Transportation in Belgium

Belgium's transport backbone is the National Railway (SNCB/NMBS), fast, punctual, and cheap if you book online or use the SNCB app instead of station machines. Major cities are linked every 30, 60 minutes. Within each city, trams and buses run on the same MOBIB card you tap on trains, so one contactless pass covers everything. Skip the tourist "day cards" sold in hotel lobbies, they cost more than the standard MOBIB fare and don't work on inter-city trains. For short hops, the blue-and-yellow De Lijn buses and trams dominate Flanders, while TEC covers Wallonia. Both accept the same MOBIB card. But single paper tickets are a splurge. Brussels has its own STIB network (metro, pre-metro, trams), fastest across the capital and cheaper than taxis. Taxis are a comfort option but sit in traffic; ride-hail apps are available but still pricey. From Brussels Airport, the airport train runs directly to the three main Brussels stations in under 20 minutes, faster and a fraction of a taxi. If you land late, the official taxi rank outside Arrivals is metered. Ignore the unlicensed drivers inside the terminal.