29 December 2011. Train times valid from 11 December 2011
to 9 June 2012.
Booking tips:
- Use this
form to book direct with
www.eurostar.com, with no booking fees & all the cheap
fares shown. You simply
print out your own ticket, or collect it at the station. Booking opens
120 days before departure.
- St Pancras
is Eurostar's London station. You can also buy through tickets from 130 UK towns & cities.
- This form
is for journeys starting in the UK, for
journey starting in Belgium,
click here...
- Business
Premier & Leisure Select = 1st class with drinks &
meals included. Standard = 2nd class.
Eurostar is the
high-speed passenger train from London (St Pancras
International station) to
central Brussels (Midi station) via the Channel Tunnel. There are
departures throughout the day, taking as little as 1 hour 51
minutes now that the whole UK high speed line
has opened from London to the Channel Tunnel. Eurostar trains travel at up to 186
mph (300 km/h) on the high speed lines, and Eurostar is now
faster than flying from central
London to central Brussels,
as well as more comfortable, more convenient and more reliable.
You can check Eurostar times & fares and buy tickets at
www.eurostar.com. There are no Eurostar services
on Christmas Day.
More information about Eurostar.
London ►
Brussels, Bruges
Eurostar (30 minute check-in)
Mondays-Fridays
Depart London St Pancras
06:50
08:04*
08:57
10:57
12:57
15:04
16:04
17:04
18:04**
19:04
Pick
up at Ebbsfleet (near M25)
07:04
|
09:15
11:15
13:15
|
|
|
|
|
Arrive Brussels Midi/Zuid
10:08
11:05*
12:05
14:05
16:08
18:05
19:05
20:05
21:05**
22:08
Change trains in
Brussels onto the half-hourly InterCity train to
Bruges.
Depart Brussels Midi/Zuid
10:26
11:26
12:26
14:26
16:26
18:26
19:26
20:26
21:26
22:26
Arrive Bruges
11:25
12:25
13:25
15:25
17:25
19:25
20:25
21:25
22:25
23:25
London ►
Brussels, Bruges (weekends)
Eurostar (30 minute check-in)
Saturdays
Sundays
Depart London St Pancras
07:57
08:57
10:57
12:57
16:04
19:04
08:57
12:57
15:04
16:04
17:04
17:56
19:04
Pick
up at Ebbsfleet (near M25)
|
09:15
11:15
13:15
|
|
09:15
13:15
|
|
|
|
|
Arrive Brussels Midi/Zuid
11:05
12:08
14:05
16:08
19:11
22:08
12:08
16:08
18:05
19:05
20:05
21:05
22:08
Change trains in
Brussels onto the half-hourly InterCity train to
Bruges.
Depart Brussels Midi/Zuid
11:26
12:26
14:26
16:26
19:26
22:26
12:26
16:26
18:26
19:26
20:26
21:26
22:26
Arrive Bruges
12:25
13:25
15:25
17:25
20:25
23:25
13:25
17:25
19:25
20:25
21:25
22:25
23:25
* The
08:04 Eurostar from London only runs
on Mondays & Tuesdays from 16 February to 3 April 2012
then on Mondays to
Fridays from 4 April onwards. It doesn't run before 16
Feb.
** The
18:04 Eurostar from London only runs on Weds, Thurs & Fris
from 16 February onwards, and Mondays to Fridays from 2
April onwards. Doesn't run before 16 Feb 2012.
Going to central Brussels? Eurostar arrives at
Brussels Midi, also known as Brussel Zuid or Brussels South.
However, Eurostar tickets to
Brussels are automatically valid on any local train to Brussels Central (5 minutes walk from the Grande
Place), Brussels Nord & Brussels Congrès.
Going to Bruges? Buy a Eurostar ticket to
'Any Belgian Station'. When boarding a
train for Bruges in Brussels, the departure indicators
usually show 'Oostende', 'Knokke' or 'Blankenberge'
as the destination of your train, 'Bruges' is just a calling
point so not always shown. Remember that 'Bruges' is
'Brugge' in
Flemish, it's the same place.
Short breaks
in Brussels or Bruges by train.
