Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
at any travel agency that handles train tickets (expect a booking
fee).
Trains to London leave from platforms #1 and #2 at Brussels
Midi. Arrive 30 minutes early to get your ticket validated and your
luggage and passport checked by British authorities (similar to an
airport check-in for an international flight).
By Bus to:
London
(cost can vary, but generally €35 one-way,
€70 round-trip, about 9 hrs, Eurolines tel. 02-203-0707 in Brussels,
www.eurolines.com).
Airports
Brussels Airport
The clear winner for getting to and from the airport (nine miles
from downtown Brussels) is the Airport Express shuttle train that
runs from Brussels Midi and Central stations (€2.90, 4/hr, 25 min,
daily 6:00-23:00). If you're connecting the airport with Bruges,
take this shuttle train and transfer in Brussels. For a taxi, figure
on spending €40 between downtown Brussels and the airport.
Airport info: tel. 0900-70000, www.brusselsairport.be.
Brussels Airlines flies cheaply between Brussels and Athens,
Milan, Rome, Florence, Geneva, Nice, Lisbon, Barcelona,
Madrid, and more (Belgian tel. 07-035-1111, www.brusselsairlines
.com). Bmi british midland has inexpensive flights from Brussels
to London and the British Isles (www.flybmi.com). Non-discount
airlines, such as Lufthansa (www.lufthansa.com), Finnair (www
.finnair.com), and Alitalia (www.alitalia.com), offer daily flights
from Brussels Airport.
Brussels South Charleroi Airport
Discount airlines Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) and Wizz Air
(www.wizzair.com) use this smaller airport, located about 30 miles
from downtown Brussels in the town of Gosselies. The airport is
connected to Brussels Central Station by shuttle bus (runs hourly,
60 min, last shuttle at 22:30, www.voyages-lelan.com) and by train
(bus #A connects Charleroi Airport and Charleroi Station—2/hr,
18 min; Charleroi-Brussels trains go 2/hr, 60 min). Airport info:
tel. 07-125-1211, www.charleroi-airport.com.
