How do I get from Brussels airport to Ghent when trains are on strike?
- By
- Aparna Patel
- |
- 21 Jul, 2023
- |
Fot his specific strike, my answer is too late, but since the Belgian railways are prone for strikes (sometimes even instant strikes) I can still answer.
The bus connection google mentions is not worth a try, especially if there are strikes. You mention 3 connections, meaning in practice your travel time will be doubled due to at least one missed connection.
In my opinion there are three options.
- Enjoy brussels during the strike
- For the adventurous and sportive traveler buying a bike might be a good solution. It is only 54 kilometers and the scenery is worth it. Buying a bike at shops like the Hema or Decathlon it is definitely cheaper then renting a car. Google maps will give you coordinates
- Send a tweet with the hashtags #nmbs and #staking and ask for either a hitchhike or others to share in the costs for renting a car or a taxi. I am using this approach a lot in similar situation and I am always surprised how well that works.
If you can afford it the best option is to rent a car.
This is what I ended up doing. I was a bit worried that there would be no cars left due to the strike but I guess people need to get to the airport then too. Anyway I booked one in advance and found it in the midst of an ocean of other rentals.
Using google maps directions I found this option using the bus network: Google map link. It involves four buses: 821 to Merchtem, 245 onwards to Dendermonde, 28 to Wetteren and finally number 34 to Gent. It seems that the latest option for this route starts at 18:16 making it hard to catch with a flight arriving 17:55. (If I remember correctly Brussels is one of those airports where you walk forever before reaching arrivals.)
Credit:stackoverflow.com‘