Headed to this portion of Europe? Here’s what I learned:
Trains:
- Always pay for the first class ticket when traveling with suitcases. That means you’re only bringing one suitcase, max! A second class seat only guarantees you transportation on the train. It also means you might be forced to stand in the doorways.
Traveling to or from Belgium / Germany:
- Plan to arrive or depart on Sundays or Mondays. Like France, many popular places are closed Sundays for mass. Monday’s are often the one day a week shops or second-rate tourist places are closed.
ADA:
- If you have a problem walking across cobblestone streets, unassisted, this is not the region for you. Ramps, escalators or elevators are in short supply here.
Apps:
- SNCB (domestic Brussels ticket purchasing) – they also offer up to 40% off kiosk purchases if you sign up for their benefits program.
- SNCB International – for any SNCB train which has a portion of the trip traveling outside of Brussels
- NS – Netherlands domestic train ticket purchasing
- Omio – see all the train options available
- Citymapper – guided navigation to get to your destination. It talks to you.
- Visit A City – ideas on what to see in the places you’re visiting
- Schiphol – Amsterdam’s official airport app, let’s you schedule your security check point time