Sign in with Facebook
Hotel Class: 
4 Stars - 62 Opinions
Rue Van Artevelde 80, Brussels, 1000, Belgium
Check Rates and Availability
of people enjoy staying here
62 Opinions
The leek quiche with assorted salads
Beer Fountin
EU Parlement
The Brewers' Guildhouse (note the crane!)
Hello:
I am arriving at the Brussels National Airport (BRU/Brussel Nationaal/Bruxelles-National) on May 30th, at 8:00 AM, and need to go to Amsterdam by train. I bought Benelux Rail pass and learned that some trains require reservation. The advice I have got is:
"Just hop off the flight, buy a ticket to Amsterdam at the airport train station, hop on the next train to Brussels North (Nord/Noord), then hop on the next train to Amsterdam. Amsterdam trains leave Brussels North every hour at minute .24, no reservations required. To catch the Thalys (which only runs every few hours, and which requires reservations) you would need to get to a different train station (Midi/Zuid), and it would take longer"
Is this true? What is the most efficient way to go to Amsterdam using Benelux Rail pass - without making reservations?
Thanks in advance.
G. Sherman
http://www.b-rail.be/main/E/
will give you train times & details in English. Select the 'details' box to see all the info for each departure.
You can explore your options with and without reservations/supplement (noted under details) for travelling direct from the airport, or from Brussels Noord, or elsewhere. The journey from Brussels Noord appears to require another change at one of the other Brussels stations (and I'm not sure the hour+24 is correct at all), so I don't understand why it might be thought preferable.
The most efficient way is to regard every railpass as a rip-off and RailEurope as a rip-off ticket agency set up by SNCF for a sole purpose: finance their money-losing domestic freight business with YOUR money.
Not every offer is bad automatically and sometimes even RailEurope can be useful. But these are the exceptions and require careful study.
For your question: since you have the pass already, avoid the expensive Thalys trains.
If you can "make it" to the station, there is a train at 8:50 (number 4329) to Bruxelles-Cental, connecting with IC-9213 departing Bruxelles-Cental at 9:22, arriving Amsterdam 12:06
In general, it takes 2:44 for an Intercity train to travel between Bruxelles and Amsterdam and no reservation is needed. There is a direct train every hour and 22 minutes, like 9:22, 10:22, 11:22, 12:22, etc. and these trains do NOT require a reservation.
The price of a ticket at the counter would be 38.40 Euro, straight from the airport. You may as well just buy the ticket and save a day of your train pass. No reservation is needed. Avoid the super-expensive Thalys trains, they DO require reservation.
Forgot to add, but it is probably evident: the timing of xx:22 was from Bruxelles central station, in your case you have to get to it from the airport.
Thanks to all your replies, it is very helpful. Much appreciate it.
Belgium is not only known for it's chocolate and waffles. Comic books are also a big part of their culture. To celebrate this fact, walls all over the city have been painted to commemerate one of the Belgian comics. I've seen 3 during my stay in Brussels, but there are many more. You can even do a Comic Art Tour and try to see as many painted walls as you can. Go to this website: http://www.brusselsinternational.be/en/comic.htm
Brussels in really well signed. There are lots of information singns in streets and it is hard not to find a way to a museum or other important monument. There are usually lots of tourists around ths signs and try to find a way to their destination... Moreover, most vital monuments and other places have a short information sign in front of a building or a gate that inform about history of the place. These signs are always in French, Flemish and English.
While the city was expanding and planning new developments that would transform it into an international metropolis and one of the most prominent decision-making centres in the planet, some people drew attention to the fact that the city risked to lose its soul and its identity for the sake of modernity. In this context, many people started to advocate in the late 50s for the preservation of the historical buildings in the centre of Brussels and for the creation of a kind of sanctuary where modern buildings should be banned.
That is how the idea of the Ilot sacré (the untouchable area) came to live. A law was passed in 1960 setting the obligation to preserve or recreate the historical and folkloric character of all the façades in the blocks surrounding the Grand' Place.
The proliferation of touristy junk has somehow perverted the character of this area, but at least the essences of the core of the city has been preserved as it was conceived in the 17th for the enjoyment of future generations.
READ TIP ABOVE THIS ONE....
ALSO IN THIS MUSEUM is this impressive tomb with the corpses / skeletons of unknown people, monks perhaps!
Address: Rue la Bourse
tel. for info and reservations: +32 (0)2 279 43 50
I love everything and coming so often in Brussels I wouldn't be able to make a choice of what exactly is my fondest memory.........I wouldn't dare favour one above the others....
A popular and joyful estaminet, rustic and rural, centennial and well alive, where the "Lambic doux", la "blanche de Bruxelles", and the "gueuze caveau" are served and which goes well with a savory "tartine de fromage blanc".
It's an excellent bar for the late-sleepers or not sleepers at all.
Address:
11 rue de Tabora, 1000 Bxls
Open:
10am-1am Mon-Thur;
10am-2am Fri, Sat;
11am-midnight Sun.
Sponsored Links
Similar to ApartmentsApart Brussels
Near ApartmentsApart Brussels
Step Up from ApartmentsApart Brussels
Cheapest in Brussels
Great Hotels for Less
Q: Travel from Brussels to Bruges "hi I searched the internet to buy the train ticket from Brussels to Bruges, but what I found was different websites and forums..."
A: "The best place to look for railway fares is on the official railway website for a country. In Europe they all have English pages and the vast majority give fares as well...."
Sponsored Links
Latest Brussels hotel reviews
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Check Rates and Availability (from our partners)
