Visiting Brussels next week and need a bit of local transport knowledge

[ScottOfTheArseAntics]

Hello Brussels smile

I also posted this in Local-Brussels but it seems a bit quiet over there. Apologies for the duplication.

I am coming over next week for a meeting and would be very grateful if anybody living in Brussels could tell me about the GO ticket. I would like to know if it covers trains as well as Metro and Tram.

I am only staying one night and that is the night prior to my meeting after which I have to get straight back to UK.

I am planning to fly in to Brussels International Airport then take the train from the airport to Brussels Centraal and the metro to Trone/Troon which is near to my hotel and meeting place. I will then do the same journey in reverse the following day.

I am hoping that I can purchase one ticket at the airport on arrival that will cover all of my train/metro travel to save fannying around with change and ticket machines on the way back. Is there a 24hr or 2 day GO ticket that will do that?

Thanks in advance.

SOTAA

Are you referring to the GO tickets 1 / 10 for under 26 year olds? These are valid only for SNCB trains.
www.b-rail.be/nat/F/tarifs/gopassformulas/index.php

There are 3 ways of getting from Brussels (Zaventem) airport into the city, but from what you describe, you are best sticking to the buses of STIB, as they operate all trams and metro lines in Brussels, as well as most bus lines or the train then metro. The other alternatives are the De Lijn buses.

Here are a few ticket prices, to help you.
Single ticket for STIB Airport express bus 12/21 costs 3.50 if purchased from a GO ticket machine (not to be confused with GO SNCB ticket for under 26s). It can be used to continue by metro/tram/bus in Brussels, so long as you start that journey less than 60 minutes after vaildating the ticket on the 12/21 bus.

The same Single ticket for STIB Airport express bus 12/21 costs 6.00 if purchased from the driver of the 12/21 bus.

A single NON STIB airport express ticket, called a JUMP 1, costs 2.00 if bought in advance from a GO machine or a KIOSK/BOOTIK ticket office in a metro station. The same ticket JUMP 1 costs 2.50 from a bus/tram driver. You cannot enter most metro stations without buying a ticket, so you have to go the GO machine there or KIOSK/BOOTIK.

a 5 trip ticket for STIB, called a JUMP 5, costs 7.50, remember not valid for the airport 12/21 bus.

A 10 trip ticket for STIB, called a JUMP 10, costs 13.00, remember not valid for the airport 12/21 bus.

A 1 day STIB ticket, not including airport bus, costs 6 euro. Not sure if it is 24 hours, I suspect you have to buy 2 of these tickets if you go over into 2 days. So only worth it if doing more than 3 journeys in a day, not using the 12/21 airport bus.

Here is the information on STIB tickets
www.stib.be/tickets.html?l=en

A single SNCB ticket for the train from the airport to Brussels costs 5.40. A return is 10.80.

There is apparently a GO machine to buy tickets for the 12/21 bus somewhere in the airport. I do not know where, assuming near the bus stop. Otherwise you will have to find 6.00 to pay the driver.

PS the 12/21 bus stops right in the Trone/Troon area, it really might be your best option, especially if you are not going anywhere else other than the hotel. You can walk into the Grand'Place from Trone area too. Look at the STIB network map.
www.stib.be/netplan-plan-reseau.html?l=fr

Thank you natation. I got my GO's mixed up, I am definitely not under 26.

My only concern about the bus is not knowing when to get off or where to get on! I don't know Brussels at all. I always find Metro's much easier to negotiate.

However on closer inspection of all of the maps I think you are right, the bus does look like the best way to go. I can always ask locally where to pick up the bus on the way back to the airport.

Just wanted to say thanks again. I am back from Brussels. I used the Airport Express Bus 12 - a fantastic service which dropped me 1 minute away from my hotel.

Brussels is awesome! Really buzzy and cosmopolitan - wish I lived there.

Glad you had a good trip!

Ha, ha, you say that Scott but you might not if you actually lived here!