Brussels Business City Guide: practical information
Brussels has the reputation of being very safe for tourists if common sense is used. Simply beware of pickpockets in the metro and do not leave valuables in your hotel room. In spite of Brussels' location in the middle of Flanders, most inhabitants speak French. English is also commonly spoken.

Public services, like police and transport, are well organised. Traffic can appear chaotic to strangers, however, and Belgian drivers have a bad reputation. Fortunately, most of the streets in the centre are either traffic-free or have broad pavements, so pedestrians are usually safe.

Brussels taxis & rentals

Taxis
Taxis Verts
02-349 46 46

Taxis Orange
02-349 49 49

Taxis Bleus
02-264 98 01

Rental cars
Avis
02-720 09 44

Hertz
02-716 92 30

Charleroi Auto-Rent
071-30 69 71

Good to know

Business hours
Mon–Fri 8/10am–5/6pm. Shops open until 6pm (also Sat). Banks generally open Mon–Fri 9am–5pm.

Money
Credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express) are widely accepted. Foreign cards can be used to get cash from most ATMs.

Electricity
Standard European 220-240V, 50-cycle AC voltage. Standard European 2-pin plugs; overseas visitors will need an adaptor.

Time
GMT+1. Daylight saving adds one hour in summer (GMT+2).

Public holidays
All Saints’ Day (1 Nov 2003), Armistice Day (11 Nov 2003), King's Feast (15 Nov 2003), Christmas (25 Dec 2003), New Year's Day (1 Jan 2004), Easter Monday (12 Apr 2004), Labour Day (1 May 2004), Ascension Day (20 May 2004), Whit Monday (31 May 2004), National Holiday (21 Jul 2004), Assumption (15 August 2004).

Further reading
The Bulletin (English-language weekly), Brussels Today (magazine), The Brussels Magazine, www.bruxelles.irisnet.be, www.ebru.be, www.brusselsdiscovery.com