Vilvoorde

Vilvoorde is a city of 44,000 inhabitants in the province of Flemish Brabant in Belgium. Lying just north of Brussels, the town functions more as a suburb of the national capital, having some regional importance due to its high schools and hospitals.

Served by a good rail network, 🌍 Vilvoorde Station is only 10 mins from Brussel-Centraal/Bruxelles-Central, the main station of Brussels and just over an hour from Charleroi. Brussels Airport, in nearby Zaventem, is about 7 kilometers outside Vilvoorde and easily reachable by bus.

Good bus service, cycle paths and easy to walk around.

• 🌍 Domein Drie Fonteinen. This beautiful park is located on the other side of the channel, south of the city. 
• 🌍 Tuchthuis, Rondeweg. This former prison complex was built in the end of the 18th century and was the second 'modern' prison of the Southern Netherlands. It is located a bit south of the city centre. 
• 🌍 Town Hall, Grote Markt. Built between 1870-1873 in Neoclassicist style. 
• 🌍 Church of Our Lady, Heldenplein. This Gothic church is protected heritage since 1937. It dates back to the 14th and 15th century. The northern sacristy, however, dates from the 13th century. Of the designed towers only the northern got built. 

Some nice shops, but not really a 'shoppers' paradise. Lovely town to walk round with lots of green space.

Increasingly popular for foreign visitors seeking private Medical treatment at the large AZ Jan Portaels Hospital.

• 🌍 CC Het Bolwerk, Bolwerkstraat 17, ☏ +32 2 255 46 90. The municipal cultural centre of Vilvoorde. 

Chocolate

• 🌍 Colruyt, Schaarbeeklei 57, ☏ +32 22 51 05 89. M-Sa: 8:30-20:00. On Friday until 21:00. Closed on Su. Large supermarket with rather low prices conveniently located in the centre of Vilvoorde. (updated Jun 2017)

Good Chinese restaurants. Famous horse-steak restaurants.

Huge variety of beers/lagers

• 🌍 The Lodge Vilvoorde, Rondeweg 3, ☏ +32 2 255 97 70. This hotel is housed in a wing of the former Tuchthuis prison building. 
• 🌍 Hotel Campanile Brussels-Vilvoorde, Luchthavenlaan 2 (Right next to the station), ☏ +32 22 53 97 67. (updated Jun 2017)
• 🌍 Eurovolleycenter, Beneluxlaan 22, ☏ +32 22 57 16 16. (updated Jun 2017)