Brussels and its railway stations
 

We will be staying close to the Grand Place and the Gare Central, but must pick up a rental car at the Midi Station and head out on the road to Namur. Question: would it be best to leave our luggage at our hotel, take the train to the Midi Station, pick up the car, drive to the hotel and get our bags? Or what would you suggest as the quickest and most convenient way to accomplish this job?

Al, we did the opposite of what you plan to do, we returned a car at the Gare de Midi station this past June. The pickup lot for rental cars (we used Avis) is about a 5 to 7 minute walk from the rental car counters so its not to bad if you don't have a lot of luggage. Negotiating the streets around the Grand Place for the first time was not easy. We found driving in Brussels, not to mention finding a parking space, to be quite challenging so I would recommend taking bags and all to the station and minimizing your driving within the city as much as possible.

driving around the grand place is not easy; quite a lot of one way streets only; <BR>i suggest you take the luggage with you to head out of the city rather than coming back to pick up your luggage ! <BR>ann (from brussels)

Al - I would go with the other replies here. Take your luggage with you and take a taxi or the metro (if you don't have much luggage) to the Gare du Midi and pick up the car. The Midi in on the "Ring" road which avoids going back to the centre. Follow it anti-clockwise following signs to European institutions, I think green autoroute signs for Namur, Antwerp, airport etc before it splits later for Namur.Alex

Many thanks, friends. I think I see what we should do. Take a cab with our bags to the Midi Station, pick up our rental car, and get out of town without re-entering the center (Grand Place). Being somewhat directionally-challenged (which, is to say, I get lost and turned around rather easily), this plan sounds simplest. Merci, mes amis.