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Train Travel Info► All Journeys► From Bruxelles / Brussels◮ To Rotterdam

Bruxelles / Brussels to Rotterdam by train

How to travel by train from Brussels to Rotterdam by taking the faster Thalys train services

There is a choice between two services when taking a train from Bruxelles/Brussels to Rotterdam:

1: The Thalys trains are faster as they exploit the maximum speed of the high speed route from Antwerp to Rotterdam; and when the most heavily discounted tickets are still available, they can be cheaper too:
However, they only depart from Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel-Zuid station.
Though when comparing the journey times factor in the need to pass through the security checks when accessing the trains.

2: The IC trains are slower because they divert off the direct route and also can't match the speed of the Thalys trains on the high speed line that they also use.
However, they're usually the cheaper option and if you will be buying tickets last minute at the station, they're money savers.

They also depart from Bruxelles-Central and Bruxelles-Nord stations in addition to Bruxelles-Midi.
If you'll be heading to Rotterdam from Bruxelles-Nord, and take a Thalys; factor in additional 30 mins from boarding a train at Nord to boarding a Thalys train at Midi station..

If you will be travelling with Eurail or InterRail passes ignore the Thalys trains.

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Routes

Option 1: taking the Thalys trains

Journey Summary

From
Bruxelles / Brussels
The main entrance on Place Victor Horta
Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel Zuid Rail Station Guide
To
Rotterdam
The exterior of Rotterdam Centraal station
Rotterdam Centraal Rail Station Guide
Travel Time
1hr 10min
Frequency
Daily
Travel Information

Final Destination: Amsterdam Centraal/CS

These trains also call at: Antwerpen Central

Aim to be at Bruxelles Midi/Zuid station a minimum of 10 - 15 mins before your train is due to depart.
You will have to pass through security checks before boarding this Thalys train and queues can build up at busy times.

The trains use the high speed line between Antwerpen and Rotterdam, but are not high speed between Bruxelles/Brussels and Antwerpen

These Thalys trains do not call at Bruxelles Central or Bruxelles Nord stations, but the alternative (much slower) InterCity Brussels trains do call at those stations in the city.

up to 14* x trains per day

*Some trains operate on only certain days of the week.

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 4 months ahead of the travel date

The limited numbers of cheapest discounted tickets for the Thalys trains are cheaper than the fares charged on the alternative slower InterCity Brussels trains.
Though when the cheapest Thalys tickets have sold out you can save money by taking those InterCity trains.

All tickets for the Thalys trains have a complimentary seat reservation.

Using rail passes:

Try and avoid these Thalys trains if you will be travelling with a rail pass;you can avoid the rail pass reservation fees charged on these Thalys trains by taking those InterCity Brussels trains instead.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
NS International from €25

NS International Guide

NS is the Dutch national rail operator and it operates a bespoke website for the booking of international rail journeys from and to The Netherlands.
Therefore it offers tickets for journeys by:

  • Thalys trains to Bruxelles and Paris
  • IC trains to Berlin via Hannover and Bruxelles via Antwerpen
  • Eurostar to London
  • ICE trains to Basel and Frankfurt (Main) via Koln
  • the Nightjet trains to Austria and Germany

NS International also sells tickets to a range of destinations in Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Italy and Switzerland, which involve a change of train in Germany, along with the destinations in France, which can be accessed by making a connection in Bruxelles.

B-Europe from €25

B-Europe Guide

B-Europe is the website provided by Belgium's national railway operator for the sale of international rail journeys from and to Belgium.
Therefore tickets can be booked for the following international train services to/from Belgium

  • Eurostar
  • IC trains to France, Luxembourg and The Netherlands
  • ICE trains to Germany
  • Thalys trains to Germany, The Netherlands and Paris
  • TGV trains to destination in France other than Paris
    B-Europe offers a 'Best Fares' policy for journey by these trains.

It also sells international end-to-end journeys solely by train, with connections outside of Belgium, if you will be heading to popular destinations in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Italy.

Users of Eurail and InterRail passes can also book seat reservations on the Eurostar and Thalys services without paying booking fees.

Omio from €25

Omio Guide

Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.

The three key advantages of using Omio are

  • it offers prices in multiple currencies
  • it usually offers price comparison with other modes of travel including flights and buses
  • when visiting Europe, you can book journeys in multiple countries in one transaction.

The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.

SaveATrain from €25

SaveATrain Guide

Happyrail from €25

Happyrail Guide

Happy Rail is a Netherlands rail ticket agency which sells tickets for both national and international journeys within a range of countries including Belgium France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland.

HappyRail doesn't charge booking fees in the conventional sense, but if you're not Dutch you can expect to pay additional transaction fees, which will be added to the total cost.
That's because the most common form of online payment used in The Netherlands is 'iDEAL' and HappyRail doesn't charge a transaction fee for 'iDEAL' payments, but only Dutch residents can sign up to 'iDEAL'.
Other forms of payment include Visa debit cards will incur a fee.

