Brussels

From the CouchSurfing Wiki, an informal workspace which anyone can edit.

Brussels (Bruxelles in French and Brussel in Dutch) is the capital of Belgium and has approximately 1.000.000 inhabitants. Furthermore it is the capital of the European Union and the seat of the N.A.T.O. When speaking about Brussels, they usually include the surrounding area, the Capital Region of Brussels. This is also the case for Couchsurfing. There are a bit over 700 Couchsurfers in Brussels.

1 IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
2 Meetings
3 Tips
4 CouchSurfers
5 Trivia
6 More info
7 Working

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

  Only in case of emergency, it means for problems like no more news from your host or physical
  troubles in Belgium, you can directly contact the Belgian ambassadors by sending a mail at this
  address: 911csbelgium@gmail.com . 
  PLEASE, indicate your username, phone number, e-mail and the city where we can contact you!!!

Meetings

The Brussels CS Community is meeting on a regular basis every last thursday of the month for the "Welcome Meeting".

Other meetings are very often organised by many members: if you want to stay informed, you can check the Brussels CS group, the CS meeting page, or (to have a general overvieuw) the Brussels Calendar.

There is also an informal weekly meeting on Monday evenings (at least so it was in 2008): CSers in Brussels meet up to go to the cinema, and then to have a drink. No meeting message is usually posted though: to know more about it, ask on the Brussels CS group.

Tips

Languages

Brussels is the capital of Belgium. Although originally a Flemish (Dutch speaking) town the main language nowadays is French. You should be fine speaking English without any problem though, most Belgians speak two, three or more languages although some are hesitant to speak them because of fear of making mistakes (it's a Belgian thing, don't ask). But as Brussels is the capital of the European Union and houses many European government officials you'll find that you can hear almost every language in Europe on the subway.

All street signs are both in Dutch and French, important touristic notices are also marked in English and often in German, Spanish and even Chinese. (Belgium has three official languages by the way, Dutch, French and German)

Moving around

Brussels is a small city compared to most other European capitals so if you're not afraid to walk you'll find a lot of interesting stuff inside a 1.5km radius of the Grand Place.

The best way to get around is the subway (metro) and Brussels basically has three lines (North-South, East-West and the center). However, this subway network is pretty limited: it doesn't really get you to all usefull spots. Buses and tram are also good: the same ticket can be used for all the public transportation. In 2008, a simple 1 hour ticket costed 1,50 euros. There are also multiple trips cards, which make each single trip a little cheaper.

There are three main train stations in Brussels (North, South and Central) but there are several smaller ones around. Central station is just next to the Grand'Place and is the central hub for both metro lines. For international train destinations, the South station (gare du Midi in French, Zuid station in Dutch) is the most important one.Belgium has a very extensive railroad system though and the train is an excellent way to get around in Belgium and Brussels is really in the center of the country. Train tickets are pretty cheap on weekends: you can get a weekend return ticket, which allows you to leave anytime from Friday on, and returning anytime until Sunday night. Tickets don't need to be stamped or anything on Belgian trains.

The main airport is Brussels international, also called Brussels North, and is located in Zaventem on the outskirts of the city. Brussels Airlines and Easyjet fly from there. Ryanair flies from Brussels South, which is farther away, in the city of Charleroi.

Sight seeing The Grand Place (Grote Markt in Dutch) is the center of town and a must see - if you can, go and see it at night. Victor Hugo described it as the most beautiful square in Europe. Every second year (in 2006, 2008, 2010, ...) in the summer it is totally covered by a flower carpet during 3 days: go to see it if you hppen to be in Brussels at that time. Beginning of July of each year, there is the famous Ommegang: Brusselers remember the arrival of emperor Charles V in the city. A big show in original Renaissance dresses is organized on the Grand'Place at night. It happens twice (Tuesday and Thursday) on the same week.

Manneke Pis is nearby and worldfamous - although it really is rather small - manneke pis does mean 'little peeing man' after all. For special occasions they dress the statue up (e.g. on July 21st - the National Holiday) and on rare occasions he'll be pissing beer or wine. There's a small museum with all the outfits he has ever worn (and there's a lot of them).

