Brussels from 18,500 Avios + £1

There’s so much more to the Belgium capital than the European Union headquarters.

Start exploring at the Unesco-listed Grand Place market square, overlooked by the Gothic town hall. You can get a ubiquitous photo of the Manneken Pis peeing boy statue nearby.

Brussels’ other famous landmark is the Atomium structure of linked silver balls containing museum exhibits you can access via hidden escalators.

By contrast, Belgium’s prominence in the Art Nouveau movement means there are plenty of beautiful buildings in this style, notably the architect’s home Horta House.

If cartoon boy detective Tintin was part of your childhood, you’ll want to visit the Herge Museum, dedicated to his creator on the city outskirts.

You can see more of Tintin and other cartoon characters, including Smurfs, on a city mural trail and at the Belgium Comic Strip Centre.

Eat: Belgium’s chocolates, beer, chips and waffles are among the best in the world and there are plenty of opportunities to indulge.

The roads around Place du Chatelain and the church of St. Boniface are good for restaurants, while Brasserie Cantillon is among the historic breweries you can visit.

Stay: Accommodation to consider includes the grand Hotel Metropole, the multi-coloured Pantone Hotel and the cool Jam hotel, which was converted from an art school.

BA reward seats: Brussels has excellent reward seat availability between March and May It’s a bit spotty over the summer but plenty of dates still have six seats each in economy and business. Daily availability is strong again from September