ACCOMMODATION FOR ABROAD STUDENT At the Brussels School of Governance, a number of different housing opFons are available for incoming study abroad students: Homestay/Host Family If you are looKing to immerse yourself in the lifestyle of a Belgian and improve your French or Dutch, then staying in a host family is the ideal opFon for you! All our host families live close to university and speaK English. What does the homestay include? Bed and breakfast, 7 days a week (includes sheets and towels) Dinner 4 days a week (weekdays) How much does it cost? €165 per weeK. Personalised Assistance Housing The Brussels School of Governance Housing Coordinator offers personalised assistance to students in locaFng and leasing a student flat or a room. The service includes the placement in housing and personal assistance to help students understand the specific aspects (both culturally and legally) that they may encounter prior to arrival or during their stay. The contract can be reviewed by the Housing Coordinator before signature and possibly a template in English proposed to the landlord for signature with our students. Partner Residence If you are looKing for a dorm style feel, at a 10-minute walK from campus, you are welcome to stay at our School’s partner’s residence: 365 Rooms. The Brussels School of Governance is the alliance between the Ins7tute for European Studies and Vesalius College. Page 1 of 14 At 365 you can have your own room while being surrounded by other Belgian and internaonal students. This accommodaFon offers 2 different room styles: • Small, middle-sized or large studio, with en-suite bathroom and small kitchenebe • Single room with shared bathroom and Kitchen. 365 offers various faciliFes for their residents: private room, communal room, studio and apartment, biKe parKing, transport, laundry, study room, team and assistance, wifi network, security, cleaning and garden. For further informaFon, please visit the 365 website. If you wish to proceed with the residence booking, please contact Margherita Pace at [email protected]. The Brussels School of Governance is the alliance between the Ins7tute for European Studies and Vesalius College. Page 2 of 14 The Brussels School of Governance is the alliance between the Ins7tute for European Studies and Vesalius College. Page 3 of 14 The Brussels School of Governance is the alliance between the Ins7tute for European Studies and Vesalius College. Page 4 of 14 Independent Housing To booK your accommodaFon in Brussels, the Brussels School of Governance recommends HousingAnywhere, the internaFonal housing pladorm for mobile students and interns. Through HousingAnywhere you can contact the adverFsers directly and safely booK your new accommodaFon offered by verified private landlords and by outgoing students. Sign up here to receive a Vesalius College (now Brussels School of Governance) VIP profile and priority access to all rooms, studios and apartments available in Brussels and in 300+ ciFes: hbps://housinganywhere.com/Brussels–Belgium/vesalius-college/sign-up For more informaFon, checK this guide or contact [email protected] If you opt for independent housing, please note that housing cannot easily be arranged before your arrival in Belgium. Therefore, we recommend that you arrive in Brussels at least one week before orientaon; the earlier you arrive, the easier it will be to find accommodaFon. It is recommended that you spend the first weeK or two in a youth hostel in order to have Fme to visit various housing opons: 1. AREAS You might want to find a room close to campus. While there're some possibiliFes to do so, there may not be enough rooms available due to the increasing amount of requests. Also the rent might be more expensive than in other areas. This secon will give you a short descripFon of the different areas in Brussels where you can find a room sFll not too far away from Campus. Note that some areas might be further than the other in terms of adistance, but it could be a beber choice if you have a direct access to the Campus. Brussels has 19 districts that are called “communes.”The school is located in the district called Ixelles, which is at the border of Eberbeek. a. The ''Youth'' Districts Ixelles (1050) –Saint-Gilles (1060) -Forest (1190) The number “one” district to live in is Ixelles.It has everything: shopping areas, cultural life, hundreds of restaurants, coffee shops, outdoors areas, University, offices and many verytrendy spots.... The Brussels School of Governance is the alliance between the Ins7tute for European Studies and Vesalius College. Page 5 of 14 Some parts of it are “mulFcultural,” some others are very wealthy (and there's even one of the richest