Have arrived in Brussels and would like to spend the best day of your journey? The news run by the Brussels Airport (Zaventem) to the city center is fast and convenient. You are much nearer than you imagine to those Grand-Place waffles and Art Nouveau fronts, all just 12 kilometers northeast of downtown.
The best alternative is the one that depends on your finances, the status of your luggage, arrival time, and whether you are travelling alone or with your family. There are those who are obsessed by the direct train that will take you to Brussels Central within less than 20 minutes.
Train
The second thing you see when you leave the arrivals hall at the Brussels Airport Zaventem are the signposts directing you to the train station down the stairs. Follow it. It is quickest way to the centre of Brussels.
The airport train serves the three largest stations, Brussels-North (Bruxelles-Nord/Brussel-Noord), Brussels Central (Bruxelles-Central/Brussel-Centraal) and Brussels Midi (Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel-Zuid). There is a train running after every 10 to 15 minutes during the day so there is not much time that you spend waiting. It only takes 17 minutes to get to Central Station. Acceleration quicker than you could make it in a normal road car under normal traffic circumstances.
This purely depends on the places you are lodging or what you would visit first. Most visitors will choose Brussels central as their most preferred destination: you will need more than 5 minutes of walking to reach the Grand Place, the beautiful medieval square that is the heart of the historical center. The old town is home to most of the hotels, museums and restaurants.
The Brussels-North will come in handy when you are linking to other cities of Belgium or the European quarter. The biggest of them (Brussels Midi) is the station of international trains (Eurostar, Thalys) and it is convenient in the event that you are staying to the south of the city center, or around Avenue Louise.
Get out at Brussels Central except that you have a special purpose not to. It places you in the heart of all Grand Place, Manneken Pis, the Royal Galleries, chocolate shops, and network of cobblestone streets that make Brussels so pleasant. At that point, you can walk, take a tram, or a metro to your place of accommodation.
When you are going on to Bruges, Ghent, or Antwerp you can even keep on the same train on past Central Station, or have a fast change at one of the three stations at Brussels.
Bus
In case you are light traveling and are not in a hurry about anything, you can use the public bus that is, enjoy a true first glimpse of Brussels, being passed by the window. It is the option that leaves you saving money and offers you a decent introduction into the city.
Bus line 12 serves the Brussels Airport to European quarter and city centre. The bus has its departure point at the ground floor arrivals area. Head towards the directions of “Bus” when you get out of customs and the bus stop is right outside. The ride lasts 30-45 minutes in the presence of traffic.
It goes via Schuman, the centre of the EU district, Luxembourg station, and the city centre. This may even be more convenient than the train, were your hotel is close to the European institutions or you are staying in Etterbeek or Ixelles.
The bus provides you with a good ground level tour as compared to the underground reception of the train. You will enter Zaventem town, then turn on Avenue de Cortenbergh when you get in Brussels. The neighbourhood becomes suburban to a clearly European one in the approach to Schuman, with the glass towers of the EU quarter taking over the skyline. When you get to Luxembourg you are already in the very heart of Brussels.
People take the train. However, people who live along the bus line tend to take line 12 due to the fact that they are, as near to their house as possible and the inconvenience of changing metro at Schuman can be avoided.
Taxi
A taxi is the most logical thing to do when you are in a long flight and you are with your family. It is the costliest among them but it is also the only kind that can take you at the place that you have in mind without even considering the connections or the ticket machines.
It is located on the outside of the Arrivals Level 2 and clearly identified by an official taxi rank. The queue may take five to ten minutes at busy times but it is fast. A ride to the heart of Brussels usually lasts between 20 to 30 minutes, depending on which specific destination you are heading to and the time of the day you are taking the ride.
Taxi is most reasonable in cases when it is late at night or early in the morning and the transit is not as frequent and pulling the luggage through the deserted metro stations is not as attractive.
Private Transfer
Shuttle Services
The Brussels airport transport hierarchy creates an interesting niche in which Shuttles fit. It is more comfortable than the bus, cheaper than a taxi. In case you can bear a few additional stops, and you are not mindful of gearing up your arrival schedule to a schedule, they are a good deal, especially when you happen to have a hotel on the route.
The experience takes between 25 and 40 minutes. They are better than taxis when you are late in the night or very early in the morning and would not want to bother with the transportation system, yet you are all alone and do not need a full taxi ride.
FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions
The train is direct and only requires 17-20 minutes.
Yes, it is possible to tap your contactless card on metro, tram and bus rides.
About 12km (7.5 miles) North East of Brussels.
Absolutely. The most efficient are the ones that run every 10 minutes.
