Air
Following the bankruptcy of Belgium’s international carrier,
Sabena, in 2001, Belgium’s regional airline, DAT
(Delta Air Transport), has launched its new European airline SN
Brussels Airlines (SN). 53 European destinations are served
as well as others worldwide. For further information, check online
(website: www.flysn.com).
Approximate flight times:
From Brussels to London is 50 minutes
from Antwerp to London is 50 minutes.
From Brussels to Los Angeles is 16 hours and to New York is 7 hours.
International airports
Brussels Zaventem (BRU)
Located 12km (8 miles) northeast of the city with a travel time
of 35 minutes. The Airport City Express train connects
all 3 main railway stations (Brussels North, Central and South)
with the airport, running every 15 minutes, 0600-0000 hrs, travel
time is 15 to 20 minutes. The airport station is located on level
1 below the terminal. Other trains also depart frequently for the
city and for destinations all over the country.
Coaches
leave from the airport bus station on ground level for major cities
in Belgium, France and The Netherlands.
Buses run regularly to and from the city and the bus station
is located below the Arrivals Hall.
Taxis
to the city cost approximately €30, and are only available
from outside the Arrivals Hall. All licensed taxis are recognisable
by their yellow and blue licence emblems.
Hotel courtesy coaches go to Holiday Inn, Novotel and Sofitel.
There are helicopter services to and from Antwerp, Ghent and Kortrijk.
Airport facilities include car parking, car
hire (Alamo, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and
Sixt), post office, banks, bureaux de change, bars,
restaurants, incoming and outgoing duty-free shops, medical facilities,
computer and fax facilities and conference and business facilities.
(website: www.brusselsairport.be)
Antwerp (ANR) (Deurne)
Located 2km (1.2 miles) east of the city. There is a regular bus
service (number 16) to the Central Station.
Taxis
are available.
Airport facilities include
an outgoing duty-free shop, car hire, Budget and
Hertz, bank and bar/restaurant.
(website: www.antwerpairport.be)
Ostend (OST)
Located 5km (3 miles) from the city and has car parking facilities,
car hire, bureau de change, restaurant, bar and duty-free shop.
(website: www.ost.aero)
Charleroi (CRL) (Brussels South Charleroi)
Located 5km (3 miles) from Charleroi and 46km (29 miles) from Brussels.
Airlines serving the airports include Ryanair,
which operates cheap flights to several European destinations from
Charleroi.
Buses depart every 30 minutes to Charleroi with a travel time of
10 minutes. There are regular coaches to Brussels with a travel
time 45 minutes.
Airport facilities include
automatic money changer, car hire (Avis, Europcar, Hertz and TC
Location), cafe, business lounge and duty-free shop.
(website: www.charleroi-airport.com)
Liège (LGG).
There are taxis and a regular bus service to the centre, 5km (3
miles) away.
Departure tax:
None.
Sea/River
Antwerp is one of Europe’s busiest commercial
ports, but passenger services generally operate out of Ostend
or Zeebrugge.
P&O
Ferries (tel: (08705) 202 020) operates between Hull
and Zeebrugge with a journey time of approximately
14 hours.
Rail
The Belgium national railway, Société
Nationale des Chemins de Fer Belges (SNCB), operates frequent
day and night trains to destinations in Andorra, Austria,
Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg,
The Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland and the UK.
High-speed trains – Trains à Grande Vitesse
or TGV – operate between Belgium and France,
connecting Brussels with destinations in Brittany,
on the French Atlantic coast, the Côte
d’Azur and the French Alps.
Cities that can be reached from Brussels by TGV include Bordeaux,
Cannes, Chambéry, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Perpignan, Rennes
and Valence. TGV trains departing from Brussels
and need to be booked in advance. Further high-speed trains are
operated by Thalys,
a service jointly run by the the Belgium, French, German and Dutch
national railways. The main international Thalys trains link Brussels
to Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Cologne
(Germany) and Paris (France).
