We only had one day in Brussels, and we wanted to make the most of it. So, we took the Brussels Sightseeing Bus as it gives one an excellent overview of a city before you decide where to embark and explore further.
We rushed from our hotel, the Ibis Brussels Off-Grand Place when we noticed that it was almost 9:00 and the busses would start their routes for the day soon. Lucky, we located the Brussels Sightseeing Bus just behind the Hotel ibis Brussels off Grand Place.
Buying the tickets
When we arrived at the bus station, the driver told us we could only buy tickets using cash! We were flabbergasted! We have always used our credit cards for buying Sightseeing Bus tickets. But the driver was adamant – we had to look for an ATM.
Service onboard the bus
Once again we were lucky – the nearest ATM was just about 100metres from the bus stop. We ran, took out the money and rushed back to the bus. The driver was not friendly to us or the other customers, in fact, he was just downright rude!
The facilities on the bus
After finally buying our tickets, we went upstairs. The condition of the bus was disappointing. The seats were broken, and there were holes in the cover on the roof, and it was freezing! The bus was also dirty.
Timeliness
We were meant to leave at 9:00, but we eventually left at 9:30 when the bus was full. We were surprised at this since the next bus was supposed to have arrived at 9:20 for the next load of people, but it never showed up.
The routes and bus stops
The Brussels Sightseeing Bus has two routes. We chose one intending to do the other route in the afternoon to maximise the sites we see. Our route, the blue one, took about 2,5 hours. A suggestion would be for the routes to be shortened, but to have more than just two routes since they are both long.
The drive itself was pleasant. But the bus stops were not marked and were sometimes far from the sights to see, meaning you still had to walk quite a distance from the bus stop before getting to your destination.
When we arrived back at the starting point, we waited 30 minutes for the bus for the red route, but it never showed up.
Overall opinion
We were disappointed with the customer service, the fact that one could not use a credit card to buy tickets and also the state of the bus facilities. It did not leave a good impression of Brussels with us.
Thanks for being so honest. I must admit I prefer to plan out my own walking tour, even if I am only going to have one day in a city, as these organised bus tours can be a bit of a flop.
Hi Amanda
I agree, walking tours are lovely and usually a better option! When we were in Brussels it was really quite cold and windy, so the warm and protected interior of a bus seemed like a better option. In hindsight, walking around by ourselves would have been better!
Sabs
This is really a great article and a great read for me. It’s my first visit to your blog and I have found it so useful and informative. Thank you
I am glad you found it useful!