How to get to Brussels - Zaventem airport?
Published on 27 février 2019
Compared to most airports in the world, the Brussels Airport, also known as Zaventem Airport (named after the city where it's located), is very close to the city center of Brussels. The distance is 12 kilometers and the fastest travel time is 18 minutes by car. However, as Brussels is a very busy European city, we strongly recommend that you plan ahead to get there and choose your mode of transportation wisely. Here are the main solutions that allow you to reach Brussels Airport.
In this article
1. Take the train 🚆
Brussels Airport is connected to the city center by national and international trains that depart and arrive at the Brussels Airport - Zaventem train station, located in the basement of the airport (level -1 of the terminal). You can access it from the arrivals hall on the second level and the departures hall on the third level.
The Brussels Airport Express train to and from Brussels Airport passes through Brussels-North, Brussels-Central and Brussels-Midi stations. The fare is 8.90€ per person. For information and schedules, visit the SNCB website. Brussels-Central station is located 17 minutes from the airport. The journey takes 13 minutes from Brussels-North station and 23 minutes from Brussels-Midi station.
On weekends, trains connect Luxembourg, Schuman and Etterbeek to Brussels Airport. There are also different routes and alternatives to get to the airport from different stations in Belgium. See below for the average transfer time from the main cities in the country:
👉 Bruges: 90 minutes
👉 Charleroi: 83 minutes
👉 Ghent: 54 minutes
👉 Liège: 60 minutes
👉 Leuven: 15 minutes
👉 Namur: 72 minutes
Where can I buy my ticket?
You can buy your ticket in advance on the SNCB website or at the ticket vending machines at Brussels National - Zaventem station.
2. Take the bus 🚌
With STIB's Airport Line shuttles, you can get to the airport from the center of Brussels in 30 minutes. From Monday to Friday until 8 p.m., line 12 serves only a limited number of stops: Luxembourg, Schuman, Dimant, Geneva, Da Vinci, NATO and Bourget. In the evening and during weekends and public holidays, line 21 serves all stops. See the details of line 12.
De Lijn bus service
To get to the airport, you can also choose to take line 272 or 471 from Brussels North station, lines 272, 471 and 620 from NATO and lines 359 and 659 from Roodebeek metro station.
Tip: if you buy your ticket in advance, it will only cost you 4.5 euros, compared to 6 euros for a ticket purchased directly on the bus.
For more information, visit STIB.
3. Opt for a taxi 🚕
Taking a taxi remains the solution for those who are not comfortable with public transportation. Of course, it's convenient, but convenience comes at a high price. Expect to pay around 45 euros for the airport/city center journey, or 90 euros for a round trip.
If you want to travel to other parts of the city center, here are the rates:
👉 Midi station: 43.00€
👉 Grand Place: 41.00€
Rates to other popular destinations:
👉 Antwerp: 116.00€
👉 Leuven: 62.00€
4. Use your personal car 🚗
Prefer to take your own car? You have several choices for parking your car at the airport. Depending on the length of your stay and the parking option you choose, you will pay between 18 and 26 euros per day. If you choose a covered parking lot, with a short walking distance to your terminal and additional security measures to ensure a peaceful stay (including insurance against theft, damage and fire), the bill can go up to 35 euros per day.
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