The infrastructure between Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg is designed to provide residents with many options for getting around. Think outside of the car and you may find it quicker (and often more affordable) to walk, bike or ride the train, even in rural locations.

Cycling is a way of life in Belgium and the Netherlands, with ample bike lanes that are essentially their own road networks, often taking advantage of more direct links between towns through farmland.

For daily cycling, it’s easy to follow local bike signs, utilize bike lanes and take the paths between your town and the next. For longer trips, there is a unique node system to help you get around. Cycling websites and apps allow you to select your starting and destination nodes, and the best cycling route will be displayed.

• The Belgian cycling network can be navigated at www.fietsroute.org. 

• The Netherlands system of bike paths is at www.nederlandfietsland.nl.

You cannot go wrong buying a bike in the Netherlands. However, bikes are also readily available to rent from shops or via pay-per-minute Apps. You can find bikes from companies like OV-fiets near railway stations in the Netherlands, Blue-Bike near transit hubs in Belgium and from Donkey Republic in cities across the region. There are e-bikes and traditional pedal options.

I happen to think that trains are the most enjoyable way to get around. You can forget the stress and rules of the road and just enjoy the ride. Deciding where to go and how to buy tickets is the hardest part. 

You don’t need to plan journeys far ahead to get good prices. Ticket prices are based on the distance you travel and whether it is peak (morning and evening rush hour) or off-peak timing. Show up, tap in, travel, and tap out. Park and Ride stations are located near the outskirts of larger cities and are a cost-effective, lower-stress way to get in and around places like Brussels and Amsterdam.

In Belgium

The Belgian national railway company is known by both its French and Dutch acronyms, SNCP/NMBS and is recognizable by its logo of a blue encircled B. You can buy tickets for trips within Belgium at the station ticket windows, vending machines, the official website or on their app. As of July 1, 2026, buying a ticket on board is no longer possible.

• Up to four kids under 12 travel free accompanied by a paying adult

• Youth (ages 12-26) and seniors (65+) save 40%

• Special discounts are available for concerts, festivals and events

In the Netherlands

Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) is the main train company and highly visible with blue and yellow branding. However, there are multiple transport companies, and you must check in and out with that same provider. For instance, my colleague and I bought paper NS tickets from a vending machine in Sittard, but couldn’t understand why they weren’t working.

A separate company, Arriva, operates regional trains and buses, and we were attempting to scan our tickets with their pink consoles. A kind passerby pointed out the yellow NS scanners, and we were in.

• Tapping in and out with your contactless bank card saves you a €1.60 fee for paper tickets.

• All trips you’ve taken in a day are deducted in a single payment the next day.

• Use the NS app or the 9292 app for detailed step by step travel instructions.

Where to Go?

• Departures from Charleroi Namur offer exploration of the countryside and small mountain towns via the Belgian Ardennes regional lines.

• There is a 3–4-hour loop, the Randstad Circle, showcasing Dutch architecture, culture and geography that takes passengers through Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam and The Hague. 

• Find tiny villages and islands by taking the Wadden line from Amsterdam toward Groningen and beyond. 

Motorways

Most cities and larger towns are well connected by motorways or dual carriageways (freeways or divided highways), so getting across these relatively small countries is easy-going and ordinarily free from traffic.

• A traffic jam is called un bouchon in French, de file in Flemish, or der Stau in German.

Urban Access

City driving in the Benelux can require more focus than city driving in the States. It involves one-way streets, looking out for cyclists and pedestrians, and aggressive drivers.

Many city centers have specific urban access regulations; this may include car-free pedestrian areas, low emission zones and tolls. Find regulations across Europe at urbanaccessregulations.eu. Automatic cameras in these zones can spot non-compliant cars and issue significant fines.

Parking

Big city parking garages, especially those linked to hotels, may require you to drive through areas that would otherwise be considered pedestrian-only. Calling ahead to your destination can reduce confusion and stress but won’t stop people on the street from looking at you as if you’re in the wrong.

Many towns across the region have “Blue Zones,” where you place a blue parking disc on your dashboard displaying the time you left your vehicle. Carrying Euro coins for meters is still wise though many places now use parking apps such as EasyPark, Yellowbrick and ParkMobile.

Rural Driving

Rural areas are a different story entirely. Roads are narrow, winding and often closely lined with fences, trees and ditches. You may have to pull over to let another vehicle pass. On particularly narrow roads, there should be designated areas for this maneuver every few hundred meters.

Place Names

In Belgium, French and Flemish names for places are usually similar, or at least recognizable, but they can also be very different. Around Brussels and other particularly confusing areas, they’ll be bilingual, but as you travel from Wallonia to Flanders and back, the town name you’ve been following on signs may seem to disappear completely.

• Near SHAPE and Chièvres, the city of Mons in French is called Bergen in Flemish.

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