Rail
passes
International rail passes include the Eurail and
Euro passes, available to non-European residents
and permitting unlimited travel in most European countries for a
period of 1 or 2 months, and the Interrail pass,
permitting unlimited travel in Europe to European residents. The
Benelux 5 day Tourrail ticket offers 5 days of
unlimited travel within a period of 30 days by rail in Belgium,
Luxembourg and The Netherlands.
The Rail Plus Senior card is available to people
aged over 60 and entitles the buyer to reductions of up to 25 per
cent on international tickets in 19 European countries and for further
information, contact Rail
Europe (telephone number: (08705) 848 848, e-mail: reservations@raileurope.co.uk)
or Belgian National
Railways (telephone numer: (020) 7593 2332, fax number: (020)
7593 2333, e-mail: belrail@aol.com;
website: www.raileurope.be
or www.b-rail.be).
Channel tunnel
Eurostar, a service provided by the railways of Belgium,
France and the UK, operates direct high-speed
trains from London (Waterloo International) via
the Channel Tunnel to Brussels (Midi/Zuid). The
travel time from London to Brussels is 2 hours 40 minutes.
For further information and reservations, contact Eurostar
(telephone number: (0870) 160 0052 (travel agents) or (08705) 186
186 (public, within the UK) or (+44 1233) 617 575 (public, outside
the UK), e-mail: sales.enquiries@eurostar.co.uk),
or Rail Europe (telephone number: (08705) 848 848). Travel agents
can obtain refunds for unused tickets from Eurostar Internet Contact
Center, 2nd Floor, Kent House, 81 Station Road, Ashford, Kent TN23
1PP. Any complaints and comments may be sent to Eurostar
Customer Relations Travel Centre, 1-1-G Eurostar House,
Waterloo Station, London SE1 8SE, UK. General enquiries and information
requests should be made by telephone.
Road
There are good road links from most of the European countries. Eurolines,
departing from Victoria Coach Station in London, serves destinations
in Belgium. For further information, contact Eurolines
(52 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1, telephone number: (08705) 143
219 or www.nationalexpress.com).
Channel Tunnel
From the UK, all road vehicles are carried through the tunnel in
shuttle trains running between the 2 terminals, 1 near Folkestone
in Kent, with direct road access from the M20, and one just outside
Calais with links to the A16/A26 motorway (Exit 13). Each shuttle
is made up of 12 single and 12 double-deck carriages, and vehicles
are directed to single-deck or double-deck carriages depending on
their height. Facilities for cars and motorcycles, coaches, minibuses,
caravans, campervans and other vehicles over 1.85m (6.07ft) and
Bicycles are provided for. Passengers generally travel with their
vehicles.
Heavy goods vehicles are carried on the special shuttles with a
separate passenger coach for the drivers. Disabled Passengers are
well catered for. Passenger Terminal buildings
contain a variety of shops, restaurants, bureaux de change and other
amenities.
The journey takes about 35 minutes from platform to platform and
around 1 hour from motorway to motorway. Eurotunnel runs up to 4
passenger shuttles per hour at peak times, 24 hours per day and
services run every day of the year.
For further information about departure times of shuttles at the
French terminal, contact Eurotunnel Customer Information in Coquelle
(telephone number: (3) 2100 6100). Motorists pass through customs
and immigration before they board the train, with no further checks
on arrival. Fares are charged according to length of stay and time
of year and whether or not you have a reserved. Promotional deals
are frequently available, especially outside the peak holiday times.
Tickets may be purchased in advance from travel agents, or from
Eurotunnel Customer Services in France or the UK with a credit card.
For further information, brochures and reservations, contact Eurotunnel
Customer Services UK, PO Box 2000, Folkestone, Kent CJ18
8XY (telephone number: (0800) 096 9992, e-mail: callcentre@eurotunnel.com;
website: www.eurotunnel.co.uk). |