Ashford (Kent): Outbound, only the 06:50 Eurostar calls at Ashford (07:57
Saturdays), at 07:24 (08:24 Saturdays). Inbound, only
the daily 16:56 Eurostar from Brussels calls at Ashford
(17:33).
Brussels, Bruges ► London
Mondays-Fridays
Depart Bruges
04:50
05:58
06:58
08:58
10:58
12:58
13:58
14:58
15:58
16:58
17:58
Arrive Brussels Midi/Zuid
05:55
06:55
07:55
09:55
11:55
13:55
14:55
15:55
16:55
17:55
18:55
Change trains in Brussels
- remember the 30 minute Eurostar check-in.
Stop off in Brussels if you like.
Depart Brussels Midi/Zuid
06:56*
07:56
08:52
10:56 **
12:56
14:56
15:56 ***
16:56
17:56
18:56
****
19:52
Drop
off at Ebbsfleet (near M25)
|
|
|
|
13:45
15:45
16:45 ***
|
18:46
|
20:45
Arrive London St Pancras
07:57*
08:57
09:57
11:57 **
14:03
16:03
17:03
***
18:12
19:05
19:57
****
21:03
Brussels, Bruges ► London (weekends)
Saturdays
Sundays
Depart Bruges
05:58
06:58
08:58
12:58
14:58
17:58
06:58
10:58
12:58
13:58
14:58
16:58
17:58
Arrive Brussels Midi/Zuid
06:55
07:55
09:55
13:55
15:55
18:55
07:55
11:55
13:55
14:55
15:55
17:55
18:55
Change trains in Brussels
- remember the 30 minute Eurostar check-in.
Stop off in Brussels if you like.
Depart Brussels Midi/Zuid
07:56
08:52
10:56
14:52
16:56
19:52
08:52
12:56
14:52
15:56
16:56
18:56
19:52
Drop
off at Ebbsfleet (near M25)
|
|
|
15:45
|
20:45
|
13:45
15:45
|
|
|
20:45
Arrive London St Pancras
08:57
09:57
11:57
16:03
18:06
21:03
09:57
14:03
16:03
16:57
18:06
19:57
21:03
* The
06:56 Eurostar from Brussels only runs on Mondays, Tuesdays
& Wednesdays.
** The
10:56 Eurostar from Brussels runs on
Mondays & Tuesdays from 18 Feb to 3 April, Mondays to Fridays
from 4 April. It doesn't run at all before 18 Feb.
*** The
15:56 Eurostar from Brussels only runs on Thursdays
& Fridays.
****
The 18:56 Eurostar only runs on Fridays from
16 February onwards, no service before 16 Feb or on other
days of the week.
How much does
it cost?
London to
Brussels by Eurostar starts at £39 one-way or£69 return in
2nd class. Like air fares, the price rises as cheaper
seats are sold. A Eurostar ticket to Brussels not only
entitles you to travel on Eurostar to Brussels Midi, it's
automatically valid on connecting local trains to other
stations in the central Brussels area, including Brussels
Central (5 minutes walk from the historic Grande Place),
Brussels Nord, Brussels Congrès. This might save you a
taxi ride!
London to Any
Belgian Station including Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, Liege: Eurostar tickets to
Brussels used to be automatically valid to any station in Belgium,
but this arrangement ceased in October 2010. You must
now buy a ticket to 'Any Belgian Station', which is listed as a separate destination,
costing £6 more one-way or £12 more return than a standard
class ticket to Brussels. In first class, it's £8.50 one-way,
£17 return more than the price of a Standard Premier or
Business Premier ticket to Brussels. With a Eurostar
ticket to Any Belgian Station you can hop on any onward
train from Brussels to anywhere in Belgium within 24 hours
of your Eurostar arrival in Brussels. On the return leg,
you can use any suitable train from your Belgian starting
point to Brussels within 24 hours of your Eurostar departure
back to London. No reservation is necessary for Belgian
domestic trains, you just hop on any train you want. It's
not valid on high-speed Thalys or German high-speed ICE
trains (not to be confused with Belgian or Dutch IC trains,
which certainly can be used).
