Cheap Eats:

Trendy cafes throughout Belgium offer fair-prices and a youthful vibe, attracting students and young professionals.  If you are craving a good old American burger, Quick is a Belgian fast food chain with great food and cool options you won't find in The States. And of course, there are Brussels' legendary frietkots, which serve delicious Belgian fries to hungry night owls who stay out after the restaurants close.

Papillon, Pizza bei Chefs

"Michelin-starred chefs, square pizzas", this perfectly sums up this restaurant. A gourmet fast food where, sitting on swings, you will tuck into pizzas with original flavours but also salads and small gourmet verrines.

Houtsiplou

This "Barrestocafe" serves Hamburgers, Entrees, main dishes, Kids menus, Pasta, Sandwiches, Salads and Desserts and has very reasonable prices. It's a fun place to hang out.

Comocomo

At this place you get to know the so called "Pintxos". Those are the tapas typically coming from the Basque Country. The difference between Pintxos & tapas is that Pintxos are tapas that you can eat with your fingers, fingerfood. You can find meat, fish, pork, vegetables, cheeses, some Pintxos prepared with garlic & desserts.

Bazaar

This place serves you world cuisine at reasonable prices in an amazing interior. The restaurant is designed as if you were in a bazaar, that's why the name. It also has a nightclub called Bazaar Club. This place is certainly something you should try because it's very unique.

Le Pain Quotidien

The name of this bakery means "our daily bread". The bread is baked according to the original recipe on a stone ground with organic flour, salt and water, kneaded by hand. All this happens under the watchful eye of our artisan bakers.

The procedure is delicate, long and laborious (8 hours) but it's worth all the time.

Tapas Locas

is a Restaurant with great, warm atmosphere. The Spanish music takes you on a journey to Spain while you're enjoying your food. Everyone can find something they like in this restaurant. It is a rather cheap fun place to go to.

Bij den Boer

is a specialized fish restaurant located in the very heart of Brussels. it offers you a weekly varying menu that has four courses and coasts you 27,50 €. They also have seasonal dishes, a wine list, aperitifs, local beers and other drinks.

Cheese Cake Cafe

This old - fashioned Restaurant is very comfortable and cozy. The interior has some interesting details that you can search for. You will have a choice among more than forty cocktails and a variety of dishes of different backgrounds. You can also choose among various entrees,salads, soups, sandwiches, pitta dishes, pasta, pizza, specialties and ourfamous burgers.

Le Chalet Robinson

El Metteko

In this Restaurant you will find Snacks, Cocktails, Caribbean rums, Belgian Beers, Music and they even offer you newspapers to read. You can even find Brazilian cuisine here. You will like this classy place.

Food Factory Cafe

is a welcoming and comfortable Restaurant near the city center and it offers a menu with various options and menus to suit all tastes. To quench your thirst, you can choose among apps, aperitifs, cocktails, juice, spirits, hot drinks, etc. The menu offers you appetizers, desserts, Belgian dishes, pizzas, salads and snacks.

Other Options

Imagin'Air

L'Ultime Atome

Le Bastoche

Cafe de l'Universite

Youth Hostels

French Federation of Belgian    
Youth Hostels

Useful website for lodging , events and activities
Also check the packages!

Loger Jeune

Hostels in Brussels

Sleepwell

Hostel 

Van Gogh (CHAB)

An open-minded atmosphere in the place where the famous dutch painter Vincent van Gogh used to work

Airbnb

HomeAway Rentals

Wimdu

Online services that matches people seeking vacation rentals with private parties who have short-term accommodations to rent.

On these websites you can find accommodation all around Belgium and you can choose where you want to stay: youth hostels, appartments, a house or somewhere else. You can also choose how long you want to stay, if it's just for a holiday or if it's a longer stay.

Immoweb

Immovlan

Immoparticuliere

Kots

Student

Kitkot

Brukot

for short - term internships:

Pied a Terre

Temporary housing

for Brussels:

ImmoBrussels

Rue Neuve and Rue des Fripiers

Of all the streets in Brussels to go shopping, these are the best. All the big chain stores are here: little shops, shop - in - shop brands and labels, and the City 2 shopping mall.

On Place de Monnaie a brand new shopping arcade has been set up on the ground floor of the Casino Village.

Grand Place and Surroundings

Chocolates, lace, crystals, you can find anything to fill your luggage with souvenirs and accessories over here so that you'll always remember the great time spent in Brussels. You can also find lots of gifts for people at home.

Saint Gery/ Dansaert

The Fashion and design reign supreme is here. It is the perfect place to create yourself a trendy wardrobe and an original interior.

Place Brugmann/ Chatelain

Quality shopping in a very "Neuilly - sur - Seine" ambience with broad shady avenues and mansions. And to savour the nice time some terraces, restaurants and an excellent patisserie.

Sablon

Art and edible delicacies, luxury interior decorators, antique shops, African masks. You find everything fine and beautiful here, in a gourmet ambiance thanks to the presence of great master chocolatiers and excellent restaurants.

