Musical Instruments Museum

In a striking old building of black iron and glass on the arts hill, a museum holds thousands of instruments from around the world, and hands you headphones that play each one as you pass. This is the Musical Instruments Museum, one of the most charming museums in Brussels, set in a masterpiece of decorative architecture.

The building itself is a draw before you reach the music. It is a former department store from the turn of the twentieth century, a famous example of the iron-and-glass art nouveau style, its dark, curling facade among the loveliest in the city.

Inside, the collection numbers thousands of instruments, from across the world and across the centuries, displayed in galleries by region and era, from ancient and folk instruments to the keyboards and orchestras of European classical music.

The clever heart of the visit is the sound. Visitors wear wireless headphones that sense which display they are standing before and play a recording of that very instrument, so the silent cases come alive with the sounds they hold.

Walking the galleries becomes a journey through the music of the world, the drone of a folk pipe, the ring of a gamelan, the voice of an old harpsichord, each playing as you stand before it, a museum you hear as much as see.

The collection includes rare and beautiful objects, ornate, strange, and ingenious instruments that are works of art and craft in themselves, quite apart from the sounds they make.

The building rewards attention too, with its art nouveau ironwork and a rooftop level that gives one of the finer views over the old town and the arts hill, with a cafe to enjoy it from.

The museum sits on the Mont des Arts among the city's other great collections, so it pairs easily with the fine-arts museums and the gardens and viewpoints of the hill.

It is a favourite with families and music lovers alike, the headphones making it engaging for children, and the breadth of the collection rewarding those who know and love instruments.

For a city famous for its art nouveau, the building is also one of the easiest and best examples to visit, so the museum offers architecture and music together in one stop.

A few practical notes. Entry is ticketed and includes the headphones; allow a couple of hours, and do not miss the rooftop view and cafe. It sits on the arts hill, an easy walk from the centre and the fine-arts museums.

Move through the galleries with the headphones playing each instrument as you reach it, then climb to the rooftop for the view, and the museum's blend of sound, craft, and architecture comes together. When you step back out, the art nouveau facade is one last thing to admire from the street.