Tried sleeping on a train station bench in Brussels to save hostel money

I had a 6 hour layover in Brussels last spring and figured I'd just crash on a bench near the ticket machines instead of booking a room. Woke up to a security guard tapping my shoulder at 3am telling me I couldn't sleep there or they'd call the cops. Ended up at a 24/7 McDonald's drinking a 1 euro coffee till my train left. Anyone else get burned trying to rough it in a European train station?

3 comments

3 Comments

maryt6221d ago

6 hours at McDonald's after getting kicked out? That's brutal, I would have just paid for a hostel at that point.

daniel_walker21d ago

The 24 hour McDonald's on 5th street saved me during a similar situation back in 2018. I had a fight with my roommate and my flight wasn't until the next morning, so I just sat there nursing a single coffee for like 5 hours. The staff actually felt bad for me and gave me a free hash brown around 4am. It's rough but sometimes you just gotta make do with what you have, you know?

mia74817d ago

Nodding along with @maryt62 because honestly six hours at McDonald's does sound awful, but sometimes your wallet makes the call for you. I tried sleeping in a Paris metro station once and lasted maybe 45 minutes before some dude started yelling at me in French. At least the McDonald's by Nord station let me charge my phone and the bathroom code wasn't too hard to figure out. Security guards everywhere in Europe seem to hate sleeping travelers, it's like they have a sixth sense for it.