Public transportation issues and safety

I don't think J lives in Waterloo which is another bonus! ;-)

oh god housing contracts yes, ignorance is no excuse as so many expats seem to think it is when they fail to read their contracts and don't want to pay penalties for ending contracts early for example. A bit of googling will lead you to be far more knowledgeable about contracts.

Where in Waterloo will you be working? That in itself will have a huge impact on whether or not commuting from Brussels will be worthwhile. If you will be in the Waterloo office park (where there are a number of international companies), then that's a 3Km, 30-45 mins walk from the station, and there is no public transportation. However, I know that some of the companies there do have a shuttle service between the offices and the station, so it will depend on who you are working for.

However, having said that, personally, I'd say that living in Waterloo without a car isn't a terribly good idea. Yes, there are plenty of train connections with Brussels, but Waterloo itself has no public transport to speak of. Also, whilst it may be a great place to "take a run", you'll find your choice of gyms pretty limited, and in any case, most are outside the centre of town, a car drive away.

The ability to live without a car and rely on public transport or biking or walking depends on where you live but also on your own attitudes. Some people just cannot live without driving short distances, others are able to do it.

Here is a little map of bus services in Waterloo. The brown lines 120-128? are school bus routes only.

http://www.infotec.be/Portals/0/TEC%20Brabant%20Wallon/PDF/R%E9seau_51x7...

Winterlover, nice map, but it clearly proves my point. If you want to go North / South along the main Chaussee, or if you want to take the bus to Braine l'Alleud, then you'll be fine. Otherwise you are limited to traveling at 08.30 am or 4.00 pm on the school bus routes.

Public transport in Waterloo is essentially non-existent.

Another poster here was suggesting the gyms at Lady Fitness and David Lloyd in Genval, 3km and 10km respectively from the center of Waterloo. O.K. you can get the bus from the center of Waterloo to Lady Fitness, but to get the bus from Waterloo to Genval involves a minimum of one change (involving up to an hour of waiting) at the stop at Carrefour at Mont-Saint-Jean and up to 1 hour 45 mins travel time depending on the time of day.

If you're planning on relying on public transport, then Waterloo certainly isn't the place to be.

I should have added, you can also use the 201 minibus service that does a sort of about the town route, but it only runs very irregularly during the day and ends at 7 in the evening.

In my experience its cheaper to rent a flat in Waterloo than in Brussels. But more expensive to buy or rent a house in Waterloo than in Brussels. Waterloo does have its certain type of people. It depends on your age and what you like to do. If you are younger and would like to be in a very multicultural environment with lots of things to do, museums, expos, party's etc and have the ease to meet new people with similar interests then I would recommend living in Brussels (Ixelles, Etterbeek for example). If you are more laid back and enjoy the upscale side of life then Waterloo is your place. However, the commute to Waterloo on the train from Brussels is not that cool if you have to do it every day for years. You will have to leave from Gare du Nord or Central and the train ride will be about 30 mins. When the trains are running on time and not striking. Also, the Waterloo train station is NOT very central. Check it out on Google maps to where you will work because you may not have an easy time getting to work after the train. There are buses but they can be scarce and will add more time to your commute. That's my two cents. Good luck