Belgium has two international airports, the main one being Zaventem, 14km northeast of Brussels. The other one, Deurne, is close to Antwerp and has less frequent flights to Amsterdam, London, Liverpool and Dublin only. Depending on when you leave, flights to London can be cheaper from Deurne. If you're in Europe already, a bus or train is the best option. Eurolines and Hoverspeed Citysprint operate international bus services to and from Belgium.
Brussels has three main railway stations and is the central hub, with lines in all directions. Two companies operate car/passenger ferries to and from Britain: north sea ferries (overnight from Zeebrugge to Hull) and Ostende lines/ ferries (six boats daily between Ostend and Ramsgate).
Sample flying times are as follows: 6 hours, 50 minutes from New York to Brussels; seven hours from boston to Brussels. Return flights are about an hour longer
Getting around:
Courtesy buses serve airport hotels and a few downtown hotels. Inquire when making reservations.
Express trains leave the airport for the Gare Du Nord and Gare Centrale stations every 20 minutes (one train an hour continues to the Gare du Midi). The trip takes 20 minutes The trains operate from 6 am to midnight. Taxis are plentiful. A taxi to the city center takes about half an hour . You can save 25% on the fare by buying a voucher for the return trip if you use the Autolux taxi company. Beware of freelance taxi drivers. You have to go to a taxi stand (taxi's won't stop for you if you try to make them stop by waving in the middle of the street) Taxi's can be of all different colors and car makes. Official taxis have an illuminated panel on top of the roof (called 'sputnik' by the cab-drivers) with the slogan " Brussels gewest - taxi - région de Bruxelles". There is a starting price (which depends on the time of day). If you go outside of the city limits, the rate goes up.
By car
Belgium is covered by an extensive network of four-lane highways. Brussels is 122 miles from Amsterdam on E19; 138 miles from Düsseldorf on E40; 133 miles from Luxembourg City on E411; and 185 miles from Paris. Brussels is surrounded by a beltway, marked "The Ring." Exits to the city are marked "center." There are several large underground parking facilities The one close to the Grand'place is particularly convenient for patrons of downtown hotels.
Drivers must carry a warning triangle, to be placed well behind the car in case of a breakdown. There are emergency telephones at intervals along the motorways. The speed limit is 130 kph (80 mph) on highways, 90 kph (56 mph) on secondary roads, and 50 kph (31 mph) in built-up areas. Driving with the flow may mean higher speeds than most U.S. drivers are accustomed to. At intersections, always check traffic from the right even if you're on a thoroughfare; Belgian drivers can be reckless in insisting on "priority on the right." Gas costs about the same as in other European countries, which means quite a bit more than in the United States.
Requirements: Your own driver's license is acceptable. An international driver's permit, available from the American or Canadian Automobile Association, is a good idea.
By Bus
Eurolines offers up to three daily express bus services from Amsterdam, Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris, and London. The Eurolines coach station is located at CCN Gare du Nord Rue du progrès 80 tel. 02/203-0707.
The metro, trams, and buses operate as part of the same system. All three are clean and efficient, and a single ticket can be used on all three. The best buy is a 10 trip ticket or a one day card. You need to stamp your ticket in the appropriate machine on the bus or tram; in the metro, your card is stamped as you pass through the automatic barrier. You can purchase these tickets in any metro station or at newsstands. Single tickets can be purchased on the bus.
Detailed maps of the Brussels public transportation network are available in most Metro stations and at the Brussels tourist office in the Grand'place 02/513-8940. You get a map free with a tourist passport (also available at the tourist office), which, for bf220 allows you a one-day transport card and bf1000 worth of museum admissions.
By train
Eurostar trains from London (Waterloo) use the channel tunnel to cut travel time to Brussels (Gare du Midi) to 3 1/4 hours. Trains stop at Ashford (Kent) and Lille (France). There are seven daily services. First and second class seats are available. A number of promotional fares are offered. Brussels is linked with Paris, Amsterdam, and Liège by new high-speed trains, which operate at full TGV speed on French tracks. In Belgium and Holland, until new tracks have been laid, they provide a slower but comfortable ride. Belgian National Railways (SNCB; tel. 02/203-3640 is the National rail line.
