• European Commission's Seventh Framework Programm

 

Key Facts:
Project start: 1 January 2011
Project end: 31 December 2012

 

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Practical information

Getting to Brussels

Arriving at Brussels Midi railway station

Most of the international trains (like Eurostar and Thalys) arrive in the Brussels Midi railway station. It is the south station of Brussels city.

Brussels-Midi is connected to the rest of the city by metro and tram lines as well as a number of bus routes.You can check yourself your personal itinerary here.

The plan of the metro is available here. The plan of the complete network (trams, buses, metro) is available here. 

Arriving at Zaventem Brussels airport

Train

The airport train station is located below the terminal (basement level-1). Up to 4 trains per hour connect the airport to Brussels North, Brussels Central and Brussels Midi stations. It takes you around 24 minutes. The price of one way ticket is 7,60 €.  Information about the train station at the airport is available here.

Bus

The bus station is located on level 0 - one floor down from the arrivals hall. Centrally located at the bus station there are three platforms each with their specific use. Information on the buses can be found here

MIVB/STIB

The Airport Line is an 30-minute express service between Brussels Airport and the European quarter, at a stone's throw from the uptown shops. From Monday to Friday 8 pm the Airport Line is operated as an express service with number 12 and only serves the major stops. 
On weekdays after 8 pm, and the whole day on Saturday, Sunday and holidays the Airport Line is operated as a regular service with number 21, serving all stops. All MIVB/STIB buses depart from platform C.

In order to save time and money, buy your ticket from the GO ticket vending machines before boarding. These machines accept Maestro bank cards, credit cards and coins. Tickets bought from the driver are more expensive.

De Lijn

Bus Company De Lijn operates express bus services to railway station Brussels North (line 471), NATO (line 471) and the Brussels underground station Roodebeek (line 659).  De Lijn services depart from platform A. 

Taxi

Taxis with a taximeter are permanently available in front of the arrivals hall. The fare from the airport to the city centre of Brussels is normally around € 45. Licensed taxis can be recognized by the blue and yellow emblem. Travelers are advised to avoid unlicensed taxis!

Taxi shuttle

You can book a taxi from the airport to Brussels per email:  

More information about prices can be found here.

Arriving in Charleroi airport

Many of the low fares air companies travel from/to Charleroi. Charleroi is 57 km from Brussels.

Every 30 minutes a shuttle coach leaves the airport to take you to the main Brussels railway station (Brussels Midi). The shuttle coach stop is at the crossing of rue de France and rue de l'Instruction. (O/W fare = 13 EUR - Return fare = 22 EUR).

You can check the timetable here. 

Another option can be taking the bus until the Charleroi railway station (leaving every 30 minutes) and from there the train to the Brussels railway station (Brussels Midi- Brussels center or Brussels North). The bus it will take you approximately 20 min and the train 46 min. This option can save you staying in traffic around Brussels depending on the time of your arrival! You can check the timetable of trains here. A one way ticket from Charleroi to Brussels by train is 9 €.

How to get to the conference venues

The conference will take place in two different locations: The Flemish Parliament and the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts (KVAB).

The distance between both places is about 600 m and you can walk through a nice Park.

The Flemish Parliament

Monday 26th of November the conference will start at the Flemish Parliament.The exact address of the entrance is:

Hertogsstraat 6 (Rue Ducal 6 in French), 1000 Brussel

The room we will use is named “De Schelp” (in Flemish it means “The Shell”) and it is located on the 2nd floor of the Flemish Parliament building.

Metro: There are two metro stations close to Flemish Parliament. Madou station, about 200 m distance and “Kunst – wet” (or “Arts - Loi” in French) station, about 400 m distance.

Bus: Numbers 29, 63, 65 and 66 stop at 100 m from the parliament. The bus stop name is ‘Drukpers’ (‘Presse’ in French).

Trams: Numbers 92 and 94 stop at 500 m of the parliament. The name of the stop is ‘Park’ (‘Parc’ in French).

