How to get to the city if you arrive by airplane?

Belgium has 2 important airports: Brussels Airport and Brussels South Charleroi Airport. 

If you arrive at Brussels Airport, you are already very close to the city center. By train, it takes only 10 minutes to reach Brussels-North station, and a little longer to reach Brussels-Central or Brussels-South. Note that the ticket costs more than a classic ticket because there is an airport supplement (ticket around 9,30 euro). You can also take a bus directly to Trône (STIB - line 12) or to Brussels-North (De Lijn), which is a little cheaper (around 7,00 € from the airport to the city center) but takes more time. 

If you arrive at Brussels South Charleroi Airport, which hosts more low-cost airlines like Ryanair, it will take you a little longer to get to the city. The easiest and fastest option is to take the Flibco bus (aroun 13-17€), which arrives at Brussels South station and takes about an hour. If you already have the ESNcard, you can get a 20% discount on the journey. You can also take the train to Brussels, but you will have to take a bus to Charleroi station first before you can take the train, which we do not recommend.

Metro / Tram / Bus

The metro network in Brussels exists of 4 big metro lines, which get you around quickly. You can also take the tram and/or bus to get closer to your destination. Check the STIB-MIVB app to learn more about the different lines that pass through Brussels and their timetables.

Special deal for students under 25 years: the MOBIB transportation card costs only 12 euros (+ 5 euros card fee) for a whole year.  You will need to present your school certificate with the stamp of your university and go to the closest “BOOTIK”. 

  • BOOTIK PORTE DE NAMUR: Station Porte de Namur, 1050 IXELLES
  • BOOTIK GARE DU MIDI: Station Gare du Midi, 1070 ANDERLECHT
  • BOOTIK ROGIER: Station Rogier, Pl. Charles Rogier, 1210 Saint-Josse-ten-Noode
  • BOOTIK ROODEBEEK: Avenue Paul Hymanslaan, 1200 Woluwe
  • BOOTIK GARE DE L’OUEST: Gare de l'Ouest, 1080 Sint-Jans-Molenbeek

Train

The advantage of living in a small country is that everything is within easy reach. The SNCB trains are one of the fastest ways to travel in the country and are very economical. The central location of Brussels, with its three main stations, Brussels-South (Bruxelles-Midi in French), Brussels-Central and Brussels-North, makes it easy to get to all parts of the country, including Antwerp, Ghent, the seaside and many others. Check the website to plan your trip and know from which platform your train is departing. 

Special deal for students under 26 years: the Youth Multi Pass allows you to make 10 trips for only €53 ( ie. €5.30 instead of €6.60 per single trip for a young person under 26). 

Special deal for the weekend: from Friday 19:00 until Sunday, the ‘Weekend Ticket’ will give you a 50% discount on a return journey. It's the perfect opportunity to travel around Belgium. This ticket can be bought at the automatons in the stations or on the smartphone application.

Bike / Electric bike / Electric scooter

Looking to bike around the city but didn't pack your bike? Villo is the perfect solution for those who like biking in the city of Brussels. You can pick up a bike at one of the many stations in the city (345 stations) and drop it off at another. It's an easy-to-use system, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can use the bike (for one trip) as much as you want for less than 30 minutes. If you go over 30 minutes, you pay an additional fee of 0.5 to 2 euros depending on the number of extra half hours. There are two possible subscriptions: You can pay 1 euro for 24h or 3 euros for a month. Visit the website for more information, and to activate your account.

Do you want to ride your own bike, day and night? Then maybe buying a second-hand bike is the best option for you. You can check for example Cyclo or look at the classified ads on Facebook. 

The city of Brussels also has electric bikes and electric scooters available throughout the city. Among the companies operating in the city, we can find: Lime, Billy bike, Bird, Dott and Tier mobility.