Getting Here & Around

Getting Here & Around

The police and fire departments both have immediate-response emergency hotlines. One pharmacy in each district stays open 24 hours; the rotating roster is posted in all pharmacy windows. Driving in Brussels can be an unnerving experience. Belgians weren't required to have driver's licenses until 1979 and local driving habits are often slapdash. Drivers frequently neglect to use their turn signals, park precariously on street corners, and zoom through pedestrian crossings. The main problem for foreign drivers, however, is the rule of priority from the right. Often, even if you are on a main road, cars coming from blind corners on the right have the priority. A yellow-and-white diamond sign to your right as you approach an intersection indicates that you have the right-of-way. It's best to be extremely cautious until you get the hang of this rule. On the plus side, tunnels under busy intersections allow crosstown traffic to pass quickly. Rush hours run from 7:30 to 9 AM and 5 to 6 PM. If you plan to drive to the coast on a Friday during the summer months, leave well before rush hour, as traffic can back up for hours.

The city is surrounded by an inner and outer beltway, marked ring. Exits to the city are marked center/centrum. Among several large underground parking facilities, the one close to the Grand'Place at rue Duquesnoy is particularly convenient if you're staying in a downtown hotel.

The metro, trams, and buses operate as part of the same system and are run by the city's transport authority, STIB/MIVB (Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles/Maatschappij voor het Intercommunaal Vervoer te Brussel). All three types of transport are clean and efficient, and a single "Jump" ticket, which can be used among all three systems in an hour-long time frame, costs EUR 1.50. The best buy is a 10-trip ticket, which costs EUR 10. Special tourist tickets are also a good value at EUR 3.80 for a one-day unlimited travel card; EUR 9 for three days; and EUR 12 for five days (weekdays only). You can purchase these tickets in any metro station or at newsstands. Single tickets can be purchased on the bus or on the tram. Children under six accompanied by an adult travel free. You need to validate your ticket in the orange machines on the bus or tram; in the metro, you validate your card at the orange machines in the station. Metro stations have bilingual names, such as Bourse/Beurs, and are marked by signs showing a white M on a blue background. Metro trains, buses, and trams run from around 5:30 AM until 12:30 AM. One bus, the number 71 from place de Brouckère to Delta, runs until 3 AM. Brussels is a relatively safe city, but it's wise to be cautious in remote metro stations late at night.

Detailed maps of the Brussels public transportation network are available in most metro stations and at the Tourist Information Brussels in the Grand'Place. You get a map free with a Tourist Passport (also available at the tourist office), which, for EUR 7.50, allows you a one-day transport card and discount admissions at museums.

The easiest way to ensure a cab is to call Taxis Verts or Taxis Oranges. You can also catch a taxi at cab stands around town, which are indicated with yellow signs. All officially registered taxis have a yellow-and-blue sign on their roofs. A cab ride within the city center costs between EUR 6.20 and EUR 12.40. Tips are included in the fare.