Fares from London
to Brussels:
Standard
(2nd class)
Standard Premier
(1st class for leisure)
Business Premier
(1st class for business)
One-way
Return
One-way
Return
One-way
Return
Adult
From £39
From £69
From £107
From £189
£260 or £329
£450 or £570
Child under 12
From
£29
From
£49
From £70
From £123
-
-
Child under 4
Free, if they don't occupy their own seat
Youth 12-25
From £38
From £59
-
-
-
-
Senior (over 60)
From £29
From £49
-
-
-
-
Railpass holder
£57
£100
£102
£180
-
-
Wheelchair user
£35
£69
£35
£69
-
-
Fare from
London to
Any Belgian
Station:
2nd
class: Add £6 one-way or £12 return to any
2nd class Eurostar fare.
1st
class: Add £8.50 one-way or £17 return to any
1st class Eurostar fare.
For example,
£69 return from London to Brussels + £12 add-on to Any
Belgian Station
= £81 return
from London to Any Belgian Station...
If you are only
going from London to Brussels, Bruges or anywhere else in
Belgium, the best way to book Eurostar is online at
www.eurostar.com. You can print your own
ticket or choose to collect it at the
station before departure. You can also book by phone, calling
Eurostar on 08432 186 186 (+44 1233 617575 from outside the UK).
Tips on
choosing a specific Eurostar seat.
If you
are going beyond Belgium, you can book the
Eurostar and your onward trains
together through a specialist European ticketing agency.
For a list of agencies,
see here.
Eurostar has
three classes, Standard class, 'Standard Premier' (first
class for leisure, originally called 'Leisure Select' before Aug 2010), and 'Business
Premier' (first class for business). 'Business Premier' first class has flexible
tickets, a hot meal served at your seat with alcoholic and
non-alcoholic drinks, access to executive lounges at stations and a 10 minute minimum
check-in. 'Standard Premier' first class offers
exactly the same first class seating, but with more affordable
non-flexible fares, a cold meal served at your seat with
complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, a 30-minute minimum check-in and no access
to executive lounges. You'll find Eurostar trains
very smooth & quiet, even at 186 mph. All passengers have access to two buffet-bar
cars serving drinks and snacks. Eurostar is all
non-smoking. For more information about Eurostar and the
Eurostar journey, including tips on how to choose the best
seats, see the Eurostar
page. There is a virtual tour of 1st and 2nd class
seats on
www.eurostar.com.
A
Eurostar at St Pancras International...
Eurostar
1st class...
Eurostar
2nd class...
Arriving at Brussels Midi
station...
Eurostar arrives
at platforms 1 & 2 at Brussels Midi station (Bruxelles Midi
in French, Brussel Zuid in Flemish, Brussels South in
English, they're all the same place). Brussels Midi is
a fairly easy 25 minute walk from the
famous Grand Place
(Grote Markt) in the city centre, or there are buses, taxis
& a metro. You can get a free tourist map from the
tourist information kiosk in the middle of Brussels Midi
station concourse near the exit from the Eurostar terminal.
To walk to the city centre, leave the station from the main
doors on the Eurostar terminal (platform 1/2) side of the
station, turn right, walk along the side of the
station/tracks for a few minutes and then turn left along
the Rue Stalingrad to central Brussels.
Left luggage
facilities are available if you need them, open 24 hours.
When returning to London, remember the 30 minute Eurostar
check-in.
Click here for a map of Brussels.
Bus, tram &
metro information for Brussels (English button top
right).
Restaurants
near Brussels Midi or the Grande Place: There are
many cafes & snack bars in or near Brussels Midi station, but
for something a bit more upmarket, try the huge and
modernistic 'Midi Station' restaurant, brasserie & bar,
www.midistation.eu,
which does a great steak tartare. It's just opposite the
main exit from Brussels Midi station on the platform 1 side
of the station
(the Eurostar terminal side).
Just off the Grande Place in central Brussels there are vast
numbers of 'tourist trap' restaurants, but try the 'Aux Armes de Bruxelles' (www.armebrux.be),
one of the very few really good traditionally Belgian restaurants
near the Grande Place.
The historic city of Bruges makes a truly excellent short
break destination from the UK - better, in my opinion,
than Brussels.
