By plane

Brussels Airport

1 Brussels Airport (BRU IATA also referred to as Brussels National or Zaventem after the municipality it is in). This is Brussels' main airport. It has good train connections with the rest of Belgium, and with many European capitals and other major cities. (updated Nov 2022)

Belgium's flag carrier Brussels Airlines, which operates an extensive network of flights within Europe, also offers long-haul flights from North America and, quite uniquely for a European airline, many African destinations - especially in the former Belgian colony DR Congo. Major North American carriers also offer flights to Brussels, as do a few Asian ones. Direct connections from Asia are decent, while those from Latin America are almost non-existent, so you most likely have to change at an intermediate airport, and may want to consider using one of the Middle Eastern carriers (Emirates, Etihad and Qatar all serve Brussels) or change in one of Europe's major hubs like London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris Charles de Gaulle or Schiphol. The latter two have a direct train to Brussels. Turkish Airways (via Istanbul) and Finnair (via Helsinki) also have particularly developed networks of connections from the Far East, while Madrid is the best option to fly from Latin America.

Travel between Brussels Airport and Brussels City

Belgian Rail operates trains (2nd class: Single: €10.60 (January 2024); Weekend return: €18.40; 1st class: €11.80) every 15 min from the airport (level -1) to Brussels' three main train stations, with most trains continuing to other parts of Belgium. The journey to the and 1 5 Central Station takes 15-20 minutes. Tickets can be bought from vending machines (coins or PIN cards only) or the train ticket office (notes accepted) in the airport train station at level -1. Trains are accessed at level -2, you need a Diabolo Surcharge ticket to get in. The trains are clean and well-maintained. To enter or exit the train, push the green button on the door, as the doors are not automatically opened at the stations as they are in other systems.

MIVB/STIB buses 12 and 21 (Line 12 operates M-F before 20:00 and is an express, serving only major bus stops (although it is not any faster); line 21 operates after 20:00 and on weekends, serving all stops on the route) run every 20-30 minutes via metro station Schuman (where you can transfer to metro lines 1 and 5) to the European district around Place du Luxembourg/Luxemburgplein (on the other side of the park from Gare Central). When boarding the bus, make sure that the destination is Luxembourg, as some buses terminate at either the Schuman metro station or Gare de Bordet. The journey takes 30 minutes. When going from the airport to the city center, a special "Go2City" ticket is needed (for the journey to the airport, a regular ticket is valid). The Go2City ticket is valid for a total of 60 minutes on the trains (by SNCB), metro (by STIB), buses (by STIB, De Lijn and TEC) or trams (by STIB) from the moment it is validated. The buses depart from airport level 0. The ticket price is €7 when paid by contactless card at the vending machine or on board, or €7.50 for a paper ticket. Frequent travelers can buy a 10-trip ticket (€46).

De Lijn buses 272 and 471 run every 30-60 minutes to Brussels' North Train Station (called Noordstation/Gare du Nord within the city or Brussel-Noord/Bruxelles-Nord in other places), 2 km (1.2 mi) north of Grand-Place. Night bus 620 operates to/from the airport with a stop at the 2 6 IJzer metro station (45 minute ride), 1 km (0.62 mi) north of Grand-Place. The buses depart from level 0 of the airport. The ticket price is €3 on board, €2.50 (April 2022) on the ticket machine or €2.15 if you get an "sms ticket" by sending a text message (note: may incur extra charges depending on your mobile carrier). In contrast to the tickets sold by MIVB/STIB, these tickets (sold by Flemish regional bus operator De Lijn) are not valid on other means of public transport within Brussels.

Alternatively, Brussels can be reached by train much more cheaply via Zaventem village (dorp) station, within a 1 km (0.62 mi) walk from the airport. At €3.40 (January 2024), the fare is three times cheaper than the ticket from Brussels Airport Station to the city. This is because the Diabolo Surcharge on airport trains does not apply here. Zaventem Dorp station is served by frequent local trains to all Brussels stations, taking roughly the same amount of time as the airport trains (15-20 minutes to Central Station).

Taxis to the center cost around €60. Taxis bleus/blauw (blue): +32 2 268 0000, Taxis Autolux: +32 2 411 4142, Taxis verts/groen (green): +32 2 349 4949, Unitax: +32 2 725 25 25. Beware of "waiting" charges if your flight is delayed and you pre-ordered a cab, some companies charge you parking fees + €25-30/hour for waiting. Always confirm the final charge with your driver before getting in the car. It is not uncommon for drivers to rip you off and charge €120 to go to the centre, especially if they realise that it is your first time in Brussels and don't know your way around.

