Public Transportation to South Brussels Charleroi Airport CRL in Belgium

Trains, buses, and shuttles make getting to South Brussels Charleroi Airport in Belgium easy for cheap low-cost airline flights on Ryanair.

South Brussels Charleroi Airport (CRL) in Belgium is used by low-cost airlines and should not be confused with Brussels Airport (BRU). Although 50 km to the south of Brussels, public transportation is readily available to Charleroi Airport from downtown Brussels and most other destinations in Belgium. Airport shuttle buses are generally the easiest way to get to the airport from Brussels while a train and bus combination is usually the better and cheapest option from other places in Belgium.

Taxi2Airport provides online quotations for taxi and shuttle minibus van transfers from South Brussels Charleroi Airport to any destination in Belgium. Such transfers may be worth the splurge for families and small groups but for most travelers using the bus and train will be much cheaper.

Driving to South Brussels Charleroi Airport (CRL)

South Brussels Charleroi Airport (CRL) is in the town Charleroi around 50 km (30 miles) to the south of Brussels. Charleroi Airport is close to major highway junctions providing fast access to most part of Belgium, southern Netherlands, and northern France.

The easiest access to South Brussels Charleroi Airport (CRL) is from highway A54 – from Brussels, use exit 24 (Ransart / Charleroi Airport). The easiest access to the airport from highway E42 is via exit 15 (Fleurus) and from highway R3 via exit 13 (Soleilmont).

Taxis between downtown Brussels and South Brussels Charleroi Airport are pricy and around €80 for up to four passengers. The driving time is around 45 minutes.

Small groups may find better value in reserving a private airport shuttle in advance. An eight-seater minibus from the airport to Brussels is around €130 an €240 to Brussels. Shared shuttles are sometimes available and offer good value for money but departures are not very frequent.

Avis, Europecar, Herz, National, T&C Location, and Sixt have car rental desks at South Brussels Charleroi Airport. Car hire is best reserved in advance to ensure availability and the cheapest prices.

Getting by Train to South Brussels Charleroi Airport (CRL)

South Brussels Charleroi Airport (CRL) is not directly linked to the railway network but Charleroi Sud station is reasonably close to the airport. The TEC bus line A runs up to twice per hour between the train station and the airport. Traveling time is twenty minutes. The bus is €3 but usually included in combination bus/train tickets.

Tickets to and from Charleroi Airport to any train station in Belgium can be bought online or at station counters (or on some long-distance trains). Ask for a Charleroi Airport ticket (or use code 815 for a return ticket or code 811 / 814 for a single journey ticket). These tickets automatically include the TEC bus A fare for the journey between Charleroi Sud train station and South Brussels Charleroi Airport. The current one-way fare to Brussels is €11.20 while the maximum price to any destination in Belgium, eg Bruges, is €19.60.

Ticket machines at Charleroi Airport are outside the building near exit door 2 – cash or credit cards accepted. The train combination ticket is not available from the driver.

Shuttle Buses to South Brussels Charleroi Airport (CRL)

Although the train and bus combination is the cheapest way to travel one-way between South Brussels Charleroi Airport and Brussels, the convenience of the Brussels City Shuttle buses are more than worth the small saving. These airport shuttle buses are operated by Autocar l’Elan and connect Brussels South (Bruxelles-Midi) Train Station and Charleroi Airport in around an hour. No transfers are needed and there is no need to drag luggage up stairs or through busy stations.

The one-way fare for the Brussels City Shuttle is €13 while return journeys can be had for €22. Currently the first bus to the airport departs from Brussels at 04:00 am and the last bus leaves for the airport at 08:30 pm. The first bus from the airport leaves Charleroi Airport at 8:15 am and the last bus at 11:45 pm.

The Brussels City Shuttle stops at Brussels South train station at the intersection of rue de France and rue de l’Instruction. The buses are usually painted with large Ryanair advertisements but anyone may use the  bus. It is necessary to depart from Brussels at least three hours before scheduled flight departure times – more time are advisable especially when traveling with luggage and not using online check-in services.

Currently no shuttle buses are available to Bruges or Lille but may be available during the summer high season.

Flibco Bus from to Luxembourg, Thionville & Metz from Charleroi Airport

Flibco operates shuttle buses up to 12 times per day from Metz via Luxembourg to Charleroi. These buses stop en route from Metz at Thionville, Luxembourg (Hautpbahnhof,Kirchberg & P&R Bouillon), Arlon and Bostagne. Traveling times from Charleroi are 2h40 to Luxemburg City and 3h45 to Metz.

The one-way fare from Luxembourg to Charleroi can be as cheap as €5 for advance reservations at unpopular hours but generally are around €22 for reserved tickets for almost immediate travel, and €27 if bought from the driver. For Metz, the fares range from €10 to €32 (€40 if bought from the driver). Flibco also offer connections from these cities and Trier to Frankfurt Hahn Airport (HHN) in Germany.

At Charleroi Airport, Fibco buses (usually green and white) stop at Porte 4.