You can find short breaks to Bruges or Brussels combining Eurostar
and hotel at
www.railbookers.com, 020 3327 0761 or
www.eurostar.com or
www.lastminute.com. This is often cheaper than
buying train tickets and booking a hotel separately.
Visiting the site of the Battle of Waterloo, 1815...
It was 'the closest run thing you
ever saw in your life', according to the Duke of Wellington.
And if he'd lost, perhaps this website would have been
written in French. You can visit the battle
site, climbing the 'Butte de Lion' (the lion monument, built on
a man-made mound in 1823-1826) for a superb view over the whole
battlefield. Next to the Lion is a visitors centre
which explains what happened, a
'panorama' (a circular building built in 1912 which houses a
360 degree panorama painting of the battle) and across the
road is a small wax museum. Open 7 days a week, all
year. There are also tours of the battlefield starting
from the visitors centre. For visitor information, see
www.waterloo1815.be/en/waterloo/.
How to reach
Waterloo...
Buy a Eurostar
ticket to Any Belgian Station, as opposed to just
'Brussels', as this is valid to any Belgian station by any
suitable connecting train within 24 hours of arriving in
Brussels and (in the return direction) on any suitable
connecting train in the 24 hours before your Eurostar
departure from Brussels. After arriving at Brussels
Midi by Eurostar, take a local train to either Waterloo or the next stop, Braine l'Alleud.
Trains to Waterloo run once an hour from Brussels Midi,
Brussels Central & Brussels Nord, taking around 25 minutes
from Brussels Midi. Going to the original Waterloo
station will give you a photo opportunity in front of the
station name sign (!) but the town and station are actually
5.3 km from the battle site. A taxi will cost around
19-21 euros each way, although there
aren't usually any taxis waiting at the station, so call Taxis Fabrimone on +32
2 354 28 41 or Taxis Waterloo on +32 2 351 26 26.
Braine l'Alleud is much closer to the battlefield and
museums, it's just 2.7km away and you can walk it in 35
minutes or take a taxi.
Map showing walking route from Braine l'Alleud station to
battlefield. Trains to Braine l'Alleud are more
frequent than those to Waterloo, they run from Brussels
every half hour with the fast ones taking just 14 minutes
non-stop. The departure boards at Brussels Midi will
only show the train's final destination, so it can help to
know that Waterloo and Braine l'Alleud are on the line from
Brussels to Nivelles &
Charleroi. Allow at least 20 minutes to change at
Brussels on your outward journey, at least 50 minutes on
your return to include the 30 minute Eurostar check-in.
Advice on changing
trains at Brussels Midi station. You can
check train times at
www.b-rail.be.
Arrival at Waterloo station,
a few miles to the battle site...
The 'Butte de Lion', built
in 1823-1826 on the site of the allied front line at the
Battle of Waterloo. 226 steps, 41
metres high.
View down
the steps of the Butte de Lion, showing the 1912-built
Panorama building and visitors centre. The British
front line was along the road...
Travelling to Antwerp (Anvers), Liège,
Ghent, Namur,
Dinant, or anywhere else in Belgium?
If you buy a
Eurostar ticket to Any Belgian Station, it's valid by
Eurostar to Brussels and then by any suitable connecting
train service from Brussels to anywhere in Belgium as long
as you complete the journey within 24 hours of the Eurostar
arriving in Brussels. You can't use high-speed Thalys
or ICE trains, but Belgian InterCity (IC) trains are fine.
In the inbound direction, you can travel
from anywhere in Belgium to Brussels on any suitable train
except Thalys or ICE high-speed trains within the 24 hours
before your Eurostar departure from Brussels to London.
Again, InterCity (IC) trains are fine. Trains generally run
hourly or half-hourly between Brussels and all main Belgian
cities, no reservation is necessary, you just hop on and
find any empty seat.
A ticket to
Any Belgian Station costs £6 more one-way or £12 more
return than a Eurostar ticket to Brussels, in other words,
from £81 return in standard class, which is extremely good
value. In first class, it costs £8.50 one-way or £17
return more than the price of a Standard Premier or Business
Premier ticket to Brussels.
