For what it's worth, for the the last 3 years I've stayed at ibis Brussels Centre Ste Catherine - Cheap (50-60 euros a night) - Walking distance from the first stop for the 71 bus - Lots of FOSDEM people stay there, meet people at breakfast - Walking distance to central Brussels RE: public transport: the first stop is pretty useful, as the bus gets full extremely quickly! https://twitter.com/dberkholz/status/297652567511531522 https://twitter.com/amedee/status/693349393328705536 Google maps of the 71 route: https://goo.gl/maps/Xw6Esf7ZpYs The rooms are pretty plain but I'm not looking for much, just a place to sleep.