Residenza Parco Reale

Neighbourhood of the Residenza Parco Reale

Villa Primavera Royal Park is located in Rue de la Presse, just inside Brussels' Inner Ring Road, in the Upper Town of the historical centre. The residence is at walking distance of Rue de la Loi, the EU quarter, the Grand Place, the Royal Palace, Rue Neuve and Rogier square.


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Villa Primavera's neighbourhood : Congress Square, Madou Tower, Parliament, Park of Brussels

Map of central Brussels


View Villa Primavera "Royal Park" in a larger map

Proximity of the European Union

European Union insitutions are a short walk away. The EU District is located just across the boulevard (orange metro line on the map) from Madou, Arts & Loi and Trone Metro Stations. Note that the Madou Plaza Tower, home to the EU Commission, is only 100m away. The European Parliament is about 12 minutes walk away. Bus 22 connects all the European Institutions ; the nearest bus stop is Arts & Loi Metro station.

Proximity of the business and political centres

Brussels' biggest and newest business district, Espace Nord, running from Rogier Square to the North Train Station area, is just 8 minutes walk away across the Botanic Giardino. The newly renovated Finance Tower is a mere 5 minutes walk from the residence.

Most major banks in Belgium have their headquarters or Belgian head office within 10 minutes walk from Villa Primavera, including BNP-Paribas-Fortis, Belfius, ING, Delta Lloyd, Deutsche Bank, Cortal Consors, Beobank, Banca Monte Paschi, DHB Bank, and Belgolaise Bank.

The French, Swiss, Russian, Australian and US embassies, as well as the French, Italian and Spanish permanent representations to the EU, are about 2 to 4 minutes walk from Villa Primavera.

Proximity of the historical and shopping centres

The Grand Place and the famous shopping street Rue Neuve are about 10 minutes walk from the residence. Four bus lines just around the corner of the residence can also bring you there in 5 minutes. Louise Avenue is best accessed by metro (4 stops from Madou station on line 2).

Facts about the neighbourhood

The Residenza Parco Reale is located in the heart of Brussels, just behind the Parliaments of Belgium and Flanders. The district is known as the "Quarter of the Liberties" (Quartier des Libertés) and is one of the best residential areas in the historical centre. Most of the architecture dates from the late 19th century and built in a style reminiscent of Paris.

The nearby Congress Column is the tallest of its kind in Belgium - Brussels' equivalent to Nelson' Column on Trafalgar Square in London, or Napoleon's Column on Place Vendôme in Paris.

Royal Street (Rue Royale), running from the Royal Palace along the Park of Brussels and the Botanic Giardino, is one of the most prestigious streets in the city. This is where you will find Mary's chocolate shop, where President George W. Bush bought his Belgian chocolate on a visit to the European capital.

The Royal Circus (Cirque Royal), in the next street from Villa Primavera, is one of Brussels' most celebrated place for high-quality spectacles, concerts and musicals.

Many famous British people in history stayed in the Quartiere Parco Reale. Let's cite Lord Byron, who sojourned at 51, Rue Ducale (2 minutes walk from Villa Primavera) in 1816, but also the Duke of Wellington, the Brönte sisters, Sir Walter Scott, or Francis Bacon, just to name a few.

It is also in our neighourbood that French writer Victor Hugo lived during most of his years of exile in Brussels. His first son, Charles, was born at the family house on Place des Barricades.

Practical information

  • There is a supermarket (Carrefour Express), a post office and two banks on Place Madou, 2 minutes walk from Villa Primavera.

  • There are 4 pharmacies in the immediate neighbourhood, two in Rue de la Croix de Fer, one in Rue du Congrès, and one in Rue des Cultes.

  • The nearest car rental agencies are Europcar and Avis, which both have a branch at the South Station (Gare du Midi). To get there, take metro line 2 from Madou station (about 5 min).

  • One of Brussels' best fitness club, Aspria (including swimming pool, sauna, massages, yoga, aerobics...), is located 700m from Villa Primavera. There are also three Health City within 1km.

