The biggest railway station in Brussels, this important railway hub is also known as Brussels-South or Zuid. It links to a similarly named station on the Brussels metro. Brussels Midi/South is a through station not a terminus, and 1,000 trains a day travel between it and the Brussels North station. If you hire a car here you'll find you are close to the city centre in the St Gilles district. The Grand Place and Palais de Bruxelles are just a mile north; the inner ring road runs almost past the station entrance, and the outer ring road is just a mile south.
From Brussels Midi/South Station everything in the city is within reach. If you have a hire car it's easy to get to the main attractions, like the landmark Manneken Pis statue, the impressive selection of national museums and galleries, and the ornate buildings and glamorous cafés surrounding the Grand Place public square. The most visited sight is the futuristic Atomium, built in 1958 to represent the molecular structure of iron and now housing thought-provoking science exhibitions. Other highlights include the lively Bozar Arts Centre and the Mini-Europe collection of miniaturised continental landmarks. There's even a special visitor centre for the European Parliament called the Parlamentarium.