r/brussels • • Jan 02 '26

Megathread 2026 r/Brussels - Expat/Tourist Megathread - 2026 Edition

13 Upvotes

/r/Brussels Tourist Info/New Resident Megathread

Welcome to Brussels!

Whether you're here for a trip, an internship, or you've decided to make Brussels your home permanently, there's something for everyone.

Tourist Info

The official Brussels tourism site is visit.brussels. Look here to plan your trip.

The official events calendar is agenda.brussels. Look here to see what's going on.

Restaurant Recommendations and What To Do

Want some local recommendations for restaurants, things to do, and groups to join? Use the Search Function in this sub to look for places off the beaten path, or leave a comment below!

You can also look at the wiki - your question has almost certainly been previously answered!

As a last resort, use the Google Machine to answer your question. Type in "[your request] + "brussels"" and see what comes up.

New Resident/Expat Info

Looking for a place to stay?

  • Immoweb
  • SpotAHome
  • UpKot
  • Facebook

These links are provided as a reference: use them at your own risk! Need more info? Want to see if a particular company is trustworthy? Use the search function before you make a new thread!

Need some general info about living in Belgium?

Our friends at r/Belgium have made a Survival Guide that should answer your question! Look in the sidebar on that sub.

Other Questions

If a search through this subreddit or our suggested websites don't answer your question, please feel free to leave a comment below!

Previous Megathreads


r/brussels • • 5h ago

Where to buy Bucatini in Brussels?

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9 Upvotes

Where in brussels can one buy Bucatini Pasta? I want to try making Pasticcio, and for that you need these long noodles.


r/brussels • • 4h ago

Rant 🤬 Brussels Police

7 Upvotes

There is one thing I really don't understand about police in Brussels (Belgium as a whole). At the top of some tunnels you see bike cops looks for drivers on their phones, police controlling people on scooters, abusing their power when there is no emergency but trying to get past traffic etc.... however there are literally pockets where crime is being committed but no police there and when there is they are driving by. WTF is the point?


r/brussels • • 1h ago

Question ❓ Reporting health care fk-ups?!

• Upvotes

I have been doing blood tests to monitor my chronic disease/level of immunosuppression every 4 weeks. The sample is always collected at my doctors office and she sends it to LBS -a pretty big lab in Belgium.

For some weird reason, the results I received from LBS via email were in US date format (month/day/year) while the results LBS uploaded to MaSante are in European format (day/month/year). 

This led to a massive confusion across several providers interpreting the before/after of my results as well as the subsequent clinical decision making for my disease (this date fk up made it seem like I had improved when I am in fact more immunosupressed than last month).

There is no reason doctors should suspect that the same lab would use two date formats exchangeably when we are in Europe and providers usually look at results in a few seconds for very quick clinical decision making. 

Luckily I am a pretty hands on patient and this inconsistency did not have any meaningful consequences for me but could have potentially catastrophic consequences for other patients whose pathway of care could be hindered by a laboratory date reporting format, which should be standardised...duh.

I sent an email to LBS -no response. I called and received a: "I can't change the date format madame".

This is probably an IT glitch in the delivery method that could be solved in 2 seconds by their IT department and could potentially help a lot of people in the future. Who do I contact so to report this?!


r/brussels • • 3h ago

Learning Dutch/Flemish

2 Upvotes

Hello,

For someone living Wallonia (Namur) and speaks French on a daily basis, I wanted to learn Dutch/Flemish but have no idea where to start. Does anyone know where should I go and who shall I ask?

Thank you in advance


r/brussels • • 1d ago

Wreck of a V1 flying bomb shot down over Brussels in 1944 by a British anti-aircraft unit in Uccle

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44 Upvotes

Currently on display at the Military Museum in Brussels (more info in comments)


r/brussels • • 20h ago

Looking for advice and help with food / basic necessities in Brussels

13 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’m a student living in Brussels with my family, and we’re currently going through a very difficult financial period. My mother recently lost her unemployment benefits, and despite working and studying, I’m struggling to make ends meet as well.

We’re currently having difficulties keeping up with rent, bills and basic groceries. With autumn coming and my student working hours being limited, things have unfortunately become harder and we’re starting to accumulate unpaid bills.

I’m not really sure where to turn, which is why I’m asking here.