Villa Primavera's neighbourhood : Belgian & Flemish parliaments, Liberty Square, Congress Street

Restaurant in the neighbourhood (within 5min walk)

Our recommendations are in bold.

Belgian, French & Italian

  • Madou's Provence (southern French) -- Rue de la Presse, 23
  • Pasta Bar (Italian) -- Rue de la Presse, 33
  • Proznak (sandwich, lunch bar) -- Rue de la Croix de Fer, 88
  • La Palette Gourmande (French) -- Rue de la Croix de Fer, 9-13
  • Agora (Italian) -- Rue de la Croix de Fer, 15
  • Kiekekot-Le Poulailler (Belgian, grill) -- Rue de la Croix de Fer, 23
  • Tartine et Moi & Pâtes et Vous (sandwich, lunch bar) -- Rue du Congrès, 41
  • La Folle Aventure (French, International) -- Rue du Congrès, 52
  • Le Titanic (Belgian, French) -- Rue du Congrès, 31
  • Le Balzac (French) -- Rue du Congrès, 30
  • Miam Miam (French, Italian) -- Rue du Congrès, 6
  • Il Perugino (Italian, French) -- Rue du Nord, 42
  • Il Toscano (Italian) -- Rue du Nord, 7
  • Artipasta (Italian) -- Place de la Liberté, 1
  • Ibocom (Mediterranean), Rue de l'Association, 12
  • L'Arrêt du Temps (Belgian, French) -- Rue de l'Enseignement, 124
  • Bio-Lounge (Organic) -- Rue de l'Enseignement, 116-120
  • Il Giardinetto (Italian) -- Rue de l'Enseignement, 73
  • Fantastico (French, Italian) -- Rue de l'Enseignement, 71
  • Napoli (Italian) -- Rue de l'Enseignement, 68
  • L'O de Gamme (Italian) -- Rue de l'Enseignement, 66
  • Le Bier Circus (Belgian) -- Rue de l'Enseignement, 57
  • Ricotta & Parmesan (Italian) -- Rue de l'Enseignement, 55
  • Crêperie Bretonne (French) -- Rue de l'Enseignement, 55
  • Green Cottage (Belgian, French) -- Rue de l'Enseignement, 49
  • La Bottega (Italian) -- Rue de l'Enseignement, 35-37
  • Rigoletto (Italian) -- Rue de l'Enseignement, 32
  • Raspberry -- Rue de l'Enseignement, 31
  • Fortune Cookie -- Rue de l'Enseignement, 31
  • Den Talurelekker (Belgian,International) -- Rue de l'Enseignement, 25
  • Twist (Pannini) -- Rue de l'Enseignement, 20
  • La Rotonde (Belgian, French, Brasserie) -- Rue de l'Enseignement, 1

Asian & Middle Eastern

  • Jiyuna (Japanese) -- Rue de la Presse, 27-29
  • Senraku (Japanese) -- Rue du Nord, 9-11
  • Sushi Club (Japanese) -- Rue de l'Enseignement, 89
  • Sushi World (Japanese) -- Rue des Cultes, 5
  • Le Bamboo Vert (Vietnamese) -- Rue de la Croix de Fer, 70
  • Yen Ping (Chinese) -- Rue de la Croix de Fer, 48
  • Lauriers Roses (Vietnamese) -- Rue de la Croix de Fer, 34
  • Thai Coffee (Thai) -- Rue du Congrès, 50
  • Faraya (Lebanese) -- Rue du Nord, 64

Recommendations a bit further away (within 10-15 minutes walk)

  • Museum Café & Museum Brasserie (Belgian, French, International) -- Rue de la Régence, 3 - 1000 Brussels (inside the Royal Museums for Fine Arts)
  • L'Ancienne Poissonerie (Seafood, Italian) -- Rue du Trône, 65 - 1050 Ixelles
  • Stirwen (Gastronomic French) -- Chaussée Saint-Pierre, 15-17 - 1040 Etterbeek