Nah just kidding, this post will not be about wolves.
Wolf.brussels is a new place in Brussels and deserves its own blog post. It is called the wolf because it is on a street of Brussels called Rue du Fossé aux Loups i.e. wolf’s den. It is in the city center and this city has been missing such a place for a while now. https://wolf.brussels/
So what is it? It is a new food hall! Why am I so excited about it? Because a lot of cities have one and it is always a cool place to have a drink and eat good food for not a lot of money. Rotterdam has Markthal and Sevilla has Mercado Lonja del Barranco and they are amazing places well worth a visit.
Wolf of Brussels opened up in an old bank and it features a several already well-know restaurants of Brussels:
Hanoi – Vietnamese
Toukoul – Ethiopian
Bollywood stories – Indian
My Tannour – Syrian
La piola pizza
Les filles
Poke club
and other interesting places. There is also a micro brewery the Wolf brewed on premises. Hence the logo.
And that is not all folk – in January they will open an organic farmers market.
I would warmly recommend popping by and enjoying a beer and many delicious foods on offer!
It occurred to me that this might be a very interesting topic for anybody looking to set up in Brussels. And it is certainly not easy to move into a new city, find a place and make it feel like home. Below are some tips on how to start.
Where to look for an apartment?
There are several sites that are very helpful in looking for a new place.
Immoweb – the most used, it has a website in English even though the description of the apartments are usually in French or Dutch https://www.immoweb.be/en/
Immovlan – similar to immoweb but for whatever reason, they still do not have the same choice of apartments https://immo.vlan.be/en
Between these 3 pages, most of the apartments in Brussels should be covered. Now there is also a decision where in Brussels to move to which neighbourhood. This is a very personal choice but I would highly suggest going for a walk in each of the neighbourhoods to get a feeling of whether you would like living there, whether the atmosphere is good and whether the amenities that you need are within reach.
Moreover, BIG question: furnished or not? Again a personal choice depending on your budget, how fussed you are about the furniture and how much you care about making the apartment your space. What i can say with certainty is that you can furnish a place in Brussels for 1000 euros. And we are not talking about IKEA and the usual shops around it.
There are a bunch of places in Brussels that are very useful for furnishing apartment on a budget that are worth a visit:
Le Troc – https://www.troc.com/fr a great shop selling second hand furniture for affordable prices. We are talking everything from antiquities to 6 months old furniture.
Jeu de Balle – now this is a sacred place for smaller things that you need in an apartment. Whether we are talking about a plate, cutlery or a night stand Jeu de Balle has it all. It is open every day from early morning to lunchtime.
Action – https://www.action.com/nl-be/ this is my personal preference whenever i look for something, i first go to Action. It is the cheapest place that has a lot of handy things from arts and crafts to dishes, cleaning supply, candies, car maintenance and tools. Everything. So for making your apartment pretty, it is very useful.
Hema – https://www.hema.com/nl-be it is slightly more expensive than Action but the logic is the same – you can find loads of things here.
Flying Tiger – https://be.flyingtiger.com/ smaller than the 2 shops before and slightly quirkier. It also does a lot of seasonal goodies which was fun especially coming up to Halloween or Christmas.
Casa – https://be.casashops.com/fr/ it is a nice shop with everything to decorate your house but prices are slightly higher than the above mentioned ones. However, if you go during sales, the prices are affordable and their decorations are nicer than the previous 3 shops.
Guys, these summer months require less of a way to sweat or at least more of the ways to get some wind in your hair with the new forms of bike/scooter/moped sharing schemes popping up around Brussels.
exactly!
So lets start off with bikes as a good traditional way of strolling across town:
Swapfiets – because it’s the best there is! 17.50 for a whole month of bike plus they help you if your bike breaks down. I don’t know of anything better out there.
Villo Bruxelles – whose page doesn’t work currently but they have numerous stations over the city and first 30 minutes are for free. The only catch is that you have to have a credit card inserted before you take the deposit and 150 euro on it to block as a deposit in case you don’t return the bike.
