Hey r/belgiumI help mod r/BelgiumTraveland after watching the same questions appear in week after week, we put together a proper transport guide.

Posting the highlights here because some of you have probably had to explain this stuff to visiting friends or family at some point, feel free to forward this whenever someone asks.

Corrections and additions very welcome.

The 30-second answer for someone visiting Belgium for a week

1. Download the NMBS/SNCB app, buy a Train+ subscription. Use it for every intercity train.

2. In Brussels, Ghent, Antwerpjust tap a contactless bank card on the validators. Don’t bother with paper tickets or apps.

3. In Usedwalk. The old centre is 2×3 km, you don’t need public transport.

4. In Walloniabuy your TEC ticket in the app or at a vending machine before boarding (contactless on board isn’t live yet).

5. Don’t buy Interrail for Belgium-only travel. It’s not worth it.

6. Brussels Airport (Zaventem) ≠ Brussels South Charleroi Airport. They’re 50 km apart.

Trains

NMBS changed its system n late 2025. The old products (Youth Ticket, 10-journey passes, Standard Multi) no longer exist. Everything is now distance-based per kilometre, and long journeys are noticeably cheaper than under the old system. There was a small 2.14% indexation on 1 February 2026, but the structure is the same.

Discounts that apply automatically:

– Weekend/holiday discount: 30% off, no action needed

– Under 26: 40% off any ticket, any time, any route — automatic, no Train+ required

– Children under 12: free with an adult (max 4 per adult)

Train+ is the subscription that stacks on top of the base fare. The price was held flat for 2026:

Train+ Youth (under 26 or seniors 65+) — €4/month, €32/year

– Caps any single 2nd-class journey at €5.50

– Extra 40% off during off-peak hours and weekends, on top of the cap

Train+ Adult (26–64) — €6/month, €48/year

– Caps any single 2nd-class journey at €14

– Same extra 40% off-peak/weekend bonus

Off-peak hours = Monday to Friday: before 6 h 01, between 9 h and 16 h, and from 18 h onward. All day on weekends and public holidays.

The cap is what matters, even Brussels-Liège or Antwerp-Namur is capped, so a single longer trip already justifies the monthly fee. Worst case you lose €4–6. Train+ never makes a ticket more expensive.

There’s an official calculator at simulator.belgiantrain.be if anyone wants to check their actual route.

A somewhat confusing part: the peak/off-peak price difference only applies if you have Train+. Without Train+, a standard ticket is valid all day at the full per-km rate.

City transport

🚋 STIB/MIVB (Brussels)

– €2.40 per ride contactless

– Daily cap of €8.50: after ~4 rides, the rest of the day is free

– 60-minute free transfers when you tap the same card again

– One card per person, no group tapping

– You still have to tap at metro stations even when there are no physical gates. Inspectors will fine you.

– Special Airport2City fare of €7.90 if you tap on the airport bus from Zaventem

🚌 De Lijn (Flanders: Ghent, Antwerp, Leuven, etc.)

– €3 per ride contactless

– 60-minute free transfers

– One card can tap for up to 5 people (unlike STIB), useful for families

– No cash on board.

🚌 TEC (Wallonia: Liège, Namur, Charleroi, Dinant, etc.)

– TEC overhauled its fare system on 1 February 2026: the old zone-based tickets are gone, replaced by a single Classic ticket at €2.80, valid 90 minutes on the entire network. Express lines are a separate fare (€5.50).

– Contactless tap-on-board isn’t live yetthat’s planned for 2027. For now, buy via the TEC appthe SELF vending machinesor POINTS TEC (newsstands, petrol stations, etc.) before boarding.

– If you board without a ticket, the driver will sell you an "emergency ticket" in cash, but at a higher price, and that’s not available on the Charleroi metro/light rail, Liège tram, or BUSWAY lines.

– The Classic fare does not cover the Charleroi Airport line, that needs a separate airport ticket.

The Charleroi Airport situation

"Brussels South Charleroi Airport" is not in Brussels. It’s 50 km south, near Charleroi. There is no train. Options:

– Flibco shuttle from Brussels-Midi: from ~€14 if booked very early online (limited early-bird seats), around €19 standard, more last-minute. ~55–60 min direct. Generally reliable per community feedback, but seats fill up — show up early.

– TEC bus + train combo: cheaper but slower, and needs the separate Charleroi Airport TEC fare.

– Taxi/Uber/Bolt: expensive (~€100+).

If you’re booking flights, the difference matters a lot. Ryanair flies Charleroi, almost everyone else flies Zaventem.

A few extras worth knowing

– Bikes on trains: €3 during off-peak/weekends, folding bikes always free.

– Strikes: Reduced timetables get published the day before (around 16 h) on belgiantrain.be. Usually 50%+ of trains still run.

– Luggage storage at Brussels-Central, Brussels-Midi, Antwerp-Central, Ghent-Sint-Pieters and Bruges. Useful if you arrive early or have a long layover.

– CFL app (Luxembourg’s rail) is sometimes more reliable than NMBS for cross-border trains to Luxembourg.

The full version with everything, international connections, station-by-station luggage info, the full operator breakdown, lives on the r/BelgiumTravel wiki: reddit.com/r/BelgiumTravel/wiki/getting-around-belgium/

If you spot anything wrong or have a tip we missed, either drop it in the comments here or send it our way.

Hope it’s helpful!