Is public transport in Brussels any good?

[felix9]

Hi, is it okay to relay only on transport in Brussels, or should you have a car?

[Kovacs_Alajos]

Hi, at the city center it's usually okay. Depending on where you stay though sometimes there's hard to find a subway connection (ie: you'll have to take a bus, or tram). The city is superpacked with cars and usually it's hard to go anywhere by car. If you can stand the rain, I'd definitely recommend getting a bike (or the public bike - VILLO).

[Alice_Van_Isacker]

not necessery, brussels is a small town with a lot of transports (a bit less in the south), I don't want to use my car in the town because of the trafic, the lack of places to park and because I can go almost everywhere with public transports and trains (which are the same price as buses tramway and metro)

[Renata_Riva]

It all depends where you will live, where you will work and what you want to do. If you stay in the city, public transport is good enough. Brussels is one of the busiest cities in the morning, you can spend 1 hour to get into town if you come from outside or you want to go through the ring. If you live or work outside it depends on where you are and what your habits area. Public transport at night to outside the city isn't good. I have a car cause I work outside the city but never ever use it to go out or do things in town

[gilcal]

Hi Felix,

Relaying on public transport in Brussels will be more comfortable than using a car. You can also use the shared bicycle service “Villo!” Brussels is famous for its gridlocks and there is an active anti-car policy being developed for some years now. One thing you can keep in mind is that the city isn't too big. If you choose the location where you live wisely, it is even possible to lead a lifestyle where you go around mainly by foot.

Where will you be located in Brussels?

[Aline_Bouillaud]

Hi! No car needed in Brussels...on my opinion of course! There is almost always à bus or a tram or a subway to go where you want to go! With the car you'll waste a lot of time in the trafic and looking for parking (and not free)!
2,10€ for a ticket, 14,10€ for ten (on a plastic card you can recharge), 49€ for the month and for the year it's about 400 € (reduction for students is possible).
Hope it's helping ! Welcome in Belgium !

[Emily_Darrow]

Hi Felix! Most of us get by just fine without a car. We have perfectly acceptable public transport. If you get a car, you'll find the roads are heavily congested in the morning and from late afternoon until evening. And good luck with finding a free parking spot..........

[Adrien_B]

Yes, use transport..

Transports works mostly correctly in Brussels. It sometimes late, sometimes (most of the time) dirty and unpleasant. But it will get you almost everywhere in Brussels. It's still expensive compared to other cities (around 500€ a year if I remember correctly).

If you do not intend to go often out of Brussels, don't even think about buying a car, you'll eat your wheel in no times. Traffic jams and road works are daily routines here. And parking is paying almost everywhere now.

[ddariadne]

Yes, you can get around with public transport. With a car you might spend a lot of time stuck in traffic. Also, in some parts of the center of Brussels cars are banned or the use of them is discouraged. If a car is useful, depends on where you stay and on what you plan on visiting outside the city center.

[Aurelie_Jacquet]

Hello! The metro in Brussels is reliable, there are good connections between different areas and they merely come on time. It's also pretty clean. I find the trams and busses to be less reliable, but you can use them for shorter distances. I would definitely not recommend a car in Brussels, because you will be stuck in traffic every single day and for a rather big part of your day..... (depending of where you come from of course, but it's really not a good idea to go in the city of Brussels by car if you don't want to waste your time). I hope this info helped you out!

[Nele]

Are you staying in the city center? Then you definitely don't need a car. Otherwise it depends where you are living

[Attila_Osztrogonacz]

The tram / subway / bus network is quite OK. Timetables are reliable and service has quite a wide coverage. I'd very much advice against having a car for a short (1-2 weeks) term. The local transport company's website - I think - is quite informative and easy to use. You can reach them here: http://www.stib-mivb.be/index.htm?l=en - yes, they even have English covered, though the most of the information is available in French and Dutch. The transport is safe, you don't have to have worries about crime.
If you are planning a visit to Brussels, you might wish to consider contacting a "Greeter", check out http://www.greeters.be/en_index.php for more info, or feel free to contact me in case you have any further questions.
Cheers,

Attila