Getting around Brussels
Getting around Brussels
City transport consists of a two-line metro system, trams and buses. One ticket works on all modes for one hour once time-stamped on board or at the station entrance. Single tickets are €1.40, ten rides €9.20. Drivers only sell single tickets so for the cheaper option you need to buy from a kiosk or metro station. Take a taxi only from the official ranks, you can’t hail them on the street. De Brouckère, the Bourse, place d’Espagne and train stations are obvious places. Or you can call one to pick you up.
Belgium is small, its trains are cheap and destinations are nicely within reach. Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent and the Belgian coast are all in easy striking distance. In French-speaking Wallonia, its capital Namur has an impressive citadel linked by cable car. Drop into the tourist office by the station and spend your day strolling around its impressive squares and river walks. Namur comes to life at night with its young university crowd filling the bars. It is also the gateway to the rivers and forests of the Ardennes. Jump on the branch line from Namur to Dinant and experience francophone Belgium at its boutique best.
Liège, a large and lively city on the banks of the Meuse, is the cultural capital of Wallonia. Despite some grim architectural reminders from its heavy industrial days, the old centre remains potently attractive and is bursting with bars, cafés and quality restaurants. In the summer, Belgians flock to the small coast with impressive Ostend and upmarket Knokke being favourites. The Kusttram (coastal tram) is a wonderful journey which runs from De Panne, through Ostend and on to Knokke.