I took a 3-hour train journey from Luxembourg to Belgium for $25, and it was the best rail trip I've ever taken thanks to the snowy scenery and affordable price

I recently spent a week traveling in Luxembourg and Belgium.

Last week, I spent three days on a work trip to Luxembourg, the wealthiest country in the world, according to Global Finance. Luxembourg is a small landlocked country in western Europe that borders Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France to the south.

Since I had never been to Belgium before, I decided to make use of the country's easy and affordable public transport system and boarded two trains from Clervaux, Luxembourg, to Brussels, Belgium, where I spent the final three days of my trip.

I took a three-hour train journey from Clervaux, Luxembourg, to Brussels, Belgium.

The one-way train ticket, which I purchased from Belgian rail company SNCB for 23.80 euros, or around $25, was valid for any service between Luxembourg and Brussels on March 8. The journey required one transfer at Liėge-Guillemins, Belgium, and took approximately three hours in total.

I began my journey in Clervaux in the snowy Luxembourg countryside.

I started my journey in Clervaux, a countryside town in northern Luxembourg that's filled with rolling hills, forests, and castles and is just under a one-hour drive to the capital, Luxembourg City. I had been staying at Chateau d'Urspelt, a castle hotel that's known for its scenic location and spa. 

I initially intended to get the train from Luxembourg City, however, the owner of Chateau d'Urspelt informed me that there were also regular services from Clervaux, which is closer to Brussels. Thankfully, my flexible ticket was valid from any train between Luxembourg and Brussels and it wouldn't have cost more or less to travel via the city instead. 

I was worried the heavy snow outside might disrupt the train. But while there weren't many passengers, services operated as usual.

After boarding my first train from Clervaux at 11:15 a.m., I walked through several carriages and found that most of them were empty. I assumed this was partly due to the snowy weather, but this also could have been due to the fact that it was an off-peak travel time on a weekday. 

I was worried that the snow would disrupt the train, as it often does where I'm from in Scotland, UK. When I arrived at the train station, which had a small ticket office with a departure board but no members of staff, I expected there to be some cancelation notices. But all services appeared to be running smoothly.

Since the train was quiet, I opted for a seat of four with a small table.

Since I wasn't required to book a specific seat or time when purchasing my flexible train ticket — and thanks to the carriage being nearly empty — I had the option to sit in a seat of two or a seat of four. I opted for a seat of four with a small table.

There was plenty of legroom and space to store my belongings.

The seat itself was soft and comfortable, and there was a table that I used to place my book and water bottle during the journey. There were no power outlets, so I'd recommend taking a portable charger if you need to charge your electronic devices during the journey.

There was plenty of legroom, however, this wasn't just limited to the seats of four. I noticed that there was also a generous amount of legroom on the seats of two in the carriage next to me, which I found impressive and surprising. 

There were luggage shelves in each carriage, but I found that I didn't need to use them.

It's great that there was an option to store luggage in the overhead shelves, but I found there was plenty of room on the floor next to my seat to keep my suitcase. However, I definitely would have used the shelves if the carriage had been busier to prevent taking space from those around me. 

Unfortunately, there were no luggage racks at the end of the carriages, which I thought would have been helpful for those with larger suitcases. There was also no dining car in operation during my journey, so I'd recommend bringing your own food just in case. 

Initially, I was nervous to use public transport in a country where I don't speak the language, but it was easy.

At each stop, there was an automated voice speaking in French through speakers that let passengers know which stop we were at, the train's final intended destination, as well as any travel updates along the way. Although I don't speak French, I found using the train easy to navigate since there were digital screens sharing all the essential information about the journey. 

A member of staff, who appeared to check my ticket about an hour into the journey, spoke to me in English, so I felt assured that I'd be able to communicate if I required assistance. 

The train's bathroom was small and clean.

The bathroom has a toilet, a sink, a mirror, and a trash can. The space was extremely small, but I was impressed with how clean it looked. 

My favorite part of the journey was the snowy scenery.

It had started snowing in Luxembourg the day before my train journey, and by the time I was on board, it was falling heavily. The scenery was beautiful; the train passed by snow-capped hills, forests, rivers, and fields. 

I felt like I was traveling through a winter wonderland.

We crossed the border into Belgium around thirty minutes into the journey, and the snowy scenery continued for the remainder of the one-hour and 47-minute journey.

Finally, I arrived in Liėge-Guillemins, Belgium, where I waited for my connecting train to Brussels, the country's capital.

I had to wait for my connecting train at Liėge-Guillemins, a bustling train station in Belgium that connects the city of Liėge with several countries, including Luxembourg, Germany, France, and the Netherlands, according to SNCB International. 

Unfortunately, my train to Liėge-Guillemins arrived seven minutes later than scheduled. It meant I missed my connecting train to Brussels, which departed at the same time my delayed train arrived at the station. Thankfully, I only had to wait around 25 minutes for the next service.

My train to Brussels had two floors, which is something I'm not used to seeing on trains at home in the UK.

My connecting train from Liėge-Guillemins to Brussels took an hour and 12 minutes. The most impressive part of this particular train is that it had two floors, which I could see instantly from the high windows when the train arrived at the station. 

Once inside, I took the stairs to the upper floor in order to get a good view.

I toured the ground floor and the upper floor, and while both looked clean and comfortable, I thought looking at the scenery from above would be far more enjoyable. 

There were a few more passengers on this train, but it was still pretty quiet.

This train had a lot of similarities to the first train I took, including the lack of passengers, the storage shelves, and the cleanliness on board. There was also no power outlets or dining cart on this train. 

I opted for another seat of four, and I noticed that the table was much larger on this train.

The legroom was about the same as on the previous train. However, the table was much larger and the seat was even more soft and comfortable than the seats on the previous train.

There were gorgeous views of frosted trees.

I didn't plan on taking this journey during Luxembourg and Belgium's snowy season, but I'm glad I did as it made the surrounding countryside spectacular to look at. That being said, I'm sure the forests and fields that we passed would also be fun to take in during a spring or summertime journey.

The three-hour journey was undoubtedly the most enjoyable train experience I've ever had.

The affordable train ticket price was a major selling point for me. I'd definitely consider getting another train in the same region if I ever happen to visit Luxembourg or Belgium again in the future.

By the time I arrived in Brussels, the snow was replaced with rain.

My favorite part of the journey was definitely the winter weather. I brought a book to read during my journey, but I found myself staring out the window in awe for the majority of the trip.

I'd highly recommend this train route for anybody looking for an easy and affordable way to see more of Europe in the winter.