Soon, I will be visiting Brussels for a longer period of time. Can someone, please, advise me on where (I mean in which part of Brussels) to find a decent flat to rent, without having to fork out piles of money, but also with no exposure to %26quot;questionnable folks%26quot; around??? I am rather not a type of a nightlife person thus, I%26#39;d prefer some traditional, quiet and safe area. I%26#39;ve heard the eastern and southern quarters (communes) of the city (St. Gilles, Uccle, Etterbeek, Woluve,....) are best. Can someone comment on it, or refer me to some source where the quarters %26quot;communes%26quot; are REALISTICALLY described with regard to what I need? - Thanks a lot in advance!!!
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This question goes beyond the scope of a travel and tourism forum, you should be looking at an expat-oriented site like xpats, in fact there is a description of all the communes on there: xpats.com/practical-a-to-z/best-brussels-add…
There are no real no-go areas in Brussels and it will be simple enough when you are visiting apartments to see which ones are in run down areas that might not be pleasant to live in. The richest communes are Uccle and the Woluwés, the poorest, Molenbeek and St. Josse (I don%26#39;t know whether this is still the case, but I know someone who moved from St. Josse after problems with the people who hung around there waiting for privately-run long-distance buses to Poland!). However, some people would also tell you to avoid St. Gilles, especially the area around Gare du Midi, and also Schaerbeek, on the grounds that parts of it have large communities of Turks and Moroccans. Personally, I like both, although as I%26#39;ve always lived in the best part of Etterbeek, I may not be the best judge as I only visit those places.
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Qaminari - thank you for your advice. I was just wondering what the opinions of people who%26#39;ve been living in Brussels%26#39; various parts on the city would be...
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How long are you planning on staying for? There are numerous short term let serviced apartments, particularly in the EU districts. Standard Belgium leases are 3-6-9 year ones, so basically if you leave within the first 3 years you have to pay a penalty. I%26#39;d agree with you that the southern and eastern communes are nicer. Woluwe/Uccle/Auderghen are lovely - and come with higher price tags. The eastern part of Schaerbeek is quite nice, but the nearer you get to the city centre, the more run down it gets. Evere is quiet and makes a cheaper alternative. www.inmoweb.be will give you an indication of rents in different areas.
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Thank you, Jodles! Indeed, I will most likely stay in Brussels for quite a long period of time (probably, a few years) and as I%26#39;ve never lived there, I%26#39;m just confronted with the inevitable question: how to get a good flat at a decent rate? For me, the most important thing is to be in a quiet and safe area where I don%26#39;t get woken up at night by cheering crowds in the street, or by not-so-well-mannered neighbors from a flat nearby... Another issue is public transportation: good connection to the EU-area (Parlament Europeen).
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Avoid St. Gilles, I know what I am talking about, I live there. It is a lovely quarter during the day, but during the night...
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The social service of the European Parliament will be able to help you. Check also the %26quot;petites annonces%26quot; on the intracomm site (Commission%26#39;s intranet).
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Of course there are no go areas in Brussels, and I would be very cautious, particularly at night, in the city centre. The area around the Bourse, Antoine Dansaert and up to the canal is as dodgy as hell and I know of many people (particularly gay friends) who have had very bad experiences. The police are completely useless as well.
The one good thing about Brussels is that you can find low priced accomodation in a prestigious area. You just need to walk around and see what there is. But for me, the best value location is up and down Chaussee d%26#39;Alsemberg on the way out to Drogenbos. You%26#39;ve got a lot of shops, decent public transport and it is pretty safe.
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Thanks for all replies. Last week, I actually visited Brussels to travel around and to see what it really looks like. Indeed, this a very multinational city with all kinds of folks around! Because of the proximity to the city center and the EU-area, I%26#39;ve been thinking of renting a flat in the southern (south of Flagey-sq.) parts of Ixelles or in Schaerbeek (looks a nice area). Any suggestions/comments on that?
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southern part of ixelles is ok, but there is still a lot of petty crime throughout the comune.
If you are ok with a quieter area try around roosevelt boulevard, watermael-boisfort. Bit safer but pricier.
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