Brussels metro and inter-city trains to Amsterdam?
 

Hi! I am having a tough time finding specific info on Brussel's city transportation system and the trains running to Amsterdam? I have searched this site and other forums. The Belgian Railways site b-rail.be has spun me in a circle today. I'm just seeking two specifics....

**Once arriving on the Thalys from Paris, I'm just trying to figure out how to get from Gare du Midi to our hotel near St Katelijne. Is there a decent metro map someplace online?

**I have also been trying to find the best place to board a train to Amsterdam the next day. Should we head back to Gare du Midi or should we try the Gare du Nord or Central? Do some of the inter-city trains make different stops or travel more quickly than others? Any ideas on where to find timetables/maps for this ride from Brussles to Amsterdam?

Any details you may have are greatly appreciated. We'll be heading to the airport for our first European vacation in exactly two weeks! Can't wait!

Here is a downloadable map that should clarify your situation:

http://www.stib.irisnet.be/pdfRep/PlanM.pdf

You can take a local train to Centraal (there is also the 3 tram), then Metro line 1a or b to Sainte Catherine.

Your outbound station will be determined by what train you take. Consult the schedules at http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

The hourly and cheaper IC trains leave from Central to Amsterdam. No reason to go to Midi and take the more expensive Thalys, as those are only a few minutes faster.

The IC trains also stop at Nord, so if your hotel is near that, you can take the IC from Nord instead of Central.

For intercity trains, you can use various European official train site. Most of us like www.bahn.de

Perfect!
Thank you both.

I find the best rail site to be

http://plannerint.b-rail.be/bin/quer...p;L=profi&

Brux. has 3 stations, Midi/Zuid (=South), Central/Centraal, and Nord/Noord (North). Trains from Paris come into Midi.

Most trains for Amsterdam leave from Central, stop first in Nord then head out of town.

To get to the wonderful Grand' Place, go to Central, it's a short walk from there.

WK

WallyKringen isn't quite right. Virtually every IC train will leave from Brussels Zuid (Gare du Midi) first before stopping in Centraal (Centrale). I don't know of any trains to Amsterdam that don't stop in Zuid/Midi before going on to Centraal/Centrale. And some of them, like the Thalys, start in Zuid/Midi but do not stop in Centraal/Centrale and may or may not stop in Nord. If your are taking a regular IC train, Centrale is fine. If you prefer a Thalys, then your best bet is Zuid/Midi, although many of those also stop in Nord (but not Centrale).
One note: it's weird but the trains to Amsterdam usually leave on the tracks from Nord at the far right. In the evening, you will get a solid view of the Brussels red light district.

BTilke is correct, I didn't parse it out right when trying to focus on what's available from Centraal.

The Thalys that leaves from Midi/Zuid at :25 most every hour (except around mid-day) stops neither in Centraal nor in Noord - it goes straight to Antwerp.

All the Intercity trains I see that leave every hour at :46 do leave from Midi/Zuid and do stop in both Centraal and Noord.

Thanks for the heads-up

Wk

Well, you folks got that sorted out, finally. Thalys stops at Zuid/Midi only. IC stops at all three. And Nord is in the red light district, which is on the east side of the tracks just north of the station.

I like the Netherlands rail site www.ns.nl for finding schedules of trains in and out of Amsterdam. Click 'international' and 'english' to use the site. It has all the Thalys and IC schedules between Brussels and Amsterdam.

The Brussels Metro is very good. Line maps are posted in the stations and on the platform you will see the estimated arrival time of the next train. You will probably want to hover around Gare Centrale / Centraal Station near the Grande Place / Grote Markt for seeing the sights. The city is officially bilingual, Walloon and Vlanders, but French seems to be the predominate language. Use your English almost everywhere.

But having said all that, I think you are out of luck finding a Metro to Sint Katelijne. The only Sint Katelijne I can find in Belgium is outside Mechelen, about halfway between Brussels and Antwerp. Take a train about 23 minutes north of Brussels Midi/Zuid (work days add 19 minutes) to Mechelen. From the Mechelen station to Sint Katelijne I have no data. It looks like a cab ride. Call your hotel.

From Mechelen to Amsterdam take the International Express.

Huh? Sint-K is two stops from Gare Centrale on the #1 line.

You are right, Robespierre. Boy did I screw that up.

In amends to Bisco who asked for a decent Metro map of Brussels you will find it at http://www.stib.irisnet.be/FR/31000F.htm.

TRIP REPORT:
The transportation system in Brussels is easy to navigate! We arrived at Brussels Midi (via the Thalys from Paris) and located a tram to Central. The trams are all well marked and maps at the station are easy to follow. From Central we took the metro line 1 just a couple stops to St Catherine. We emerged from the metro in the center of the old fish market. We loved this area with its lobster signs, beautiful church and the Brussels Welcome Hotel.

Does anyone know which train station the Eurostar to London departs from? I'm going to take a IC train from Amsterdam to Brussels and then the Eurostar to London.

The Eurostar to London leaves from Brussels-Midi. It's a 5-min train ride from Central station.

Traditionally how much should it cost to take a train from Amsterdam to Brussels. I went on the euro rail website and it says if cost $54 for a one way, second class ticket. Should it be less? Too me that seems high.

Yes, gawr0008, that is high. The price depends on when you are going. Buy your ticket when you get there. Ask a travel agent or the int

gawr008, don't buy your ticket from Euro Rail! A single ticket A'dam - Brussels will cost you 33.40 euro (full fare) on the InterCity train. There's no need to buy your ticket in advance.

I'll also be traveling from Brussels to Amsterdam around mid-day on a Monday. Are there machines to purchase tickets from in the station or does one have to stand in line to talk to an agent? Will US credit cards work in the machines?

Last year in France, I could not get my US credit card to work in any of the ticket machines at the stations and had to stand in line to purchase every ticket. It was a royal pain.

universitylad,
We walked right up to the counter and purchased tickets to Amsterdam with a US credit card. The station is well marked with the train platform #s and destination city. No problems at all.

Depends on which train station you're in. At Brussels Midi/Zuid, make sure you don't go into the Service Interieur section to buy your ticket; that's for travel within Belgium only.
And when you enter the international service ticket area, you MUST take a number from the machines--they have instructions in English--choosing between immediate departures and not immediate. You can't just stand in line at any ticket counter. Unless the machines are broken, which happens from time to time.