Taking the bus is one of the most affordable and practical ways to travel anywhere in the world. and Europe is no exception. While trains are often lauded for their ease and speed, buses offer a practical alternative, frequently at lower prices. Budget travelers, in particular, will find buses to be a top choice.
Wondering what bus trips in Europe are truly like? Well, we’ve got just the thing for you. Here’s a detailed report from one of our travelers, Dimitri. He’ll take you through his own experience and give you the lowdown on what to expect on a European bus adventure from Paris to Brussels.
Planning the trip from Paris to Brussels
My girlfriend and I were eager to escape Paris for a quick getaway, so we spontaneously decided on a last-minute trip to Brussels. Thanks to Busbud, booking our tickets was incredibly easy and surprisingly affordable.
Although we initially considered taking the train, the steep price difference quickly changed our minds. A bus ticket cost us just $35, while the train would have set us back a staggering $189.
Sure, the bus journey was four hours long compared to the train’s hour and a half, but the significant cost savings made the decision a no-brainer for us. We were confident that the extra time on the road would be well worth it
Paris Bercy station
Finding the bus station in Paris was no easy task. With the Paris 2024 Olympics coming up, a few transportation closures made our way to Paris Bercy a bit complex (M14 closed). Once we got there, the station was a bit hidden and might be hard to find for someone going there for the first time.
Once found, the station was not very beautiful. It looks more like a very large garage for buses with a very small waiting room area. One positive aspect was that a screen displays the location of the bus. The departure station is also displayed always about 15 minutes before departure time.
Boarding the bus
Boarding the bus was quick and simple. The driver scanned the tickets and, after putting the luggage under the bus, passengers boarded from the back door. Seats were assigned but only briefly before boarding. Unfortunately, the bus driver did not speak English or French, so it was hard to communicate or ask any questions.
On the road from Paris to Brussels
The bus took two detours to pick up and drop off passengers at additional locations within Paris and Brussels. The two detours must have added at least 15 minutes to our travel time.
Other than that, the ride was smooth and comfortable. There is a small bathroom on the bus that neither of us used, but it is good to know it was there in case we needed it. The bus driver drove safely and the bus left and arrived on the time indicated on Busbud.
Arriving at Brussels Midi station
The drop-off location is close to Brussels Midi Station, and passengers disembark a bit before the train station’s entrance. After that, navigating public transportation became a bit challenging.
We discovered that the train station (Bruxelle-Midi // Zuidstation) charged for restroom use—not just once, but twice: once for accessing the bathroom and then again for washing your hands. However, once we located the metro station, we gained a better sense of direction within the city and were able to kick off our trip.
Returning to Paris
Finding the station—which was actually a designated stop on the road outside—was pretty simple. We just went back to where the bus had dropped us two days earlier.
Once there, the driver again did not speak any English or French but boarding was pretty quick. There were no detours on the way back but the driver had got in an accident at Bruxelle-Midi so we left 20 minutes late and encountered more traffic once we got to Paris. The driver’s code to enter Paris Bercy did not work and a language barrier between the man guarding the station gate and our driver delayed our entry to the station another 10 minutes. The bus driver seemed a bit confused like he had not been doing this very long because he asked us where to park.
Boarding the bus was efficient despite the language barrier with the driver. Although there were no detours on the return trip, a delay occurred due to a minor accident in Brussels. In Paris, further delays arose when the driver had trouble entering the station, leading to a brief confusion over parking. Overall, the journey had its minor hiccups, but we managed to navigate them smoothly.
2 Days in Brussels from Paris: tips to enjoy the city
Getting around: Brussels has a well-developed and easy-to-use metro station. We strongly recommend getting around solely by public transportation. For a two day stay in Brussels, we recommend organizing an itinerary and grouping together all activities that require a tram/metro and doing them all in a 24-hour period. Individual tickets cost €2.40 whereas a 24-hour pass will only cost you €8.40. As long as you do more than 3 trips, you will save money by taking the 24-hour pass.
If you’re staying for more than 2 days, I recommend buying the MOBIB card for €5 and getting a book of 10 tickets for €16.80. That would add up to €2.18 instead of €2.40 per ticket even with the €5 for the card. During the 2 days, we did a total of 6 trips but did not group our trips so we ended up paying €14.40 each in total.
Museums: In my opinion, Brussels has some of the best museums, including (but not limited to): the ChocoStory Chocolate Museum, the Musical Instrument Museum, the Atomium and mini-Europe, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, The natural Sciences Museum, the Parlamentarium (all about the European Union – plus it’s free!), and the Belgian Comic Strip Centre. There’s so much variety and something good for all types of travelers.
Best location to stay: We chose to pay a bit more and stay in the city center to be able to walk everywhere. Hotels in Brussels are quite expensive compared to other cities, and we were surprised that we couldn’t find anything for less than €100 per night except in hostels (but even the hostels were expensive).
Looking back, since the metro system is so good, we would have chosen to stay farther from the city center and pay the 24h metro pass for 2 days. This is more of a personal/financial decision but, in our opinion, any hotel in the city outskirts NEAR a metro station is also super doable.
Toilettes in Brussels: If you’re from America, you’ll be surprised to know that public bathrooms cost you money in Europe. It’s usually around €0.50 but can be a bit more or a bit less. However, if you come from Europe and are familiar with the concept of paying for bathrooms, you’ll also be surprised to know that Belgium takes it even further; even if you buy food at a restaurant, you may still need to pay for the bathroom.
Eating in Bruxelles: Bruxelles is known for a few delicious bites and the city’s fries are famous for a reason. You have to distinguish between the tourist trap fries and the actual good ones. We tried a cone of double-fried in beef fat fries at Cafe Georgette and they were the best fries we’ve ever had. A large cone is around €4.50 and their delicious homemade sauce costs €1. If you’re in the city, just go to Cafe Georgette, you’ll thank us later.
Belgium is famous for chocolate and the city has hundreds of chocolate shops. Even the “cheap” chocolate is better than anything we buy back home. We bought most of our artisanal chocolate at a place called Elizabeth. The employees there were super nice and very lenient with the sampling before you commit to buy. We paid €11 for 7 chocolates and we found that to be a lot, even if it WAS delicious.
If you want to know a trick, go to the chocolate museum (ChocoStory near Grand Place). The museum cost €14, but you get to sample some delicious pralines that they make right in front of you.
Food in Brussels is good just about everywhere. Just be ready to pay the price. Most meals will cost you around €20 per person unless you get a “snack”. The kebab near the Grand Place was €10, but even that’s expensive compared to the €7-8 it would cost in Paris.
Waffles: If you want to try the famous Belgian Waffles, try to spot a waffle food truck where they sell freshly made waffles for €2.50. As soon as you get to the touristic part, you will get a premade re-heated waffle for an average €3.50. We recommend trying the basic waffle before adding any toppings.
Cash & Credit: Some places don’t accept credit cards, so make sure to have a bit of cash on you. Many places will also put a minimum that you will have to spend before they accept your card (we saw either €5 or €10). Finally, many restaurants will not accept split bills for a table. If you’re going out with friends, discuss this beforehand.
Conclusion
Brussels is a city pleasant for all senses. The architecture is beautiful and the city smells like waffles and fries, and the food we tasted was super tasty. All I can say is, I recommend Brussels for a short visit and I most probably will be back for those fries at Café Georgette. We would definitely book our tickets on Busbud again, as it was so simple and effective, and we got great value for our money.
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