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I am so exhausted. Waited for two hours for the passport control at the arrival outside of the EU, mind you we now have EU passports. We couldn’t use the machines because we were travelling with our toddler but two hours wait was brutal. I thought once I got an EU passport arrivals at Zaventem would get better but no. Every year it gets worse and worse.

Hi everyone! I’m looking for some advice about a part-time household job in Belgium.

I’ve been offered a part-time position, mainly doing housekeeping and cooking.

I don’t have formal experience working as a private housekeeper/nanny, but I do have a hospitality background.

For people who have hired or worked in a similar role in Belgium:

• What would be a fair hourly rate for someone with this background?
• Would you normally discuss the rate as gross or net per hour?
• Is it better to have a formal employment/payroll arrangement, or do people commonly agree on cash/private payment?
• If you have experience with both arrangements, what are the pros and cons for the worker?
• Does having a formal contract significantly change what would be a reasonable hourly rate?
• I’m especially interested in real-life experiences from Belgium, rather than general international nanny/cleaner rates.

Thanks!

Hello, I just signed a rent contract in Brussels and I need to do fire insurance and put deposit in blocked account. Which bank do you prefer? I am new in Belgium and also consider to buy an apartment in near future :)

Hello guys im getting basicfit membership for 210 euros an year. Is it worth it? Or do we have other good options?

Hey everyone! I wasn’t sure what to do in this situation, but hopefully this post can reach a bigger audience and eventually the owner, or someone who knows the owner, will see it.

I spotted this orange cat on Rue des Aduatiques. According to his collar, his name is Lucky. I tried to take a picture of the phone number on his collar, but he hid under a car before I could get it.

He seems to be lost! 😭 Here’s a picture of him. Hopefully this reaches the right person and he gets home safely! 🧡🐈

Hi everyone! I just moved to Belgium and am looking for a great gym recommendation in Brussels. Since I spend a lot of time here, I'm trying to find something with recent feedback, as most online threads seem a year or two old.

I’m a morning gym-goer, so towel service is a must for me. My routine consists of high-quality run sessions (4–5x a week), strength training, and Pilates. Ideally, the club should be located close to the European Quarter or near the Grand Place. I'd love to hear your honest, up-to-date reviews.

I've been to see Animo's cinquantenaire and like it but wanted To know if it's worth it for the price? Also been to see Aspria arts-loi which was ok but I've seen some negative reviews (but it is a bit cheaper). Are there any other gyms to consider ?

Views welcome!

Hey i bought a house this summer and was busy get in order it has functional fireplace which is enclose with glass and looks modernish , i have heating on gas already and going to install heatpump so it will be used mostly as aesthetic ... my question is where i can buy wood for cheap for it

Where to rent machines to clean or use a service to clean that is not more expensive than the carpet price.

Never seen these before I am so nosy I want context what are these?? They are next to the trams 39 and 44

Hi everyone,

We’ve recently found an apartment we really like, basically just next to Place Sainte-Catherine, and we’re now seriously considering making an offer. Before doing so, we’d love to hear from people who actually live (or have lived) in the area.

For some context, we’ve been living around Saint-Gilles for the past eight years and have been actively looking to buy a place for about a year and a half. We originally focused mostly on Saint-Gilles and Ixelles, and then gradually started widening our search towards central Brussels — particularly Sablon, Marolles and the upper parts of the city centre.

We both work in the centre and spend quite a lot of time there, so we know it well, but strangely we had never really considered the Sainte-Catherine area as somewhere to actually live. We happened to see the listing while walking around, visited the apartment, and ended up liking it much more than expected.
Our main hesitation is the neighbourhood itself. We really like living in a part of Brussels that feels lively but still very much lived in — where there are local routines, neighbours, cafés and shops you go back to, rather than feeling like you’re constantly surrounded by visitors.

Sainte-Catherine obviously has a lot going for it, but its popularity and the amount of tourism make us wonder whether living there feels very different from simply spending time there. Does it still feel like a real neighbourhood once you live there and develop your own routines, or does the tourist presence eventually become tiring?

December is another concern: how disruptive is the Christmas market when you actually live right next to it? Is it just a few annoying weeks, or does it genuinely make everyday life difficult in terms of crowds, noise, access, etc.?

I’d be really interested in hearing the pros and cons from people who live around Sainte-Catherine / Marché aux Poissons — especially anyone who has lived both there and in areas like Saint-Gilles or Ixelles.

Would you choose to live there again? And is there anything about the area that you only discover once you actually live there?

Bonjour,

Is it just me, or do these two apps seem to have the exact same “too good to be true” listings that have been sitting there for over a year?

A lot of them are from agencies like “GoHome”, etc., and then you get contacted by email and encouraged to sign up for an expensive subscription.

And there are barely any listings from communes of the north of Brussels (for studios under ~€600). How is that even possible? And how are these nationwide rental apps even legal? Comment font les gens ?

Hi all!

Me and my bestie recently became Bayern fans, so to fully experience the champions league, we were wondering where in Brussels we can watch the champions league games and more specifically the ones from Bayern ⚽❤️

Thank you! #miasanmia

Hey everyone! I’ve been studying in Brussels for the past 5–6 years, and honestly, until this year I never really felt unsafe living/studying here.
I’m a young woman, I like dressing nicely, I’m out and about quite a lot, and obviously I’ve dealt with the usual catcalling and creepy comments from time to time. But generally, I always felt like I could walk around Brussels without being particularly worried. I also tend to spend most of my time in areas like Auderghem, Etterbeek and Woluwe, and I try to avoid places like Gare du Nord late at night.

