• Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Brussels city transport advice.

Status
Not open for further replies.
V

Vespa

Established Member
Joined
20 Dec 2019
Messages
1,733
Location
Merseyside
I'm going to Brussels soon, Eurostar and hotels booked, last time I rode on an Eurostar train was from Waterloo so that's going back some years.

As I'm interested in rail transport obviously :) , what's the best tram route to cover as much ground as possible within the city, same for urban railways, is there a travel pass that can cover both transport options as well as the buses, noticed there's no trolleybus in the city unfortunately.

Is there a historical tramcar tour you can take round the city ? Transport museum to visit ?

I can speak French fairly well and Dutch not so much, I would imagine language could be a minefield in the city, is English a widely understood neutral language in the city ?


I'm also interested in history, Belgium is a fairly young country so there should be some good museums about the country and city, can you get free entry with a tourist pass or similar.

Thanks in advance :)
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

D

dvboy

Established Member
Joined
6 Sep 2011
Messages
2,038
Location
Birmingham
Can't speak for the trams but if your French is decent you'll be fine. Everything is bilingual in French and Dutch on public transport and English is widely understood if you ask in French first if they'll speak it, you'll be fine.

Use a contactless card on the buses and metro, there is a daily cap.
 
F

freddie1729

Member
Joined
24 Nov 2017
Messages
177
Vespa said:
As I'm interested in rail transport obviously :) , what's the best tram route to cover as much ground as possible within the city, same for urban railways, is there a travel pass that can cover both transport options as well as the buses, noticed there's no trolleybus in the city unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Brussels has contactless payments and a daily cap like in London. This does not include trains, but there is Brupass for that. Information on both here: https://www.stib-mivb.be/article.html?l=en&_guid=d0707200-2683-3410-479e-b21a51d668f0

Your Eurostar ticket will also include a connection to any rail station within the city.

Vespa said:
Is there a historical tramcar tour you can take round the city ? Transport museum to visit ?
Click to expand...
There is TrainWorld which is in an old station.

Vespa said:
I can speak French fairly well and Dutch not so much, I would imagine language could be a minefield in the city, is English a widely understood neutral language in the city ?
Click to expand...
Most people in Brussels speak French. However, plenty of them also speak English. It's a very international city.

Vespa said:
I'm also interested in history, Belgium is a fairly young country so there should be some good museums about the country and city, can you get free entry with a tourist pass or similar.
Click to expand...
There is the Brussels card which covers museums and transport: https://www.visit.brussels/en/visitors/what-to-do/brussels-card
 
A

Ant1966

Member
Joined
9 May 2021
Messages
250
Location
RG
We visited Train World in Schaerbeek earlier this year. A very well put together museum, equal to the NRM Id say. Right next to Shaerbeek station (the entrance hall is part of the station I think)
 
P

ParkheadTam

New Member
Joined
10 May 2016
Messages
3
I lived there for a while, and when people came to visit I used to take them on the number 44 tram. It's a lovely scenic journey which ends in a forest. There's an African museum near the tram terminus.

It's possibly safest to stick to English in Brussels as it's widely spoken, and will help you avoid getting into trouble. My wife tried buying a train ticket in French, and the man scowled at her and shouted "Madam, why are you speaking to me in French? I am Flemish!". To be fair this doesn't happen very often, so she was perhaps a little unfortunate.

Bruges and Antwerp are well worth a visit and are less than an hour away by train. Tickets are suprisingly cheap.

Finally, if you have any interest in motor vehicles, it's worth calling in to Autoworld, the national car museum. It's hugely impressive.
 
R

railfan99

Established Member
Joined
14 Jun 2020
Messages
1,961
Location
Victoria, Australia
Dstock7080 said:
Brussels Tram Museum is very good, open weekend afternoons:

Musée du Transport Urbain Bruxellois

trammuseum.brussels trammuseum.brussels

Vintage trams operate from the Museum to Tervuren.
Click to expand...

In October 2023 I visited on a Saturday before the tram museum was open, but a very kind staff member let me in to have a look.

It was most impressive, with beautifully restored trams of all eras including a horse tram IIRC.

A private charter was departing using an historic tram.
 
V

Vespa

Established Member
Joined
20 Dec 2019
Messages
1,733
Location
Merseyside
On my way to St Pancras today. :)

Thanks for all your info, very interesting list of things to see and do.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top