Brussels-Midi: a private driver as soon as you step off the train
Twenty-two platforms on a viaduct, a long concourse beneath the tracks, several exits: at Brussels-Midi, the meeting point with your driver is agreed before your train has even left London or Paris.
A huge station, a single meeting point
Brussels-Midi is the capital's largest station: twenty-two platforms set on a viaduct and, beneath them, a long and rather dark concourse linking the various exits. Eurostar trains from London stop at platforms 1 and 2, which form a separate terminal. Trains from Paris, Amsterdam or Cologne, including the German ICEs, use other platforms. So depending on your train, you will not come down to street level in the same place, and that is exactly where travellers with heavy luggage lose the most time.
The meeting point is decided when you book. You give your train number and arrival time, and the team sets a precise spot: the Place Victor Horta exit, very close to the Eurostar arrivals, or the drop-off zone opposite the Tour du Midi, the tallest building in the country. Your driver takes your suitcases and walks you to the car, without going anywhere near the queue at the taxi rank.
- Meeting point chosen according to your arrival platform: 1 and 2 for London, other platforms for Paris, Amsterdam or Cologne.
- Your driver takes your suitcases as soon as you leave the platform area.
- No night-time walk to a taxi rank through a neighbourhood full of building works.
- Direct route to Brussels Airport, the European Quarter or another Belgian city.
- Van class for large families and teams with plenty of equipment.
The neighbourhood, late at night and on Sunday mornings
The area around the station, which straddles Saint-Gilles, Anderlecht and the City of Brussels, is the subject of a major urban regeneration programme designed to improve this international gateway. In the meantime, building sites and deserted streets hardly invite a stroll after dark. With two suitcases and a holdall, crossing Place Horta or walking along Avenue Fonsny in search of a taxi or your hotel is far from pleasant. When a car is waiting at the agreed point, you go from platform to back seat in a few minutes.
Sundays bring another quirk: from 06:00 until early afternoon, the Midi market, billed as one of the largest food markets in Europe, takes over the streets alongside the tracks. Slow traffic, no parking, pedestrians everywhere. Your driver plans the approach and chooses which side of the station to meet you on accordingly. If you are taking a Sunday-morning Eurostar, mention it in your request so that the departure time allows for this detour.
From the platform to what comes next
Many arrivals at Midi are just one leg of a longer journey. A traveller in from London to catch a long-haul flight at Zaventem goes straight to Brussels Airport without stopping at a hotel; depending on the time, the driver chooses between the inner ring road tunnels and the Ring. Another heads off to the Schuman roundabout for a meeting, to Antwerp or Ghent to see a client, or to Heysel for a trade fair at Brussels Expo. With an hourly chauffeur, your luggage stays in the boot all day.
On departure, it works the other way round. For London, security and passport checks take place before boarding, in the terminal that opens onto the main concourse near platforms 1 and 2, and Eurostar sets a cut-off time for reaching the train. Your departure from home or the office is worked out from that cut-off, evening traffic included. For Paris or Amsterdam, getting to the platform is more straightforward, but the station is still a long walk with suitcases.
- Midi to Brussels Airport: connecting with a flight
- Midi to the European Quarter: a meeting straight after arrival
- Midi to Antwerp, Ghent or Leuven: appointments in Flanders
- Midi to Heysel: a trade fair at Brussels Expo
Brussels-Midi station
I'm arriving from London by Eurostar: where do we meet?+
Trains from London arrive at platforms 1 and 2, in a terminal separate from the rest of the station. As passport checks took place in London before boarding, you go straight down to the main concourse by lift or stairs. The meeting point, often the nearby Place Victor Horta exit, is confirmed before you travel, along with your driver's contact details so that you can get in touch as soon as you arrive.
My train is running late: what happens to the meeting?+
Give your train number when you make your request and let your driver know as soon as a delay is announced: the meeting time is then moved to your actual arrival. If the delay becomes very long, for example after an incident in the Channel Tunnel, the team reviews the arrangements with you and tells you clearly what the change means for the rest of the journey.
Can I go straight from Brussels-Midi to Brussels Airport?+
Yes, it is in fact one of the most common connections. Outside rush hour, the journey to Zaventem is short, but on weekday mornings it can take considerably longer. Give your flight time as well as your train time: the margin between the two is checked before your request is confirmed, and a Van is available for those travelling with a lot of luggage.
Does the Sunday market make it harder to get to the station?+
Yes, in the morning. Every Sunday until early afternoon, the stalls of the Midi market stretch along the tracks and draw large crowds; the surrounding streets slow down and some entrances become congested. Your driver adapts the route and, if necessary, sets the meeting point on the less affected side. Mention any Sunday-morning departure or arrival when you book.
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