Musée Oldmasters Museum
Old master paintings at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels: Flemish Primitives, Bruegel, Rubens and masterpieces up to the 18th century.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum was founded in 1801, under the Bonaparte regime. Its first collections came from the seizures of the French Revolution, notably from religious institutions, and they grew considerably after Belgium's independence in 1830. In 1914 the Grez donation brought more than 4,000 works on paper from the 16th to the 19th century, including sheets by Goltzius, Jacques de Gheyn the Younger and Rembrandt.
The old masters circuit covers roughly the 15th to the 18th centuries. Its core is painting from the former Southern Netherlands, with Rogier van der Weyden, Petrus Christus, Dirk Bouts, Hans Memling, Hieronymus Bosch and Gerard David. Pieter Bruegel the Elder is represented by The Fall of the Rebel Angels and The Census at Bethlehem; Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens illustrate 17th-century Flemish painting, while Vouet, Philippe de Champaigne, Claude Lorrain, Ribera and Tiepolo represent the French and Italian schools.
The Royal Museums are currently rethinking their circuit: as the Modern and Fin-de-Siècle museums are inaccessible, modern and contemporary works, such as Jacques-Louis David's The Death of Marat or canvases by Ensor, Khnopff, Spilliaert, Dalí and Broodthaers, are being gradually reintegrated into the permanent galleries.
Highlights
- The Fall of the Rebel Angels and The Census at Bethlehem by Pieter Bruegel the Elder
- Flemish Primitives: Rogier van der Weyden, Memling, Bouts and Gerard David
- Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens
- The Death of Marat by Jacques-Louis David
- 3D virtual tour of the Bruegel room
Permanent exhibition
- Art ancien du XVe au XVIIIe siècle – Painting from the former Southern Netherlands, with Bruegel, Rubens and Van Dyck, as well as French and Italian works.
- Founded
- 1801
- Operated by
- Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €13 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5Young people aged 18 to 25, jobseekers and recipients of the integration income |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Free for children and young people aged 0 to 17 (excluding group visits) |
| Seniors | €10From 65 years |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free with the European Disability Card, companion included |
| Groups (15+ people) | €10 per personFrom 15 people, unless a more advantageous rate applies; advance booking required. |
| Combined Old Masters and Magritte Museum ticket | €20Seniors and groups €15; young people aged 18 to 25 and jobseekers €8 |
| Article 27 | €1.25For individual visits |
| Old Masters audio guide | €5 |
Free admission: The first Wednesday of the month from 13:00 (permanent collections; ticket to be collected at the ticket office)
Free with the museumPASSmusées, the Brussels Card, the Friends of the MRBAB, Maecenas Circle and ICOM cards, and for the press, teachers and City of Brussels guides (proof to be shown on site). Tickets are only valid on the day indicated.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
All rooms are accessible to people with reduced mobility; the wheelchair entrance is at rue de la Régence 1A (bell) or to the right of the main staircase, rue de la Régence 3. Wheelchairs can be borrowed free of charge; mobility scooters are not allowed. Adapted toilets on the ground floor. Disabled parking spaces in rue du Musée, opposite number 9. Certified guide dogs are welcome. Musée sur Mesure offers sign-language tours with deaf guides.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 1.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Stroller-friendly
Activities for children and families according to the Royal Museums' programme, for example “Happy Sunday” from age 6 and holiday workshops for children aged 6 to 12. Pushchairs are admitted throughout the museum; entry is free up to age 17.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Royale
Metro lines 1 and 5 (Gare Centrale or Parc station); tram 92 and 93 and bus 33, 38, 71 and 95 (Royale stop); bus 29, 63, 65 and 66 (Parc or Gare Centrale stop); gare de Bruxelles-Central
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
No parking for visitors. Paid parking nearby: Albertine (rue des Sols and place de la Justice), 2 Portes (rue de Namur and boulevard de Waterloo) and Poelaert (place Poelaert).
- Accessible parking
Main ticket office: rue de la Régence 3. Central Brussels is a low-emission zone.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café: not available
- Restaurant: not available
- Museum shop
- Coat check
- Lockers
No dining facilities in the museums; picnics are not allowed. Free lockers at the entrance (a €1 or €2 coin is required and refunded). Museum Shop in the museum.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
The Royal Museums' venues can be hired privately; contact the Events department of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (FR, NL, EN, DE, IT, KO) |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photos and videos are allowed for private use, without flash, selfie sticks or bulky equipment; some works may be excluded for copyright reasons. |
| Good to know | The average visit to the Royal Museums lasts 90 minutes. Old Masters audio guide in six languages. Large bags, backpacks, food and drink must be left in the cloakroom. Groups and schools must book in advance. |
