How to Get Around Belgium

Getting in. Brussels Airport at Zaventem is the main gateway, with a rail link into the city in twenty minutes. Brussels South Charleroi serves low-cost flights and is an hour away by bus. High-speed trains connect directly to Paris, London, Amsterdam and Cologne.

Trains are the way to travel here. The network is among the densest in the world, nowhere is far, and the main cities are all within an hour of each other. Tickets are cheap, no reservation is needed on domestic services, and weekend return fares are discounted.

Trams and metro. Brussels has a metro, trams and buses on one ticket; Antwerp and Ghent have extensive tram networks. The coastal tram runs the entire Belgian coast end to end.

Cycling is excellent in Flanders, with dedicated infrastructure and a numbered junction network that makes route-planning simple. Wallonia is hillier and less well provided for.

Driving is straightforward but city centres are restricted, with low-emission zones in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent that foreign vehicles must register for in advance.

Entry

Belgium follows Schengen rules: a passport issued within the last ten years and valid for at least three months beyond the date you leave the Schengen area, and 90 days of visa-free travel in any 180-day period, counted across every Schengen country you visit. Overstaying can bring a ban of up to three years. The EU's Entry/Exit System is now being rolled out, so expect to register fingerprints and a photo at the border — free, but slow, and it applies on the way out as well as in. If you enter through Dover, the Eurotunnel at Folkestone or Eurostar at St Pancras, that is done before you leave the UK, and your digital record lasts three years.

Two Belgian specifics. Additional entry checks may be made on major roads into the country, in motorway car parks, on international buses and trains and even on flights within Schengen — and you must carry your passport with you at all times, which the local authorities may ask to see. Adults travelling with under-18s may be asked to prove the relationship, so carry a birth certificate or court order if your surname differs from the child's.

Strikes, which matter more here than timetables

Strike action is an ongoing issue capable of causing severe disruption across the whole country and to international travel, it is announced at short notice, and a planned strike can be extended at short notice. General strikes fell on 31 March, 29 April, 14 October, 26 November and 15 December 2025, and on 12 March and 12 May 2026. Strikes often coincide with demonstrations, which are frequent in central Brussels and the Schuman area of the EU quarter and can block major roads; farmers' protests in particular. Check the news and your operator before any time-critical journey, and never plan a same-day connection through Brussels on trust.

Rail, city transport and roads

The country is small and densely railed, and the FCDO points travellers at Belgian Railways for train and metro travel and at the Brussels, Walloon and Flemish operators for regional transport — three separate regional networks, which is federalism showing up in your ticket. On the roads, conditions and road safety are very good throughout the country, and you should carry an international driving permit alongside your own licence. If you take up residence, a non-EU licence stops being valid and has to be converted.

Money and emergencies

The currency is the euro. Carrying €10,000 or more in cash or equivalent means a customs declaration on entering or leaving the European Union, though not when moving between EU countries. 112 reaches ambulance, fire and police; there is also an official 112 BE app that passes your location and details to responders. State healthcare needs a GHIC or EHIC for UK visitors, non-emergency consultations and prescriptions are charged for, and neither card replaces travel insurance.