More Belgium Info Please

[Daffodil]

Hello. Does anyone know the closest train station to Himmunitas? I am near MIDI station and i keep looking up trains to vilvoorde but its giving me weird info. I keep entering the address of Vilvoorde train station but it looks like the exact same address exists in Bruges and a bunch of other places...?
thanks!!
Sue

 

[Thinktank]

There's no train station close to himmunitas that i know of. I usually stay around north station, a taxi from there to himmunitas costs around 25 euro.
Otherwise you can go by tram and bus.

 

[justy]

Thinktank is right - nearest station is vilvoorde, but its not that near...hope all goes well.

 

[justy]

https://timetable.captaintrain.com/trains/bruxelles-midi/vilvoorde

this gives details - but you would still need a bus or taxi from vilvoorde station

 

[Effi]

@Daffodil I guess you want a connection with as little walking as possible (as opposed to the fastest in minutes)?

All IR and L trains from MIDI to Antwerp or Essen should stop at Vilvoorde station, but ask the conductor before you get on the train, cause it's not always 100% reliable.

At Vilvoorde Station take bus 47 and get off at a stop called HOOGVELD.
Turn left and follow Tyraslaan until you reach building n111. Himmunitas is a two minute walk from the bus stop.

(road map of bus 47: http://www.stib-mivb.be/irj/go/km/docs/horaires/47/schema/20150629/47_1.gif)

 

[Daffodil]

@Effi thank you so much for that info. I guess to come back, i just cross the street and take 47 going in the opposite direction?

@Thinktank i see. i somehow did some "research" and thought MIDI station was not far from himmunitas lol.

@justy thanks are their phones to call a taxi at Vilvoorde?

the decision not to stay at Eurovolley was questionable for sure. I had to lug 2 pieces of heavy luggage up and down stairs of trains and walk a block to the hotel, which i thought was connected to the station. the streets are not smooth so my humungous wheeled duffle bag kept falling. i hope i am not totally dead tomorrow lol

if my appt is 10:15 am, do you guys think i should give myself 90 min to be safe? maybe 2 hours

xoxoox

 

[Effi]

I guess to come back, i just cross the street and take 47 going in the opposite direction?

Yeah, to go back to the train station I'd say look for the 47 that says 'Vilvoorde Station', not the one saying 'De Brouckère'.

 

[Daffodil]

Yeah, to go back to the train station I'd say look for the 47 that says 'Vilvoorde Station', not the one saying 'De Brouckère'.

ok got it! do you know how often 47 runs? i understand it stops at 5 pm i think? but does it run all day otherwise?

 

[Daffodil]

does anyone know the bus fare ? do you pay again when you come back? thank you

 

[Effi]

@Daffodil It's summer holidays so the bus rides slightly less frequently. I'm just checking this on the website, but it seems like it goes every 15 to 20 minutes.

Here's the entire timetable - look at 'summer holidays' (not 'school holidays') ETA on second inspection it seems to be the other way round! This week is white on the calendar so for some weird reason this part of the summer holiday is officially called 'school holiday'. So look under 'Monday to Friday - school holiday': http://www.stib-mivb.be/irj/go/km/docs/horaires/47/Horaires/20160704/EN_HL_47_20160704_Col.pdf

I'd say you are an 'occasional traveller', so these are your ticket options: https://www.stib-mivb.be/Papier.html?l=en
A single journey ticket is 2,10€ when purchased from a vending machine/ticket booth; 2,50€ when bought from the driver in the bus.

 

[Daffodil]

@Effi thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is awesome

 

[Effi]

 

[Daffodil]

@Effi again, thank you. your directions were almost perfect...i had to walk right when i got off bus 47 and not left. luckily, there was a woman going in the same direction so all worked out

they say brussels is small but now that i have taken a few trains, it doesnt seem that small

 

[Effi]

@Daffodil Good to hear everything worked out! Yes, Brussels is small, but it's busy and very densely populated, which makes it feel big. If that makes sense.

Hope the heat didn't bother you too much.

 

[Daffodil]

@Daffodil Good to hear everything worked out! Yes, Brussels is small, but it's busy and very densely populated, which makes it feel big. If that makes sense.

Hope the heat didn't bother you too much.

omg it bothered me soooo much. i am very intolerant to heat lol. i got the idea from looking up the weather in toronto that brussels would be cooler and i was looking forward to that. not so!

i saw a few men in fatigues carrying big guns in the train station but certainly not as many as i expected.

 

[Valentijn]

i saw a few men in fatigues carrying big guns in the train station but certainly not as many as i expected.

Shirtlessness of said men should be mandatory

 

[Daffodil]

Shirtlessness of said men should be mandatory

hahahahaha

 

[Thinktank]

The heat in the Netherlands is killing me, but i see it isn't any better in Brussels!

 

[sarah darwins]

You have heat? What's heat?

 

[Daffodil]

the bus i took had no a/c or windows even! it was a sauna. i think the a/c was broken