Beware of out-of-date advice. Until 11 October 2010, a Eurostar ticket
to Brussels was automatically valid to any station in
Belgium. This was a fantastic deal for passengers, but less
fantastic for Belgian national railways (SNCB) as they
received no revenue from this arrangement. The
arrangement ceased on 11 October 2010, and there are now two
separate destinations shown on the Eurostar website,
'Brussels' if you just want Brussels itself and 'Any Belgian
Station' if you want to travel beyond Brussels, the latter
priced higher than Brussels. Incidentally, a ticket to
'Brussels' still allows a free train transfer from Brussels
Midi to Brussels Central, Brussels Nord, and several other
central Brussels stations, but no longer to anywhere in Belgium.
You can use the online timetable at
www.bahn.de or
www.b-rail.be
to check train times. Allow at least 20 minutes
in Brussels to make a connection on the outward journey, and
45 minutes (preferably more) on the return to allow
for the 30-minute Eurostar check-in.
For over a century, the direct & traditional route from
London to Brussels was via Dover and Ostend. However, there
have been no ferries from Dover to Oostende since the 1990s.
There's a ferry from Ramsgate to Oostende, but it's for
vehicles only as it refuses to carry foot passengers.
But there is still an alternative to Eurostar worth
considering, especially if you live in East Anglia, or have
a phobia about the Channel Tunnel, with easy train-ferry
connections at each end, and inclusive fares covering both
train and ferry.
London to Belgium by 'Dutch Flyer' train &
ferry... A train takes you from
London's Liverpool Street station directly to the
ferry terminal at Harwich. You walk off the
train, into the terminal, get your
boarding card & cabin key at the Stena Line
check-in desk and walk straight onto the overnight
ferry to Hoek van Holland. The new superferry
'Stena Hollandica' is the largest ferry of its kind in
the world. See the
Netherlands page for more details. Take an
onward train to Antwerp or Brussels next morning.
Cosy cabins: The overnight Harwich-Hoek ferry is a
floating hotel. All passengers travel in a cosy private
cabin with
en suite shower & toilet and satellite TV. This is the
cheapest 2-berth
cabin...
London or East Anglia to Brussels via the Harwich - Hoek van
Holland luxury overnight superferry...
This is a slightly round-about route, but if you live in
East Anglia, or you're desperate to avoid the Channel
Tunnel, or there are problems affecting Eurostar, then this
is a comfortable and very affordable alternative. As
it's overnight while you sleep in a private en suite cabin,
it's actually quite time-effective, and fun, too.
London ► Antwerp & Brussels
Take the
19:32 train from London Liverpool Street
station to Harwich in Essex. At Harwich
International, the train arrives right at the ferry
terminal. You walk off the train and into the
ferry terminal, check in for the ferry and walk onto the
ship. Unlike flying, it's totally painless.
Sail on
Stena Line's overnight superferry 'Stena Hollandica' to
Hoek van Holland. You can board from around 21:00
in time for a late dinner in the restaurant, she sails
at 23:15 and arrives at Hoek van Holland at 07:45 Dutch
time. All passengers get a private cabin with
toilet, shower, satellite TV and free WiFi. An
excellent and highly recommended experience.
Next
morning take an onward train from Hoek van Holland to
Rotterdam, and change for an InterCity train to Antwerp
and Brussels. At Hoek, the station is right
outside the exit from the ferry terminal. Leave
Hoek van Holland Haven at 08:10, change Rotterdam, and
arrive Antwerp at 10:00 or Brussels Midi at 10:42.
See the
Netherlands page for full details exact timings from
London to Rotterdam. You can check train times
from Hoek or Rotterdam to Antwerp or Brussels using the
journey planner at
www.bahn.de.
Brussels & Antwerp ► London
Take the
17:18 InterCity train from Brussels or 17:57 from
Antwerp, arriving Rotterdam 19:08. Change for the
19:31 local train to Hoek van Holland Haven arriving
20:00.
Sail from
Hoek van Holland to Harwich on the Stena Line superferry
'Stena Britannica' sailing at 22:30 Mondays-Fridays or
22:00 at weekends and arriving in
Harwich at 06:30 UK time. You can board from
around 20:00 onwards, in time for dinner in the ship's
restaurant before retiring to your private cabin.
