HOW TO EXPLORE MORE OF BELGIUM, ECONOMICALLY & SUSTAINABLY
Belgium is one of the countries that was super connected with trains. To begin with, the first ever train connection in whole of Europe was between Brussels and Mechelen. Soon, the entire country was super connected with trains to connect to the seaport at Antwerp & Oostend to Mons & Liege and more to connect to the French Border. However in course of time, some of the passenger trains fell into disuse as more & more people started to own cars. Today some of such train lines are even used for recreation, re-purposing them as Railbiking, like the ones in Les Draisines de la Molignée.
Check the Ultimate list of Things to do in Belgium with our Belgian Bingo. How many boxes have you checked already?
However today with more & more awareness about Sustainable Tourism and the effect of pollution on climate change, we should be try as much as possible to travel to by public transport, esp., trains as much as possible. So, here are some ways to save more money on SNCB/NMBS voyages all over Belgium...
The local languages in Belgium are primarily French & Flemish (the Belgian dialect of Dutch) with small regions that speak German as well. So, SNCB and NMBS are just the abbreviation of 'National Railway Company of Belgium' in the 2 languages. SNCB is the abbreviation in French for Société nationale des chemins de fer belges and NMBS is the abbreviation in Dutch for Nationale Maatschappij der Belgische Spoorwegen.
ADULT TICKETS FOR DOMESTIC TRAVEL
The best aspect of Begian trains is that there is NO dynamic pricing for domestic travel. Most of the times I just book a ticket on my phone, standing on the platform, while waiting for the train. No matter you book it 3 months before or 3 minutes before, its the same price for domestic travel within Belgium!
SNCB DISCOVERY COMBI TICKETS (earlier called B-Excursion)
It's a combo of entry ticket of certain places to see along with return train ticket for day-trips (return on same day). Works out cheaper esp if you're above 26 and traveling on weekdays (I'll tell you why soon). Of the places that we've been to, Bokrijk, Pairi Daiza and Grottes de Han could be done with the Discovery Tickets. If you're in a city other than Brussels, a trip to Brussels to visit Atomium, Natural Sciences Museum etc could be done with the SNCB Discovery Combi Tickets.
50% off on Standard round-trip fare if bought online, obviously when traveling during weekend (yeah, that's why I specified 'weekdays' above - on weekends with this 50% off this might work out cheaper than discovery ticket. Its applicable on Friday too without time restriction in summers and after 7pm otherwise.
MULTI STANDARD TICKET - €83 for 10 tickets
That's same as Youth ticket for people over 26 (obviously). Ofcourse it doesn't make sense for nearby places when the fare is less than €8 or when traveling in weekends (when you have 50% off). But this Belgian Rail Pass has a 1 year validity, so its perfect for longer distance travels, esp on weekdays. I used it for my trips to Eupen, Hasselt, Antwerp etc. This is not only perfect for Tourists, but also for residents. The best thing is, this can be used by multiple people - 2 people can do 5 journeys or 3 people in 3 journeys too! Its basically a form of 10 rows where you have to fill before every journey. In 2 instances, I've even seen semi-filled tickets on Facebook Marketplace!
MUSEUMPASSMUSÉES - 50% off on 5 jouneys
I'm a big-time fan of Museumpassmusées and that's shouldn't be a news if you're a regular reader of this blog. One of the advantages of Museumpassmusées is the 5 Discovery Ticket coupon codes that come with it! That's 50% off on 5 return trip journeys anywhere in Belgium, as usual it works out best for longer journeys! However, this can be bought only if you're a resident of Belgium and not applicable for tourists.
ADULT TICKETS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
EUREGIO TICKET - €19 for 1 day for 2 adults
This is a weird, regional, but international ticket (unlike Interrail pass). Though EU Regio technically means European Region, geographically it refers to the region where Belgium, Netherlands and Germany borders meet. So the Euregioticket is valid in the regions of Liege, Limburg, Aachen and Maastricht in all the 3 countries. This is valid not only in trains, but also buses in the region! Euregio ticket is a day-pass. More weirdly, it is valid for 1 person per ticket in weekdays but 2 adults per ticket on weekends!!! The only drawback is that it cannot be bought online, it can be bought only within that region in the ticket counters, meaning, if you're traveling from say, Brussels, in Belgium, you'll have to disembark at Liege or Hasselt to buy this ticket.
TRAINS TO AMSTERDAM - Earlybird tickets
Earlybird tickets can be booked online, from major stations in Belgium to Amsterdam (via Rotterdam) at a reduced rate till a week before the travel date. Amsterdam to Antwerp train ticket is €20 (€25 on weekends) and Amsterdam to Brussels train ticket is €25 (€33 on weekends), one way. The number of tickets available are technically unlimited and you can take any train (time isn't fixed) of that day. It also means that the seat is not booked and on summer weekends, trains do get super crowded and you may have to travel the distance standing!
TRAINS TO PARIS - Izy trains
Unlike the rest, this doesn't come under SNCB-NMBS. While the superfast Thalys is available, Izy Trains are the low-cost, subsidiary of Thalys. Unlike trains to Amsterdam, the number of train tickets here are limited and seats are assigned. Brussels to Paris train tickets are priced at €10 for folding seat, €19 for a regular seat & €29 for comfort seats with extra legspace if tickets are purchased upto 3 weeks earlier.
YOUTH PASS FOR DOMESTIC TRAVEL
YOUTH TICKET (GO PASS) - €6.60 for 1 ticket or €53 for 10 tickets
You may be young at heart, but unless you're 'officially' under 26yrs, you can't use this. But if you are, you can essentially travel from anywhere to anywhere in Belgium at €6.60 per ticket if bought individually or €53 for a 10 journey pass . While a short trip like Brussels to Leuven doesn't make sense as its standard ticket price is cheaper, but on longer journeys where tickets go as high as €22 (Brussels to Eupen), super savings can be done with the youth ticket. The best thing is that it can be used by multiple people, like Standard Multi for adults. 2 people can do 5 journeys with the same pass!
YOUTH HOLIDAYS - €15 for 1 week / €25 for 1 month
If you are under 26yrs of age, this is perfect for you. For €15 or €25 you can travel unlimited, all over Belgium for 1 week or 1 month. While the 1 week pass can be bought during any holidays, 1 month pass can be bought only during summer holidays (July & August). Yes, Belgium is very considerate towards young people to travel well and provides them with a lot of cheap Belgium Train Tickets!!!