Uber bike – new innovation in the city and also an electric one. So not sweating when going up the hill (or at least less than usual). It costs €0,15 per minute and €1 unlocking fee. You can see where all of them are on the same uber app as for the uber taxi.
Following with my fave transportation vehicle:
Scooty – its been around for a while and it is fairly easy to use. The only catch is that you need to register in advance (which will cost 3 euros). Once you do, it’s 0.26 euro per minute/drive. And for your protection, you also get a helmet!
Felyx – this one only arrived to town the other day and it is electric but cost 0.30 euro a minute and has a parking cost of 0.05 per minute. I think you also get a helmet here but i didn’t try this one.
And lastly, the scooters. The price is the same for more or less all of them: starting cost is 1 euro, and then 15 cents per minute. The most widespread one is Lime and it has been in Brussels forever (joke all of the scooters didn’t exist before this spring). The other good one is Dott and it is a little more sophisticated than Lime and their scooters seem to be of better quality but i am no expert.
When i arrived to Brussels, you would find out about these random markets on small squares across the city where local vendors sell vegetables, plants, fresh made pasta and other yummy products. But they would also serve as places where people would meet after work for a drink and a nibble as there are also food vendors with Moroccan pancakes, or Thai curry or just a good old hot dog or waffle. Most of these would open already for lunch time and then depending on what they sell remain open until 6,7,8 in the evening or some even longer.
So these square fests are in no way random and below is a calendar and a short subjective description of each of them.
St Gilles get the market on Monday in front of one of the most beautiful Maison Communal in Brussels. The market has a similar combination of the fresh produce and cooked food stands and sometimes during summer months even has live music bands playing in the evenings.
The Plux market opens at lunch time with a fruit/veggie stand, fresh pasta one, plants and flowers one and several food stands. Some cafes on the square even accept you bringing in the food from the square and sitting down on the terrace. It goes on until 7 more or less but the stands that sell champagne and oysters or just different food and drinks may stay open longer. It is quiet busy during lunch time and if the weather is good, the atmosphere is lovely.
This one is similar to the one at Plux and in the evening there is a lot of people standing in a square having a drink in the bars near by and is a very well known Wednesday evening destination. That being said, Chatelain is a lovely neighbourhood with a bunch of lovely restaurants and bars so i would suggest also exploring it on other days.
This is not exactly the scale nor the variety of offer as the previous ones but it is in a small park near the EU area so if you are in the neighbourhood, going for a pasteis de nata and a good Brussels beer is never a bad idea.
This is my personal favourite (probably cos its on Friday)! It is quite big and the atmosphere is amazing with the square full of people, kids, elders enjoying a glass of cava or beer or wine in the sunshine on the bench. If the weather is good, the square is packed and you surely find something to eat and drink. I would absolutely recommend it and it also stays open quite late in the evening. This is what it normally looks like.
As wifi is important to everybody nowadays, i thought some of you would find it useful to have a summary of all the internet providers and the offers at disposal. Also i would suggest for all to have a look at the below because you may have had the same internet for a long time out of the convenience of not dealing with the internet providers but below may be services that provide faster or cheaper internet than the one you already have.
The caveat is that some of the providers do not reach all parts of the city so they will not be able to provide the service.
So anyway, below is some research that I gathered:
I have taken up swimming in September last year and it has been the best exercise decision I have ever made. I swim in the morning before work and it puts me in a great mood (as my colleagues can attest).
This is an actual footage of me in a pool
So I decided to share my research on the pools in Brussels if anybody else wants to try the fantastic feeling I get after 30-45 minutes of swimming in the morning.
The first caveat is that there are no outside pool in the whole city of Brussels which is the most unfortunate thing when the weather is actually nice.
The second caveat is that i will be writing about public pools only as I have not found much information on the public pools apart from the Aspria gyms which has quiet a high membership fee and World Class gym but that one is not really for swimming, as far as i heard.
