Tips to travel low cost and quickly by train in Belgium. The routes, how to take promotions and what to take into consideration, all the fruit of our experiences.
Crossing Belgium far and wide, spending 76 euros in two? It can. We did it on the train, with the Rail Pass. We chose this option among the many offered by national railway company, because it seemed the one that best suited our needs.
First of all, before going into the merits, let's see what our needs were, just to understand if yours could be compatible: we were in Belgium a few days, and our itinerary touched on some Flemish highlights and the capital: Ghent - Antwerp - Bruges - Brussels.
The Rail Pass
What does the purchase of a Belgian Rail Pass involve? The payment of a ticket-booklet which comprises 10 trips to be freely chosen within national borders, at the total cost of 76 Euros in second class (117 Euros in first), therefore of 7,60 Euros each way. The ticket is shareable: this means, for example, that if you are traveling as a couple you can easily divide the cost in half and thus have 5 trips each available. From a practical point of view, things work like this: once you get the ticket at the station (this is the only drawback: you cannot do it via the internet, but you have to physically go to a Belgian train station) you will find that there are 10 fields - empty lines to fill in; one line per route, in which you will have to manually enter your name and surname, the departure and arrival stations, the date of the day. You do not have to obliterate or stamp it. Just fill it out by hand. You can also fill it in on the train, but please do it before the conductor arrives.
For us this solution was really optimal. What makes this Rail Pass special is that all this takes place in total freedom of movement and choice of the type of train (slow or fast, the amount does not change!). A dream? No, in Belgium it is the reality.
Plan the travel
We have come to Lille (France) with Ryanair: Lille is located on the border with Belgium, so from there we comfortably took a train to Ghent. This trip was excluded from the Rail Pass, as we were leaving from France. But, if you want, to optimize the cost you could get off at the first Belgian station and get the pass there. We have ruled out this possibility because it would have been too uncomfortable for us (I was 7 months pregnant, we had a 1 and a half year old girl with us, a stroller and two backpacks between trekking ... To you the conclusions). While on our return, from the Brussels station, we were able to take full advantage of our pass, having to travel from Brussels to Lille, simply by paying a difference which consisted of making an additional train ticket from the Belgian city closest to the French border and on the same line, up to Lille.
If you arrive by plane directly in Belgium, at the Brussels National Airport, a surcharge must be added to the Pass, the Diabolo, which includes the journey from the airport to any train station (as usual!); obviously, on the way back it will be the same thing. Remaining, however, in terms of low-cost, I would like to point out Lille as a possible alternative airport of arrival, both to the National Airport of Brussels and to Chaleroi (the latter under the bridges and parties still costs a lot. By the way, Lille is truly a beautiful town in full bloom, mistreated for its location, but definitely worth a visit.
How to choose the right Pass
As I have already said, we have chosen the Rail Pass by choosing it from a varied offer of cards and passes. How to juggle these options and choose the right one? Here I summarize them.
We are in the group of Passes and Cards (particularly suitable for tourists); On the railways website you will also find the Railcards group, but this seems to me essentially about those who live and work in Belgium, so I will not cover it here (I hope you don't want to):
Go Pass 10: for those under 26, 10 races for a total of 51 Euros;
Key Card: it is valid only on short journeys, near the departure station (on the website you can enter your station and see which area it belongs to), where you pay 20 Euros for 10 journeys in second class (30 Euros in first class);
10 Journey Card: if you occasionally travel between two very specific stations, you will enjoy discounted rates on 10 annual trips (this too seems to me an option reserved for those who live and work in Belgium);
Jump Card: it concerns public transport in the Brussels area (combination of trains, trams, buses, metro). 1 trip at 2,10 Euros; 5 trips for 8 Euros; 10 trips for 14 Euros; 1 day at 7,50 Euros.
In short, what to say? From a practical and economic point of view, in Belgium I strongly advise you not to rent a car. Not to mention the inconvenience of having to look for a parking space every time in the city center. The trains here are not only convenient, but also well maintained, punctual, well organized and efficient. Cross Belgium by train and you will have made a bargain, in terms of money and relaxation.
