Belgian Railways

Can anyone help with the following questions please?

What are the facilities like at Brussels Midi Station - is it somewhere you can while away an hour?

What are the provincial trains in Belgium like for timekeeping? Hope they are better that the UK.

Thanks

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Hi,

Not sure regarding facilities at Brussels Midi. I%26#39;ve only ever used Brussels Centraal which is only a short walk from the Grand Place so you%26#39;d easily be able to while away an hour there. There%26#39;s 3 stations in Brussels which I believe are all on the same line so it may be possible for you to get off at Centraal instead of Midi? Sorry can%26#39;t be more help with that one.

All the trains i%26#39;ve ever caught in Belgium have been on time. Their service is miles better than the UK. The trains are clean, comfortable, generally fairly new and of a good standard.

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Although not the most pleasant railway station, you could perfectly while away an hour at Brussels Midi. There are a few snackbars, shops (you can buy an international newspaper or magazine), so: no problem.

I know about the terrible reputation of British Rail (have experienced it myself!). There are quite some complaints in Belgium as well, but in general trains arrive in time. A rough guess: 5 to 10 % are not in time, but this percentage will run higher during rush hour.

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Thanks for the info.

We are returning to UK on 5pm Eurostar so have to decide whether to spend last day in Bruges or Brussels. Any suggestions?

Cheers

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Eric, from previous posts you%26#39;ve mentioned your staying 4 nights in Bruges. If your main base is Bruges anyway then i%26#39;d go for a look around Brussels on your way through.

There%26#39;s loads of nice places in Brussels and the Grand Place is only a few minutes walk from Garre Centraal. Well worth taking in if you have the opportunity.

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Bruxelles-Midi is Brussels%26#39; main railway station and therefore the one with the best facilities, if not the nicest surroundings. Among other things, it has chocolate shops, watch shops, gift shops, a perfumery, a florists, several newsagents, a supermarket, a %26quot;bureau de change%26quot; and its own police station. None of its eateries are great, I find the Haagen-Dazs more restful than the others as it is a bit out of the way (near the Eurostar terminal), but the one with the zebra outside makes a good meeting point.

If you are going home on the Eurostar presumably you know you have to check in at the Eurostar terminal something like 30 minutes before departure anyway. The EST (as it is abbreviated in timetables, but it%26#39;s only platforms 1-2 of Gare du Midi) has its own chocolate/gift shop and snack bar once past the check-in machines, security checks and passport controls.

If you want to visit Brussels instead of spending time at Midi, you can leave your luggage at left luggage lockers or a staffed left luggage office (consigne), then catch any train going to Gare centrale, e.g. all of those going to the airport. From there, the Grand%26#39; Place is just 5 minutes%26#39; walk down the hill and there should be plenty in that area to keep you interested.

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Thanks all for the info. We are really looking forward to our trip to Belgium.

We have only driven through it before.

Cheers

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