The halls on the grounds of the world exposition just north of the city
center are still in use for all kinds of fairs, and tourists are
attracted to the area by the atomium.
There is a metro line from the city center towards these attractions,
but
then you have to go (underground) through some the the worst
neigbouhoods of the city. It's not too bad, but it's better to know it.
The area is called Heizel.
So if you visited the Grand Old Marktplace in the center of Brussels, you can walk in 5 minutes towards Brussels central railwaystation.
From there you can walk underground to a metro station. In 2008 you can buy the tickets there, and get on the right metroline in the right direction. In this way you can go to the area Heizel, where you can walk to the Atomium, before heading back to the city center, as there isn't anything else to see for tourists in the area of the Atomium, which is outside the city center.
It's not that far for the city center. You can compare the distance with that of the Brussels airport (BRU). Both Atomium and Brussels airport are at the same distance from the city center. Both are North of the city center in the direction of the city of Antwerpen.
So if you visited the Grand Old Marktplace in the center of Brussels, you can walk in 5 minutes towards Brussels central railwaystation.
From there you can walk underground to a metro station. In 2008 you can buy the tickets there, and get on the right metroline in the right direction. In this way you can go to the area Heizel, where you can walk to the Atomium, before heading back to the city center, as there isn't anything else to see for tourists in the area of the Atomium, which is outside the city center.
It's not that far for the city center. You can compare the distance with that of the Brussels airport (BRU). Both Atomium and Brussels airport are at the same distance from the city center. Both are North of the city center in the direction of the city of Antwerpen.