The third caveat is that for all the pools you will need a swimming cap as it is obligatory and for men you cannot wear boxers as speedos are obligatory.
The fourth caveat is that most of these pools have subscriptions that allows for cheaper fees when visiting the pools if you plan on doing it on recurrent basis so if that interests you, i left a link for the website of the pool for more information.
Nam of the pool
Address
Price
Working hours
Link to the website
Espadon
Rue des Champs 69/71,1040 Etterbeek
Between 3 and 4 euro – Etterbeek commune Between 3.75 and 4.35 – other communes.
Mon-Thurs 8-19:30 Fri 8-20:00 Sat-Sun 9-13, 14-18 (different working hours for school holidays)
There are several events taking place in Brussels on a particular date every year that are well worth visiting – such as the flower carpet, museum night fever and others. They are a great option for a different type of a Sunday or a great night out with or without children. (I have purposefully left out November because I do not remember any Brussels events organised during that month.)
January
Plaisirs d’hiver – There is still a Christmas market to visit that lasts until 7th January. Numerous little houses offering food and presents can be found in the city centre around Grand Place and Place St Catherine. Also interesting to keep an eye on are pop up Christmas markets around the city such as Place Sablon and Place Ambiorix. http://www.plaisirsdhiver.be/en/
Bright Brussels – It is a lovely light festival taking place around the city to light up dreary February nights. Every year new authors present their creations in buildings around Brussels you would maybe not normally visit. https://visit.brussels/en/sites/bright
Museum Night Fever – My absolutely favourite event of the year and if you are a museum fan, I would absolutely recommend it. Many museums around the city are open late in the evening with special guiding tours, bars, live music present on locations to provide for a great night out. There are activities for children and adults alike and it starts at 19:00 and lasts until early hours of the morning if you still have the energy 🙂 http://www.museumnightfever.be/
March
BANAD festival – The Brussels Art Nouveau and Art Deco Festival promotes the Art Nouveau and Art Deco heritage in Brussels. The best part is that you get to see art deco heritage that is normally not open to the public and are only open for those events. https://www.banad.brussels/en
April
Royal Greenhouses of Laeken – These botanical gardens in the possession of the royal family of Belgium are available for a visit for 3 weeks in the year between April and May. It provides for a beautiful walk among architecture of Victor Horta and many different flower species all in bloom. https://www.monarchie.be/fr/agenda/ouverture-des-serres-royales-de-laeken-2019
Brussels Short Film Festival – Festival of short movies taking place in different cinemas around Brussels http://bsff.be/en/who-we-are/
Floralia -It is a spring flower exhibition in the park and the greenhouses of the castle of Grand Bigard (Groot-Bijgaarden) with the park of 14 hectares incorporating nearly all spring bulb varieties. For the new flowering time, the gardeners of the castle have planted by hand more than one million bulbs. Special attention goes to the tulips, with almost 400 varieties, hyacinths and daffodils are also well represented. http://www.kasteelgrootbijgaarden.be/en/floralia-brussels/
Groot-Bijgaarden castle and tulips everywhere
Balkan Trafik – This festival celebrates the culture of the South East Europe, Balkan area through concerts, theatre, literature, cinema and other art forms over 5 days in Brussels. It is a lot of fun and truly a great experience. https://balkantrafik.com/
May
Fete d’Iris – The translation is an Iris party and Iris is the symbol flower of the Region of Brussels. There are many activities, live events, performances across the city and the best part of the story is that it is all for free. https://fetedeliris.brussels/
EU Open Day – I know this may be something most of you are aware of but it is really fun to get to know the institutions and spend a day roaming around the EU neighbourhood. And you get a lot of freebies while you are at it 🙂 https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/symbols/europe-day_en
Vaux-hall summers – every weekend between May and September, in the Vaux-hall of park Cinquantenaire there is a rich cultural programme organised by the city of Brussels. https://vauxhallsummer.bruxelles.be/
June
Couleur caffe – one of the better known Brussels music festivals right under the well-known Atomium building that runs for 3 days a row. https://www.couleurcafe.be/en/
