Transfers in Charleroi

About Charleroi

Charleroi is Wallonia’s largest city, built on a coal-mining and steel-industry history that shaped its skyline of terraced housing and old industrial sites, some now repurposed as galleries and event spaces. The UNESCO-listed belfry rises over the town hall in the centre, and the Musée de la Photographie in the southern suburb of Mont-sur-Marchienne is one of Europe’s largest photography museums. Around 200,000 people live in the city, making it Belgium’s third largest by population.

For most travellers, though, Charleroi is known first as an airport name rather than a city to visit: its airport carries the “Brussels South” branding and is the country’s main base for low-cost carriers, chiefly Ryanair.

Getting around

Charleroi’s centre is walkable, with a light-rail “métro léger” network and local buses covering the wider urban area. Most airport traffic is not actually headed into Charleroi itself but onward to Brussels, about 46 km north, so bus and coach links between the airport and Brussels-Midi station run frequently. For anyone travelling with luggage, especially on an early or late Ryanair flight, a pre-booked private transfer avoids working out coach timetables from the terminal.

Best time to visit

May to September brings the mildest, driest weather for exploring Charleroi’s centre or using it as a springboard into Brussels and the wider region. Winters are cool and often overcast, in keeping with the rest of Wallonia and Belgium.

Transferring from Charleroi’s airport

Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL) is Belgium’s second-busiest airport by passenger numbers, about 7 km south of Charleroi and around 46 km south of Brussels. It operates from two terminals housed in the same building, connected by a short walk, with Terminal 1 handling the bulk of scheduled traffic and Terminal 2 added to manage peak demand. Pre-booked private transfers reach both Charleroi and Brussels, with flight tracking, 60 minutes of free wait time and a fixed price that holds regardless of arrival time.

Common transfer routes

Typical Charleroi routes include:

• Charleroi Airport to central Brussels, around 55 to 60 minutes.
• Charleroi Airport to Charleroi city centre, around 15 minutes.
• Charleroi Airport to Mons, around 40 minutes.
• Charleroi Airport to Namur, around 45 minutes.

Because most CRL passengers are actually travelling to or from Brussels rather than Charleroi itself, a direct transfer through to a Brussels hotel is the single most commonly booked route from this airport.

Booking your Charleroi transfer

Compare licensed Belgian operators on this site for any CRL route. You get one fixed price up front, meet-and-greet at the terminal, flight tracking and free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup. Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay, iDEAL, Wero and PayPal are all accepted.