There are 7 ways to get from Essen to Brussels by train (Eurostar), bus, rideshare, plane, train, or car
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Train
best- Take the train from Essen Hbf to Brussel-Zuid / Bruxelles-Miditrain Thalys
2h 59m€50–150Rideshare
cheapest- Take the rideshare from Essen to Brussels224.5 km
2h 46m€11–20Bus
- Take the bus from Essen central train station to Brussels-North train stationbus N380 / ...
3h 30m€18–30Fly
- Fly from Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS) to Brussels Airport (BRU)plane DUS - BRU
5h 49m€130–255Train via Cologne
- Take the train from Essen Hbf to Köln Hbftrain 43 / ...
- Take the train from Koeln Hbf to Brussel-Zuid / Bruxelles-Miditrain Thalys
3h 44m€74–176Train via Kerkrade
- Take the train from Essen Hbf to Herzogenrath, Bftrain
- Take the train from Herzogenrath to Liège-Guilleminstrain S43 / ...
- Take the train from Liège-Guillemins to Bruxelles-Centraltrain Ic / ...
4h 42m€46–146Drive 224.8 km
- Drive from Essen to Brusselscar 224.8 km
2h 35m€35–50
Essen to Brussels by train
Comparing Your Travel Options
The cheapest way to get from Essen to Brussels is to rideshare which costs €11 - €20 and takes 2h 46m.
The fastest way to get from Essen to Brussels is to drive which takes 2h 35m and costs €30 - €50.
Yes, there is a direct bus departing from Essen central train station station and arriving at Brussels-North train station station. Services depart every four hours, and operate every day. The journey takes approximately 3h 30m.
Yes, there is a direct train departing from Essen Hbf and arriving at Brussel-Zuid / Bruxelles-Midi. Services depart five times a day, and operate every day. The journey takes approximately 2h 59m.
The distance between Essen and Brussels is 302 km. The road distance is 224.8 km.
The best way to get from Essen to Brussels without a car is to train which takes 2h 59m and costs €50 - €150.
The train from Essen Hbf to Brussels-Midi takes 2h 59m including transfers and departs five times a day.
Essen to Brussels bus services, operated by FlixBus, depart from Essen central train station.
Essen to Brussels train services, operated by Eurostar, depart from Essen Hbf station.
The best way to get from Essen to Brussels is to train which takes 2h 59m and costs €50 - €150. Alternatively, you can bus, which costs €18 - €30 and takes 3h 30m, you could also fly, which costs €130 - €260 and takes 5h 49m.
What companies run services between Essen, Germany and Brussels, Belgium?
Eurostar operates a train from Essen Hbf to Brussel-Zuid / Bruxelles-Midi 4 times a day. Tickets cost €85–150 and the journey takes 2h 59m. Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français (SNCF) also services this route twice daily. Alternatively, FlixBus operates a bus from Essen central train station to Brussels-North train station every 4 hours. Tickets cost €18–30 and the journey takes 3h 30m.
- Website
- lufthansa.com
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Brussels Airport via Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 31m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €75–250
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Brussels Airport via Munich
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 39m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €75–280
- Website
- swiss.com
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Brussels Airport via Zurich
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 46m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €75–340
- Website
- klm.com
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Brussels Airport via Amsterdam Schiphol
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 35m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €35–260
- Phone
- +44 (0)3432 186 186
- Website
- Eurostar
Train from Essen Hbf to Brussel-Zuid / Bruxelles-Midi
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 59m
- Frequency
- 4 times a day
- Estimated price
- €85–150
- Website
- Eurostar
Train from Essen Hbf to Köln Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 56 min
- Frequency
- 4 times a day
- Estimated price
- €23–40
- Website
- Eurostar
Train from Koeln Hbf to Brussel-Zuid / Bruxelles-Midi
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 56m
- Frequency
- Every 2 hours
- Estimated price
- €60–110
- Website
- Eurostar
- Phone
- +33 1 84 94 36 35
- Website
- Oui.SNCF
Train from Essen Hbf to Brussel-Zuid / Bruxelles-Midi
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 54m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- €50–100
- Website
- Oui.SNCF
Train from Essen Hbf to Köln Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 2m
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- €13–28
- Website
- Oui.SNCF
- Phone
- +49 30 2970
- Website
- Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC)
Train from Essen Hbf to Köln Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 48 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €15–70
- Website
- Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC)
Train from Essen Hbf to Herzogenrath, Bf
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 22m
- Frequency
- 5 times a week
- Estimated price
- €20–90
- Website
- Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC)
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- Phone
- +49 221 13 999 444
- Website
- National Express
Train from Essen Hbf to Köln Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 20m
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Schedules at
- National Express
- Phone
- +49 30 2970
- Website
- Deutsche Bahn Regio (DB Regional)
Train from Essen Hbf to Herzogenrath, Bf
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 53m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €27–50
- Website
- Deutsche Bahn Regio (DB Regional)
- Phone
- +32 70 79 79 79
- Website
- Belgian Railways
Train from Herzogenrath to Liège-Guillemins
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 20m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €10–22
- Website
- Belgian Railways
Train from Liège-Guillemins to Bruxelles-Central
- Ave. Duration
- 56 min
- Frequency
- Every 20 minutes
- Estimated price
- €16–35
- Website
- Belgian Railways
- Phone
- 0800-0232 545
- Website
- Arriva NL
Train from Herzogenrath to Liège-Guillemins
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 19m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €11–17
- Website
- Arriva NL
- Second Class Single
- €11–17
Rome2Rio's guide to FlixBus
Contact DetailsContact Details
- Phone
- +49 30 300 137 300
- service@flixbus.com
- Website
- Flixbus
Bus from Essen central train station to Brussels-North train station
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 30m
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- €18–30
- Website
- Flixbus
- Phone
- +3 318 576 2228
- Website
- BlaBlaCar
Rideshare from Essen to Brussels
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 46m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- €11–20
- Schedules at
- BlaBlaCar
Want to know more about travelling around Belgium
Rome2Rio's Travel Guide series provide vital information for the global traveller. Filled with useful and timely travel information, the guides answer all the hard questions - such as 'How do I buy a ticket?', 'Should I book online before I travel? ', 'How much should I expect to pay?', 'Do the trains and buses have Wifi?' - to help you get the most out of your next trip.
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Booking & Getting There
Essen to Brussels bus services, operated by FlixBus, arrive at Brussels-North train station.
Essen to Brussels train services, operated by Eurostar, arrive at Brussel-Zuid / Bruxelles-Midi station.
Yes, the driving distance between Essen to Brussels is 225 km. It takes approximately 2h 35m to drive from Essen to Brussels.
Book your Essen to Brussels train tickets online with Omio.
Book your Essen to Brussels bus tickets online with Omio and FlixBus.
There are 1769+ hotels available in Brussels.
Check out Blablacar's carpooling service for rideshare options between Essen and Brussels. A great option if you don't have a driver's licence or want to avoid public transport.