Left luggage facilities

Brussels Airport has a luggage locker service (Level 0) where you can leave luggage for a fixed duration. The lockers say that you will have to retrieve your bags within 72 hours or else they will be removed, but they are actually moved to the room next door and stored until you retrieve them. This is a useful facility for people wanting to stow away big suitcases somewhere safe. The rate is €10 per 24 hours for up to 3 pieces, payments by card only.

Brussels South Charleroi Airport

2 Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL IATA) (42 km (26 mi) south of Brussels). Several budget airlines, including Ryanair and Wizzair operate service from this airport to cities such as Barcelona, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Madrid, Manchester, Rome, Sofia, Warsaw, and nearly everything in between. (updated Jan 2022)

To travel between the airport and the city

Flibco, airport shuttle bus service operates buses every 20 minutes to Brussels Midi/Zuid station, with a journey time of 1 hour (less during weekends). Buying online is cheaper and faster. The bus stops at Midi/Zuid station, on the Rue de France/Frankrijkstraat, 156, to the west from the station. The metro and international trains (Eurostar) are on the west side of the station, so upon entering the station from the bus stop, head left rather than straight. When travelling to the airport, it would be better to arrive at the Brussels Midi/Zuid stop far in advance of the bus departure time as the queue to board the bus could be very long (there are no ticket machines and people buy tickets on board). Therefore you might miss the bus and wait another 20 minutes. The traffic on the way out of Brussels can be heavy in peak hours, so the journey may take longer than planned.

TEC-bus A (€6 one way) operates service from the airport to the Charleroi South (Charleroi-Sud) train station, from where you can connect to an intercity train (€9.90 one way) to Brussels. A combined train+bus ticket to or from Brussels can be obtained for €15.90 from the TEC vending machine at the airport. The bus journey takes 20 minutes and the train takes an additional hour. Trains depart every 30-60 minutes.

Taxis from the airport to the city center cost a fixed price of €90. For the return trip to Charleroi you can book in advance a Charleroi-based taxi (€90). Taxis operating from Brussels use a higher fare and will take you to the airport for a fixed price of €120 or based on the meter up to €170.

Other airports

High-speed rail and the central location of Brussels amid many major European cities make it entirely feasible to fly into several other airports and take the train from there. Depending on your itinerary, this may be both faster and cheaper, as connections may align better.

Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG IATA) has a direct high-speed train (Eurostar/TGV) connection to Brussels. TGV trains departing every three hours from CDG arrive at Brussels-Midi within ~1.5 hours. Book tickets early for the best prices. Alternatively, it is possible to access Brussels from Paris-CDG with TGV trains from French cities like Nice and Lyon. Most of these trains call at the airport.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS IATA) also has a high-speed train connection to Brussels-Midi, provided by Eurostar. Ride time is also around 1.5 hr, but the frequency is hourly and the costs can be lower (even down to €30) depending on the time of travel and booking. Alternatively, slower (2.5 hr) regular Intercity trains exist as well, sometimes direct, sometimes with a transfer in Rotterdam. Tickets for these trains start at €25 and have the advantage of being valid for all regular trains on the booked day. To compare prices and departure times for all trains (including Eurostar), see NS International

Cologne-Bonn Airport (CGN IATA) is a little less than 2 hours by a direct train, departing 3 times a day and costing around €50

Antwerp Airport (ANR IATA) is quite close to Brussels, getting from there requires one to take a bus to Antwerpen-Berchem station (takes 10 minutes, buses depart approximately ever 12 minutes), from where a train to Brussels departs every 20 minutes and takes less than 40. A single ride bus ticket in Antwerp is €3 and the train ticket to Brussels can be had for just €10, making the journey almost as cheap as getting to Brussels from Brussels Airport.

Liège Airport (LGG IATA) can be reached by trains between Brussels and Liege (running every 30 minutes and taking about 1 hour), but you need to take a bus or a taxi between one of Liege's train stations and LGG, which extends the journey to over 1.5 hours.

By train

Brussels has three main railway stations:

3 Bruxelles-Midi / Brussel-Zuid / Brussels-South (FBMZ, ZYR IATA). This station is where the high-speed trains (including Eurostar) stop. There is a shower room at Midi/Zuid in the toilet near platforms 19-20 (between Origin'O and Quick).

