The Marolles is old, working-class Brussels — a tight grid of streets below the Palace of Justice that has kept its salty character despite decades of creeping gentrification. Its heart is the Place du Jeu de Balle, home to a flea market every morning since 1873: a sprawl of junk, brocante, and the occasional real find, busiest and best at dawn on Sunday. The surrounding Rue Haute and Rue Blaes are lined with antique dealers, vintage shops, and design stores.
This is the place to come for bric-à-brac, a strong coffee, and the local dialect — the Marollien — you may still hear in the cafés. The free public lift beside the Palace of Justice drops you here from the Sablon above, with a fine view over the lower city on the way down.