Getting around by train Belgium

Regular connections to Ghent (25-30 minutes, 2 trains per hour weekdays and weekends, €9.90), Ypres (35 minutes, 1 train per hour weekdays and weekends, €8.10), Bruges (45 minutes, 2 trains per hour weekdays and weekends, €10.80), Tournai (direct: weekdays, 30 minutes, 1 train per hour; trains with change in Mouscron: 1 hour, 1 train per hour weekdays and weekends; €8.10), Brussels (1 hour 10, 4 trains per hour weekdays, 3 trains per hour weekends, €16.50), Ostend (60 to 75 minutes, 2 trains per hour weekdays and weekends, €14.30) and Antwerp (direct: 1 hour 25, 1 train per hour weekdays and weekends; trains with change in Ghent: 1 hour 40, 1 train per hour weekdays and weekends; €19.50). Also trains to Lille (40 minutes, 1 train per hour weekdays and weekends, €6.70).

Heritage at risk. Thanks to its ideal location close to the French border, the town of Kortrijk was an important rail hub that was bombed in 1944, after the Normandy landings. The station and 1,800 buildings were destroyed during the war. In 1951, the station was rebuilt to plans by architect Pierre Albert Pauwels. Since 2015, the SNCB has been threatening to demolish the building to make way for a new station. In a bid to preserve this contemporary architecture and spur action, the station has been included on the 2023 List of Europe's Seven Most Endangered Heritage Sites, a program managed by Europa Nostra.

Trains to all major cities in Belgium. Three trains per hour in the week and two per hour on weekends for Brussels (about 1 hour; 14,10 €); two to three trains per hour, two per hour on weekends for Leuven (35 to 55 minutes; 10,30 €); two trains per hour, one to two per hour at weekends for Namur (45 minutes; 8,50 €); one train per hour and week-end for Tongeren (35 minutes; 4,40 €); one train per hour and week-end for Maastricht (30 minutes; 5 €); two to three trains per hour in the week and two per hour at weekends for Verviers (25 minutes; 4 €)…

Also trains for Germany and Thalys for Paris (via Brussels) 8 times a day. The journey lasts 2 hours or 3 hours depending on trains (rates: from 46 € one month before departure to € 88 on the day before departure). Some trains stop in Lille.

Bruges train station is about 1.5 km from the city center, in the T'Zand district. It offers numerous connections to other Belgian cities. If you're not too busy, you can walk to the center in just a few minutes, an ideal introduction to the city. If you have suitcases, take any bus marked "Centrum" and stop at the Markt. Alternatively, you can take a cab as close as possible to your hotel, as arriving at the Grand-Place doesn't necessarily get you any closer. The center is vast!

Antwerp's sublime railway station is one of the most impressive in the country. Located in the heart of the city, it allows you to reach the historic centre on foot. There are many connections between Antwerp and other Belgian cities. The Thalys, which connects Paris to Amsterdam, also stops at Antwerp station. There is the possibility to buy a pass which includes the journey by train, public transport and an entrance to a site to visit. There are also 50% weekend fares, valid throughout the country, on a return ticket.

Benelux Germany Pass allows to travel over 10 days in Benelux and Germany.

It's a semi-secret even for the inhabitants of Brussels, but the region has no less than 35 stations, a real little RER in miniature, and they are all connected to bus, streetcar or metro stops. In the vast majority of cases, jumping on a train will save you up to half the time to get from the center to one of the confines of the capital (Uccle for example). The trip planner of the STIB (Brussels public transport company) will inform you about the different options available to you, including train trips.