Belgium has had an efficient local rail system, resembling trams and called Vicinal or Buurtspoor lines, right from the first half of the 19th century. This network was so extensive that its length exceeded that of the mainline railway system. Today this system is known as the Kusstram, and extends up to France on one side and Netherlands on the other (the longest line in the world) apart from two other lines near Charleroi.

To travel in Antwerp, Ghent and Brussles, you can use the urban tram network, which is being expanded.

For some great things to see and do, we have many Belgium tours and activities to help you see our country. You can also take a look at our Brussels transport page for more local transportation information. Our guide below will help you when getting around Belgium.

Belgium Transportation Guide

By Rail

Transport in Belgium is heavily relaint on its rail network, NMBS/SNCB, is one of the densest in the world, connecting virtually every nook and corner of Belgium. The Rail Network is one of the quickest and cheapest ways of getting around Belgium. A large number of Belgians use this network, by which the NMBS/SNCB generates enough profits to provide a high frequency of services at cheap fares.

The rail network today runs on high speed lines that can take speeds up to 300 kilometres per hour. HSL 1 and HSL 2 are fully operational; HSL 3 and HSL 4 are expected to be operational in April 2007 and December 2007 respectively. Both these lines have ERTMS (ETCS level 2 + GSM-R, access and fall-back in level 1). These are signalling and safety systems compatible throughout Europe.

Choose your Routes

You can choose a route by the High Speed Lines (HSL) from the following:

- HSL 1: Brussels-Paris (via the French Border)­-Lille-London
- HSL 2: Leuven-Liege
- HSL 3: Liege-Aachen (Near the German Border)
- HSL 4: Antwerp-Rotterdam (Netherlands)

By Road

The European numbering system of marking highways and international roads with an ‘E' is used here along with an indigenous numbering system. Highways are designated by numbers with the alphabet ‘A' as well as with 'E'. The numbers do not necessarily correspond.

The orbital or ring roads around major cities are designated with the alphabet ‘R' followed by a number. Sometimes, the roads are marked with two digits so as to further specify the ring roads.

By Air

Belgium has three airports - the Brussels Airport, the Charleroi Brussels-South Airport and the Antwerpen-Deurne Airport. Getting to Belgium by plane is relatively easy.

The Brussels Airport is the main airport of Belgium. In 2001, SN Brussels Airlines replaced the bankrupt Sabena Airlines, Belgium's national carrier. It then combined with Richard Branson's Virgin Express to become Brussels Airlines (BA), which today flies to and from major European, North American and African cities. It offers attractive fares on European sectors in order to vie with other low cost airlines like Veuling, which offers cheap fares between Brussels and Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia. Airlines like Joker also offer reasonable fares on transatlantic flights which are anyway cheaper to and from Brussels when compared to other European cities.

The Airport Express train takes you from Brussels Airport to Brussels city.

Other Airports

The Charleroi Brussels-South Airport is used by low-cost airlines like Ryanair and Wizz Air. It services destinations like Budapest (Hungary), Shannon and Dublin (Ireland), Valladolid and Girona (Spain), Carcassonne (France), Glasgow (UK), Katowice, Warschau, Krakow and Poznan (Poland), Milan, Rome, Venezia, Pescara, and Pisa (Italy) and Stockholm (Sweden).

Regular train and bus services ply from the airport to Brussels Midi Station. The Antwerpen-Deurne Airport is used by VLM, Discovery Link and Welcome Air, three of the low-priced airlines. VLM, the Flemish national carrier, flies to London, Jersey, Manchester and Liverpool. Welcome Air flies to Innsbruck (Austria) while Discovery Link connects to Prague (Czech Republic).

By Bus

Hop on to a bus for travelling within cities and to nearby places. The bus network is more extensive than the rail network, and the fares are cheap (between 1 and 1.5 Euros). Tickets purchased for 10 uses are priced even lower.

Each of the three regions of Belgium is serviced by a different company, with the schedules and route planners easily available on their websites. MIVB/STIB operates in Brussels, De Lijn operates in Flanders and Wallonia is serviced by TEC.

Cycling

A unique way to discover Belgium is to cycle along the well-demarcated long distance cycle routes, many of which are still being laid. This is surely one of the most natural Belgium transportation methods. These lanes marked yellow and blue or set apart by metal plates are found especially in the countryside or along canals.

Flanders, which is flat, has cycling routes marked from LF1 (from Northern Holland to France) to LF50.

Wallonia in the south is hilly and routes are indicated as RV2, RV7 and RV60. Ravel, a system of flat roads, is being constructed along canals and old railroads. Ravels 1, 2, 3 connect Brussels to Erquelinnes, on the French border.