Ommegang – Those in power at the time in Brussels decided to show off the wealth and glory of their city by organising an Ommegang (which means walking round or procession) where for this one special occasion municipal bodies, guilds and patrician Brussels as well as the nobility from surrounding regions and the high clergy passed in solemn procession with the pomp and circumstance that clearly announced their status and privileges, while at the same time honouring the greatness of the emperor. http://www.ommegang.be/?lang=en
Brussels Flower carpet – This is probably the most well known Brussels event and it happens every second year and not every year where the Grand Place is decorated with an amazingly colourful flowers that are shaped like a carpet and every year they dedicate it to another country/region of the world. http://www.flowercarpet.brussels/en
Brussels Summer Festival – This is another urban music festival, goes on for 10 days and has been organised since 2002 in the city. http://bsf.be/
September
Belgian Beer Weekend – It lasts for 3 days and the best part is that it is organised by the Knighthood of the Brewer’s Paddle and Belgian Brewers. A Knighthood guys! Small and big breweries present their beer at the Grand-Place. The entrance is free, the tastings have to be paid. http://www.belgianbrewers.be/en/
Looks like this most of the time…. JOKE but almost 🙂
October
Nuit Blanche – white night showcases the public space and dozens of sites in the capital by means of contemporary artistic creation. Cultural venues, shop windows, school playgrounds, car parks, churches, stations, fountains, streets and squares are all potential locations. It is another great night out to walk around different venues in the city. http://nuitblanche.brussels/en/edition-2019/
Brussels Electronic Marathon – The Brussels Electronic Marathon is 3 days of electronic music from the local scene with parties, live concerts, DJ sets, workshops & films. https://www.bem.brussels/
December
Floridylle – This botanical garden in the little town of Meise a bit outside ofBrussels organises a lovely night walk with lights and music performance of the plants across a huge park. At the end there is also a place to have a drink and food around fire and altogether it is a really lovely place to be in case you are in Brussels between Christmas and New Years. The official page does not work at the moment but this may be of help but it is in Flemish:https://www.meise.be/activiteitendetail/984/winterfloridylle-in-de-plantentuin-meise
I have been to several great plays lately and whenever I told people about it afterwards, I would get asked how I found them and whether I can tell them about it in advance the next time. So this is me, summarising the information that I have. Brussels English-speaking theatre scene is a bit peculiar in my opinion because the play takes place for 5 days in a row and then it is gone which I think is a shame, especially when there are good ones like the Streetcar Named Desire that I went to last that was put on by the American Theatre Company and it was amazing! I am sorry for all that have missed it.
OK so, introduction aside, there are several English speaking troupes that I have been following:
The English Comedy Club Brussels – It was originally formed as The English Comedy Club in 1909 as an amateur society dedicated to performing English language theatre for the expatriate community in Brussels.The club is based in “The Warehouse”, a complex of buildings in the Schaerbeek area of the city which it co-owns with the ATC and ITG. Their next play is Pygmalion taking place in the beginning of May. http://ecc.theatreinbrussels.com/
Brussels Shakespeare Society – as its name suggest, it is a theatre dedicated to Shakespeare’s work. Their next play is Henry V taking place in June. http://shaksoc.theatreinbrussels.com/index.html
The American Theatre Company – The company was born in 1969. Since then, ATC has become one of the most successful amateur English-language theatre groups in the country. Their next play is The Providence of Neighboring Bodies and as they say “the ATC will present this one-act play, directed by Rebecca Castermans, followed by nibbles, drinks, and improv with the ATC’s own Ghost Sheep!” http://www.atcbrussels.com/
Brussels Light Opera Comedy – BLOC is the largest amateur musical theatre company in Brussels. Their next production is called The Sorcerer and it taking place at the end of May. http://bloc-brussels.com/index.php/
Whether it’s a sunny Sunday or a rainy one, I have a few suggestions what to do if you have decided to stay in the city. If you are looking for activities outside Brussels, I would warmly recommend a blog of the father of my best friend, which I personally use and find incredibly well done: https://discoveringbelgium.com/ Doesn’t matter what your mood of the day is, he has it all: hiking, walking, gardens, castles, rivers and canals, museums etc.