All passengers get a private cabin with toilet, shower,
satellite TV and free WiFi. An excellent and
highly recommended experience.
At Harwich
next morning, the station is right next to the ferry
terminal. A train from Harwich will get you to
London around 08:54.
You can
check train times from Antwerp or Brussels to Hoek van
Holland using the journey planner at
www.bahn.de.
Fares and
how to buy tickets
London to
Rotterdam costs from £39 with an inclusive 'Dutch Flyer'
ticket covering train, ferry and onward train.
The same
fare covers departure by train from any National Express
East Anglia railway station, including Norwich,
Cambridge, Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Chelmsford, and so
on.
You need
to add the cost of a cabin, around £30 for a single
cabin, £45 per cabin for a 2-bed cabin.
See the
Netherlands page for full details.
You can
buy tickets from London to Any Dutch Station online at
www.dutchflyer.co.uk.
However, see the
Netherlands
page for full details of how to buy tickets.
Then
simply buy an onward ticket from Rotterdam to Antwerp or
Brussels at the station in Rotterdam (no reservation
necessary if you use the non-high-speed trains) or (for
the same price) online at
www.nshispeed.nl.
Buy a through ticket from over 130 UK towns
& cities to Brussels or anywhere in Belgium...
Eurostar offer through tickets
from over 130 UK towns & cities to Brussels or Any Belgian
Station -
use the booking form above to see
which UK stations have through tickets to Brussels or any Belgian station by Eurostar
& to book online.
If you live in
East Anglia, a convenient, affordable and time-effective
option is to use the overnight Harwich to Hoek van Holland
luxury superferry,
see the
section above.
Devon &
Cornwall to Brussels by sleeper & Eurostar...
You can take
the overnight 'Night Riviera' sleeper train from Cornwall,
Plymouth, Newton Abbott or Exeter to London Paddington, take
the Underground to St Pancras, then hop on a Eurostar to
Brussels,
see here for details.
North of
England to Belgium by cruise ferry ...
You can travel from Hull to Belgium
by overnight cruise ferry, with or without a car. P&O
have a daily
ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge, departing 19:00 and
arriving 08:30 - see
www.poferries.com
or call 0870 2424 999. For onward train connections from
Zeebrugge to Brussels, Cologne or Paris, simply use
http://bahn.hafas.de. Arriving in Zeebrugge at
08:30 you should reach Brussels by 10:50 (change at Bruges)
and Paris by 14:04 (change at Bruges and Brussels).
Scotland to
Brussels by sleeper & Eurostar...
You can take
the overnight Caledonian Sleeper from Inverness, Aberdeen,
Edinburgh,, Glasgow and many other Scottish town and cities
to London Euston, walk to St Pancras, then hop on a Eurostar
to Brussels,
see here for details.
The Thomas Cook European Timetable
The
Thomas Cook European timetable
has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency
& climate
information. Published since 1873, it costs £13.99.
It's essential for any serious traveller
and an inspiration for armchair travellers. Still
not convinced you need one? More information
on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains. You can
buy the latest monthly edition online at
www.thomascooktimetables.com with worldwide delivery or
buy it in person from any UK branch of Thomas Cook (ask at the
bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria or Kings
Cross stations in London.
Or
buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with
laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:
Winter/Spring 2011/12 edition (Dec 2011 to June 2012) or
(when available)
Summer/Autumn 2012 edition (June to Dec 2012)
The Thomas Cook Rail Map of
Europe is the best and most comprehensive
map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the
west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland
in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south. High speed
&
scenic routes are highlighted. Highly recommended!
Buy online
at
www.amazon.co.uk
(worldwide delivery).
See an extract from
the map.
You
should take a good guidebook.
For the independent traveller, I think this means either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide. I
personally prefer the layout of the Lonely Planet, but others prefer
the Rough Guide. Both guidebooks provide the same excellent
level of practical information and historical background.
You won't regret buying one!
www.hotelscombined.com
is probably the best hotel search system I've seen, a free search tool
which checks all the main hotel booking sites (Opodo, Expedia,
Booking.com, Hotels.com, AsiaRooms, Travelocity, LateRooms and
others) to find the cheapest hotel rates. Set up in
2005, it's probably the best place to start for booking any
hotel online in any country, worldwide.
