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Travelling from Brussels, Belgium to Sedan, France

Posted by on

I shall be traveling to Belgium in June 2015 to enjoy the festivities and re-enactments surrounding the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. After I attend these, I plan to travel to Sedan, France for three nights before traveling by rail to Reims, France and then Paris. What would be the best way to travel from Brussels to Sedan? I'm thinking a car rental at a reasonable price would not be feasible because I do not know how to drive a stick shift and I would also have to pick up the car in our country and drop it off in another.

Rail travel is my first option, but that would a long trip through the hear o southern Belgium and into Luxembourg and then to Sedan, with me arriving in Sedan after 8:30 PM in the evening. I am not averse to doing this, in fact I would enjoy the scenery. Given the travel experiences of those on this board, however, I'm wondering if going via some sort of taxi or bus travel would be a better option? Please advise if you have the opportunity to do so. Thank you.

Posted by
14980 posts

What an envious trip focusing on the events by re-enactments on the Waterloo campaign!! Without a rental car how do plan on getting to the villages and towns, such as Charleroi, Ligny, Plancenoit, Wavre, Waterloo, and a host of other sites? Maybe at the Tourist Office at the train station in Brussels you can inquire about any bus connection, or even the option of a guide.

Posted by
16895 posts

Train schedules that I see for early June are not quite as good as in other months, but I wouldn't mind to take the slow train option with 2 connections, such as the one below that arrives by 7 p.m. Check schedules later for your actual travel date, as many are not yet published past June 13. You probably will have to choose between fewer connections or shorter travel time, not both.

Bruxelles-Midi We, 10.06.15 dep 13:33 12 IC 2113 Intercity
Luxembourg We, 10.06.15 arr 16:53

Transfer time 20 min.

Luxembourg We, 10.06.15 dep 17:13 RE 86562 Regional-Express
Longwy We, 10.06.15 arr 17:46

Transfer time 5 min.

Longwy We, 10.06.15 dep 17:51 RE 38316 Regional-Express
Sedan We, 10.06.15 arr 18:50

Posted by
5 posts

thanks to everyone who has responded. I booked my train tickets and reservations online through Rail Europe's website. The math makes it cheaper for me to purchase the individual tickets rather than a rail pass.

Posted by
7886 posts

Keith, you have what you need. Sorry to say that RailEurope usually charges more than the national rail companies do, for your reference next time you plan European rail travel. It's also better to buy early, when discounts are readily available.

Posted by
16895 posts

Tim, on this route, your buy-early advice does not apply, at least not for the particular schedule that I listed in February.

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