Lex Universe: Brussels

Hi guys :) Have I hyped you up to visit Brussels? Then maybe you will appreciate this little guide of how to get, get around and other useful info about the capital of Belgium.

Getting there
Being the de facto capital of the whole European union, one can assume that there are basically all kinds of travel you can use to arrive.
Most people will probably choose to arrive by plane. There are two airports serving the city. Most international flights arrive at Brussels National (BRU). Getting to and from the city is fairly simple (even though sometimes a little pricey). You can travel by train departing the airport every 15 minutes and costin 8,60 EUR, or chose one of the many buses running the way every 30 - 60 minutes. The price varies from 3 to 6 EUR depending on the company you choose.

Most low cost airlines (most often Wizzair and Ryanair) arrive at the Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL) located c. 60 km south to the city. When arriving here, you may use the services of the Brussels City Shuttle that will take you directly to the city center. The ticket costs between 5 and 12 EUR. Book online, you may save a lot of money :)

There are three main railway stations in the city: Midi-Zuid, Central-Centraal and Nord-Noord. All of them are fairly well connected by the city public transportation. The international ICE speed trains stop usually at Central and Nord station.

Most buses of the Flixbus and Eurolines companies stop at the Nord rail station. They connect the city with most of the west and central Europe.

Getting around

Most of the main tourist sites are situated fairly close to each other and can be accessed by foot. Anyway, there is quite and extensive network of public transportation in Brussels, should you need it:

There are 4 metro lines (1, 2, 5, 6) and three "speed tram" lines (3, 4, 7) that are mutually connected in the transfer stations. All stations are marked with the blue sign with the white M in it.

The metro network is interconnected by the extensive bus network.

All tickets are transferable and need to be marked in the orange machines located in the buses, trams an in the metro stations. The simple ticket costs 2,10 EUR or you can buy the 1 day pass for 7,50 EUR.

Taxi in Brussels is quite expensive, but it can also be used to get from point A to B. Alternatively you may use the services of the Uber.

Others

There are two official languages spoken in the municipality of Brussels - French and Dutch; with french being the strongly dominant. Most people speak fairly well English though, so do not worry. :)

The official currency is Euro and payment by standard kredit and debit cards is accepted in most establishments. Although you may have some troubles to buy tickets or entrance to public toilets (which are around 1 EUR usually) so it is not a bad idea to carry some small change in your pockets.