Schaerbeek, Belgium

Schaerbeek is home to over 130,000 people, crammed into just 8 square kilometers. This dense, diverse municipality on Brussels' northeastern edge has seen its fair share of turmoil - from 16th-century Spanish and French invasions to the 2016 terrorist attacks. While the eastern half boasts affluent neighborhoods and Art Nouveau architecture, the western areas near the train station are a melting pot of Turkish, Moroccan, and other immigrant communities. Bureaucracy is a persistent headache, with the mayor recently introducing English-language services to ease the burden on the city's polyglot populace. For those seeking an authentic, multicultural Brussels experience, Schaerbeek may be worth considering, but the challenges of urban living here are not to be underestimated.