By public bike: The closest “Villo” station is next to Madou metro station at: MADOU - RUE SCAILQUIN/SCAILQUINSTRAAT.

The session at the parliament will end around 1 pm (please check the program for detailed information).  The lunch and the rest of the sessions will take place at the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts (KVAB). Information about the Flemish Parliament is available here

The Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts (KVAB)

The Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts (KVAB) is located at

Academy Palace, Hertogsstraat 1 (Rue Ducale 1 in French), 1000 Brussels

Metro: The closest metro station is “Troon” (or Trône in French) located at only 350 m from the conference center.

Trams: Numbers 92 and 94 stop at 400 m of the parliament. The name of the stop is  ‘Paleizen’ (‘Paleis’ in French).

By public bike: The closest “Villo” station is next to Troon metro station at: TRONE/TROON - AV. DES ARTS/KUNSTLAAN, 58

KVAB is the Academy of Flanders, a Royal learned society for promoting science and the arts, both in the academic world as in society. More information is available at here.  

Public transport in Brussels

Train

The NMBS (Nationale Maatschappij der Belgische Spoorwegen) is the national train company.

Click here for national train tickets.

Click here for International train tickets.

On the website you will find timetables and prices and you will be able to buy your tickets online. Information is available in French, English, Dutch and German. You can of course also buy your tickets at the station!

Metro/Bus/Tram

The  STIB (Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles) is the main operator for public transport in Brussels. The network is composed by metro, tram and bus lines.

The official website of the company is: www.stib.be Information is only available in French and Dutch. The plan of the entire network as well as the plan of the metro is available here. 

You can buy your ticket at the metro station and in newsstands.  You can also buy it in the bus or in the tram but you will need to pay more for it! You will always need to validate your ticket. In the metro you will do it before going into the metro. In buses and trams you will do it once you are inside!

Metro

The Brussels Metro system is of one the most convenient and fastest ways to travel to the main destinations of the city centre. Metros run frequently: every 3 minutes at peak; every 10 minutes after 8pm; every 5 minutes on weekends.

Purchase tickets at GO machines in the metro stations. Validate your tickets at the little machines before hopping on the metro or you may be fined. Doors to metro trains and trams do not open automatically so be sure to pull the leaver or press the button on the door before you miss your stop.

You can buy a single ticket for 1,80 € (possible to use several times within 1 hour time if you need a connection!). A 10 ride card it costs 11,80 €. There exist also other options.

Bus

Buses are convenient if your departure point or destination is not close to a metro station. Buses have timetables which are available at each bus stop and also online but they do not run as frequently as the metro so it pays to check the timetable before waiting at the bus stop. Tickets can be purchased from the driver at €2 for a 1 hour ‘jump’ ticket, which can be used on the metro and trams as well. Tickets are cheaper when purchased at a metro station.

Tram 

Trams are similar to the bus and metro except they are slightly slower than the metro and slightly more frequent than the bus. It will depend on your route whether you should take a tram, a bus or metro to your destination.

Public bikes: Villo

The Villo is the public bike in Brussels. The official website is: http://en.villo.be/ Information is available in English, French and Dutch.

To hire a bike, make sure you have your subscriber card or your 1 Day or 7 Day ticket.To take out a 1 Day or 7 Day subscription, go to any reception and subscription station equipped with a bank card reader terminal. Follow the on-screen instructions and insert your bank card into the reader. The 1 Day ticket will cost 1,60€ and the 7 Day ticket will cost 7,50€. 

The use of the bike for less than 1/2 hour is free once you have your 1Day or 7 Day ticket. If you use it longer than  ½ hour you will need to pay according to the official rates. More information is available here. You can find the closest Villo station on the Villo website!

Taxi

Click here for an overview of telephone numbers to several taxi companies.

Accommodation

We have prepared a list of potential hotels. Please note that November is a busy period in Brussels and we highly recommend our participants to book your accommodation as soon as possible to ensure lowest prices.

Some hotels include City Tax in the rate; some hotels charge the City Tax as a supplement!!

Prices are only indicative and according to availability in September. To download the list, please click here.