Transportation in Brussels
Petite central Brussels is just two kilometres in diameter, bordered by the inner ring road, which marks the path of the old city walls.At the centre it's hard to miss the enormous Grand'Place with its soaring spires. Travel south to upper-crust Sablon squares, the up-and-coming Marolles district and shopaholic Avenue Louise. Head east to the embassy-lined European Quarter on the way to cultural Cinquantenaire. Go north to foody Sainte-Catherine and arty rue Antoine Dansaert.Outside the centre, studenty Ixelles and Saint-Gilles lie to the south, and Heysel and royal Laeken to the north. In total, 19 communes make up Greater Brussels.
Read more about transport from and to the airport
Foot
Walking is often the quickest and most pleasant way to get around. Wear flat heels for the cobbled Grand'Place area.
Metro
Brussels is too small for an extensive metro system but its three lines are useful for main stops like Bourse (for the Grand'Place) and Midi (for the Gare du Midi). Metro stations are marked with a white ‘M' on a blue background.
Pré-métro
Pré-métros (a tram/metro hybrid that runs over-ground and underground) cut a fast and pleasant route between the Gare du Nord and the Gare du Midi, as well as outlying districts, such as Laeken, home to the Japanese Tower and Atomium. Pré-métro stops are marked with red-and-white signs – but so are bus stops.
Taxi
Catch taxis at major ranks (around the Bourse and De Broukère). Since the naming of Brussels' tiny streets is sometimes counter-intuitive (one side of the wide space near Avenue Louise is called Boulevard de Waterloo, the other Toison d'Or – Golden Fleece), you may need to help the driver find your destination. Drivers don't expect a tip, but will welcome one.
Bus
Bus route maps are available at stations and people waiting at stops are usually happy to help. If you don't have a travel card, you can pay with cash on boarding. The airport-line bus links Brussels Airport with central Brussels in 30 minutes. Night bus N71 runs until 3am on Friday night.
Car
Parking isn't always easy and Brussels' streets are labyrinthine. It's nonetheless worth knowing that Cambio (28 rue Fossé aux Loups) offers a car-sharing service for frequent travellers.
Rent your car
From Brussels’ circular R0 motorway, several roads lead into the petite ceinture circular road around the city centre, home to most of Brussels' attractions. To ease congestion, the speed limit around the Grand Place is limited to 30km/hour. City centre car parks fill early, while street parking is often time-restricted.
Transportation Tips
One ticket is valid for multiple journeys across the network (metro, pré-métro and bus) for one hour. Buy a travel card of five or ten journeys or invest in a Day Travelcard. Stamp your ticket in the little orange machines to validate it, with the arrow facing down and towards you, and make sure you know the name of your station in both French and Flemish so you don't miss your stop – the Gare du Midi (French) is Zuidstation in Flemish.
