By Plane
Brussels National Airport, at Zaventem, 11km (7 miles) northeast of the center city, is Belgium's only significant international airport. It has direct rail connection to Brussels and from there to Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, and other Belgian cities; to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague; and to Luxembourg City.
From the U.S. and Canada -- Carriers with flights to Brussels from cities that include Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York, and Toronto are Air Canada (tel. 888/247-2262; www.aircanada.ca); American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com); Delta (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com); and United Airlines (tel. 800/538-2929; www.united.com).
From the U.K. -- British Airways (tel. 0870/850-9850; www.britishairways.com); SN Brussels Airlines (tel. 020/7559-9787; www.flysn.com); Virgin Express (tel. 0870/730-1134; www.virgin-express.com); and bmi (tel. 0870/607-0555; www.flybmi.com) fly to Brussels from cities that include Edinburgh, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds/Bradford, London, Manchester, and Sheffield. Ryanair (tel. 0871/246-0000; www.ryanair.com) flies from London and Glasgow to Charleroi.
From Ireland -- Aer Lingus (tel. 0818/365000; www.aerlingus.com) and SN Brussels Airlines (in Britain tel. 020/7559-9787; www.flysn.com) fly from Dublin to Brussels. Ryanair (tel. 01/609-7881; www.ryanair.com) flies from Dublin to Charleroi.
From Australia -- KLM (tel. 1300/392192; www.klm.com) and Qantas (tel. 131313; www.qantas.com.au) fly from Sydney to Amsterdam, where you can transfer for Brussels.
From New Zealand -- Air New Zealand (tel. 0800/737000; www.airnewzealand.com) flies from Auckland to London, where you can transfer for Brussels.
By Boat
P&O Ferries (tel. 08705/980333 Britain, 02/710-64-44 Belgium; www.poferries.com) has daily car ferry service between Hull in northeast England and Zebrugge. The overnight trip time is 12 1/2 hours.
Superfast Ferries (tel. 0870/234-0870 Britain, 050/25-22-92 Belgium; www.superfast.com) has daily car ferry service between Rosyth, across the Forth River from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Zeebrugge. The overnight trip time is 17 1/2 hours.
At Zeebrugge a bus shuttles between the harbor and the rail station, and there's hourly train service from there to Brussels, via Bruges and Ghent.
Transeuropa Ferries (tel. 01843/595522 in Britain, 059/34-02-60 in Belgium; www.transeuropaferries.com), has three car-ferry sailings daily, from Ramsgate in southern England to Ostend; the trip time is 4 hours. This service transports only cars and other vehicles along with their drivers and passengers; foot passengers aren't accepted.
By Train
Rail service to the Benelux countries from major European cities is frequent, fast, and generally inexpensive compared to air travel.
Britain is connected to the Continent (or as the Brits might say, the Continent is connected to Britain) through the Channel Tunnel. On the Eurostar high-speed train, with a top speed of 300kmph (186 mph), travel times between London Waterloo station and Brussels Midi station are 2 hours and 40 minutes. Departures are approximately every 2 hours. For Eurostar reservations, call tel. 08705/186186 in Britain; 02/528-28-28 in Belgium. Or book online at www.eurostar.com. Tickets also are available from main rail stations and travel agents.
The Thalys high-speed train, with a top speed of 300kmph (186 mph), that connects Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Cologne, has cut travel times from Paris-Nord station to Brussels Midi station to 1 hour and 25 minutes. Departures are approximately every hour. For Thalys information and reservations in France, call tel. 3635; in Belgium, tel. 020/528-28-28; in Germany, tel. 11861; and in Holland, tel. 0900/9296. Or book online at www.thalys.com. Tickets also are available from main rail stations and travel agents.
Further high-speed train connections are the TGV, which arrives in Brussels from France (excluding Paris), and the ICE trains that speed in from Frankfurt, Germany.
By Bus
Eurolines has the most comprehensive bus network in Europe. For reservations, call tel. 08705/143219 in Britain; tel. 02/274-13-50 in Belgium; or tel. 020/560-8788 in the Netherlands. Or book online at www.eurolines.com.
Eurolines has bus service (through the Channel Tunnel) between London Victoria bus station and Brussels's Gare du Nord bus station, with up to four departures daily. Travel time is 8 hours.
By Car
The Benelux countries are crisscrossed by a dense network of major highways connecting them with other European countries. Distances are relatively short. Road conditions are excellent throughout all three Benelux countries, service stations are plentiful, and highways have good signs. Traffic congestion in both Brussels and Amsterdam, however, can cause monumental tie-ups -- in these two cities, it's best to park your car at your hotel garage and use local transportation or walk (the best way, incidentally, to see either city).
Via the Channel Tunnel from Britain -- The fast and efficient Eurotunnel (tel. 08705/353535 in Britain; www.eurotunnel.com) auto-transporter trains transport your car through the Channel Tunnel from Folkestone, England, to Calais, France (a 35-min. trip). Departures are every 15 minutes at peak times, every 30 minutes at times of average demand, and every hour at night.
