Galeries Royale St-Hubert

Built in 1847, the neo-classical Galeries Royale St-Hubert had the prestige of being Europe’s first-ever indoor shopping mall. Its split into three sections: Galerie du Roi, Galerie de la Reine and Galerie du Prince. When the covered galleries first opened, the refined clientele were charged 20 cents to wander beneath the stunning vaulted glass ceiling and across the marble floors that today are home to the boutiques of a handful of revered designers, the renovated Vaudeville theatre, the Neuhaus chocolatiers — where the first praline was concocted in 1912 by Jean Neuhaus — and a selection of pricey restaurants and cafés, including Taverne du Passage and L'Ogenblik. Entrances to the galleries can be found on Rue du Marché aux Herbes and Rue de l’Ecuyer.