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Belgium By Train

Although geographically small, Belgium is bursting with sites and activities. Visit the cosmopolitan capital of Brussels and take the train to popular cities like Bruges, Ghent, and Antwerp. Visit the lush green hills of the Ardennes region and be sure to try some Belgian beers and delicious chocolate along the way.

 

Train types in Belgium

Map with main train connections in Belgium

There are a number of train types in Belgium ready to transport you. The Belgium network is operated by NMBS/SNCB, the Belgian National Railway Company. Use the Eurail train timetable to check times for trains in Belgium.

 

Regional and intercity trains in Belgium  

 

S-trains and other local trains (SUB)

  • Run in and around large cities
  • Serve smaller communities
  • No reservation required

 

Peak trains (P)

  • Run during peak travel times
  • No reservation required

 

InterCity trains (IC)

  • Run between larger cities like Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, and Liège

  • International travel to Luxembourg City and Lille Flandres (France)

  • No reservation required


Brussels Airport trains (SUB)

  • Run from Brussels Airport to cities like Antwerp, Ghent, and Brussels

 

  • A supplement is required, see here for more information

 

Express trains (EXP)

  • Extra trains during summer running to the Belgian coast

 

International high-speed trains in Belgium

 

Eurocity Direct (ECD)

  • Brussels – Antwerp – Rotterdam – Amsterdam Zuid – Almere – Lelystad
  • Fast connection with limited stops
  • No reservations
  • A supplement is only required if this train is used for domestic journeys between Schiphol and Rotterdam

 

Eurocity (EC)

  • Brussels – Mechelen – Antwerp – Noorderkempen – Breda – Rotterdam
  • Eurocity/Ouigo Brussels – Paris is not available for Passholders
  • No reservations

 

Eurostar (ES)

  • High speed trains to Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Germany on the routes:
    • Brussels – Lille – London
    • Brussels – Paris
    • Brussels – Disneyland
    • Amsterdam – Rotterdam – AntwerpBrussels – Paris
    • Amsterdam – Rotterdam – AntwerpBrussels – Disneyland Paris
    • Dortmund – Düsseldorf – Cologne – LiègeBrussels – Paris
  • Reservations are compulsory for these trains, which can get fully booked. We recommend making your reservations as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
  • Read more about special booking conditions on our dedicated Eurostar page.

 

ICE

  • Brussels – Cologne – Frankfurt am Main
  • Reservations are compulsory from June 1st until September 1st

 

TGV

  • TGV trains run from Brussels to multiple French destinations:
    • Lille, Marne la Vallée Chessy (Disneyland), Strasbourg, Rennes, Nantes, Lyon, Marseille, and Montpellier.
  • Reservations are compulsory.

 

Other international trains in Belgium

 

ÖBB Nightjet

  • Brussels – Munich – Salzburg – Vienna
  • Brussels – Erfurt – Halle – Berlin
  • Reservations are compulsory

 

International IC

  • Brussels – Namur – Luxembourg
  • Antwerp – Gent – Kortrijk – Lille
  • Liège – Luxembourg
  • No reservation

 

European Sleeper

  • Brussels – Antwerp – Rotterdam – Amsterdam – Berlin – Dresden – Prague
  • Runs two to three times a week
  • Reservations are compulsory

 

Popular connections

View approximate train travel times between popular Belgian cities using InterCity trains:

 

Route Travel time
Brussels to Antwerp 47m
Brussels to Bruges 56m
Brussels to Ghent 31m
Brussels to Liège 58m
Ghent to Antwerp 55m
Route Which train? Travel time Reservations
Brussels to London (Great Britain) Eurostar 3h Required
Brussels to Luxembourg City (Luxembourg) InterCity 3h None
Brussels to Paris (France) Eurostar 1h 30m Required
Brussels to Amsterdam Zuid (Netherlands) Eurocity Direct 2h 08m  None
Brussels to Rotterdam (Netherlands) Eurocity 2h 07m None
Brussels to Marseille (France) TGV 5h 30m Required
Brussels to Berlin/Vienna (Austria) ÖBB Nightjet 13h 15m/15h 10m (overnight) Required
Brussels to Berlin/Prague (Czech Republic)  European Sleeper 10h 50m/16h  (overnight) Required
Brussels to Frankfurt (Germany) ICE 3h Optional (Required June 1st until September 1st)

 

Reservations

Eurail reservation self-service system

  • Eurail
    • Eurostar, TGV, ICE, RailJet, Nightjet, European Sleeper

Administration costs when booking through Eurail self-service

  • € 2,- p.p.per train
  • Additional € 9,- per order (for paper tickets)

With railway carriers

Other platforms

An explanation of how each booking platform works can be found here: How do I book my reservations

 

Locally at the train station in Belgium

  • International trains can be reserved at the train station, the following booking costs are applied:
    • ICE to Germany: € 7
    • European Sleeper, Eurostar and TGV: € 12

Eurostar trains are popular and therefore, usually sell out quickly. Make sure to get your seat reservation in time. Alternatively, find trains without seat reservations in our timetable by toggling on the ‘no reservation needed’ button.

 

Get your Pass for Belgium

Benelux Pass

 

Discover Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg by rail.

 

Standard prices from $ 131

Global Pass

 

Have the freedom to explore Belgium and up to 30 other Eurail countries.


Standard prices from $ 233

 

Tips and tricks for Belgium

Quick facts

  • Capital: Brussels

  • Population: 11 million

  • Language: Dutch (Flemish), French, German

  • Currency: Euro (EUR)

  • Dialing code: +32

Train stations in Belgium

The main hub stations in Belgium are Bruxelles Midi/Brussel Zuid, Brussel Centraal, Brussel Noord, Antwerpen Centraal, Gent Sint-Pieters and Luik Guillemins. At these train stations, it's possible to connect to trains to Belgium’s main cities and many international destinations.

Station facilities

Stations in Belgium usually have excellent facilities, often including:

  • Luggage lockers

  • Foreign exchange desks

  • Restaurants and cafés

  • Tourist information offices

  • ATM cash machines

  • Elevators and escalators

  • Access for disabled passengers

Spelling of city names

On the Eurail train timetable and at stations you'll usually find the local spelling of Belgian cities and train stations.

Here is the local spelling of some popular Belgian cities:

  • Antwerp = Antwerpen

  • Bruges = Brugge

  • Brussels = Brussel/Bruxelles

  • Ghent = Gent

  • Ostend = Oostende

Transport and accommodation deals

With a Eurail Pass valid in Belgium, you can travel by bus to neighboring countries, and get up to 20% off on hostel accommodation in Brussels and Bruges with Europe's Famous Hostels.

See all pass benefits for Belgium

 

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