Bus Hire in Aalst

Aalst (Alost in French) is the principal city of the Aalst arrondissement in East Flanders, 30 kilometres west of Brussels via the E40 motorway (approximately 30 minutes by coach). The city is best known internationally for its Carnival (Carnaval van Aalst), a three-day pre-Lent celebration each year that is listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Aalst is also the city where the first book was printed in the Low Countries: in 1473, Dirk Martens (1446-1534) set up his press in Aalst and printed the Speculum conversionis peccatorum, the first book printed in what is now Belgium.

Brussels Airport (BRU) is 30 kilometres north-east via the E40 (approximately 30 minutes by coach). The city centre is compact and largely pedestrianised around the Grote Markt and the Esplanade; coach parking is at the Esplanade car park adjacent to the Oude Vismijn (Old Fish Market) or the Keizersplein ring-road area. Ghent is 40 kilometres west via the E40 (approximately 35 minutes), making Aalst a natural stop on a Brussels-Aalst-Ghent coach itinerary.

Aalst Carnival: UNESCO Intangible Heritage

The Aalst Carnival (Carnaval van Aalst) is a three-day street carnival held annually on the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (the start of Lent), typically in late February or early March. The carnival was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010 (with some controversy around certain satirical floats; inscription was suspended in 2019 by UNESCO due to antisemitic imagery, though the carnival continues). The central event is the Sunday parade: giant allegorical floats satirising current political figures and events, organised by local associations (the volksgroepen). The following Monday, the Voil Jeanetten parade (men dressed in women's clothing, a tradition dating to 1850) takes over the streets. On the Tuesday, onions are thrown from the Baroque Town Hall balcony into the crowd (the Onion-Throwing, a carnival custom since the late 19th century). The Grote Markt fills with up to 100,000 visitors over the three days; coach hire for carnival groups from Brussels and Ghent is very high during this period.

St Martin's Church and the Historic Centre

The Collegiale Sint-Martinuskerk (Church of St Martin, on the Grote Markt) is an incomplete Gothic church begun in 1480 and never finished due to the disruptions of the Wars of Religion and the economic decline of the 17th century; the planned tower was never built and the west end is closed by a flat wall. Despite its incomplete state, the interior is large and contains works by Rubens (including the Christ on the Cross triptych). The Town Hall (Stadhuis, on the Grote Markt) is a Renaissance building of 1830 with a Baroque carillon tower of 1710 (the belfry from which onions are thrown during Carnival). The Schepenhuis (Aldermen's House, adjacent to the Town Hall) is a late Gothic building of the 15th century, one of the oldest civic buildings in East Flanders, now housing the city archives. The Stadsmuseum (City Museum, in the Oud Hospitaal complex) covers Aalst's urban and industrial history.

Dirk Martens and the Printing Heritage

Dirk Martens (1446-1534) was a printer from Aalst who established the first printing press in the Low Countries in 1473, producing the Speculum conversionis peccatorum (Mirror of the Conversion of Sinners) as the first book printed in Belgium. Martens went on to print at Leuven, Antwerp, and Leuven again; his Antwerp press published the first edition of Thomas More's Utopia (1516) and the works of Erasmus. The Dirk Martens cultural centre in Aalst is named in his honour. A bronze statue of Martens stands near the Esplanade. The printing heritage connects Aalst to the broader tradition of Flemish humanism and the early book trade.

What Bus Hire Costs in Aalst

As a rough guide, a minibus (up to 19 seats) in Aalst runs around 240 to 460 EUR per day, a midi-coach (around 35 seats) around 400 to 775 EUR per day, and a full-size coach (49 to 55 seats) around 615 to 1,165 EUR per day. Aalst is a mid-sized East Flemish city with the highest coach hire demand during Carnival weekend (late February or early March). Year-round demand is moderate. The final figure depends on your route, the date, and how long you need the vehicle. We confirm a fixed price with no hidden charges -- send your details for a free quote.

Services Available in Aalst