Moving to Belgium and maybe Brussels!

Hi all!

I am moving to Belgium in September.  I will be working in Mol which, google tells me is 41 miles from Brussels.  I have never been to Brussels so need as much info as possible.  What postcode is the main train station located in?  What postcodes do you recommend renting accommodation in?  I have been on a number of websites and there seems to be a huge variation in rental prices for apartments.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

It's 70km from Brussels to Mol but it's a much longer drive than form Antwerpen, the most direct route is on minor roads, the quicker route is via south Antwerpen and that's 1 hour 20 minutes minimum. By train it's a minimum of 1 hour 30 minutes by train, via Lier which is south-east of Antwerpen.

Apartments are generally more expensive in Brussels than Antwerpen.

There are plenty of train stations in Brussels, 3 main ones are Midi/Zuid/South, Central and Nord/North.

There are 23 postcodes in Brussels region. South station is in 2 postcodes, depends on which exit you take, 1070 Anderlecht and 1060 St Gilles and is just across the road from Bruxelles Ville 1000. Central is in Bruxelles Ville 1000, North is in Schaerbeek 1030 but really near Bruxelles Ville 1000 and St Josse 1210.

There are lots of areas where it's not really advisable as a white foreigner to live, as you'll rather stand out. I'd avoid Anderlecht 1070, Molenbeek 1080, St Josse 1220, I'd be wary of certain areas in St Gilles 1060 and Schaerbeek 1030.

Personally, I would never live that far from work, you'll find a commute Brussels to Mol is something most Belgians would never consider. Eindhoven is only 47km from Mol, Tilburg is 48 km, Antwerpen is 53km. Or even plenty of lovely towns in the Mol area.  I would seriously consider Eindhoven or Tilburg - remember that Mol is actually on the border with the Netherlands.

Hi JB78,

Antwerp is really cool place to live, and is a great alternative to Brussels if you're working in Mol.  The commute to Mol by car isn't so bad, but often unpredictable, from total chaos taking 1.5 hours or more, to a breeze (less likely) taking 40 minutes or less.

Antwerp to Mol by train is good, again less than an hour, but then you have to get from home to the station, and from the Mol station to wherever you're working (if that's one of the research stations or the European School, it's going to be a bit of a trek unless you like cycling and have time).

I commute from Mol to Brussels every day and whilst being time-consuming, the train journey isn't so bad.  In a car it's hell, and isn't advisable; it will likely drive you nuts.

Mol and the surrounding area isn't a bad place to live if you have a family, but if you don't then Antwerp is a better bet.  If you really want to live in Brussels and want to drive, then it's advisable to try avoiding Antwerp, by taking the Southern route via Leuven and Aarschot, but again the Brussels ring-road is unpredictable [the main problem really].

Drop me a line if you need any more info on Brussels, Antwerp or Mol; I've lived or worked in all three places, so have a general idea of the pros and cons.

Hoping you have a great time in Belgium in any case!

Cheers,
Chris.