There are so many places to visit in Brussels! If you are planning a trip to the capital of Belgium, purchasing Brussels Card will be a great investment. There are several options available to the guests of Brussels which will provide them with free access to the public transport as well as free entrance to many museums and galleries. You will even be able to get discounts in the local shops, bars and restaurants. Here, you will find more extended information about Brussels Card.
What is Brussels Card?
Brussels Card is a special card that provides the visitors of the city with multiple discounts as well as a possibility to travel in the area for free and enter the majority of the capital’s galleries and museums without paying the entrance fee.
So far, purchasing Brussels Card will give you an opportunity to visit 39 attractions in Brussels for free. You will be able to visit such museums, galleries and other attractions with Brussels Card as Belgian Chocolate Village, BELvue museum, Belgian Brewers museum, MIM – Musical Instruments Museum (MRAH), Villa Empain – Boghossian Foundation, MIMA the Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art Museum, Museum of Costume & Lace (Museums of the City of Brussels), Magritte Museum (Royal museums of Fine Arts) and many others.
Brussels Card also gives you a chance to use a discount at a number of places of interest in the city. For example, you will pay €2 less for enjoying Koekelberg Basilica panoramic view, €3 less for visiting Océade as well as €3 for entering Atomium.
A variety of shops will offer you their discounts if you visit them with Brussels Card. For instance, you can count on a discount of 15% on the purchase worth 25€ or more at Planète Chocolat which is a chocolate workshop situated between Manneken-Pis and the Grand-Place. Some other places offering their discounts to the owners of Brussels card are Elisabeth which is a local sweet shop located near the Grand Palace and Library Galerie Brüsel which is a large comics shop.
At some places, you can count even on free drinks and food if you have Brussels Card. Thus, you can enjoy one free coffee if you order lunch at À La Mort Subite or Crème glacée at Hard Rock Cafe Brussels.
In addition to it, Brussels Card will provide you with free use of the city’s public transport as well as a guidebook containing the information about all the places of interests participating in this programme.
The versions of Brussels Card
There are two basic types of Brussels Card. The first one includes the public transport whereas another one doesn’t provide its users with a possibility of using transportation. Choosing the “Brussels Card + public transport” version of the card will entitle you to using all the metro lines, buses and trams inside the city area.
The cards also differ with the time for which they are valid. Thus, there are 24-hour, 48-hour or 72-hour cards. The first time you use the card for traveling or visiting places of interest is the moment at which the time starts count.
How can you use Brussels Card for public transport?
As it has already been said, the “Brussels Card + public transport” option allows you to use any public transport in the area of Brussels. Yet, you should pay your attention to the fact that the card itself is not a ticket. This means, you will still have to get tickets in order to use the transport.
For this purpose, you can easily use any ticket machine located at bus/tram stops as well as metro stations. In order to use Brussels Card for getting free tickets, you should choose the “event pass” option. Then, you will be asked to enter the numbers which you can find on the card. Thus, you will get your free paper tickets which can be validated by the machines located inside the transport.
How can you order your Brussels Card?
Brussels Card can be purchased online. This can be done easily. First, you should consider whether you are going to buy the version of the card that gives you access to public transport or not. You should also decide which time version of the card you need.
The prices for Brussels Card are currently the following:
- regular Brussels Card:
- Brussels Card 24h for adults – € 28.00;
- Brussels Card 48h for adults – € 36.00;
- Brussels Card 72h for adults – € 44.00;
- Brussels Card + Public Transport:
- Brussels Card 24h + Public Transport for adults – € 35.50;
- Brussels Card 48h + Public Transport for adults – € 50.00;
- Brussels Card 72h + Public Transport for adults – € 62.00.
For purchase, you will have to provide your name, current e-mail address as well as some additional personal information. You should also chose the payment option. Once you choose the option ”Make your payment”, you will see the payment gate where you should insert the payment information needed for using your credit card.
Within 24 hours, you will receive the confirmation of your Brussels Card. You should print it and show it as well as your ID either in Tourism Office located in Brussels Town Hall or Bruxelles Info Place where you will be able to get a manufactured card.