Belgium
Brussels
A capital radiating from the cobbled Grand-Place. On the metro, trams and buses, tap a bank card and ride.
Brussels Airport (BRU/Zaventem) access
Updated on August 5, 2026
How to ride
- 1From arrivals, head for the station or the bus stopsThe rail station sits directly under the terminal on level -1; the bus station is now about 100 m from arrivals, on level 0.
- 2Leaving the airport, buy the dedicated Airport2City ticketOrdinary STIB tickets are not valid leaving the airport. Buy one at a machine or BOOTIK, or tap your bank card on the reader.
- 3On the train, scan your ticket at the gatesThe airport station is gated. Scan the barcode on your ticket or your MOBIB card to get in - and again to get out. Keep it safe.
- 4Overnight, take De Lijn night bus N62When the trains stop for the night, the N62 links the airport with place Rogier at De Lijn's usual fares.
- 5Take a taxi from the rank outside the arrivals hallNo booking needed - official taxis queue just outside the arrivals hall. Look for a licence plate starting with T.
- 6Heading to the airport, take bus 12From the city you can board bus 12 with any STIB ticket or season ticket - only this direction needs no special ticket.
Fares
Single fares4
Passes & multi-ride1
Card itself1
Add-ons & fees1
Estimates use exchange rates as of November 4, 2026
Payment
Tap to ride 
IC card 
App tickets 
QR ticketing 
Paper tickets 
Cash Quick facts
Fares
Tourist passThe STIB day ticket explicitly excludes journeys leaving the airport.
Daily fare cap（Limited）The €8.50 contactless daily cap does not apply to journeys leaving the airport.
Transfer discountsAn Airport2City ticket connects onto the whole STIB network in its first hour.
Facilities
Lifts (step-free)（Limited）The rail station sits on level -1 under the terminal, reached by escalator or lift, and a covered walkway leads to the bus station. On the STIB bus network, wheelchair access depends on the individual stop.
Suitcases & luggageKeep bags with you: anything left unattended in STIB space is removed at once.
Rules
Fare evasion fine（Banned）On STIB, no valid ticket costs €107; €214 for a repeat within 24 months.
Apps & info
Journey planner app (Google Maps)Fine for routing - you still buy the ticket separately at a machine or in an app
English signage（Unverified）English signage unconfirmed; stop and station names appear in French and Dutch.
Service info / card balance app (De Lijn)Timetables for the N62 night bus and the Ringtrambus; not needed if you just tap a bank card
Operating hoursTrains run from the station under the terminal from early morning until around midnight - six an hour towards Brussels-North, -Central and -South, plus two an hour to the European Quarter. Journey times are about 11 minutes to Brussels-North, 18 to Central and 23 to South. The STIB Airport Line (bus 12) runs every day, leaving the airport from 05:08 to 00:30 and leaving Trone in the city from 04:29 to 23:47, roughly every 12-20 minutes by day and every 20 in the late evening (STIB's own line timetable PDF, edition of 29 June 2026). Overnight, when both train and bus have stopped, De Lijn's N62 covers the gap from 00:55 to 04:45, twice an hour, between the airport and place Rogier.
Heads-up
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You need the ticket to exit too - lose it and you buy again
Brussels Airport-Zaventem station is gated and you need your ticket to get out as well as in. Lose it and the railway makes you buy the ticket and the supplement again, so keep it on you until you are through.
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City tickets do not cover journeys out of the airport
It is only the journey out of the airport that falls outside the ordinary city tickets. Brupass, Brupass XL, the STIB single and day tickets and the contactless daily cap all carve out journeys departing from Zaventem Airport towards Brussels in the annex to the rules of transport. Heading to the airport they work as normal, so the direction to watch is the way back.
Timetable
Editor Naotaka