Hi,

I'm trying to buy my Belgian train tickets online. When asked what station I want, the drop-down list shows both "Brussel-Zuid" and "Bruxelles-Midi". I would just like to make sure that these are referring to the same station (in French and Flemish?) and can therefore pick either of them.

If not, which one should I choose? I'm arriving on the Eurostar train and must transfer to a local/national train to arrive at my final destination.

Thanks in advance!

Brussel-Zuid and Bruxelles-Sud are the same station

Hi Shelli,

Don't know if this is much help but I travelled from Paris to Bruxelles-Midi on Thalys. When we arrived we caught a tram outside of the station to Schaerbeek. There are many bus stops near Bruxelles-Central as well.

Try this site and it shows the bus and tram routes.

www.urbanrail.net/eu/bru/brussels.htm

Hope this is of some help.

P

Bruxelles-Midi is Brussel-zuid, Bruxelles-central is Brussel-Centraal. So yes Shelli you are right.

Shelli, you kow that your Eurostar ticket includes onward travel to any Belgian station?

Thanks for all the replies!

<<
Shelli, you kow that your Eurostar ticket includes onward travel to any Belgian station?
>>

No, I didn't know that. That would be very convenient. Is that standard or would that have been needed to be specified when the tickets were bought?

Found the answer to my own question on the Eurostar website and it's standard. That is great news!

You can use your Eurostar ticket within 24 hours of arriving in Brussels to another Belgian station. Conversely, you can use the Eurostar ticket to travel from any Belgian station to Brussels within 24 hours before the train departs Brussels.

This will save me time, money and is one more thing off my check-list!

clarify that when you buy your ticket that it has an ABS fare on it - meaning you can go to any All Belgian Stations in conjuction with Eurostar ticket withink 48 hours each way. To check on this call BETS (800-441-2387) even though it seems you have bought your ticket already - they will answer you question about ABS and explain it. It is automatic i believe but check.

This is directly from the Eurostar website (question/answers section):

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Question

I have a ticket to Brussels can I use it to get to another station in Belgium?

Answer

Eurostar tickets booked to and from Brussels Midi on the Eurostar are valid for travel to/from any Belgian station using the classic train service (not valid on Thalys). You do not need another ticket as your Eurostar ticket will cover the onward journey. You will need to take a connecting train from Brussels. There is no need to change stations as your onward train departs and arrives from the same station used by Eurostar.

The onward journey is an open ticket and can be used on any train as long as the journey is made within 24 hours of arrival into Brussels.

The return journey must be made no more than 24 hours before your Eurostar journey.

Its now possible to book a trip on the Thalys train on our web site or through our contact centre by calling
08705 186 186 or 0044 1233 617 575

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My tickets are at home, so can't check them now, but it seems pretty straight-forward.

I'm pretty sure it is automatic, as friends of mine arrived in Brussels from London recently, and just got on the next train to Bruges. They simply had to show their Eurostar ticket.

When you buy a Eurostar ticket online, the booking engine clearly states that the Brussels destination is "Brussels Any Belgian Station" - there is no other option for Belgium.

Oh, just saw Shelli's post, guess we were posting at the same time!

Checked my tickets and they do say "OS standard any Belgian station".

hanl - thanks so much for the tip! It's not only saving me some money, but the hassle of trying to figure out how to buy the tickets online.

Yes it's definitely handy! If only the "any station" conditions applied to Eurostar tickets to Paris or London too...