Search Q&A
Choosing a living area in Brussels
I am considering an offer to move to Brussels to take up a job starting from June. In any case, I will be moving with my wife and son (4 years old), who will be eligible for a place at the European School IV in Laeken. My office will be around the Arts-Loi metro station. As the school and job are in quite different positions, I am looking for a neighbourhood that will allow us relatively easy commute to both places. My preference will be that the child travels less to school. Just by looking at the map (and reading opinions on the web...), one of the reasonable options is the east side of Laeken. Any other suggestions? For information, we are not speaking either French or Flemish but of course we will try to learn over time. Thank you!
In Belgium, we speak French, DUTCH, and German as official languages.
Contact the Parents' Association who organize the buses to find the bus routes. You will only get th bus paid by EU tax payers and not you from primary however.
If your language section is only at EEB4, then you know for definite it is only EEB4. If you look on the map, look at areas between work and school, to give the least commute. Be aware that you can even get a train directly from Bockstael to Schuman which is a short walk to Arts-Loi, so you can even consider living quite close to school. Be aware you can also get a tram through Schaerbeek to school. Look at the STIB map.
Anywhere between the 2. It's 5.5 km between the 2.
That covers Ville de Bruxelles 1000 and 1020 (Laeken), Saint-Josse 1210 and Schaerbeek 1030. You could even go for Etterbeek1040 or WSL 1200.
1) Either right near EEB4
2) or near Arts-Loi to Schuman
3) or on the route to both.
For 3) I've just got google to draw a walking line between EEb4 and Schuman which goes up the N227, You could also draw a walking line between Montgomery roundabout up the R21 to EEB2. Those 2 routes to EEB4 form quite a good search area. The tram lines 7 and 62 are particularly good to know as they go through this search area to EEB4.
http://www.stib-mivb.be/irj/go/km/docs/resource/Dynmaplan/index.html#fr
@shortof
There is not need to SHOUT.
And may I suggest that you consult a dictionary.
The editors of Chambers, Collins and Websters dictionaries all seem to think that we speak Flemish here in Flanders.
And, having worked for a Dutch multinational for 9 years before moving here to Belgium, I can assure you that my Dutch colleagues didn't think that the Flemish spoke Dutch!
How you can shout when it is written? That is very bizarre indeed. Are you the tone Police? Are you as a police officer forbidding highlighting things? Was your bullying helpful?
Flemish is the name of dialects of dutch in WEST FLANDERS area of Belgium.
KASSEISTAMPER, kindly don't go offending the locals. The language is Dutch (Nederlands).
@shortof
You seem to be totally unaware that using capital letters to make your point on a site such as this has always been considered to be the written equivalent of shouting. It is seen as unnecessary and unpleasant.
I also see that you ignore the fact that three of the major English language dictionaries disagree with you.
After 25 years of living in Flanders I am confident that the locals use both names equally to describe the language that they speak and that no-one - no-one - would ever say that to use the word Flemish is in any way 'wrong'.
what i did when i moved to Brussels was to stay in an apartment hotel for a couple of weeks which allowed me to do some researches on the best area to live based on my commutes (work, leisure, etc). Traffic in Brussels is rather heavy to say the least, rental contracts are also quite binding so you do not want to live in the wrong side of town or have regrets later.
If you want to minimize child travels then probably you should look at Laeken, Koekelberg, Jette for living but in these area there are some very beautiful streets and some more "ethnic" surroundings.
Just to be clear I have zero problems with that as I enjoy living in cosmopolitan Brussels but some people might be more fussy about it.
Language quarrels is something that kept me entertained for a couple of decades. You'll get used soon.
Welcome.
Oh dear EEB4 is shouting!
