Birthday gift trip - city chosen sounds dangerous!

[Lyrixs21]

It was my birthday yesterday, and my partner booked a surprise trip for the two of us plus our 3 year old to go to Brussels on the Eurostar for two nights next weekend (4th July).

Neither of us have been to Brussels before, or indeed Belgium, so I excitedly started to do some research last night once he told me what the surprise was. As I delved into searches about Brussels, once thing kept coming up - how unsafe it is! I didn't go looking for information on safety, but it just seems to be a constant feature of discussions on the city. It's not a city I know anything about (bar always thinking it sounds a bit boring) but my main takeaways from my extensive research last night is that it is unsafe (shootings, drugs, petty crime) has a level 3 terrorist threat currently ('Serious') and is just generally dirty, unsavoury, and boring.

I now don't want to go after reading all that, and particularly don't want to bring my three year old and put her in any danger. I'm a little surprised my partner booked it in one sense, as it's very hard to find anything positive online about it!

Do I:

• Tell him what I've read online and how I feel and that I'd prefer not to go? This seems a little rude given he has spent time and money researching things and booking it for my birthday, and I know I'll end up feeling bad.

• Or, do I go, put up with it, but potentially not enjoy it because I'm worrying about safety and feel anxious and on edge? Based on what I'm reading I'm really not keen. I have found since we've had our daughter I am more concerned about safety generally but I expect that's normal?!

He did mention he looked at Amsterdam but that the hotels were crazy expensive another option for me might be to offer to pay for the hotel in Amsterdam and we change the Eurostar to go there? That way, we are still going and still going to experience the Eurostar and have the weekend away, but without me fretting and not really wanting to be there!

Any thoughts welcome.

Of course Brussels is safe. As safe as many other major European capitals ! Why wouldn't it be?

Are you looking up crime statistics? You'll find plenty on those for every city in the world, including London and other UK ones. Every town and city in the world has its problems with the issues you mention so if you keep on like this you might just as well never go anywhere at all.

Stop disappearing down these rabbit holes! You are hardly going to Baghdad, Teheran or Beirut.

Enjoy your trip. I'd love to go to Brussels some day.

I nearly googled to see if there is another Brussels somewhere!

Brussels is perfectly safe and lovely. Great waffles! Nice walks. Lovely restaurants. Great for wondering around over a long weekend.

I have been a few times. The only place I felt that was dodgy was near the station. Once in the centre, it's fine.

I was very much not expecting this thread to be about Brussels when I opened it 😂

Honestly, it's safer than London and I love visiting! Enjoy your trip.

Every big city in Europe is “dangerous” including London, Manchester, Birmingham because there’s crime etc.

Brussels is fine!

When I opened the thread I thought it was going to say Tehran.
YABVVVU. Like VVVVVVV unreasonable.

Look, if there is somewhere else you want to go and are prepared to pay the additional cost to change it, just do it. Its your trip, if you want to pay a bit more to go somewhere else that is absolutely fine.

But telling yourself that its because Brussels is riddled with more crime than Amsterdam/Paris/Rome is seems a bit silly. All major cities will have their share of crime.

I didn't enjoy Brussels as it felt very busy and not that clean compared to other Belgian cities but it was ok and does have does have some nice bits. With regard to safety it felt like most big cities. I'd recommend hopping on the train to Gent which is a really beautiful little town and imo much nicer for a short break. Bruges is also a brilliant day trip.

Brussels is fine! Out of many other European cities it did not feel any less safe! It’s in Europe so how bad can it be.

Another one saying Brussels is as safe as any other city and there's plenty to do. I'm planning a break there with children this summer if we can fit it in.

I only clicked on the thread because I was intrigued as to where it might be. Brussels was a very surprising answer!

It’s got some very grim areas on the edges and watch your bag like a hawk at the station ( true of many big city’s ) , but the central attractive bit is a perfectly average European city in terms of safeness.

I can't believe this thread is about Brussels. I literally took my 2 year old and baby earlier this year. It was absolutely fine.

Brussels! I wasn’t expecting that. Brussels is great. I’ve been with my kids. They loved waffles, the chocolate shops, and the cartoon museum. We stayed quite centrally, and didn’t feel unsafe. But, we live in London, so I’m guessing maybe you think our appetite for risk is higher (?!)

Like someone said above- personally I would hop on the train to Ghent - much nicer

This is MN so I knew the city in question would be normal and safe but even so I was surprised to find that it was Brussels, of all places.

Perfectly nice city. Great restaurants, you need to fill yourself with moules-frites. Pretty enough for wandering around. Personally I prefer Ghent and Antwerp if you can take day trips there though.

I would never have guessed you were talking about Brussels 🤣🤣

In case you don't know, the whole of the UK is also currently on a level 3 terrorist threat rating. I would imagine pretty much the whole of Europe is. Go and enjoy the break.

Oh for goodness sake, put your adult hat on and think if you did that same research on London or Paris it would be the same.

I wasn't expecting Brussels. I thought you were going to say he'd organised a trip to Nottingham or Birmingham or somewhere like that.

Me too 😂

Here's a tip - don't start googling somewhere looking to find information about it before you've been as you'' inevitably stumble across people saying it's dangerous, there are homeless / drug / theft problems, they've been mugged there etc....

Brussels is lovely and a really nice city to visit. Of course there are parts that are a bit gritty and rundown but the same goes for literally any major city in the world. Plus they are always going to have more risks such as pickpockets and homelessness as there are far more people!

Brussels is lovely - and second the recommendations for a day trip to Bruges or Ghent, both of which are really stunning. (Bruges probably prettier, but also usually much busier with tourists.)

To be honest I found Amsterdam, great though it is, really hard work with a 3 year old: in addition to the normal traffic there are also trams and incredibly busy bike lanes (containing mopeds) to contend with, plus the canals, with small child-sized gaps in the railings... The science museum is incredible though, if you do choose to go there.

I can’t imagine how the stats for Amsterdam come out better than Brussels! As everyone has said, it’s just like any other city, if not safer, stop worrying about it.

Bruges and Ghent indeed nice for day trips, as long as you’re staying long enough.

Did not expect the city to be Brussels when I opened this thread

Netherlands is on a 4, though the numbers used by different countries don’t exactly map to the descriptions.
https://english.nctv.nl/topics/terrorist-threat-assessment-netherlands