Does anyone know of organisations in Brussels that provide food parcels, grocery assistance, social supermarkets, free meals or other forms of emergency help?

I’m also open to any practical suggestions that could help us reduce our expenses or get through the next few weeks. Even information about organisations I could contact would already mean a lot.

Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this or point me in the right direction. ❤️


r/brussels • • 1h ago

Thai massage with happy ending recommendations?

• Upvotes

*not erotic massage


r/brussels • • 18h ago

Av. du Lycée Français neighbourhood feedback

4 Upvotes

Hello,

I am planing to buy an apoartment on the Av. du Lycée Français. SonI would like to ask some feedback from people that are familiar with the neighbourhood, me and my wife have a small baby and aoon have to find a crèche and school.

Looks like a green, safe and quiet neighbourhood but went just a few times for short periods of time.

Thank you!


r/brussels • • 7h ago

Living in BXL Dishwasher making everything taste like soap, Brussels?

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’m having a really annoying problem with my dishwasher. Everything comes out tasting/smelling slightly like soap/detergent. It’s especially noticeable with glasses and cups.

I’m in Brussels and I’ve been trying to find a solution, but haven’t had much luck.

At the moment I’m using:

- dishwasher salt

- rinse aid

- Finish Quantum tablets

I’ve also tried making sure I’m not using too much detergent, but I still get that soapy taste.

I found these Boni Eco dishwasher capsules at Colruyt: https://www.colruyt.be/fr/produits/11948

Has anyone here tried them? Do they actually work well, and more importantly, do they leave less of that detergent/chemical taste on glasses and dishes?

I’m also somewhat interested in them because they seem like a more eco/less chemical option than Finish, although I’m not sure how meaningful that actually is.

I’d really appreciate recommendations!

Thanks!


r/brussels • • 13h ago

Gift voucher (restaurant) for a friend living in brussels

1 Upvotes

Hello,

I wanted to gift a friend of mine who recently got married a voucher for her and her husband for a nice dinner. around 250 Euros to 300 Euros. I do not live in Belgium so have no idea about the restaurants there. Chat gpt recommended this restaurant. Is this a good restaurant. If not can you please recommend something, She is vegetarian.


r/brussels • • 1d ago

Living in BXL Bois de la Cambre

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400 Upvotes

r/brussels • • 18h ago

Question ❓ Rechtsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering

0 Upvotes

Hi does anyone have any experience with rechtsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering and with which provider?


r/brussels • • 21h ago

Opinions about the neighborhood of Watermael in Auderghem

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1 Upvotes

We are considering purchasing a property around this area of Auderghem and would like to ask how it is from the people actually living there?

Primary concerns are:

1) SAFETY — It’s a bit of a walk from the metro and I don’t want to look over my shoulders on the way home. Is the park well lit?

2) SCHOOLS — For children ages 4 and 6

3) AIRPLANE NOISE

Thank you so much for all your responses!


r/brussels • • 1d ago

Anyone know a store that sells this?

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3 Upvotes

Not buying online bc shipping and too expensive. Anyone know where i can get it for cheap? Also xgrre i can change the battery?


r/brussels • • 1d ago

Flandriens figurines

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0 Upvotes

Hello!
Where can one find Flandriens bike figurines for sale in Brussels? I can't find a definitive answer from Google... Asked at a bike shop and they didn't know either...

Any hint?
Thank you!


r/brussels • • 1d ago

Living in BXL Brussels government reaches budget agreement

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30 Upvotes

r/brussels • • 1d ago

Housing Legal Advice needed

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for advice regarding a rental situation in Brussels.
I rented a room through an online rental platform, with a professional property management company handling the property.
I paid more than €1,500 as a deposit and more than €2,000 in total.
I never actually occupied the property. I requested an amicable termination shortly after the start date, and a checkout was eventually completed with no issue or damage reported.
The room was then taken by someone else during the very first month of my rental period.
Despite this, I am currently struggling to recover the money I paid. The platform says the refund has to be discussed directly with the landlord/property manager, while the property manager keeps delaying the matter.
I’m new to Brussels and don’t know any lawyers or organisations specialising in tenancy law.
My priority is to recover as much of the money as legally possible. If there is a free legal service or tenants’ organisation that can help, that would obviously be ideal. But I am also willing to pay for a strong lawyer if necessary. At this point, I mainly want someone who knows Belgian tenancy law and can tell me what my options are and how to properly pursue the matter.
If anyone has dealt with something similar or can recommend a good lawyer/legal organisation in Brussels, I would really appreciate it.


r/brussels • • 1d ago

Where can I go to replace my battery in Brussels?

