Travel Scams
in Belgium

Unlicensed taxis solicit passengers outside Brussels Airport arrivals, quoting fixed prices of €60–90 for the journey to the city centre that should cost €40–50 by official metered taxi (or €12 by Airport Express train). Drivers claim the meter "doesn't work for airport journeys" or that fixed prices are standard — both false. Some operate vehicles that look like licensed taxis but lack the official roof light and registration. The Airport Express train, operated by SNCB/NMBS, is the definitively better option: 17 minutes to Brussels-Central, running every 15–20 minutes.

• Take the Airport Express train (SNCB/NMBS) — €12 to Brussels-Central in 17 minutes. Trains run every 15–20 minutes from the terminal basement. This is the definitive solution.
• If taking a taxi, use only officially licensed taxis from the official rank — they have an orange/yellow roof light and a meter that must be running.
• Uber operates at Brussels Airport and provides upfront pricing.
• Never accept rides from anyone who approaches you in the arrivals hall.

Brussels-Midi/Zuid is the busiest station in Belgium and Belgium's most concentrated location for both pickpocketing and taxi fraud. As a Eurostar, Thalys, and ICE terminus, it processes large volumes of international travellers with luggage — the ideal environment for distraction pickpockets. The taxi rank outside has a well-documented problem with unlicensed drivers quoting inflated prices, particularly to passengers arriving on international trains unfamiliar with Belgian taxi rates. The immediate neighbourhood around the station — while improving — has higher street crime rates than the rest of central Brussels.

• Use Uber from Brussels-Midi — set your pickup point precisely and meet the driver rather than standing on the street.
• Licensed Brussels taxis from the official rank must use meters — refuse any driver who quotes a fixed price or claims the meter doesn't work.
• Keep bags in front of you or between your legs in the station concourse — do not leave luggage unattended.
• Move efficiently through the station; lingering while consulting your phone is the moment pickpockets exploit.

One of Brussels's most reported tourist scams. One or two individuals in plain clothes approach tourists near the Grand Place, Manneken Pis, or metro station exits, flashing a badge and presenting themselves as plainclothes police officers. They claim to be conducting an anti-counterfeit currency check, anti-drug inspection, or identity verification, and ask to "inspect" the tourist's wallet and passport. During the inspection — which involves handling the items — cash is stolen or card details noted. Real Belgian police do not conduct random currency or document checks on tourists in the street.

• Real Belgian police do not stop tourists for random currency checks. If approached, firmly say "I will come to the police station" — genuine officers will agree; scammers will not.
• Never hand your wallet, passport, or phone to anyone claiming to be a plainclothes officer on the street.
• Ask to see a warrant card (legitimatiebewijs/carte de service) and note the officer's badge number — real officers will comply.
• If unsure, call 101 (Belgian police non-emergency line) to verify — this immediately exposes the scam.

The Rue des Bouchers — a pedestrianised restaurant street one block from the Grand Place — is Brussels's most famous restaurant tourist trap. Restaurants employ aggressive touts who physically approach and redirect passing tourists toward their establishments, display elaborate fresh seafood and moules displays on ice outside that often aren't what's actually served, and charge substantially above-average prices (€25–40 for moules-frites that cost €15–20 two streets away). Many restaurants on this street have been written up in Belgian food guides specifically as places locals never eat. The cafés directly on the Grand Place itself charge a premium of €3–5 per drink for the view.

• Walk one block away from Rue des Bouchers in any direction — food quality improves and prices drop immediately.
• Seek restaurants in Ixelles, Saint-Gilles, Sainte-Catherine fish market area, or the Châtelain neighbourhood for genuinely excellent Belgian food.
• The Grand Place café terrace view is genuinely magnificent — factor in the premium price as the cost of the view rather than the food.
• Belgian food is world-class — moules, carbonnade flamande, waterzooi, stoofvlees. The worst thing to do in Belgium is eat in a tourist trap and conclude the food is overrated.

Two classic street scams operate in Brussels's main tourist zones. The friendship bracelet approach — a string is tied around the tourist's wrist without consent as a "gift" before a payment demand follows — appears near the Grand Place and Manneken Pis. The petition scam involves individuals (sometimes posing as deaf-mute charity workers) presenting clipboards requesting signatures and then pressuring signatories for cash donations. Neither involves violence but both are persistent and difficult to exit once engaged.

• Keep walking and avoid eye contact with bracelet sellers and clipboard petition holders — engaging even briefly significantly extends the interaction.
• If a bracelet is placed on your wrist without consent, you are not obliged to pay anything — remove it and walk away firmly.
• Genuine charity workers in Belgium are registered and do not solicit donations on the street in this manner.

Not a scam in the traditional sense — but a significant quality trap that disappoints many visitors. The chocolate shops most prominently positioned near tourist attractions in Bruges and Brussels (recognisable by giant displays, constant "special offer" signs, and aggressive shopfront promotions) largely sell mass-produced pralines manufactured industrially rather than made on-site. The packaging looks identical to artisan chocolate. Genuine Belgian chocolatiers making their own product on-site are usually slightly off the main tourist drag and offer a markedly superior product.

• Look for chocolatiers who visibly make their product on-site — you can often see the kitchen through a window.
• In Brussels: Pierre Marcolini, Neuhaus (original Galerie de la Reine location), Mary, and Wittamer are benchmark quality chocolatiers.
• In Bruges: The Chocolate Line (Simon Bistok), Dumon, and Depla make their own chocolates on-site.
• Price is not a reliable guide — mass-produced tourist chocolate can be priced similarly to genuine artisan work near tourist attractions.