Five of the best... English-language bookshops

“Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere,” wrote American columnist Mary Schmich. To stock up on great books and stories to take you wherever you want to go, here are five of the best places to find English literature in Brussels

With more than 300 stores in the UK, Waterstone’s is one of the best-known British bookshops. Brussels has one of its own, at 71-75 Boulevard Adolphe Max (parallel to shopping street Rue Neuve). Spread over two floors you’ll find a large selection of fiction, classics, political and historical books, cookery, business and language books, as well as travel guides, maps and an extensive range of imported English and American magazines and papers.

At the front of the shop, the ‘homesick corner’ stocks a few British essentials, such as tea, marmalade, chocolate, brown sauce and biscuits. users.skynet.be/waterstones; orders@brussels.waterstones.co.uk

Sterling

On the other side of Rue Neuve lies another paradise for book lovers. Sterling Book Shop (38 Rue du Fossé aux Loups, pictured) is Brussels’ largest independent English-language bookstore, packed with more than 40,000 titles from the UK and America.

You’ll find newspapers, magazines, fiction and children’s books on the ground floor. Take the wooden staircase up and discover the cookery books, travel guides, business literature, dictionaries and much more. If you’re looking for a gift, browse the shelves for greeting cards, calendars, board games and bookmarks.
www.sterlingbooks.be

Passa Porta

Passa Porta (46 Rue Antoine Dansaert), International House of Literature, stocks an impressive number of books in Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish and English. It’s a great place to discover new authors and get reacquainted with some of the classics. Besides fiction, the bookshop also sells art books and a selection of reading material for children and youngsters.

There is more to Passa Porta than the shop. Authors are regularly invited for lectures and meetings, and the literature house also organises exhibitions and events throughout the year.
www.passaporta.be

De Slegte

Browsing second-hand bookshops is a bit like treasure-hunting: you know the gem is out there, all you have to do is find it. To make things a bit easier, De Slegte (17 Rue des Grands Carmes) is one of the few second-hand shops that arranges the books alphabetically and by category. On the second floor, you’ll find an aisle with English paperbacks and one with novels, an eclectic mix of anything from Jane Austen to Jeremy Clarkson.

De Slegte mainly sells fiction, but sometimes you can find poetry and history as well. If you’re planning a holiday, have a look at the rack with travel guides, as there is always a good selection of new guides in English to city trip destinations such as Amsterdam, Lisbon or Stockholm.

Nijinski

This second-hand bookshop in Ixelles got its name from the previous owner, who was an admirer of Russian dance revolutionary Vaslav Nijinski. Since the early 1990s, the store near the vibrant Place du Châtelain has attracted book lovers of all sorts.

On the ground level of an old mansion, Nijinski offers – besides the many French novels and short reads – a good selection of literature and history in English as well. With some jazz music in the background, take all the time you need to look around.