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Distance | 727 miles (1173 km) | |
Train frequency | 1 a day | |
Direct train | No | |
Train companies | Thalys |
Trains from Brussels to Rome cover the 727 miles (1173 km) long route taking on average 20 h 10 min with our travel partners like Thalys. Normally, there is 1 train operating per day, including direct services available. Travelers depart most frequently from Bruxelles-Midi and arrive in Roma Termini.
Thalys will get you between Brussels and Rome at great prices. With over 1000 travel companies on Omio, you can find the best train times, prices and tickets for your trip.
Thalys is a high-speed train company with trains between Brussels and Rome based in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. It operates a fleet of modern, comfortable trains that travel at speeds of up to 300 km/h. Thalys offers a variety of ticket types, including Standard, Comfort and Premium, each with its own set of benefits. Onboard facilities include Wi-Fi, power outlets, a bistro car and a selection of newspapers and magazines. The most popular routes for Thalys are Paris to Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne.
Thalys from Brussels to Rome train information:
Although Brussels and Rome are separated by a distance of over 700 miles, it is possible to travel between the two capitals by train. Owing to the distance involved, direct services are not available, so at least two changes en route are required. Nonetheless it's a great experience to do this journey by train. There are typically seven departures from Brussels per day, and the journey time varies between 17 hours and 23 hours. This includes time spent changing trains en route.
More than half of the trains from Brussels to Rome depart in the late morning between 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. One of the fastest services between the two cities also departs at this time, leaving Brussels just after 11:00 a.m. There are only two departures in the afternoon, one of which requires no fewer than four changes en route, while most of the other services require just two changes. The last departure of the day is at around 6:45 p.m., arriving in Rome around 23 hours later. Most of the trains from Brussels to Rome require changes in Paris and Milan, although another option is to travel via Cologne and Basel.
On average, the train from Brussels to Rome takes just over 20 hours. This includes the time required to change trains en route in the likes of Paris or Milan. The fastest service takes just over 17 hours - you can leave Brussels in the mid-afternoon and be in Rome in time for breakfast the following morning! Neither the time of day nor the day of the week make a significant difference to the overall journey time.
Departure train station: All international trains depart from Brussels-Midi which is the largest station in the city and a major landmark. It is located around one and a half miles south-west of the city center and is very well served by suburban train, metro and bus services. Brussels-Midi is also referred to (by Dutch speakers) as Brussels-Zuid. The station has cash machines, toilets, shops, cafes and waiting areas.
Arrival train station: If you take the train from Brussels to Rome you arrive at Rome Termini, the city's main train station. It is around one mile east of the center and Vatican City. A good selection of shops and cafes are available, as is free wifi. The station is easy to get to via public transport from all across the city, and a number of good hotels can be found nearby.
Owing to the en route connections, all train journeys from Brussels to Rome require the use of a combination of train companies. The majority of services require a connection in Paris and Milan, with Thalys being the operator from Brussels to Paris and Thello operating the overnight service to Milan. Italo operate the final leg from Milan to Rome. This option is generally the fastest. The alternative option is to change trains in Cologne, Basel and Milan. Germany's national rail company Deutsche Bahn operates the services from Brussels to Cologne and on to Basel. The operator from Basel to Milan is Eurocity, and from Milan to Rome it's Italo.
Thalys trains depart Brussels for Paris twice per hour from Monday to Saturday and once per hour on Sundays. The journey lasts around an hour and a half.
Thello is an overnight service linking Paris to northern Italy, so there is only one departure per night at just after 7:00 p.m. It takes around nine hours to reach Milan.
Milan to Rome is a very popular route and Italo operate two departures per hour throughout the day. The journey lasts around three and a half hours.
Deutsche Bahn operates five direct services per day from Brussels to Cologne with the journey lasting just inside two hours. It also operates around eight departures per day from Cologne to Basel, a journey of around four hours.
EuroCity offers five departures per day from Basel to Milan and the journey takes around four and a half hours.
Milan to Rome is a very popular route and Italo operate two departures per hour throughout the day. The journey lasts around three and a half hours.
All the train operators on the route from Brussels to Rome offer first and second class tickets. Thalys allows bikes on board but they must be disassembled, and small pets are permitted free of charge. Thello and Italo both allow bikes in boxes and pets can travel for free. With Deutsche Bahn if you wish to take a bike you need to reserve it in advance. Pets are also permitted provided they are in a closed cage or carrier. With EuroCity, bikes must be booked in advance and packed into a box, and pets can travel free of charge. All operators on this route have dedicated spaces for wheelchairs, usually located near accessible toilets.
The most reliable way to find cheap tickets for a train from Brussels to Rome is to book as far in advance as possible. This is especially true on this route because you requires connections, and hence more than one ticket. If you can, be flexible with your travel dates.
When departing from Brussels, you have various train station options to start your journey from including Bruxelles-Midi, Brussels-Nord and Bruxelles-Central. When arriving in Rome, you can end your trip in train stations like Roma Termini, Roma Tiburtina and Roma Trastevere.
Passengers board the train most frequently from Bruxelles-Midi, which is located around 2.2 miles (3.6 km) away from the city centre, and they get off the train at Roma Termini, located 1.6 miles (2.6 km) away from the city centre.
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