Trains tickets in Belgium
Overview
Belgium’s radical edge, its affection for comic art and its cosmopolitan character all make this country a great place to visit by train. From the wistfully beautiful flatlands of Belgian Flanders to the hill country of the Ardennes, Belgium offers some gorgeous rural landscapes. Its cities too, including the capital Brussels and provincial cities such as Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp, are all singular urban spaces worth visiting by rail.
Belgium has numerous train stations, with Brussels Central Station (Bruxelles-Central/Brussel-Centraal) being one of the most important and centrally located stations in the country. Other significant stations include Brussels Midi/Zuid, Antwerp Central, Liège-Guillemins, and Ghent-Sint-Pieters, which serve as major transportation hubs for both domestic and international travel.
Please note that train schedules, ticket prices, and available passes may change over time, so it's always a good idea to check the latest information on the official SNCB/NMBS website or other reliable sources before planning your train journey in Belgium.
Visiting Brussels by train, as well as Antwerp and Liège, is easy since all three cities are on Europe’s high-speed rail network. Thaliys operates high-speed trains to Paris from all three cities. Eurostar services from London run to Brussels. There are direct high-speed trains (Thalys or Deutsche Bahn ICEs) from Brussels and Liège to a dozen destinations in Germany, among them Düsseldorf, Cologne and Frankfurt-am-Main. Brussels Midi is well served by French TGV services, with fast trains running directly from the Belgian capital to Lyon, Lille, Marseille, Strasbourg and Bordeaux.
From Brussels and Antwerp there are over 24 direct trains each day to both Rotterdam and Amsterdam, the latter serving Schiphol Airport along the way. There are also direct Intercity services from Antwerp and Brussels to The Hague.
There are also direct night trains operated by Nightjet to southern Germany, the Austrian Tyrol and Vienna. Read more about these services in our blog on sleeper strains.
When travelling within Belgium by train, you will discover the Belgian national rail operator SNCB, which offers a high-frequency Intercity and local train network. This extends to all parts of the country and across Belgium’s borders to Aachen (Germany), Lille (France) and Maastricht (Netherlands). There are no seat reservations or advance booking discounts on Intercity or local trains in Belgium. It’s an easy to use hop-on-and-ride service. A favourite scenic route is the line running south from Liège through the Ardennes region to Luxembourg.
Popular journeys
© artJazz
Popular journeys
Belgium has an extensive and efficient railway network, making train travel an excellent way to explore the country. Some popular train journeys include: Brussels to Bruges: This journey takes you from Belgium's capital city to the picturesque and historic city of Bruges, Brussels to Ghent: Another popular route, taking you to the vibrant city of Ghent with its medieval architecture and lively atmosphere. A real gem is the trip from Brussels to Antwerp, as tit is a major city known for its fashion, arts, and diamond district, making it a must-visit destination.The best train journeys in Belgium
Trains in Belgium
What trains can you travel with in Belgium?
Airport train stations
Airport train stations in Belgium
Belgium's five main airports are Brussels Airport, Brussels South Airport, Liège, Ostend and Antwerp, all of which are easily connected by train. Getting from both Brussels airports to the city centre by train is particularly easy, as the airports have their own train stations.
You can buy train tickets from Brussels Airport to the The city centre on our website. There is a bus to the main train stations from Liège, Ostend and Antwerp airports, which can be purchased locally.
