By air: Brussels Airport (BRU) at Zaventem, 12 km northeast, has direct connections across Europe and long-haul routes to North America, Africa, and Asia. The Airport Express train runs to all three central Brussels stations in 15–20 minutes. Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL), used by Ryanair and other low-cost carriers, is 60 km south; shuttle buses run to the Midi/Zuid station in about an hour.
By train: Brussels is a hub of the European high-speed rail network. Eurostar from London St Pancras takes under two hours to Midi/Zuid. Thalys (now folded into Eurostar) from Paris takes 1h22; from Amsterdam 1h50; from Cologne 1h50. Intercity trains from the Netherlands, Germany, and France stop at Midi/Zuid and often continue to Central and Nord. Within Belgium, the rail network is dense and fast — Bruges 55 minutes, Ghent 30 minutes, Antwerp 35 minutes.
By car: Belgium's motorways converge on Brussels from all directions. Parking in the centre is expensive and stressful; using a park-and-ride on the ring road and taking the metro in is considerably more sensible.