Home / Brussels /Brussels Airport / De Lijn bus R26 vs Private transfer to Leuven

BRU → Brussels · head to head

De Lijn bus R26orPrivate transfer to Leuven?

The short answer

These do not go to the same place, so price is not the comparison. The De Lijn bus R26 reaches central Brussels — Bruxelles-Central, Brussel-Noord and Rogier; the Private transfer to Leuven does not. This goes to Leuven, not Brussels: the driver takes you to any address there.

The Private transfer to Leuven is quicker: 22 min against 54 min. The De Lijn bus R26 varies between 43 and 60 minutes.

De Lijn bus R26: 05:26–22:56. Private transfer to Leuven: Runs all night.

Priced against each other

Whole-party totals · adult fares
What each costs for the whole party, in EUR. The cheaper of the two is marked on every row.
TravelersDe Lijn bus R26Private transfer to LeuvenDifference
1€3€108€105
2€6€108€102
3€9€108€99
4€12€108€96
5€15€130€115
6€18€130€112
7€21€130€109
8€22€260€238

Side by side

Where each one leaves you
R26 · De LijnDe Lijn bus R26
From
The Zaventem Brussels Airport bus station — since 7 May 2026 a temporary one, about 100 m from the terminal on level 0, under a covered walkway
To
Brussel-Noord / Bruxelles-Nord, a main-line station and tram hub
Luggage
An ordinary city bus. There are no racks, so a big case sits with you.
Runs
05:26–22:56
Journey
43–60 min

It is the cheapest way into Brussels by a wide margin and the slowest by an equally wide one: 43 to 60 minutes against the train's 16 to 23.

It leaves you at Brussel-Noord, one of the three main stations, on the northern edge of the center. For Grand-Place or the lower town add a metro or tram hop, or ride the train two stops on.

Check the ticket clock. De Lijn tickets run 60 minutes, and this journey can take 60. A ticket bought on a card lets you finish the ride you are on; De Lijn's own table lists the app and website version as 60 minutes without that wording.

Traveling together, buy one 10-rittenkaart at EUR 22 rather than singles once there are eight of you, and scan it once per person.

It stops at 22:56, earlier than everything else at this airport.

De Lijn bus R26: price for every party size

See De Lijn ticket prices

This compares two of 14 options. See all of them ranked for your party size

The other comparisons at Brussels Airport