4 Bruxelles-Central / Brussel-Centraal / Brussels-Central. (updated Feb 2023)

5 Bruxelles-Nord / Brussel-Noord / Brussels-North. (updated Feb 2023)

All three major stations in Brussels are very busy and there are trains departing in many directions almost every minute. If you are on the platform, do check if the train you are boarding is the one you want, as it may be the one that departs just a few minutes earlier. Be vigilant for last-minute platform changes. As the announcements for many trains (except for major international services and trains to Brussels Airport) are made in French and Dutch only, it is worthwhile to pay attention to departure displays. Always memorize the name of your destination in both French and Dutch to easily recognize it – the name as you may know it in English might not be used at all. Some trains are short, so at stations with long curved platforms such as at Brussel-Centraal (Bruxelles-Central) you may not be able to see the train if you’re standing on the opposite end of the platform.

Apart from the three above, there are also stations of Brussels-Schuman, Brussels-Luxembourg, Brussels-Congress, Brussels-Chapel and Brussels-West, as well as stations in municipalities of the Brussels region that do not have "Brussels" in their name (e.g. Schaerbeek, Evere) which only see limited local service by RER trains.

International train services to Belgium include:

Intercity from Luxembourg. An hourly Intercity train from Luxembourg (2.5-3hr, via Arlon, Libramont, Namur) connects to Midi/Zuid, Central, Nord/Noord, Schuman and Luxembourg/Luxemburg stations. Reservations are not always needed, but it is wise to have a ticket, as train employees frequently check them. A weekend return ticket costs €41.60. (updated Apr 2023)

EUS Eurostar, ☏ +32 2 528-28-28. Eurostar high-speed trains link Amsterdam Centraal (2 hr), Cologne Hauptbahnhof (1 hr 52 min), Lille Europe (39 min), London St. Pancras (1 hr 51 min), Paris Nord, and Rotterdam Centraal (1 hr 8 min) with Midi/Zuid. It is much cheaper to book further in advance. With your Eurostar ticket you can also take a local train to or from Central-Centraal, Nord-Noord, Schuman and Luxembourg/Luxemburg stations. When travelling from the United Kingdom, you should allow 90 minutes before your timetabled departure to clear the extra border controls (60 min when returning to the UK). (updated Jul 2025)

ICE ICE. German ICE trains connect Brussels seven times a day to Cologne (2 hr) and Frankfurt (3 hr). Regular (flexible) prices are about €80 one way to Cologne, €150 to Frankfurt, but if booked in advance, non-flexible saver fares starting from €29 can often be found. (updated Jan 2026)

TGV. Connects Lyon, Marseille, Avignon, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nantes and many other French destinations to Midi/Zuid. (updated Apr 2023)

Nightjet – OBB's (Austrian rail carrier) sleeper train, runs three times a week from Midi/Zuid to Vienna (via Munich) and Berlin. It calls at Brussels-North, Liège, Aachen, Cologne, Bonn, Koblenz, Mainz and Mannheim, where the train divides and combines with carriages from Paris: one portion runs via Munich, Salzburg and Linz to Vienna, the other via Erfurt and Halle to Berlin.

Trains from within Belgium

Belgium has one of the most dense and best developed railway networks in Europe. Domestic trains are operated by the national railway operator NMBS/SNCB (hotline: +32 2 528-2828). Besides simple one-way tickets there is a bewildering variety of tickets available depending on the exact route (returns are cheaper, there are also "all Belgium" tickets), frequency, your age and occupation (students get discounts) and departure time (travel after 09:00 and on weekends is usually cheaper).

