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Trains in Belgium

 

When you hop on trains in Belgium, you'll be sure to end up in charming cities full of culture and history. Visit Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges on a Belgian rail adventure. It's simply the best way to see this historic country's most impressive sites!

Train types in Belgium

The Belgian rail network is run by NMBS/SNCB, the Belgian National Railway Company. You can use the Interrail train timetable to look up train times for Belgian rail journeys.

Map with main train connections in Belgium

Regional and intercity trains in Belgium

 

InterCity trains (IC)

  • Run between larger cities like Brussels, Antwerp and Liège.

  • International travel to The Hague/Rotterdam (Netherlands), Luxembourg City and Lille Flandres (France).

  • No reservation required.


CityRail trains

  • Run in the area around Brussels.

  • No reservation required.


Brussels Airport supplement trains

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

  • A supplement required, see here for more information.

International high-speed trains in Belgium

 

Eurostar (ES)

 

  • High speed trains to Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and Germany on the routes:
    • Brussels – Lille – London
    • Brussels – Paris
    • 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.
  • Services to Amsterdam, Dortmund and (Disneyland) Paris are operated by red-coloured former Thalys trains.

 

 

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
  • Brussels – Antwerp – Rotterdam – Amsterdam
  • Antwerp – Gent – Kortrijk – Lille
  • Liège – Luxembourg
  • No reservation

 

European Sleeper

  • Brussels – Antwerp – Rotterdam – Amsterdam – Berlin – Dresden – Prague
  • To Dresden and Prague from 25th March
  • Runs three times a week
  • Reservations are compulsory

 

Popular connections in Belgium

How long does it take to travel between major cities on the Belgian rail network? This table shows journey times for InterCity trains, which don't require reservations.


 

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 (Netherlands) InterCity 3h None
Brussels to Marseille (France) TGV 5h 30m Required
Brussels to Vienna (Austria) ÖBB Nightjet 14h 30m (overnight) Required
Brussels to Berlin (Germany)  European Sleeper 11h 30m (overnight) Required
Brussels to Frankfurt (Germany) ICE 3h Optional (Required June 1st until September 1st)

 

Reservations

Interrail reservation self-service system

Administration costs when booking through Interrail 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

Interrail Benelux Pass

 
  • Offers you rail travel in Belgiumthe Netherlands and Luxembourg

  • Youth, senior and family discounts available

  • Prices from € 119

 

View Benelux Passes →

Interrail Global Pass

 
  • Offers you extensive rail travel in 33 European countries including Belgium

  • Youth, senior and family discounts available

  • Prices from € 212

 

View Global Passes 

 

Tips and tricks for Belgium

Belgian main train stations

Belgium's main stations have connections to many domestic and international destinations. These stations are:
  • Brussel Zuid/Bruxelles Midi

  • Brussel Centraal

  • Brussel Noord

  • Antwerpen Centraal

  • Gent Sint-Pieters

  • Luik Guillemins

 

Belgian train stations often have excellent and modern facilities:

  • Lockers

  • Cash machines and a foreign exchange desk

  • Restaurants and cafés

  • Tourist information offices

  • Elevators, escalators and access for disabled passengers

Spelling of cities in Belgium

You'll usually find the local spelling of Belgian cities on Belgian train timetables and at train stations in Belgium. Names will be in both Dutch and French.


Good to know:

  • Antwerpen/Anvers = Antwerp

  • Brugge = Bruges

  • Brussel/Bruxelles = Brussels

  • Gent/Gand = Ghent

  • Oostende = Ostend

Transport and accommodation deals

With an Interrail Pass valid in Belgium, you can travel by bus to neighboring countries, and get a 10% discount at the Brussels Meininger Hotel.

See all Pass benefits for Belgium

 

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