Trainline from €29

Trainline Guide

On this journey

Travelling On
Exterior of a refurbished Thalys train - note the red doors
Thalys Train Guide

Journey Features

High Speed (partial)

The trains use the high speed line between Antwerpen and Rotterdam, but are not high speed between Bruxelles/Brussels and Antwerpen

Option 2: taking the Intercity trains

Journey Summary

From
Bruxelles / Brussels
The main entrance to Bruxelles-Central
Bruxelles-Central/Brussel-Centraal Rail Station Guide
To
Rotterdam
The exterior of Rotterdam Centraal station
Rotterdam Centraal Rail Station Guide
Travel Time
2hr 11min
Frequency
Daily
Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date.

There are two choices of train service between Bruxelles/Brussels and Rotterdam:
(1) These Intercity Brussels/IC Brussels trains
(2) The high speed Thalys traions

Note that if you are looking up this journey more than 4 months ahead, only the tickets for this Intercity Brussels service will be on sale.

These Intercity Brussels trains are slower than those Thalys trains and are typically cheaper; though if you're booking more than a couple of weeks ahead, the price difference between the two services can be less than €5.

However, when the discounted tickets for the Thalys trains are sold out, these InterCity Brussels trains are the cheapest option
So, if you will be booking tickets on your day of travel these InterCity trains will be (much) cheaper than the Thalys trains.

Though your ticket will only be valid on the IC trains, if there is a delay to the IC services, or if the next IC train to leave is cancelled, you cannot then just take a Thalys train instead.

Book Tickets Online:

If you want to take one of these DIRECT InterCity trains - look for the trains that have '0' changes and only 'IC Brussels' shown by the journey.
Also IF you are offered a choice of route, then choose the option 'via BREDA'.

Note that seat reservations are not available on these 'IC Brussels' trains.

Using Rail Passes:

Taking these IC Brussels trains is a good option for rail pass users if you will be making this journey with an InterRail or Eurail pass you can avoid the rail pass reservation fees charged on the Thalys trains.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
NS International from €25

NS International Guide

NS is the Dutch national rail operator and it operates a bespoke website for the booking of international rail journeys from and to The Netherlands.
Therefore it offers tickets for journeys by:

  • Thalys trains to Bruxelles and Paris
  • IC trains to Berlin via Hannover and Bruxelles via Antwerpen
  • Eurostar to London
  • ICE trains to Basel and Frankfurt (Main) via Koln
  • the Nightjet trains to Austria and Germany

NS International also sells tickets to a range of destinations in Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Italy and Switzerland, which involve a change of train in Germany, along with the destinations in France, which can be accessed by making a connection in Bruxelles.

B-Europe from €25

B-Europe Guide

B-Europe is the website provided by Belgium's national railway operator for the sale of international rail journeys from and to Belgium.
Therefore tickets can be booked for the following international train services to/from Belgium

  • Eurostar
  • IC trains to France, Luxembourg and The Netherlands
  • ICE trains to Germany
  • Thalys trains to Germany, The Netherlands and Paris
  • TGV trains to destination in France other than Paris
    B-Europe offers a 'Best Fares' policy for journey by these trains.

It also sells international end-to-end journeys solely by train, with connections outside of Belgium, if you will be heading to popular destinations in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Italy.

Users of Eurail and InterRail passes can also book seat reservations on the Eurostar and Thalys services without paying booking fees.

SaveATrain from €25

SaveATrain Guide

Happyrail from €25

Happyrail Guide

Happy Rail is a Netherlands rail ticket agency which sells tickets for both national and international journeys within a range of countries including Belgium France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland.

HappyRail doesn't charge booking fees in the conventional sense, but if you're not Dutch you can expect to pay additional transaction fees, which will be added to the total cost.
That's because the most common form of online payment used in The Netherlands is 'iDEAL' and HappyRail doesn't charge a transaction fee for 'iDEAL' payments, but only Dutch residents can sign up to 'iDEAL'.
Other forms of payment include Visa debit cards will incur a fee.

On this journey

Travelling On
The label on the doors of an InterCity Brussels train
Intercity Brussels (Belgium <> Netherlands) Train Guide

Journey Features

Not High Speed

Good to Know

Final Destination: Amsterdam Centraal/CS or Den Haag HS

All trains also call at: Bruxelles-Midi; Bruxelles-Nord; Bruxelles Airport; Antwerpen and Breda

These trains reverse direction on departure from Breda.
Faster connections are now available at Breda if you're heading to Den Bosch, Eindhoven, Nijmegen and Arnhem.

Departing from Bruxelles/Brussels:

Note that these InterCity Brussels trains call at Bruxelles-Central station; the most convenient station for the city centre, as well as at Bruxelles-Nord.

However, the  Thalys trains, trains don not call at these other stations in central Bruxelles/Brussels, they only depart from Bruxelles-Midi.

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