areas of Belgium in its territory called “The Millionnaire's Square”). It is close to the centre of the city, and it has part of the EU insFtuFons, there is also the ULB, etc. Everyone from all ages, generaFon and lifestyle find good reasons to want to live in Ixelles. It almost goes without saying that the housing in this district is more expensive than anywhere else. So finding aroom in Ixelles is someFmes difficult. Saint-Gilles tends to be popular too for young urban people, even though it is a lible bit further to commute to campus. Students who already Know Brussels do love it and recommend this area: it has a very rich and arFsFc lifestyle, beauFful architecture and is very close to the centre of the city. Saint-Gilles is very similar The Brussels School of Governance is the alliance between the Ins7tute for European Studies and Vesalius College. Page 6 of 14 to Ixelles in many ways. Historically it is Known as being the cradle of socialist movements and worKers movements in Brussels, so it sFll has a feel of having intellectuals and polical places. Forest, which is next to Saint-Gilles, is gerng more popular due to the high rent in Saint-Gilles, and a lot of young people and young couples are moving to this area. Although it taKes a lible longer Fme to commute to the school, it is sFll popular among the VeCo students because it is the green area, walKing distance to Saint-Gilles and it has a direct commute to the centre. b. The Family-friendly Districts EberbeeK (1040) -Watermael-Boitsfort (1170) -Auderghem (1160) Very popular among the “Euro Bubble” Community, EerbeeK is a quiet area at the heart of Europe, having several “EU” venues in the neighbourhood. It's also popular for families. It's a nice area to live in for people who want a balance between quiet and proximity to some of the highlights of the city. Most of the short term housing are expensive and targeted to EU professionals. Auderghem and Watermael-Boitsfort are known for being green and quiet. They have an easy commute to the campus which maKes them a perfect match for students who want to concentrate on their studies, enjoy outdoors acFviFes and wish to live in a French speaKing environment. Watermael-Boitsfort's centre is very charming and sFll has the looK of the village it used to be. Both districts do have direct access to big parks, woods and forest. c. The Wealthy Districts Woluwé-Saint-Lambert (1200) -Woluwé-Saint-Pierre (1150) -Uccle (1180) The two Woluwéare quite popular among comfortable Middle Class. Large buildings (build aver the 1950's), large avenues, green areas and very easy to commute to the centre or to the campus by metro or tram. It abracts people willing to live in a modern architecture and quiet environment. Uccle is “The” wealthy district of Brussels. It has the reputaFon to be less easy to commute to other parts of the city. Whilst this assumpFon is parFally true due to the fact of the resistance to let the metro lines reaching that part of the city (much liKe Georgetown inDC), it actually depends on the area: some be very easy to reach Vthe school with a city train, some other have a direct tram to ULB (close to VeCo) and are even at a walKing distance of it, some parts are at a reasonable distance of Ixelles, Saint-Gilles or the Centre. Large mansions with The Brussels School of Governance is the alliance between the Ins7tute for European Studies and Vesalius College. Page 7 of 14 big gardens, an old historical centre with few bars and restaurants, it might abract some students who prefer having a more cosy house in a quiet area. d. The Mulcultural Districts Saint-Josse (1210) -Schaerbeek(1030) Saint-Josseis Known as the smallest district of Brussels, the poorest and the one with the most naFonaliFes (more than hundred). It is very well situated near the centre of the city with metro and bus for easy commute to nearly any other part ofBrussels. It has a lot of different faces: the EU Bubble is also extending to this area, there are five stars hotels but also mulFcultural streets with colourful shops. Schaerbeek might seem similar to Saint-Josse but it’s bigger and was historically the home for numerous wealthy families, so the housing is bigger and taKes place in some interesFng architectural buildings. It's also now full of students, young families or expats who cannot afford to live in Ixelles or Saint-Gilles but sFll want to have the feeling of an urban life with some nice bars, an interesFng cultural life –even if it's not as busy as other parts of the city. Both districts didn’t have a good reputaFon in the past in terms of safety, but these two districts have gone through a major social change in the past few years.