Frequencies and approximate travel times from Brussels-Central station to selected cities in Belgium:

Antwerp - 6x/hour, 40 min-1 hr 15 min

Arlon - 1xhour, 2bhr 50 min

Bruges - 2x/hour, below 1 hr 10 min (the service to Kortrijk also continues to Bruges, but it takes twice as much time)

Charleroi - 2x/hour, 1 hour

Dinant - 1x/hour from Brussels-Schuman (not Central), 1.5 hours (you can also go from Central to Namur and change to Dinant there, travel time is longer by 15 minutes that way)

Gent - 6x/hour, 40 min-1 hr 10 min

Kortrijk - 3x/hour 1 hr 20 min-1 hr 45 min (plus one extra connection per hour with a change Gent, 1hr 20min)

Leuven - 5x/hour, 25 min

Liege - 2x/hour, 1 hr -1 hr 30 min

Mechelen - 7x/hour, 25-30 min

Namur - 2x/hour, 1 hr 10 min (+1/hour from Brussels-Schuman, same travel time)

Ostend - 2x/hour, 1 hr 20 min (or with a change in Gent - 2x/hour, 1 hr 40 min)

Waterloo - 2x/hour direct local train, 30min (or via Braine-L'Alleud, with a change from Intercity to local train - 2x/hour, total travel time below 40 min)

There is also a fairly new suburban rail system (Brussels Regional Express Network, in French Réseau express régional (RER) and in Dutch Gewestelijk ExpresNet (GEN), or S train) that is like an S-Bahn, which serves nearby communities. Depending on the station, it can be faster or slower than an Intercity (IC) train, but as it is run by the national rail operator the price will be the same (fares are charged on the basis of distance for the most part). It will show up with the other trains when looking for tickets on the website, so you can see is it is a good fit for your journey or not.

By bus

Several bus operators offer long-distance connections to Brussels. The station for long distance coach services is 6 Brussels North CCN in a narrow street to the north-west of the railway station bearing the same name. While waiting for a connecting coach, the 1 Starbucks inside the station can offer warmth and power sockets without the obligation to buy their overpriced drinks.

Flixbus. A German company with a network throughout most of Europe. Offers services to numerous German destinations, Paris, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Bratislava and London. They do not have an office in the station, but they routinely set up a mobile info desk manned by staff in easily recognizable bright green outfits, somewhere along the boarding area. (updated Aug 2016)

De Lijn, ☏ +32 70 220-200. The Flemish region (Dutch speaking) public bus service, connecting Brussels to Flanders. There are specific "snelbuses" (fast buses), e.g. Brussels-Nord to Ninove (snelbus 728). (updated Nov 2025)

TEC, ☏ +32 10 23-5353. The Walloon region (French speaking) public bus company.

RegioJet (Student Agency). A Czech company offering coach services from Czech Republic and Slovakia to a number of destinations around Europe. Their service from Prague to London stops each morning at Gare du Midi and each evening on the way back. The company also offers combined bus + train tickets to/from destinations not served by buses directly, which may be cheaper than getting a split ticket.

Twiliner buses take 9 hours from Zurich via Basel and Luxembourg, heading for Amsterdam. Their seats fold flat into a bunk: there's some disturbance from bumps in the road and noise at intermediate stops, but no worse than in a railway sleeping car, for similar comfort and half the price.

By tram

Brussels is connected to Tervuren by tram 44 , following the trajectory of the Tervuren Avenue (Tervurenlaan) between 7 Tervuren station 44 and 8 Montgomery 1 7 25 27 39 44 61 80 81 N06 metro station. The scenic 10 km (6.2 mi) long journey through the Sonian Forest takes about 20 minutes, with a frequency of 5 trams per hour. A single ticket is €2.10, and allows you to get off at any station along the way and back on the next tram within the ticket validity of an hour. Tickets can be purchased in Tervuren station or from the tram driver at an additional fee.

Brussels can also be reached from Kraainem by tram 39 , which connects Montgomery metro station to the 9 Ban-Eik 39 station and traverses Kraainem halfway. Get on at stop 10 Wilderozenweg 39 , on a walking distance of Kraainem's tourist attractions, and take tram 39 direction Montgomery. Travel time is approx. 15 minutes. As with tram 44 , a ticket costs €2.10, can be purchased in advance or from the tram driver at an additional fee, and remains valid for an hour.

By metro

Brussels metro line 1 extends to 11 Kraainem 1 76 77 79 N05 metro station, and to 12 Stockel / Stokkel 1 39 metro station. Travel time to the Grand-Place from Kraainem station is about 25 minutes. A single ticket Jump costs €2.10. Tickets can be paid for by card or be purchased from a GO vending machine in either Kraainem or Stokkel metro station, and can only be paid with euro coins or Maestro compatible cards. Bills are not accepted.

By bicycle

Brussels is the third capital on Eurovelo Route 5, which starts in London, through Brussels and Switzerland and ends in southern Italy. A number of other international and national cycle routes converge on Brussels, see this overview.