How to get to Belgium: airports, flights and border crossings

Brussels Airport (BRU) is the default. It handles the long-haul flights, sits 12 km northeast of the centre, and has its own station under the terminal with trains to Brussels-Central in about 17 minutes and onward services to Ghent, Antwerp, Bruges and Leuven. If your trip is one base plus day trips, land here.

Brussels South Charleroi (CRL) is the Ryanair-style airport: cheap fares, but 46 km south of Brussels with no rail link. A coach or shuttle runs to Brussels-Midi in roughly an hour, and the ticket is a separate cost on top of the fare. Charleroi is a reasonable arrival if you are heading into Wallonia or the Ardennes, less so if your first night is in Brussels.

Antwerp (ANR), Ostend-Bruges (OST) and Liège (LGG) take a small number of scheduled and seasonal flights. They are useful if a direct route exists from your city; otherwise the train from BRU is faster than a connection.

There are no nonstop flights from Australia or New Zealand to Belgium. Expect one or two stops through a Gulf, Asian or European hub, with total travel time of roughly 22–30 hours. From the US east coast, nonstops to Brussels exist from a few hubs; from the west coast, one stop is normal. From Canada, most routings connect through a US or European hub.

From the UK and Ireland, Brussels is a short hop of about 1 h 15–1 h 45 from London, Manchester, Edinburgh or Dublin, and several carriers fly the route. For London in particular, the train is usually the better choice once you count airport transfers at both ends.

Brussels-Midi (Zuid) is the international station, and it is where Eurostar from London, Thalys-style services from Paris and Amsterdam, and ICE trains from Cologne and Frankfurt arrive. From the platform you can walk to the metro, tram and domestic trains; Brussels-Central is one stop away and closer to the Grand-Place.

The London route runs through the Channel Tunnel and lands you in the city centre rather than an airport perimeter, which is why it beats flying for most UK travellers. Book early for the cheapest seats, and allow the check-in time the operator specifies — it is longer than a domestic train.

Belgium sits on the main north–south and east–west motorway routes, so driving in from France, the Netherlands, Germany or Luxembourg is straightforward. There are no routine border checks inside the Schengen area, but you still need your passport or ID card with you, and rental companies charge extra if you take a car across borders without telling them.

Coaches run from London and other European cities to Brussels, usually cheaper than the train and slower. Ferries and the Channel Tunnel connect the UK to the Belgian and Dutch coasts; from the ports it is a short drive or train ride to Bruges, Ghent or Brussels. If you are driving, remember Belgium drives on the right and gives priority to the right at unmarked junctions.

Belgium is in the Schengen area. US, UK, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and Irish passport holders can normally enter for tourism without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Your passport should be valid for at least three months beyond your planned departure and issued within the last ten years. Rules can change, so confirm with an official source before you book.

At the airport or station you may be asked where you are staying and when you are leaving. Have a booking confirmation and a return ticket ready, and carry travel insurance details. If you are arriving from outside Schengen and connecting through another European airport, you may clear immigration there instead.

Buy a train ticket from the airport before you leave the terminal, or use a contactless card where accepted; queues at the machines are worst in the morning peak. In Brussels, the airport train stops at Brussels-North, Central and Midi, so pick the stop nearest your accommodation rather than defaulting to Midi.

Belgium uses the euro, cards work almost everywhere, and tipping is not expected because service is included. If you need mobile data, an eSIM bought before you fly is usually cheaper than a roaming pass. For onward travel, trains are the default between Belgian cities, and a single base in Brussels or Ghent covers most day trips.