Brussels

Never mind that it's the stomping ground of the European Parliament and all its riveting reams of red tape - any place that claims a urinating youth for its icon has to be worthy of a visit.

Throw in hundreds of varieties of beer, fabulous food, shedloads of shopping, grand architecture, and up-for-it nightlife, and you've got yourself a city break with good times stamped all over it.

Divided into the airy Upper Town (once the realm of the ruling classes) and the medieval Lower Town, central Brussels breathes life, history and atmosphere from every corner.

This is nowhere more true than in the Grand Place, the square at the heart of the city, and an awe-inspiring sight even if you've been forewarned. Enormous, cobbled, enclosed by striking buildings including the Gothic Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall), and lined with cafés, your only gripe could be that there's just too much to fit into a photograph, no matter how you angle your lens.

To its north-east, is Ilot Sacré, a district of narrow streets crammed with restaurants and bars, 19th-century shopping colonnades, and elegant dwellings; to the north-west, it's worth delving into the maze of narrow streets and tucked-away drinking dens weaving up to Place Ste Catherine.

Elsewhere, don't miss the newly-revamped Cathédrale de St-Michel - stern and imposing from the outside, and breathtaking from the inside - nor the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, which has both an ancient art section and a hoard of excellent modern art, including works by Monet and Magritte.

And what about the 'pissing boy'? Brussels' famous 17th-century statue, Mannekin Pis is surprisingly wee (pardon the pun) but does make for a unique photo opportunity. However, to be fair, you really should then also visit his younger counterpart, Jeanneke Pis - the 'squatting girl'...