Tips and tricks for living in Brussels
About the author: Sarah Myers ’21 is an FSI The Europe Center intern at the Lisbon Council in Brussels, Belgium.
Spending the summer doing incredibly interesting work in Brussels has been an amazing, hugely rewarding experience. I have learned a great deal about the European Union, public policy on intermediary liability and open source software, and effective research. I’ve also learned a lot about life outside of the US. To be honest, some of the things I’ve learned would have been nice to know earlier in the summer. Preparing for this trip, I realized that it can be hard to find detailed information about logistical problems. So I would like to offer a lot of detailed information, some of which might even be useful!
Brussels is an amazing city, with world-class museums and lots to do. Somewhat surprisingly for such a cosmopolitan place, most retail establishments close at 6:00 or 7:00 in the evening on weekdays, operate on reduced hours on Saturdays, and do not open at all on Sundays. Apothecaries (the equivalent of CVS, but somewhat nicer and smaller) follow these hours. So do large grocery stores, dry cleaners, book stores, clothing stores, and home goods stores. Small grocery shops run by chains might stay open later and operate all seven days, but their selection can be limited. Small corner stores selling snacks, drinks, and some produce (kind of like bodegas) tend to have much longer hours but are often harder to find because they are not chain brands and are not listed online. Many restaurants will also close on Sunday (particularly ones located outside of the touristy areas in Grand Place). During my time in Brussels, I forgot to buy enough food for Sunday, had to rush to get to a bank during a lunch break, and nearly ran out of office-appropriate clothing when a dry cleaner unexpectedly shut down for summer break. I strongly recommend planning ahead for your shopping needs, checking store hours ahead of time, and asking businesses you rely on when they plan to take a summer vacation.
Holidays in Brussels can be a bit surprising. Not every workplace will take the day off for Belgian National Day (July 21) but most will do so for Assumption Day (which, I learned recently, is a Catholic holiday celebrating the day Mary went to heaven, and is celebrated on August 15). As with much of Europe, August is the month for vacations. The European Commission goes into vacation mode in the first week of August. Many businesses shut down in the second or third week. This is kind of cool because the city is noticeably less crowded and quieter, but it can feel a bit desolate.
Since my workplace also takes a summer break, I was lucky enough to travel outside of Belgium a bit. Unfortunately, I discovered that my debit card’s magnetic chip had somehow become unreadable and found myself without any cash. In Brussels, this is fine. I only encountered one or two places that did not accept cash, and one of them was an axe-throwing bar. However, I had planned to go to Vienna. Credit cards are much less widely used or accepted in Germany and Austria than in other countries. It turns out that trying to get cash while you’re in Europe can be quite daunting. Debit card companies are reluctant (and slow) to send a new card while you’re away from home. In the US, you can get a cash advance on a credit card if you go to a bank with your credit card and a government-issued photo ID. It turns out that Belgian banks will not do that, at least not if you’re American (one bank teller told me that it is illegal for them to do this for Americans). Your best bet, if you find yourself in need of cash, is probably to ask someone to send you a wire transfer. I ended up doing this through a company called Western Union. Although I did eventually get the money, I would note that Western Union’s website lists several stores that no longer exist and several stores that don’t serve customers without Belgian national IDs. The Western Union near Louise metro station does accept American passports.
That particular Western Union also has AC, which was nice during the (second) week-long heatwave Brussels experienced this year. Despite enduring two heatwaves this summer, I never did find a public place with AC where I could sit for more than a few minutes. If you’re sensitive to heat, I recommend buying a fan. You can also keep your windows open, but mosquitos will be a problem at night. I ended up buying a mosquito net, which I eventually hung across the windows because I couldn’t hang it over my bed securely enough. After I sprayed the net with bug spray and got in the habit of wearing bug spray at night, I was able to keep my windows open without too many bug bites.
Brussels does have a very good public transit system. Rides on the metro, tram, or bus are 2.50 euros if purchased individually. You can also purchase a MOBIB card at a metro service desk (called kiosks) for 5.00 euros. You can then load trips onto the card for 1.40 euros each. There are ticket machines in every metro station, but you may not be able to use them if you are purchasing tickets with a Mastercard (as a security precaution, Mastercard credit cards often don’t allow you to use unattended credit readers in foreign countries). If that’s a problem for you, you can purchase tickets at a kiosk, just remember that their business hours are also shorter than you might expect. You can enter the metro, ride a few stops on one line, change to another line, and leave the metro for only one fare. Entering the metro requires swiping your ticket at a gate. Entering the above-ground trams and buses does not, so ticketing there is pretty much on the honor system (although I’m told that ticket inspectors do circulate and hand out sizable fines to people caught riding without paying).
I’m not really sure what standard office hours look like here. I worked 9 to 6, with an hour break for lunch. We also got to leave at 4 on Fridays, although I think that was only for the summer. Other people worked roughly the same hours, starting as early as 8 and working as late as 6:30, but the eight hours of work with an hour of lunch seems to be pretty typical. This can make shopping and other errands difficult since so many places close at 7 or earlier. It can be important to plan ahead and be proactive.
Traveling in Europe can be great. Flights are often very affordable and there’s a lot to see. Brussels airport is very nice and often gets you through security fairly quickly. Interestingly, they will let you through security without checking your passport (they do scan your ticket). This makes it possible for some people to forget their passport and not realize that until they try to board their plane, at which point passports are checked. So it’s a very good idea to be very careful about bringing your passport. Also, many European airlines have much smaller maximum allowances for carry-on luggage than American airlines. They also seem to be less aggressive about enforcing these guidelines, but it’s a good idea to check that your bag is alright ahead of time. Getting to Brussels airport is fairly easy. You can get a train from one of the three main trains stations (Zuid, Central, Nord) every ten minutes or so, for a fare of about 8 euros. Similarly to the metro, you need to scan your ticket to board the train and to leave it. Trains take around 30 minutes. You can also take an Uber or taxi, which can take between 15 and 40 minutes depending on traffic and where in the city you’re coming from. Ubers cost between 20 and 35 euros. Taxis cost at least 40 euros. I generally found it easier and cheaper to take public transit, though.
Finally, finding a place to stay can be an adventure. I ended up staying in an international student house near Botanique (a public garden and concert venue). The house is pretty much a dorm, although you can pay slightly more to have your own room and private bathroom. It’s not a bad place to stay, but it does feel like living in a slightly decrepit dorm. I recommend leaving yourself plenty of time to clean your room on the day you move in and buying your own towels and bedding (they provide bedding but it isn’t great). You can also find an Airbnb or rent an apartment. Both of those will probably be more pleasant if you do so with a group of friends. Airbnb has a long-standing problem with hosts behaving badly towards solo travelers, particularly young women, and shared apartments can be awkward if you don’t know anyone. Forming a group can protect against some of those problems.
Overall, this summer has been an amazing experience, both on an academic level and on a personal one. I absolutely recommend doing a summer internship abroad, and I also recommend doing your research and preparing to live in a new city before you leave. Good luck!
