We will be traveling by train from London to Cochem. We will have transfers in both Brussels (Midi) and Cologne. Transfer time in Brussels is 1 hour and 20 minutes. Transfer time in Cologne is 1 hour. We've never been to Europe before, and I wasn't able to find much online about this subject... Will we be able to leave the Brussels and Cologne stations during our transfer time, or would that not be worth it? Are there security and/or other time-consuming check-points that we'd need to worry about returning to the station? How early would we need to be back to the stations? I understand that the cathedral is very near the train station in Cologne and I'd love to see it briefly. Is there anything near the Brussels station that is worth seeing on a quick layover? Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you!
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10625 posts
Keri,
Brussels Midi station is in a run-down neighborhood unfortunately. If your train to Cologne stops at both the Midi and Central station, you could catch it at the Central station and see a few sights near this station.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
It's be a bit hard to see the largest (Ulm ?) cathedral in northern europe in a hour and get much out of it.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33840 posts
Ed, I like your diversion. (BTW - if OP has never seen anything of the Koelner Dom I think it is worth it for whatever they can get out of it - but I think 45 minutes or less will be a bit pushed) My lady Wife and I will be at Ulm and will have a good squint at the cathedral in July. We figure on a day in Ulm and another in the vicinity but are open for suggestions to expand our horizons there.
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
In response to Bets's response, unfortunately trains to Cologne do not usually stop at Brussels Central, only Midi.
Posted by
Gettysburg, PA
1589 posts
Keri, the Midi statio has a nice indoor cafe with an "outdoor" feel to it. I have enjoyed some great people watching there and would suggest it since your time is very limited. As noted by other, outside the Midi station is not so nice.
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
I'm not sure what some of the previous posts are talking about, you can absolutely see the Cologne Cathedral within an hour's time. It's literally across the street from the station and easy to walk right in and check it out. I did it on my last trip through which was a brief layover. Before leaving the station, I'd verify which platform your departing train will leave from, just so you know exactly where to go when you return. There are no security checks. Be back at the platform with 5-10 minutes to spare.
Posted by
Calgary
2297 posts
If it's the choice between spending an hour waiting inside a drafty train station or stepping out, walking a couple of steps to spend the next 45 minutes admiring one of the most impressive cathedrals of the country - I certainly know where my preference would be. Go and see the cathedral! You may not have enough time to climb up the tower (508 steps and sometimes line-ups eating up your precious time) but you can certainly get a good impression of the outside and inside of the building. Or just spend some time on the Domplatz, the area right in front of the cathedral. There are often jugglers, chalk painters and other street artists to entertain the crowd.
Posted by
OP
Michigan
20 posts
Thank you very much for your responses! Very helpful. It sounds like we should stay in the station (and maybe check out the cafe) in Brussels. And head outside and take a peak at the cathedral in Cologne.