Forest (Vorst): The Brussels Neighbourhood Guide to the City's Best-Kept Secret

Every newcomer to Brussels eventually hears the same shortlist: Ixelles for the bars, Saint-Gilles for the Art Nouveau, the EU Quarter for the commute. Forest (Vorst in Dutch) rarely gets a mention, and the people who already live there are quietly relieved about that. It sits directly south of Saint-Gilles, shares much of its bohemian, artsy character, and costs noticeably less for it. As the September arrival wave starts scouting rooms, Forest is worth putting on the list before it stops being a secret.

This guide covers what the commune actually feels like, how to get around, what rent looks like, and how coliving works there — so you can judge for yourself whether it's your kind of neighbourhood.

The Short Version

Forest splits neatly into two halves, and which one you land in changes your experience considerably. The upper part, anchored by the Abbaye de Forest and its park, is leafy, residential, and calm — closer in feel to Uccle than to central Brussels. The lower part, around Altitude 100, is denser and livelier, with the bars, record shops, and independent restaurants that give Forest its reputation as "Saint-Gilles five years ago." Both halves share the same commune, the same relatively low rents, and a resident base that skews toward musicians, architects, freelancers, and young professionals who wanted Saint-Gilles without the Saint-Gilles price tag.

Why People Are Moving Here

Abbaye de Forest and Its Park

The old abbey and the park that surrounds it are Forest's green anchor — genuinely one of the nicer, less crowded parks in the city, with mature trees and enough space to actually sit down without tripping over a picnic blanket every ten metres. The abbey building itself has been repurposed for cultural events over the years, giving the upper commune a quiet, slightly monastic calm that's rare this close to the centre.

Forest National

Belgium's best-known concert arena sits inside the commune and has hosted touring acts for decades. You don't need to be a regular concertgoer to feel the effect: Forest has a real, unforced connection to music and live culture that shows up in the number of musicians and sound engineers who choose to live nearby.

Altitude 100 and the Parvis de Forest

This is where the neighbourhood's social life actually happens — a cluster of bars, natural wine spots, and independent restaurants around Altitude 100, plus the Parvis de Forest with its own market and café terraces. It has the unpolished, lived-in energy that Saint-Gilles' Parvis had before it became a brunch destination for the whole city.

Parc de Forest

A second, smaller park lower in the commune, popular with families and dog owners, and a useful green pocket if you end up living nearer the valley than the abbey.

Getting Around

Forest is served by metro line 2/6 at Porte de Hal, right on its northern edge, plus tram lines 3, 4, and 51 running through the commune, and bus 54 covering the gaps. It's a genuinely workable setup for reaching the centre, the EU Quarter, or the Midi station for international trains, though as with any Brussels commune, your actual walk time to the nearest stop depends heavily on which street you end up on — the upper, abbey side sits further from the metro than the lower, Altitude 100 side.

Cycling is a strong option too. Forest connects reasonably well to Saint-Gilles and Ixelles by bike, and the commune's own streets are manageable, if hilly in parts — this is one of Brussels' higher-altitude areas, hence the name Altitude 100.

Rent and Cost of Living

This is Forest's single biggest selling point. Rents consistently undercut neighbouring Saint-Gilles and Ixelles for comparable space, which matters a lot if you're trying to make a Brussels budget stretch further without giving up on having a social life nearby. Our broader look at Brussels rent prices and the guide to cheapest coliving in Brussels both point the same direction: communes just outside the most-hyped core, Forest included, are where the value currently sits.

Day-to-day costs follow the same pattern — the bars and restaurants around Altitude 100 and the Parvis skew more accessible than their Saint-Gilles equivalents, at least for now.

Coliving in Forest

Named coliving houses directly inside Forest are less common than in Ixelles or the EU Quarter, but the commune sits well within reach of operators covering the Saint-Gilles and city-wide axis. A few worth knowing about:

Brands operating across Ixelles and Saint-Gilles, immediately adjacent to Forest, are a natural starting point if you want an established coliving house within easy walking or cycling distance of the neighbourhood's bars and the abbey park.
Several Brussels-wide operators run houses that shift location throughout the year, and Forest turns up in their portfolios often enough to be worth checking directly rather than assuming it's off the map.

Because availability changes constantly, your best move is to browse the full directory of coliving actors and filter by neighbourhood, or use the coliving matchmaker to describe what you're looking for — budget, vibe, commute — and let it narrow down houses that actually cover the Forest area right now.

Who Forest Suits

Budget-conscious professionals and creatives who want Saint-Gilles' energy without Saint-Gilles' rent
Musicians and anyone in the live-events world, given Forest National's presence and the neighbourhood's general affinity for music
People who value green space, thanks to two solid parks in one commune
Cyclists and tram commuters comfortable with a bit of hill on the way home
Anyone happy to be an early mover — Forest is visibly on the way up, and the value case gets weaker every year that passes

It's a less natural fit if being directly on top of a metro hub matters more than anything else, or if you want the polish and predictability of the EU Quarter — for that comparison, our Ixelles vs Saint-Gilles breakdown and the Schaerbeek guide cover Brussels' other value-focused alternatives.

Practical Notes Before You Move

Walk both halves before deciding. The calm, park-side upper commune and the livelier Altitude 100 stretch feel like different neighbourhoods entirely — visit both at different times of day.
Check your transport chain end to end. Porte de Hal metro covers the northern edge well; confirm your actual commute time from your specific street before signing anything.
Compare against neighbouring communes. Forest's value case is strongest relative to Saint-Gilles and Ixelles specifically — it's worth walking those areas too so the price difference is concrete rather than assumed.
Sort out registration early. Once you've settled on a place, the commune-level registration process is the same one used across the city — see our guide on how to register as an expat in Brussels if the paperwork is new to you.

The Bottom Line

Forest is what Saint-Gilles was before everyone found out about it: green, musical, a little rough around the edges, and considerably cheaper. It won't suit someone who wants a metro station outside every door or a fully built-out coliving scene on day one, but for anyone willing to explore a bit and move early, it's one of the better value trades left in central Brussels. Compare it properly against the rest of the city through our neighbourhood guides, and if you're still weighing up where to plant yourself, the coliving matchmaker is the fastest way to see what's actually available there right now.