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.

I went years ago and remember it smelling of urine and generally being grubby and dirty. Wouldn’t go again!

I really would t worry about central Brussels or London for that matter. Sounds like the experience will do you good!

I never liked Brussels, it’s one of those places that gives you the ick as soon as you’re in it, and you start watching your back and belongings. There have been some issues there in certain areas. However you really aren’t far away from either Ghent or Bruges / Brugge!

I've never heard of Brussels being expensive. I did feel mugged by how astonishingly expensive Amsterdam was the last time I was there, however!

I went to Brissells on my own with my two kids. Loved it. Public transport is easy to navigate. It was fun.

Brussels is a perfectly pleasant city! Certainly no worse than any other northern European city. I felt much safer there than I did in Paris, and LOADS safer than anywhere I've been in Italy.

Genuinely Brussels is very safe. I recommend getting the train to Bruge for the day. It is a beautiful city. We always fly into Brussels and spent a night there and go to bruge. It is very close to Brussels

I can not believe that Amsterdam is safer than Brussels 😂

Though I’ve never been to Brussels I’ve been to Amsterdam and it was definitely not safe 😅 just go it’s probably fine 🤷🏻‍♀️

I was going to suggest staying in Ghent and doing a day trip to Brussels. Either way Brussels is fine.

From the OP title I was expecting it to be somewhere like Bogotá or Congleton, but Brussels? I mean, I suppose it must have it dodgy areas, but it’s a major European capital. Go, have fun, drink beer and eat frites, visit the Atomium and/or the Jacques Brel museum, even Mannequin Pis, if you must, mooch around, take the train to Ghent, which is very pretty. A weekend will fly by.

I didn't realise Congleton was that bad.

Brussels is fine you lunatic. I used to go there on my own a lot for work and would happily walk in to the cenre from the European parliament area for an evening drink.

We were last there in April for a long weekend and it was fine. It is a little chaotic as they seem to be trying to replace all of the tram lines at once, but itnis fine.

I think this is another case of too much crap being posted online by people who don't get out much.

I went to Rome on my own for work and my line manager sent me a safety briefing document that said, to paraphrase, that I would definitely be mugged the second I left the train station.

But fortunately I'm not easily worried and even though I arrived just as it was getting dark and had nearly a mile to walk to my hotel, I felt perfectly safe and never saw any dodgy behaviour.

I thought you were going to say Beirut.

I agree

But don't bother with the Mannequin Pis

What a let down that was!

Ha ha, true! It is so tiny

If you are worried.
Get good holiday insurance.
Get some of those cross body bags to keep passport/money/phone in..
Use a monzo card or similar for holidayy spending and make sure you keep a card in two different places

Instead of looking up the dangers, look up some itinerary ideas..
download the maps so that you know where you are heading and how you are getting there. That makes you walk with more confidence
Put the address and details of you accomodation in your phone contacts so you can click and go straight to a location map in an instant.
Work out how you are going to travel when there..
Taxi (get some numbers inyour phone) and work out where the stops are in relation to where you are staying.
It doesn't really take that long to familiarize yourself with these details on internet. Once you know these details, everything will seem less worrying.

Try not to overpack your luggage. so you have less to drag around. You are only going for two nights.

I've been to cities all over Europe and MEA region... and never had any problems.

I think when you have a young child, one is always alert to dangers but a bit of research should make you feel more familiar and therefore more comfortable. Museums and art galleries have lots of security and are air conditioned.... toddlers always seemed to like them in a heatwave.

Relax and enjoy it... it will be fun.

I used to live there. It’s like Paris. If you’re worried, switch to Antwerp, I think it’s better as a tourist

It’s a lovey little weekend with kids! Chocolate and frites too, what’s not to love. No more dangerous than uk.

The way you were talking I was expecting Tehran, Mogadishu or somewhere along those lines! No Brussels is absolutely safe and a lovely city. If you are happy to visit London, Birmingham, Manchester etc you will be fine in Brussels.

It is a city, so there is always going to be crime but no more or no worse than any other western European city.

Bless you OP! My Mum fell down a similar rabbit hole when we booked a trip to Rome, lots of people on her Facebook page saying they'd been pickpocketed etc.

Follow your common sense like you would in any city and you'll be fine. I went to Brussels with friends when I was in my early 20's and it was absolutely fine. We did Ghent and Bruges in one day, in hindsight we should've done a day for each.

Don't stress and have an amazing time!

I've been to Brussels loads of times on my own for work. I never saw anything out of the ordinary. Ditto Amsterdam. I visited alone every week for 3 years, wandered about in the dark on my own.

Having said that, I think it wouldn't be my first choice on the Eurostar! Paris or Bruges more beautiful, Amsterdam more vibrant and interesting, arty and quirky.

Brussels is as safe as any city and safety stats don't put people off say Paris, which is much more dangerous. Unlikely you'll be going to areas of high crime or walking down dark alleys alone.

Really wasn't expecting this to be about Brussels! 😁 I thought he'd booked for Tehran.

Brussels is pretty dull, it's no more unsafe than any other European city. You might get mugged, you probably won't.

I assume you don't leave the country much? Sadly everywhere is unsafe. Try comparing your local town to Brussels.

It's perfectly fine to visit. Follow basic common sense of not walking around with flashy jewellery, bags, don't go out late at night and you'll be fine.