal industry as the showpiece for the 1958 World's Fair. The 300 foot tall steel structure consists of nine separate spheres linked by cylindrical columns.