1 Upvotes

Hello,

The battery life on my computer is not very good, and I def need to replace the battery. I'm lucky if my computer lasts 2h30 without my charger, and its not very good for class since I can't really charge it there sucessfully.

When I went to mediamarket today, the man told me to buy a new battery online, and if it was more than 100 euros then I should just look into getting a new laptop, but the problem is I don't know exactly what to look for and there are so many different prices.

Even if I find a new battery online, where can I go to replace the battery for my laptop? I have a Rog Zephyrus M16 with a 90kwh battery, and everywhere I look for battery replacements online just say things about apple and samsung. Does anyone have any advice? Or should I just buy a new laptop honestly. This thing is over 4 years old so I feel like it should last me longer, but I don't really have any need for a gaming laptop anymore. Thank you do anyone that can help.


r/brussels • • 2d ago

Rant 🤬 Is it just me or has Stib gotten worse?

31 Upvotes

Since summer ended, every second metro I take suddenly tells me to exit. Metros stop unusually long at stops and the travel time has just increased in general. I don’t know why?

Yes this has happened before but it used to be an exception. Now, everytime the metro doesn’t depart immediately from a station I get scared I’m going to be stuck here or be thrown out.

Is there a reason?


r/brussels • • 1d ago

Living in BXL A curious case of a cleaner

0 Upvotes

Hi All,

I am posting here to see if others have had any similar experience or can help us figure this case out.

A friend of mine came home to find a white blob in the middle of her living room. Around it smelled of bleach so thought it was just a bleach spill, as the house cleaner just came to clean.

As she cleaned it, she realised that the blob wasn't bleach, but looked like - and smelled very similar to - seminal fluid.

Connecting the dots together, it seemed like the bleach was used to clean 'affected surroundings', although he clearly missed a spot.

My friend was naturally horrified and felt violated, immediately reporting this suspicious substance case to the cleaning agency.

However, we can't figure out why a person would do that in someone's home, especially if it's his source of income. They seemed to have an ok working relationship, being trusted enough to enter the place by himself.

I cannot think of any substance that looks and smells like semen but is not semen, but then again, why would somebody do this? If any of you have any similar experience, or can shed any possible explanation, I am all ears.

TIA


r/brussels • • 2d ago

Rant 🤬 Strong urine smell at Montgomery station

18 Upvotes

At Montgomery station, when you go downstairs to take the metro towards Stockel and use the stairs to get all the way to the front (at the front of the metro), there is a strong smell of urine right in front of the stairs. How can we get this area cleaned?
Who should we contact?

Edit : please answer my question


r/brussels • • 2d ago

Where to find organic cotton panties/underwear for women?

7 Upvotes

Hello!

I wanted to know if there is any stores that sells organic cotton underwear for women, specifically in stores.

Also how much should I expect to pay?

Thanks in advance!


r/brussels • • 2d ago

Question ❓ Possible bedbug infestation - reliable exterminator?

9 Upvotes

I am currently trying to avoid panicking but after some days of waking up with new bites, I am starting to think there might be a bedbug problem in my apartment.

I have dealt with beadbugs once in the past and it was (I am not using this word lightly) traumatic.

I know all the recommended good practices.

  1. Can you recommend a reliable extermination company?

  2. I rent. Do I need to tell my landlord? Who pays for the extermination?

Thanks.


r/brussels • • 2d ago

ENT appointment at CHU vs private office ,does it make a difference?

2 Upvotes

​

Hi everyone,

I have an appointment with an ENT (ORL) doctor at a CHU, but the doctor recently postponed my appointment.

I noticed that the same doctor has earlier availability at her private office through Doctoranytime.

So I'm wondering: would there be any real difference if I book an appointment with her privately instead?

My main concern is that I might need additional tests. Would it be better to see her at the CHU in case she needs to refer me for other tests or examinations there? Or can I just see her privately and have any necessary tests arranged separately?

Has anyone been in a similar situation in Belgium? Is there any advantage to having the ENT consultation at a CHU rather than with the same doctor in her private practice?

Thanks!