Public transport in Brussels – Getting around Brussels and Belgium

1. Tips for studying abroad in Brussels – Study abroad in Brussels
2. How to get to Brussels – Getting to Brussels by plane, train, bus or car
3. Public transport in Brussels – Getting around Brussels and Belgium
4. Cost of living in Brussels
5. Accommodation for students in Brussels - top tips and advice
6. Save money in Brussels – tips for living on a student budget in Brussels
7. Brussels neighborhoods – The most important districts of Brussels
8. Nightlife in Brussels – A guide to nightclubs and going out in Brussels (Part 1)
9. Nightlife in Brussels – A guide to nightclubs and going out in Brussels (Part 2)
10. Where to eat in Brussels – Gastronomy in Brussels
11. What to do in Brussels – The best things to do in Brussels
12. Festivals in Brussels – Festivals and events in Brussels
13. Day trips in Brussels – Places to visit and excursions around Brussels
14. Brussels in 3 days – What to see in Brussels in 3 days

Public transportation in Brussels is considered to be very well developed. The company called STIB handles most of Brussels public transport which covers the whole 19 communes of the capital. The network offers bus, tramway and subway options and it is constantly growing. Also, a number of Flemish (DeLijn) and Walloon (TEC) lines pass through the city. Taking the subway often turns out to be the most rapid way to get around in Brussels as traffic jams always occur at rush hour (7-9AM and 4-6PM).

STIB

As said previously, the different Brussels areas are well connected to each other whether by bus, tramway or subway. Indeed, Brussels enjoys a large public transport system, it is managed by the public transport company STIB. It consists of metro lines, buses and tramways. The metro is operated on 4 lines (1, 2, 5, 6) and pass through most of the city except the commune of Uccle. In regard to buses and tramways, numerous are available and take you to all the corners of the city. The day transportation operates from 5AM to 12AM-1AM. STIB also has a night buses offer during the weekends called “Noctis”, they work from midnight to 3 o’clock in the morning on Friday and Saturday. If you want to know about all the stops and districts reached by public transport in Brussels, go have a look at the different network maps made available to you on the STIB website.

You will often have to mix the three means of transportation (metro, bus, tram) for your itinerary whether you have to go to your university or favorite place to party. If you feel you’ll only be an occasional user, you might want to go to a counter and ask for a MOBIB Basic card which you will be able to fill with trips; a 10-trip refill costs €14. However, if you are going to stay in Brussels as a student and are under 25 years old, I would highly suggest you to urge your university to give you a proof of class attendance and go ask for a personal MOBIB card, you will then be able to enjoy a whole-year access to STIB public transport for only €50.

Taxi

If you go partying with a lot of people and three of them live in the same area as you, it could result in being interesting and cheap to take a taxi to get back home. But if you find yourself all alone to get back to your location, STIB offers night buses (from midnight till 3AM) called “Noctis” that pass through many student areas and your MOBIB card works in them! However, the service is only available during the weekend, nights comprising Friday to Saturday and Saturday to Sunday. Nevertheless, some years ago, STIB unveiled a convenient solution for weekday partygoers or late cinemagoers called Collecto. Collecto is a collective taxi service that operates all week from 11PM to 6AM, it is only €5 per passenger and the taxi driver will take you right in front of your door, how deluxe!

SNCB

SNCB is the train public transport association that handles train circulation across all of Belgium. It is the easiest way to get around Belgium and considering the country’s size, most journeys don’t last more than 2 hours and turn out to not be too expensive, especially for the ones that are under 26 years old. You can either buy the Go Pass 10 for €52 and contains 10 slots that you can fill in with any imaginable Belgian city, it amounts to 5 two-way journeys. If you don’t think you will do as many trips during your stay, you can opt for a Go Pass 1 for €6.20 (one-way ticket) or €12.40 (two-way ticket) that will lead you to any Belgian place.

Villo!

Although not as advanced as Flemish cities or cities like Amsterdam, Brussels is increasingly becoming bicycle-friendly as you can find that bike paths have been and are still being constructed across town. For the bike amateur or pro, there exist many earth or concrete tracks that are specifically aimed at making you discover the secret and hidden marvelous landscapes that you can encounter in the Brussels-Capital Region. Furthermore, if you don’t possess your own bike and you don’t want to invest in one, you should know about Villo! which is the community bicycle program of Brussels and it allows you to roam through the city with peace of mind. There are 360 stations within the whole city so you can easily get from one point to another. If you have a MOBIB card, you can get €1 discount on your long-term subscription (1 year), which costs €35.70. It is also possible to get 1-day or 7-day tickets for respectively €1.65 and €8.40. You can use the bicycle for 30 minutes, if you haven’t put it back into a Villo! terminal by that time, then the following amounts will be deducted from your account:

• 30 minutes-1 hour: €0.50
• 1-1.5 hours: €1
• 1.5-2 hours: €2
• 2+ hours, every 30 more minutes: €2

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