Personal recommendation...
In Bruges,
if you can afford it and for somewhere really special, try
the
Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce, a luxurious and romantic
boutique-style hotel in a fabulous location on the canal and
within easy walking distance of all the sights.
In Brussels,
if you need a decent hotel between trains close to Brussels
Midi station where Eurostar arrives, go for the dependable
Ibis Brussels Midi just across the road. For
somewhere near the city centre and all the sights, treat
yourself to the celebrated
Hotel Metropole, a glamorous five-star art deco hotel
just 10 minutes walk from the famous Grande Place and
Brussels Central station. It's one of Brussels' most
famous hotels.
Other hotel sites
worth trying...
www.tripadvisor.com
is the place to find
independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.
www.booking.com is my own preferred hotel booking system
(Hotels Combined being a search/comparison system). It
has a simple interface, a good selection in most countries
worldwide, useful online customer reviews of each hotel, and
decent prices, usually shown inclusive of unavoidable extras
such as taxes (a pet hate of mine is systems that show one
price, then charge you another!).
www.venere.com
has a wide selection of hotels and a well-presented website.
The price you see is the price you pay, no hidden extras, and
you simply pay the hotel when you get there.
Hotels in Brussels,
Hotels in Bruges.
Backpacker hostels...
www.hostelbookers.com: If you're on a tight budget,
don't forget about backpacker hostels. Hostelbookers
offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in
backpacker hostels in Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck and most
other European cities at rock-bottom prices.
Travel insurance & health card
Get travel insurance, it's essential...
Never travel without insurance from a
reliable travel insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover. It should also cover loss of
cash (up to a limit) and belongings, and cancellation. An annual
multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip
policies even for just 2 or 3 trips
a year (I have an annual policy myself).
Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed
connection, but European international rail conditions of
carriage (known as the 'CIV') contain consumer protection
provisions that entitle you to travel forward by the next
available train if you miss a connection because of a delay to
the first train, irrespective of who operates which train, and
even if your ticket is in theory train-specific and
non-changeable.
Feedback from using
insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome. Here are some suggested insurers.
Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these
links.
If you're a
UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free
European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or
reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in
many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with
the NHS. This replaced the old E111 forms
as from January 2006. The EHIC card is available from
www.ehic.org.uk. It doesn't remove the need for
travel insurance, though.
Get a spare credit card, one designed for foreign travel with no currency
exchange loading & low or no ATM fees...
It costs nothing to take out an extra credit card.
If you keep it in a different part of your luggage so you're
not left stranded if
your wallet gets stolen, this is a form of extra travel insurance in itself. In addition,
some credit cards are significantly better for
overseas travel than others. Martin Lewis's
www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money explains which
UK credit cards
have the lowest currency exchange commission loadings when you buy something
overseas, and the lowest cash withdrawal fees when
you use an ATM abroad. Taking this advice
can save you quite a lot on each trip compared to using your
normal high-street bank credit card! You can save money on ATM charges and exchange rates using a
Caxton FX euro currency Visa Card, or indeed the
multi-currency 'Global Traveller' Visa Card,
find out about these cards & sign up here.
Get an international SIM card
to save on mobile data and phone calls...
Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're
not careful you can return home to find some huge bills
waiting for you. I've known people run up over £1,000 in
data charges just by leaving their iPhone connected during a
simple trip to Europe. However, if you
buy a global SIM card for your mobile phone from a company
such as
www.Go-Sim.com you can slash the cost by up to 85% and
limit any damage to the amount you have pre-paid. Go-Sim
cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide,
and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries. It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills
when you get home. It also allows cheap data access for laptops
& PDAs. A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't
expire if it's not used between trips, unlike some
others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone
number' for life.
You
should take a good guidebook.
For the independent traveller, I think this means either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide. I
personally prefer the layout of the Lonely Planet, but others prefer
the Rough Guide. Both guidebooks provide the same excellent
level of practical information and historical background.
You won't regret buying one!
In
the UK, try
If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the
EU, try
If you live in the USA or Canada, try
