How do I get from the airport to Brussels?

The train is the obvious choice from Brussels Airport, and it earns it. Follow signs to Level -1 in the terminal, where the SNCB/NMBS station sits directly underneath arrivals. Trains to Bruxelles-Central depart every 10 to 15 minutes and take 17 minutes. A standard one-way ticket costs €14.70, which includes a €5.76 Diabolo supplement that funds the tunnel connecting the airport to the main rail network. If your hotel is near Gare du Midi where Eurostar arrives, stay on for another 5 minutes. The carriages tend to be half-empty outside rush hour, with that particular Belgian-train smell of old upholstery and industrial cleaning fluid. Buy your ticket at the machines in the station hall before boarding. Validators don't always check, but the fine for riding without one is €75.

For late arrivals or heavy luggage, taxis operate on a flat €45 fare to anywhere within the Brussels-Capital Region's 19 communes. That rate is fixed by regional ordinance, not negotiable, and covers the entire city proper including Ixelles, Saint-Gilles, and Uccle. The taxi rank sits at the exit of the arrivals hall. Uber works in Brussels. To be fair, prices tend to run close to the regulated taxi rate from the airport, sometimes higher during peak hours. STIB bus line 12 runs from the airport to the Schuman roundabout near the EU institutions for about €3, but it takes 35 to 45 minutes and the luggage situation gets awkward on a packed city bus at 8am.

If you booked a Ryanair or Wizz Air flight, you're likely landing at Brussels South Charleroi (CRL), which is 46km south of the city and not really in Brussels at all. The Flibco shuttle bus runs every 30 minutes to Bruxelles-Midi for €17 one-way, or €31 return if booked online. Budget 55 to 70 minutes for the ride. The bus drops you at the south side of Midi, which feels industrial and slightly disorienting at night. Walk through the station to the taxi rank on the north side if you're continuing by cab. A taxi directly from Charleroi to central Brussels costs €90 to €120. Book the Flibco online the day before. Seats do sell out on Sunday evenings.

Which station you exit at matters. Bruxelles-Central puts you 200 meters from the Grand-Place and the restaurant-heavy Rue des Bouchers. Bruxelles-Midi is the Eurostar hub, but the surrounding neighborhood leans grittier and quieter after dark. Bruxelles-Nord sits near Rogier and the pedestrian Boulevard Anspach, decent for hotels around Sainte-Catherine where fish restaurants line the old Place du Marché aux Poissons. All three stations sit on the same north-south rail tunnel, spaced about 3 minutes apart. The damp chill of Brussels air is likely to greet you when you step outside, even in mid-June. A single STIB day pass costs €8 and covers metro, tram, and bus for any onward connections.