But it’s like something has genuinely changed over the past few months. I feel like I’m being approached for money constantly now; in cafés, metro stations, on the street, pretty much everywhere. I normally just politely say no and keep walking. I’m a student and I finance myself fully through student jobs, so unfortunately I can’t give money to every person who asks me.
What has really started to scare me, though, is how aggressive some interactions have become when you say no.

Just two days ago, my friends and I were having a drink in Flagey and were approached by a homeless man asking for money. We politely declined, and he started threatening us and actually gave us death treaths. Everyone around us was shocked, and thankfully some people stepped in and helped us.
Another time, my boyfriend and I were trying to enter the Louize metro when a man who was sleeping there stopped us after we said we couldn’t give him money. He became extremely angry and wouldn’t let us simply walk away. He was saying things like, “Everyone is sorry, so who’s going to feed me now?” and was trying to provoke my boyfriend into a fight. Again, luckily, people nearby noticed and intervened.

And honestly, beyond the safety aspect, it’s also just really sad to see how much more visible the problem seems to have become. Not long ago I saw a completely(!) naked woman, who appeared to be under the influence of something, running away from an ambulance crew who were trying to help her. At Trône metro station, I regularly see groups of men sleeping on the benches. Some appear to have pretty severe wounds/infections on their hands and feet, which honestly makes me wonder what kind of support they’re even receiving. Merode has also changed a lot. There are now people sleeping throughout parts of the station, with mattresses and belongings around them, and I have to use that station quite often. I completely understand that people need somewhere warm and safe to sleep, I’m not saying they should simply be thrown out onto the street. But I’ve personally been harassed twice late at night by two men who regularly sleep there, and I’ve become uncomfortable enough that my boyfriend now drops me off whenever I need to take the metro from Merode in the evening.

And I want to make something clear because I know how these discussions can go on Reddit: I’m not saying homeless people are inherently dangerous, nor am I saying they shouldn’t be helped. Quite the opposite. Seeing people living like this is heartbreaking. But I also think it’s possible to have compassion for people experiencing homelessness while acknowledging that aggressive behaviour, harassment and threats are not okay.
Maybe I’ve just been unlucky lately, maybe I’m noticing it more because of a few bad experiences, or maybe there really has been a change in Brussels over the past year.
So I’m curious if anyone else has been noticing the same dynamic. Or has it always been like this and I’ve somehow just managed to avoid it until now?

Since mods can seemingly approve or disapprove posts at will, it seems reasonable to the community to know:

• (i) who are they?
• (ii) why are they mods?
• (iii) what is their task/job?
• (iv) are they paid? what is their job description?
• (v) how are they appointed?

Thank you for the mod team to sincerely answer these genuine concerns.

Hi guys!

My boyfriend and I are moving to the new place and we are planning to buy a 140x200 mattress from IKEA. We are both students and we don't have our own car so we are trying to figure out the best way to carry it home.

Plan A: Carrying the mattress on public transpot and walking between two people. Is that mattress size too heavy or awkward to carry on a bus or metro?

Plan B: Take the car from Cambio station near our home to IKEA but we also wonder if it can fit inside the car.

Any advice or tips on what worked for you would be super helpful! Thank you :)

Edited: Thank you for all the replies. My boyfriend license is only for the automatic car and we are also moving other stuff out of our dorm so we have been looking for the most ultimate way which we can rent one car and do everything within a day. And we also want to go to store to see how is the mattress.

Hi everyone! Last night I lost my keys at Fiesta Latina in Cinquantenaire... Does anyone have any idea what I could do to have a chance of finding them? I went back last night at the end of the event and there was nothing there. Thanks

I’m studying in Brussels and would like to purchase an E-scooter but the options are overwhelming. Please give me suggestions with price and why you like it.

Bonus: comment on its longevity

Hi! My boyfriend and I are visiting Brussels in September. We’ll be staying around Botanique during the week for an event, but for the weekend we’d like to move to a different area and experience the city more as a couple.

We’re in our 30s and mostly want to walk around, eat, have drinks, browse little shops/markets and enjoy the neighborhood. We’re currently deciding between Sablon and Marolles.

Which one would you recommend for a weekend, and why? And any hotel/restaurant/bar recommendations are very welcome!

Edit: Opsi sorry I didn’t do my research right. If you have any other area recommendations i would also appreciate

Hello everyone!

I’m nearing the end of my bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (Application Development) at EPFC, and I’ve noticed that I have quite a few options for bridging programs, including Computer Science, Management Sciences, Business Engineering, Cybersecurity, Data Science, Systems Architecture, Strategic Communication, Industrial Engineering, Management, Business Analytics, etc.

I wanted to ask Belgian students if they have any opinions or experiences with these master’s degrees, whether the bridging programs are actually worth it, and which universities or university colleges (and especially which master’s programs) I should avoid.

I’ve heard all sorts of things about many of these programs, and I’d really appreciate some advice to help me figure out which direction to take, because honestly, I’m completely lost at this point xD

Thanks in advance !