Riding the Rails in Belgium

While some wince at the idea of traveling anywhere by train, I welcome the opportunity to sit back and watch the world flow past my window like a moving picture. So when it came time to travel from city to city on my recent trip to Belgium, I knew that taking the train would be the perfect option for me. And although the experience wasn’t completely flawless, I’d definitely recommend the train for your Belgium journey. Here are a few tips and things to think about when planning to ride the rails:

Cost

• Tickets are fairly reasonable. A second-class ticket from Brussels to Antwerp cost €6.70 ($9.56 USD as of May 17, 2011). In my limited experience, the trains were clean, fast, and on time. If you’re familiar with the Belgian railway and you believe me to be operating under a delusion, feel free to let me know.
• If you’re under the age of 26 and you expect to be traveling around Belgium pretty extensively, you can save quite a bit by purchasing the Go Pass 10 which allows you 10 individual rail trips within Belgium for only €50. The Go Pass 10 is valid for a year plus SNCB encourages you to share the pass with your friends.

Logistics

• Most of the ticket agents comprehend enough English well enough to understand what you’re saying. Don’t be afraid when buying your ticket. I literally paced for half an hour before finding the nerve to purchase my ticket from Brussels to Antwerp and the process ended up being as easy as pie.
• If you have a second class ticket, make sure you sit in second class. There’s usually a “2” on the door of the second class cars and if the conductor comes around and finds you sitting in first class when you shouldn’t be, you’ll be asked to move.  Even if the first class car is completely empty. But I’m not bitter.
• The schedules for all destinations and all days and times are all posted throughout each of the stations. It’s incredibly easy to figure out where and when you need to go when all of the information is together in one place.
• The larger cities like Brussels and Antwerp have multiple stations. Make sure you know exactly which stop is yours.

Safety

• There’s a pretty good police presence in Brussels Central Station but you may stumble across the occasional panhandler, wino, or miscreant. I had to fend off a panhandler who had to fend off a wino who thought he had first dibs on me. First time I ever had two men fighting over me. Lucky girl. Sigh. What I did I do? Stuck out my arm to give myself some distance, excused myself authoritatively, and walked away. End of story.

Must-See

• If you’re making a stop in Antwerpen Centraal Station, take some time to explore. It’s GORGEOUS. In 2009, Newsweek named it the fourth most beautiful train station in the world (it should be at least third on that list—in my humble opinion, it rivals even New York’s Grand Central). Plus, it was the site for this little bit of flash mob magic that went viral a couple of years ago (The Sound of Music is a favorite movie, so I might be a bit biased).

…And Random Sights

• I still can’t get over the jaunty scarves worn by the both the men and women train conductors. They looked oh!-so-smart in their uniforms. If I’d had the nerve I would have snapped a picture, but that would’ve been rude.
• On the Saturday morning when I first left Brussels, there was a huge yellow stand in front of the ticket counter of the Central Station where vendors were making and selling all sorts of yummy goodies. The selection was dizzying—all I can remember were canolis and freshly made almond nougat. I’m still kicking myself for not buying anything.

All in all, I’m so glad I decided to go with taking the train instead of the bus or (gasp!) renting a car while in Belgium. It allowed me to experience a slice of Belgian life (warts and all) while getting around quickly, comfortably, and conveniently.

You can’t beat that with a stick.