Getting Around Brussels

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By plane
Brussels International Airport (BRU) is located 13 Km northeast of the city center that you can reach by:
1)train. One every 20’ that reach the center in about 20’ and passes by north, south and central train stations in Brussels. The ticket is 2e and the train runs 5.30am-12.20am (4.45am-23.10 from the city)
2)taxis are available 24 hours of course but pricey (about 50euros to the center)
3)bus #12(Brussels Airport - Brussels City) is an express line that reaches european district in 30’. Ticket costs 3,50e at the machine but must have coins with you, the machine doesn’t accept bills (6e if you pay inside). Have in mind that During the week after 8 PM, on Saturday, Sunday and holidays it lifts off with flight number 21(Brussels Airport–Ducale) and halts at every stop (#12 only at the most important ones).

By train
Centrally located in Europe Brussels is well connected with many European cities by rail that’s why the locals just take the train to visit France, Netherlands etc
Train is also useful if you’re coming from any other Belgium city as Brussels is well connected with numerous train throughout the day with Gent(40’), Brugge(55’), Antwerp(35’), Liege (60’) etc
There are 3 different train stations but the names in French/dutch are a bit confusing:
Gare du Midi/Brussel Zuid(south), Gare Centrale/Brussel Centraal(Cetral) and Gare du Nord/Brussel Noord(North).
In the stations there are different windows for internation, locals (same day) and advance tickets. Sometimes they have weekend offers with 50% discount if you buy a return ticket.

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Fortunately for people like me who are unable to access the CycloCity system, there is a fine bicycle rental place called Pro Vélo in La Maison des Cyclistes a.k.a. Het Fietserhuis, meaning "The House of the Cyclists".

I rented a bike here for a day and paid 13 Euros, which is the second highest daily rate I have paid thus far (the highest being 14 Euros in Munich). But bike was really good and the service was competent and friendly. The guy at the desk even lent me his personal cycling map for the day, which was very helpful for finding pleasant bicycle routes away from the main thoroughfares.

The cyclists' organization GRACQ (meaning "Groupe de recherche et d'action des Cyclistes Quotidiens" = Group for research and action of the Everyday Cyclists) also has its headquarters in the same building.

15 rue de Londres/ Londenstraat, 1050 Brussels
50°50'17.08" North; 4°22'3.66" East

Second photo: Bicycles at Pro Vélo.

I always think that where possible it is best to use your feet to explore a city if that is possible.
We did a fair bit of walking whilst we were in Brussels and I will say that some sights you do need to use public transport to get too but in the main we saw many wonderful sights and buildings that we would probably have missed had we used the metro.
The walking is also good to burn off all the calories from the frites, beer, waffles and chocolates!

Many parts of the city are pedestrianised and it is a very safe city to walk around even at night we thought.

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Strange that I'd not thought to write a tip about the airport. A case of missing the obvious.

It is one of my favourites, and one of my most used. Not so much recently, but in the 90s my business took me to Brussels every couple of months. Plus at that time Sabena was promoting its hub by offering great discounts on its UK regional flights connecting with another SN flight.

I remember well the old 1960s (or whatever) vintage terminal. The new "wings" are a huge improvement, but no soul...

I was at the airport for a few hours yesterday, and with it being 26-12 and me still in holiday mode, I took a few photos to remind me to write this.

It is a place where you can eat very well if you want to pay the price.

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This looks like an excellent system if you are confident enough to cycle around a strange city, hills and all. Villo was launched early in 2009 and aims to provide affordable short-term cycle hire for use within the city, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for locals and visitors alike.

There are 2,500 bikes located at 180 "stations" throughout the city, with stations being only about 450 metres apart and therefore close to pretty much anywhere you could wish to be: transit centres, shopping areas, the EC district and all the main tourist spots.

The way it works is that you register in advance with a credit card (this can be done online or by phone) and choose a subscription term - 1 day, 7 days or annual. You are then charged for the chosen period and then further charges apply depending on how long you use the bike for. Noting that for short journeys the first half hour is always free, no matter how many short journeys you take. The maximum single hire period is 24 hours but if you need a bike for a couple of days then you just use the stations for parking it and then when you come to take out another one the 24 hour max period restarts.

This looks like a pretty good way to get around and if you are crafty you can plan your cycle tour around the downhill parts of town and use the bus or metro to do the uphill bits! The website has all the details as well as maps of the city's cycle lanes.

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Try it on bike

Villo! is a new service for hiring bikes. It is available since Saturday, May 16th, 2009 in 4 Brussels municipalities, including the City of Brussels. Eventually, it will have 180 stations and 2.500 cycles on the whole territory of the Region.

The City of Brussels is thus going to be a pioneer by proposing this self-service system of bikes on its territory. 43 stations are distributed.

The ticket, valid 1 or 7 days, aims at occasional users.

* Price: a day ticket is exchanged against 1,5 euro. That of 7 days against 7 euro.
* Payment: by bank card at the central terminal of every station. Every ticket receives a code which allows to release the cycle.
* Delay: the first 1/2 hour is free. The second 1/2 hour costs 0,50 euro. Beyond: 2 euro by 1/2 hour of overtime. These expenses are directly deducted from the bank card.

Annual subscription: this subscription is valid for a complete year. It aims at regular users.

* Price: 30 euro. To obtain the subscription, it is necessary to go to the website of Villo!: www.villo.be.

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Villo!, le nouveau concept de vélos disponibles en libre-service est opérationnel depuis le samedi 16 mai 2009 dans 4 communes bruxelloises, dont la Ville de Bruxelles. A terme, ce sont 180 stations et 2.500 vélos qui seront disponibles sur l'ensemble du territoire de la Région.

La Ville de Bruxelles va donc jouer les pionniers en proposant ce système de vélos libre-service sur son territoire. 43 stations sont réparties aux 4 coins du Pentagone.

le ticket, valable 1 ou 7 jours, vise les utilisateurs occasionnels.

* Prix : le ticket d'un jour s'échange contre 1,5 euros. Celui de 7 jours contre 7 euros.
* Paiement : par carte bancaire à la borne centrale de chaque station "Villo!". Chaque ticket reçoit un code qui permet de libérer le vélo.
* Retard : la première 1/2 heure est gratuite. La deuxième 1/2 heure coûte 0,50 euro. Au-delà : 2 euros par 1/2 heure supplémentaire. Ces frais sont déduits directement de la carte bancaire.

Abonnement annuel : cet abonnement est valable une année complète. Il vise les utilisateurs réguliers.

* Prix : 30 euros. Pour obtenir l'abonnement, il faut se rendre sur le site web de Villo! : www.villo.be.

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Central Brussels is eminently walkable and indeed wandering is the best way to discover the city. However it is also a city built on a set of seven hills and the hill leading up to the Place Poeleart, the Galgenberg (Gallows Hill), and its Palais de Justice is quite a climb.

To save the legs there is now a public elevator between the Marollen district and Poeleart which is free to use. The views from the top are pretty spectacular - see "Things To Do".

Bruxelles Airport - Middelburg NL

To find details go on www.b-rail.be
Take English, then INTERNATIONAL and enter FROM Bruxelles-Nat-Airport TO Middelburg. Date & Time. SEARCH CONNECTION. DETAILS FOR ALL.

Middelburg is reached via Bruxelles Nord, Essen (B) is North of Antwerp, Roosendaal (NL) by bus, Kruiningen-Yerseke by bus, Middelburg by train. Total time 3hr37. Trains every hour.