I read some recent posts here on Belgium about drugs, terrorism, muggings...etc.
So i wonder what safety precautions we should take if we intend to visit the touristy spots in Belgium if there are any safety concerns? I understand from some posts that it is advisable to avoid Anderlecht in Brussels.
https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/belgium
For your info, I'm not an Australian citizen. Please advise. Thanks so much.
We were in Brussels a few weeks ago. Seemed very safe.
What tourist spots in Brussels would you be going to that are in Anderlecht? Safety concerns are no different in Brussels, generally, than in other cities around the world. Tourists wouldn’t normally be venturing into high-crime neighborhoods — whether it’s Chicago, New York, Paris, London or Brussels.
"For your info, I'm not an Australian citizen. Please advise. Thanks so much."
You're probably better off then looking at your own country's travel advice for Belgium. As an Australian, I can say this is a pretty standard Australian travel advice saying somewhere is basically fine, just be aware of your surroundings. Hence the headline "Exercise normal safety precautions".
Green is a good colour in our travel advice :). Next step up is yellow "Exercise a high degree of caution", and I still travel to those countries...
Use the same precautions you would in any city: be pickpocket proof, be aware of your surroundings, assume that people approaching you unsolicited with offers to “help” you are actually scamming you.
The reason Anderlecht was mentioned in another thread is because the main railway station, Brussels Midi/South borders on two municipalities, one of them being Anderlecht. Anderlecht is a geographically large municipality and parts of it are indeed trouble zones for the moment. But for a tourist, certainly a first time one, there are really no specific attractions in Anderlecht.
I had some Italian family members staying with me last week. They went to a lot of the central tourist attractions, using public transportation from my place on the outskirts of Brussels. They passed through the Brussels Midi station twice, to and from Amsterdam. They reported no problems at all.
The parts of the city where there are problems are nowhere near the tourist areas or in the centre of the city and are not very likely to affect you. You won't need to go to Brussels-North railway station, near where there is a small red light district, and in Brussels-Midi (where thousands of people pass through every day), there is no specific danger but just keep your wits about you as there are bag thefts but also plenty of police. Brussels-Central is fine. If you end up staying near there, thumbs up. You will see some homelessness, however, and that is all over the city. It is confronting but not dangerous, and maybe not so different to many other big cities.
In spite of this, Brussels is a beautiful, urbane, interesting capital with a lot to captivate the visitor. Don't be afraid to visit!
Lavandula
As long as you visit the touristy spots there are no real safety concerns. Anderlecht doesn't belong to it.
In general just take the usual precautions like you do visiting other places. Most visitors experience Belgium as safe and relaxing.
Wil, thanks for your reassurance. I need to think first. Just curious, are the hotel staff fluent in written and spoken english to the tourists who want/need to know?
are the hotel staff fluent in written and spoken english to the tourists who want/need to know?
some are - some are not
No idea why people are stating there is no touristy spot in Anderlecht. It would be ashame not to visit the Cantillon brewery (and museum). Given the closing time at 5pm there is no security problem (these occur during the night).
https://www.cantillon.be/?lang=en
A lot of non-Belgians know it because of the football team too. They've always been up there in European competition as far back as I can remember.
