One of the most beautiful countries of Europe is undoubtedly Netherlands and Belgium. With beautiful elegant cities and endless farmland that often lie at an altitude, lower than the sea level, those countries have a lot to give to the visitor. That’s how i decided to visit them. Their reputation had preceded them and all that remained was the accumulation of the corresponding budget and a click on the computer. My original plan was to rent a car for the first time in my life. As the road network is impeccable and public transport is a little expensive, i considered it a good and economical solution. To rent a car, you must have a credit card in your name. Only with debit can not be hired. As always, I do not get used to reading the dozens of emails sent to me by online booking companies (hotels, tickets, etc.), so in one of them, i received the last-minute information on the issue of credit. I never had such a card and i will not even get it. No problem, i thought. Changing the plan and switching to the means of transport.
Charleroi Airport -Brussels
The beginning was at Charleroi Airport. The solution most chooses is the bus. That’s what we chose. At a cost of 17 euros per person, the ultramodern vehicle starts its 50-minute route to the city of Brussels. There he ends at Brussels South Station. From this point everyone gets their way. Our goal was to spend an overnight stay in the capital of Belgium and the next day to head towards Ghent.
Brussels – Ghent
The next afternoon after a short stroll in Brussels, we headed to the Brussels Midi train station. From there we went to the gorgeous Ghent with one of the dozens of trains that run daily to this exciting city. Throughout the journey, the look was restful on the beautiful outskirts of Brussels and the lush countryside. The cost of the trip was 8.90 euros per person and the trip lasted 40 minutes. The stop was called Gent – Sint Pieters, with the city center just 2 km away. The ticket for tram No1 (red line), which takes you to the city center, costs 3 euros.
Our next destination was the medieval Bruges. A real gem of Belgium that it was impossible to not visit it. The routes to Bruges are frequent, so we found ourselves once again in the Gent – Sint Pieters, with the west direction this time. The route had much to do with the previous one and the terrain has no particular changes with the crops being pretty much the same. At a cost of EUR 7.40 per person including the return, we made this 25-minute route. My ticket seemed relatively inexpensive for the country’s expensive standards. The center of this fairytale city was just a few hundred meters from the station and the walk was enjoyable as a whole.
Ghent – Antwerp
From beautiful Ghent to the world capital of diamonds, the move was once again by train. Moving at normal speeds and almost silent, like all the previous ones, led us to Antwerp. The landscape once again was familiar. Beautiful arable land, clustered rural settlements, and a lot of cattle that grazed. The route lasted 1 hour and costing was 9.40 euros per person.
Antwerp – Amsterdam
Temporarily we said goodbye to Belgium and we headed to Amsterdam. On our way to the north we would make our first international journey. Do not imagine some border control and so on. It is difficult to understand when you are going from Belgian to Dutch territory. Only when the train speed is down and approaching the Dutch border town of Rosenthal, one suspects that it is moving to another country. Someone then observes the differences in signposting signs, as well as small claims in the buildings. The landscape from flat is becoming even more flat. Perhaps the train tracks are the highest point of the route. Until you reach its final destination, it stops in the cities of Dortrecht and Rotterdam, then it has a stop at the Amsterdam International Airport, Schiphol. After 2h25min, the train engines will be switched off at Amsterdam Centraal. The cost of the trip is 33 euros per person.
From the capital of the Netherlands to go to Brussels, we had to find ourselves once again at Amsterdam Centraal. (The hourly urban ticket for trams costs 2.90 euros). At that point the passenger receives his ticket from the counter with the international routes. The return for the Brussels region lasts from 3h10min to 3h25min, depending on where you arrive and costs is 45,5 euros. The train passes from the city of Antwerp and then continues to the capital of Belgium. If he stops in Mechelen and to Brussels Airport. After that the time to finish is approaching.
Brussels – Charleroi
In the way back to Charleroi airport, we will have to do the first reverse route again. Somewhere here is good to give you a information. A Greek driver is active in the Brussels area. He has set up a door-to-door transport company as he says. Mr Elias Vanakas charges almost the same money as the bus, with the advantage of receiving you from the hotel you are staying and transferring to your destination. The trip is usually done with six-seater vans under the discreet sounds of Greek music. All the above routes were beautiful and the means of transport were very safe. This has helped the journey to be particularly relaxing. Wagons were spotless and passengers were discreet and civilized. Prices are high for Greek financial standards, but reasonable for local ones. With my pocket finally emprty, i enjoyed five beautiful cities in Europe.
- I mentioned the routes I made above, without mentioning the cities. These will be over time. I also write about the means I used during my visit as well as the prices I paid. The article is NOT a travel proposal. You may find better and cheaper means. It is worth searching.
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