The Atomium - the Brussel's equivalent of the Eiffel Tower - is on the Heizel (metro stop)and you can visit it, visit it before 18:00 though for some odd reason it closes early. It was built for the 1958 exhibition and in 2008 a commemoration took place with a temporary exhibition.

From the huge and pretty impressive Palais de Justice, you have one of the nicest views on Brussels. from there you can walk down Rue de la Régence (Regentschapsstraat) until the église du Sablon (Zavelkerk), one of the most beautiful churches of Brussels. The whole area between these two buildings, and especially underneath them, the Marolles (Marollen) is very old and beautiful. Stroll around those streets and little squares.

Another interesting area is aroud St Cathérine church (Sint Katelijne). The church is a ruin, wich makes it mysterious and attractive. There are many restaurants (especially seafood) there. Nearby there are the best shopping streets: Rue neuve (Nieuwstraat), Dansaertstraat area (with it's design and fashion shops), Place de la Monnaie. It's a very lively area, right next to St-Géry square, the Stock exchange (Bourse/Beurs) and Grand'Place.

Another area worth visiting is around the royal palace and Mont des Arts (Kunstberg). The Parc de Bruxelles (Warandenpark) is a nice, pretty big parc. in front of it there's the Royal Palace, which is open to visitors ONLY one month during the summer. So, you should definitely go there, if you happen to be in Brussels around July-August. No pictures are allowed. Next to it is the Place Royale, from wich you can walk down to the Mont des Arts (it's a Parc with decorative hedges and the monumental building of the Royal Library), where you have another wonderful panoramic view on the city. Then you can go down the steps and walk to the Grand'Place. If you don't walk down there, you can go visit the Royal Art Museum (Musée des Beaux Arts), and that street leads you to the église du Sablon, which I've described above. You'll also be close to the Old England building (recognizable through it's Art nouveau architecture), wich hosts the often appreciated Music Instruments Museum. The building itself is also nice form the outside and the inside.

The cathedral is also worth seeing. It is located near the central station, that is less then 10 minutes wlak east of the Grand'Place.

You may also want to take a walk in the area of the European Union institutions in order to see the buildings of the EU Parliament and Commission. They are on PLace du Luxembourg and Schumann (reacheable by metro or even walking, yet it takes 20 minutes or longer walking uphill from Grand'Place).

Food and bars

Belgians like good food and restaurants (and of course Belgian beer) are all over in Brussels. There are over 1000 of them. The tourist restaurants you'll find around Rue des Bouchers and Petite Rue des Bouchers (Beenhouwersstraat & Korte Beenhouwersstraat). There is a typical atmosphere. They have so called 'fly-catchers' outside most restaurants, people trying to get you to enter a specific restaurant, often you can negotiate a free 'aperitif' or a free dessert (try it - it's part of the show). The famous Delirium Café is also located in this area: it has a menu of over 2000 different kinds of beer, a world record. Local people tend to go more to restaurants and bars located at and around Boulevard Anspach, St-Géry square, etc. Most gay bars and clubs are also in this area, especially in Rue du Marché au Charbon (Kolenmarkt straat). The neighbourhood of Ixelles has also lots of bars and restaurants, especially around Place Flagey. "French fries" are actually a Belgian specialty: you can buy them anywhere, and they're served with all sorts of sauces (andalouse, cocktail, tartare, etc), yet actually they're all mayonnaise based. The most famous fries are sold on Place Jourdan, near the European institutions: however they're not suitable for vegetarians. Waffles are also a typical belgian food which is sold all over the city. And then, there's the world famous Belgian chocolate: chocolate shops are touristic, yet it's still the best chocolate.

Sleeping

You may wish to look for a place to stay outside of town - unfortunately the metro does not really connect to the small villages around Brussels. However, Brussels itself has lots of hotels and hostels, and then of course there is a big CS community...

Traveling in Belgium

Must see cities are Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp in Flanders. In Wallonia (French speaking part of Belgium) Namur, Bastogne... The old industrial towns like Liège or Charleroi are generally not considered as very beautiful, yet probably they also hide some interesting secrets... In general, Flanders has the most beautiful cities and the sea (towns of Ostende, Knokke, Middelkerk,...), while Wallonia is rather appreciated for it's nature, especially the Ardennes.

Places to avoid

When you know how to behave in a big city, you won't get easily into trouble. The red light district is situated around North Station (Gare du Nord).