Transport
Taking the bus
Different companies for different regions
IN WALLONIA
Since LLN is in Wallonia, that’s the one you’ll be using the most
Membership : We recommend you to buy the TEC Express membership. Only 12€ for students and for youngers from 18 to 25 years old. Valid one-year-long for all of Wallonia the bus is for exemple the cheapest way to go to brussels. (Pay ettentio to the timetable tho)
Where should I purchase it?
1) Go to a TEC office. The closest one to LLN is in the train station of Ottignies. Their schedule : https://www.letec.be/News/Detail/13262 , bring a ID picture, your ID and eventually your Regstration's certificate. One specific card for TEC
2) Go to Louvain-la-neuve's train station, and purchase a card, then go to the bus station where you'll find a TEC terminal. On this blue card of SNCB you will be able to put your train memebrship and Buxelles's transport membership as well.App : TEC has an official app and website but both are very mediocre honestly. The best is to use Google Maps, except on official days off!
IN BRUSSELS
Stib (also for metro and tram). You might also see MIVB, it’s the Dutch name of the Stib, same thing. https://www.stib-mivb.be/index.htm?l=en
Membership : only 12€ a year for students (+5€ for the creation of the card). If you intend to commute a bit in Brussels, it’ll quickly become very profitable
Where should I purchase it? go in person to a Stib office with a proof in PAPER of your Registration's certificate, ID, ID picture
List of the offices (in metro stations usually) : List
IN FLANDERS
They do not offer any cheap membership. Depending on the number of times you’d go in Flanders, you can either buy individual tickets, or 10 at a time which will be cheaper (1,7€/journey)
Taking the train
One comapny for Belgium: SNCB (NMBS in dutch): https://www.belgiantrain.be/en
App : SNCB, useful and reliable (unlike the trains themselves lol). You can check the schedules easily and buy your tickets directly on it
Unless you live in a different city than LLN, we would not recommend you to buy a membership. In case you do want one, you’ll need to purchase it in person, in a train station with your student certificate, ID, and ID photo
2 important tickets to differentiate, that you will forcibly use in Belgium :Standard ticket : its price is proportional to the distance you make.
Youth Ticket : its price is fixed at 7,5€, for any distance that you make.
Example : Brussels-LLN is quite a short distance so the Standard ticket costs 6,5€, it’s better to purchase that one. BUT, if you travel from LLN to Ghent, the Standard ticket costs 15€, so you’d better purchase the Youth Ticket.
If you commute regularly between 2 cities, but not enough to buy the membership, think about purchasing the Student Multi ticket. It’s valid for 10 back and forth journeys between 2 specific cities in 49 days. Its price varies in function of the distance between the 2 cities. You’ll have to buy the first ticket in an office (and pay 5€ for the creation of the card), but then you can buy the recharges directly at the (blue) automatic SNCB machines in the station. https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/tickets-and-railcards/campus
You're coming from or going to the arport?
From Brussels airport to LLN. At the underground level of the airport is the train station. You need to buy a normal ticket + an airport supplement directly to LLN. You can purchase that on the blue machines or at the office. For the exact journey, it depends on the time you arrive so Google Maps will help you better than us :)
From Charleroi airport to LLN : If you’re arriving at Charleroi Airport (Brussels South), here’s a step-by-step guide:
1) Once you’ve left the building and gone through the metal turnstile doors, turn left. You’ll see a lot of buses, including the Flibco buses. Walk straight ahead until you find a small staircase going down. Look for a sign that says "TEC". This is the area where you can catch the TEC buses.Buy your ticket: Purchase a combined ticket for both the bus and train at the TEC ticket machine or via the SNCB app. Or, buy separate tickets for the bus (5€) and the train ticket later at the station or via the SNCB app.
Take the A2 bus to Fleurus: Board the A2 TEC bus heading to Fleurus. Take the train from Fleurus to Ottignies. At Ottignies, transfer to another train to Louvain-la-Neuve Université. You can check schedules and buy tickets on the SNCB app.
The first time you take this journey, it might feel a little tricky to figure out where to go or which ticket to buy. If you’re unsure, don’t hesitate to ask someone—people are generally very kind and happy to help!
Rent a bike
Some of you might live a bit outside of Louvain-la-Neuve and therefore, wish to commute by bike.
The Kot Erasmus found an association (Pro Vélo) that rents equipped good-quality bikes, the “Les Cyclottinois”, for different fares :
3 months : 60€
6 months : 95€
One year : 150 €
Note that this project is reserved for students, residents and workers of Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve. Here is the link for more information : https://www.provelo.org/en/services/cyclottintois-long-term-bike-rental/