Now if you have decided you will stay in Brussels, I would suggest the following:
Every first Sunday of the month, there is a Brussels Vintage Market. It’s a great place to browse for second hand clothes, jewellery, decorations and others. It is also situated in a lovely Halle St Gery which is well worth a visit without the vintage market (More on the Halle St Gery here: http://hallessaintgery.be/) https://brusselsvintagemarket.be/nl/onthaal
If you are in need of groceries i would highly recommend 2 big markets in the open one on the metro Gare du Midi and the other one at the metro Clemenceau. Clemenceau also works on Saturday whereas Midi only works Sundays. Both of them work from early morning (i never went super early so not sure exactly from when) to 13, 14 o’clock. Clemencau one also has its own website: http://www.abattoir.be/en/markets
If it is raining outside, which is possible, there is a huge number of Brussels museums to choose from – you can find exactly a museum for which you are in the mood for at the following link: https://www.brusselsmuseums.be/en/
I will try and keep this page updated with different ideas but for now, try these ones out and let me know how you liked them!
Sitting at the airport, waiting for my flight going back to Brussels, I thought it may be useful to summarise all the possible airport transfers in Brussels.
Bruxelles – Zaventem
This is the main Brussels airport and fairly easy to reach. There are busses 12 and 21 that go to Brussels Schuman or Place du Luxembourg. Depending on the traffic it takes around 30 mins. From Monday to Friday, until 8 pm: bus number 12 operates an express service, only serving the main stops. During the week, after 8 pm and all day on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays: bus number 21 operates a regular service, serving all stops. The bus costs around 4 euros.
Another option is a train. The fastest one is from Bruxelles Schuman that takes 15 minutes and runs twice every hour. The train ticket is around 10 euro. Uber is unfortunately not an option as it has been disbanned from the Flemish part of Belgium where the airport is situated. Taxi costs around 25 euros.
Bruxelles Charleroi
This airport is a low cost airport of Brussels but pretty far away from the Brussels centre. A lot of Ryanair and Wizzair flights fly there instead of the Zaventem airport. The transfer to there is a bit more complicated.
The shuttle bus goes from Gare du Midi in Brussels and in front of the white tent at the Charleroi Airport.
Another option are the group taxis. In Brussels, they stand opposite the street from the shuttle busses and they wait for 8 people to fill the taxi and then they leave. At the Charleroi airport they are situated where the other taxis are. The advantage of the taxi is that it is faster as it gets to Brussels in 45 minutes rather than an hour that it takes the bus and the price is the same. However, unlike the bus that has a fixed schedule, the taxi is ready to go only when they have 8 passengers.
I start with this topic as it is fairly dear to my heart. Books have
always been a big part of my life and when I arrived in Brussels I
realised that if I need to depend on buying each new book instead of
lending it from the library, i will go bankrupt.
Where: Munt 6, 1000 Brussels
When: Every day from 10:00-20:00 plus there is a box on the side of the library for returns outside the working hours
How much: 10 euros a year (yes a year!)
Why: Because it has a great choice of English
fiction books, lovely events/exhibitions/a lovely cafe just for
chillaxing. And because you can renew your books online
And for all of your Flemish speakers out there, the link with more information is: https://www.muntpunt.be/
I have decided to start this blog to help people navigate the life of an expat in Brussels. There are already many different pages providing different content but this will be one where I tend to summarise everything I learnt from my 7 years living as an expat in Brussels. Some topics may be dreary, some more fun but I will do my best to keep the balance more on the fun side. The goal is for the blog to be read and found interesting by both newbies in Brussels but also people that have been living here for a while and are looking for something new/else/different to do.
I look forward to hearing your suggestions/advice/comments on how to improve the site.
A day in a life of an expat in Brussels 