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Travel - International
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). More than 35 European destinations are served including frequent flights to London City Airport. For further information contact their new website (website: www.brussels-airlines.com).
Approximate flight times: From Brussels to London is 50 minutes and from Antwerp is 50 minutes. From Brussels to Los Angeles is 16 hours and to New York is 7 hours.
International airports: Brussels Zaventem (BRU) (website: www.brusselsairport.be) is 12km (8 miles) northeast of the city (travel time – 35 minutes). The Airport City Express train connects all three main railway stations (Brussels North, Central and South) with the airport, running every 15 minutes 0600-0000 (travel time – 15-30 minutes). The airports station is located on level one below the terminal. Other trains also depart frequently for the city and for destinations all over Belgium. Coaches depart from the airports bus station on ground level for major cities in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. Buses run regularly to and from the city. Taxis to the city cost approximately €30. 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 and Hertz), post office (0800-1900), banks (0700-2200), bureaux de change, bars, restaurants, incoming and outgoing duty-free shops selling a wide range of goods (including mini-computers), medical facilities, computer and fax facilities and conference and business facilities.
Antwerp (ANR) (Deurne) (website: www.antwerpairport.be) is 3km (2 miles) east of the city. There is a regular bus service (no. 16) to Central Station. Taxis are available. Airport facilities include an outgoing duty-free shop, car hire (Budget and Hertz), bank (0900-1200 and 1330-1900) and bar/restaurant (0700-2300).
Ostend (OST) (website: www.ostendairport.be), 5km (3 miles) from the city, has car parking facilities, car hire, exchange bureau de change, a restaurant, a bar and a duty-free shop.
Charleroi (CRL) (Brussels South Charleroi) (website: www.charleroi-airport.com) is 5km (3 miles) from Charleroi and 50km (31 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 (travel time – 10 minutes). There are regular coaches to Brussels (travel time – 45 minutes). Airport facilities include automatic money changer, business lounge and duty-free shop.
Liège (LGG). There are taxis and a regular bus service to the centre, 8km (5 miles) away.
Departure tax: None.
SEA: Antwerp is one of Europe’s busiest commercial ports, but passenger services generally operate out of Ostend or Zeebrugge. Hoverspeed (tel: (01304) 865 000; e-mail: reservations@hoverspeed.com; website: www.hoverspeed.com) operates seacats between Dover and Ostend (travel time – 2 hours). P&O North Sea Ferries (tel: (08701) 296 002; e-mail: info.uk@ponsf.com; website: www.ponsf.com) operates between Hull and Zeebrugge (travel time – 14 hours). P&O Stena Line (tel: (0870) 600 0611; e-mail: customer.services@posl.com; website: www.posl.com) operates between Dover and Zeebrugge (travel time – 4 hours and 30 minutes).
RAIL: The Belgium national railway, Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Belges (SNCB) (website: www.sncb.be), 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 Britanny, on the French Atlantic coast, the Côte d’Azur and the French Alps. Cities that can be reached from Brussels by TGV include Rennes, Bordeaux, Lyon, Valence, Perpignan, Marseille, Cannes, Nice and Chambéry. TGV trains depart from Brussels and need to be booked in advance. Further high-speed trains are operated by Thalys (website: www.thalys.com), 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 one or two months; and the Interrail pass, permitting unlimited travel in Europe to European residents. The Benelux five-day Tourrail ticket offers five days of unlimited travel within a period of 30 days by rail in Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg. 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. For further information, contact Rail Europe (tel: (08705) 848 848; website: www.raileurope.co.uk) or Belgian National Railways (tel: (020) 7593 2332; fax: (020) 7593 2333; e-mail: belrail@aol.com; website: www.raileurope.be).
Channel tunnel: Eurostar, a service provided by the railways of Belgium, the UK and France, 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 and 40 minutes. For further information and reservations contact Eurostar (tel: (0870) 6000 792 (travel agents) or (08705) 186 186 (public; within the UK) or (+44 1233) 617 575 (public; outside the UK); website: www.eurostar.com); or Rail Europe (tel: (08705) 848 848). Travel agents can obtain refunds for unused tickets from Eurostar Trade Refunds, Second Floor, Kent House, 81 Station Road, Ashford, Kent TN23 1PD. Complaints and comments may be sent to Eurostar Customer Relations, Eurostar House, Waterloo Station, London SE1 8SE, UK (e-mail: new.comments@eurostar.co.uk). General enquiries and information requests must 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 (4 Cardiff Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, L41 1PP; tel: (08705) 143 219; fax: (01582) 400 694; website: www.eurolines.com or www.gobycoach.com). Channel Tunnel: From the UK, all road vehicles are carried through the tunnel in shuttle trains running between the two terminals, one 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. There are facilities for cars and motorcycles, coaches, minibuses, caravans, campervans and other vehicles over 1.85m (6.07ft). Bicycles are provided for. Passengers generally travel with their vehicles. Heavy goods vehicles are carried on special shuttles with a separate passenger coach for the drivers. Terminals and shuttles are well equipped for disabled passengers. 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 one hour from motorway to motorway. Eurotunnel runs up to four passenger shuttles per hour at peak times, 24 hours per day. 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 (tel: (3) 2100 6543). Motorists pass through customs and immigration before they board, 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 reservation. The price applies to the car, regardless of the number of passengers or size of the car. Promotional deals are frequently available, especially outside the peak holiday seasons. 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 (tel: (08705) 353 535; e-mail: callcentre@eurotunnel.com; website: www.eurotunnel.co.uk).
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
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