Musical Instruments Museum

The Musical Instruments Museum (MIM) in Brussels houses over 8,000 instruments from around the globe, offering a captivating journey through musical history. Located in the historic Old England building, a masterpiece of Art Nouveau architecture, the museum spans four floors of exhibitions, each providing a unique perspective on musical heritage. Visitors can enjoy interactive displays, listen to instrument sounds, and explore diverse collections ranging from ancient to modern instruments. The MIM also features a concert hall, workshops, a museum shop, a library, and a restaurant with panoramic views of Brussels.

Planning your visit

The MIM occupies the Old England building, a 1899 department store in iron and glass that is one of the finest art nouveau structures in Brussels — reason enough to visit before considering the collection. Inside are over 8,000 instruments from around the world across four floors, arranged by region and by family, from ancient and non-European instruments through the development of the keyboard to mechanical and electronic instruments.

The museum's defining feature is its audio system. Visitors wear infrared headphones that detect which display case they are standing in front of and play a recording of that instrument, so the collection is heard as well as seen. It transforms the experience: a case of Central African harps or eighteenth-century harpsichords becomes a sequence of sounds rather than objects behind glass.

The rooftop restaurant has one of the better views over Brussels, across to the Grand Place and the city below.

A concert hall on site programmes performances using instruments related to the collection.

Bookable options include entry tickets and formats bundling admission with a city audio tour. The museum is beside the Royal Palace and the Musical Instruments area, easy to combine with the upper town. Current availability is shown below.