Rue de Namur, Boulevard de Waterloo, Avenue Louise

The biggest names in Fashion have set their shops up here. So, this place is for luxury and quality shopping. And even if that's reflected in the prices, they're still lower than they are in many other capital cities.

Markets

Les Marolles

A daily flee market on place du Jeu de Balle and hundreds of little shops on Rue Blaes, Rue Haute and all the neighbouring streets. The most traditional district of Brussels is dedicated to hunting for antiques, second - hand goods and bargains. The shops here are usually open from Wednesday to Saturday.

Place du Grand Sablon

The green and red stalls set up next to the church sell rare pieces, antique crockery, engravings, jewellery and crystalware.

Place Sainte Catherine

sells all products on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Place Saint Gery

it is a comic strip market that is held every first Sunday of March, June, September and December.

Great annual market

European traditional christmas markets during Winter Wonders. It's a 2 km long trail from the Grand Place to the Marche aux Poissons and numerous stalls with seasonal produce and Christmas gifts.

Plaizier

Is a shop where you can find books, postcards and posters concerning Belgium or other things and you can also find other objects there.

Evasions

This shop is specialized on buying and selling books, CDs and DVDs second hand in Brussels. In the shop you find enough space to read, listen to music and many other things.

Le Fabuleux Marcel

That's where you find the famous "Marcel". That's the tanktop of Belgium.

Why it's called Marcel, that is an unsolved mystery and there are lots of ideas. One of them comes from the French who think it's because of the famous Belgian boxer Marcel Cerdan.

The Reservoir Shop

It's a shop where you can find clothes, shoes, books, magazines, music, vinyls and accessories.

La Bande des Six Nez

is the first permanent Gallery of Serigraphs, Lithographs, Collographies, collotype with comic strip expertise Jean-Louis Carette, President of the Belgian Chamber of Experts in comics CBEBD International expert Drouot Drawings and boards. New homes BD 20% Discount on novelty Large selection of used BD.

Some other shops:

Bernard Gavilan (Rue des Pierres, 27)

The king of second-hand clothes from the eighties.

Episode (Rue de la Violette 28)

100% vintage clothes at old-fashioned prices.

Hype Shop et Triiad(Rue des Riches Claires 4-6)

Very trendy street wear.

City 2

This Mall is the biggest in Belgium with 51,000 sqm. It is located on the "Rue Neuve" which is in the heart of Brussels. It is a 4 story - building and it distributes of 104 brands.

Woluwe

This mall has 44,432 sqm and over 130 prestige shops with an excellent reputation.

it is also the second biggest mall in Brussels. In Woluwe shopping is a pleasure.

Westland Shopping Center

It is the third biggest Mall in Brussels with a total of 37,450 sqm.

It consists of 140 shops and also of 1800 places for parking.

Basilix Shopping Center

This shopping mall covers an area of 18,683 sqm and it was built 28 years ago, in 1984. In this mall there are numerous events and exhibitions taking place every year and that's where it gets its lively atmosphere from.

The best idea for shopping in Belgium, except the markets and streets, are the shopping malls. The commercial centers are a mixture of both, high priced fashion boutiques and lots of reasonably priced trendy stores.

Les Grand Pres (Mons)

Les Bastions (Tournai)

This commercial center built at 1979 is not very big but it is rather casual with not so many expensive shops. For example you can find shops like H&M or C&A there. A lot of times you can find some attractions in the mall like car presentations or something similar to that. It also has 7 restaurants.

L'Esplanade Louvain - la Neuve

The esplanade is in the heart of Louvain - la - Neuve. It has 95 shops and if you go outside the mall there is a new pedestrian shopping street,the Rue Charlemagne, with over 30 stores. This shopping mall is known to have a pleasant and friendly atmosphere. Furthermore, as the city is inhabited mostly by students, the prices in the mall often are influenced by that. With a student ID you also get a lot of discounts most of the time in most of the shops.

Mediacite (Liege)

Is the biggest Mall in Liege in an old district called Longdoz with 45,313 sqm and 124 stores. This mall combines shopping, leisure, culture, media and economic activities. In the first year it already had 5.3 million customers and it's getting more ever since.

Les Galeries Saint - Lambert (Liege)

This shopping mall is in the centre of Liege which is why itt is easily accessible . It contains of 40 shops and it was founded in 2004

Ville 2 (Charleroi)

This shopping mall is in the centre of Charleroi. It has a lot of clothing and shoe stores and it also has a lot of snack stores, restaurants and other food stores. It offers you one restaurant that is open 7 days a week for both, dinner and lunch and there are 1260 parking places.

Galerie D. Molina (Namur)

is the commercial centre of Namur.

Rue de L' Ange

is a street in the centre of the small city where you can find most of the shop in Namur.

Backpack Europe on a Budget

Brussels Greeters

Carte Postale Records

Rempart

Visit Brussels

Also good to know: the Manneken Pass

Discount travel pass for only 5 Euro. Includes free metro/tram/bus for 24 hours; free maps; discounted hop-on-off bus; discounted entry into Atomium and Mini-Europe; beer, chocolate & more! (Valid for youth travel only ages: 18-25)