Public transport in Belgium

Crowthorne

Crowthorne

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Hi all,

Am starting the early stages of planning a trip to Belgium, probably next year. Zoos won't be the main focus of this trip (!), but everyone here has such good knowledge I'm hoping that someone more local, or has travelled in the country as a visitor, can maybe offer some advise. I can't drive, so will be dependent on public transport (probably Eurostar to Lille, which is closer to the areas I'm looking to visit); how easy is this to navigate for a foreigner? (read: easily confused Brit). Also, is the language barrier insurmountable? I've got some very, very basic German (enough to get food and some directions, although on my trip to Cologne/Duisburg this didn't seem to matter, everyone just spoke English as soon as they realised how basic my German was), but my French is non-existent.

Thanks in advance :)
 
Flew to Brussels and got the train to Antwerp then out of Belgium to Rotterdam last year. I was a solo traveller and similarly apprehensive!

Trains all very easy, self service machines with English language options.

Didn't venture on to any buses.

Similar to your experience in Germany most people were quick to pick up on my embarrassingly limited language skills and broke out into conversational English at the drop of a hat.

Have a wonderful time!
 
Thank you @Skukuza this is just the kind of helpful info I knew ZooChat would provide :)

I think there are only one or two places that I'll need to take a bus to, hopefully the buses will be as good as the trains.
 
I wanna say the busses are decent. Just like most places though, their timings can be off.

There's even a nmbs train going from Lille to Antwerp. I used to take it a few times when living in Antwerp, to go to Lille.

I'm Flemish so not much familiar with Wallon to be honest, but when my boyfriend would visit me in Belgium, people speaking English in Flanders really isn't an issue. They'd all speak English to me, because they heard me speak it to him, and then thought I was English.
 
Crowthorne said:
Hi all,

Am starting the early stages of planning a trip to Belgium, probably next year. Zoos won't be the main focus of this trip (!), but everyone here has such good knowledge I'm hoping that someone more local, or has travelled in the country as a visitor, can maybe offer some advise. I can't drive, so will be dependent on public transport (probably Eurostar to Lille, which is closer to the areas I'm looking to visit); how easy is this to navigate for a foreigner? (read: easily confused Brit). Also, is the language barrier insurmountable? I've got some very, very basic German (enough to get food and some directions, although on my trip to Cologne/Duisburg this didn't seem to matter, everyone just spoke English as soon as they realised how basic my German was), but my French is non-existent.

Thanks in advance :)
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You won't find much German being spoken except if you travel to the German-speaking enclave in the east. My experience is that English is widely spoken, especially in Flanders, but not so much in Wallonia

Public transport is easy and works pretty well, if they are not on strike like today. What is also nice is that for several attractions, including Pairi Daiza, you can buy a so called discovery ticket, which gives a massive reduction on the train fare (and sometimes on the entrance fee): Pairi Daiza by train at reduced price: Discovery Ticket | SNCB . You can buy those easily online.
 
Thank you all, really useful and helpful to know :) I'll be in Flanders mostly (with some places in Wallonia), so the language barrier shouldn't be a big issue hopefully from your experiences (though I will brush up on my French anyway!).
 
Bus travel might be a little more awkward if you go to more rural areas. I think the app of delijn the travel company for busses in Flanders is pretty bad but has options in English I would recommend you buy a ticket in the app since buying on the bus is not easy anymore. The Nmbs the train company makes travel pretty easy although they do go on strikes sporadically but they are announced more promptly. Language wise as long as you stay in Flanders most people don't have issues speaking English. If you focus on more touristic spots I'm pretty sure English will be spoken in Wallonia as well. If you require any more info or help or so you can always ask me :)
 
Thank you @Perseus6 :) I think the most rural place I'll be aiming for is Tyne Cot and Passendale, which are probably used to English-speaking visitors. Mons might be more tricky in Wallonia, but it looks like it's on the main trainlines, so not too hard to get to hopefully. Thank you for the strike warning, we've got many rail strikes here so am getting used to checking travel more now, so will keep an eye on them!
 
Crowthorne said:
Thank you @Perseus6 :) I think the most rural place I'll be aiming for is Tyne Cot and Passendale, which are probably used to English-speaking visitors. Mons might be more tricky in Wallonia, but it looks like it's on the main trainlines, so not too hard to get to hopefully. Thank you for the strike warning, we've got many rail strikes here so am getting used to checking travel more now, so will keep an eye on them!
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Tyne Cot was very easy to get to from Ieper town. I did it a good few years ago, and was very easy. Google maps is very handy now too to show what busses and all their stops.
 
Moorhunhe said:
Tyne Cot was very easy to get to from Ieper town. I did it a good few years ago, and was very easy. Google maps is very handy now too to show what busses and all their stops.
Click to expand...

Good to know, thank you :)
 
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