Need some travelling tips

[CJ725]

I'm going to visiting London in early September.
After a short stay there I want to spend a few ays in Belgium, say 4 to 5 days only.
Can anyone tell me how I can go to Belgium from London and how should I spend my time there?
Appreciate your inputs!

[fleming]

There are 3 options:

1. TRAIN (under the Sea)
From London to Brussels it takes four hours by train. Take the "Eurostar" train in London Waterloo Station and four hours later you are in Brussels (mind the difference in time though: England has a one hour time-difference with Belgium).
For a ticket from Brussels to London and back you usely pay 100 Euro (that equals more or less 100 dollar). All depends on your age, discounts, day of travel, etc…
website: http://www.eurostar.com


2. PLANE (above the Sea)
You can also take the plane.
If you take a plane from Heathrow (Airport London) to Zaventem (Airport Brussels) it is quite expensive.
Website: http://www.britishairways.com

You can also take the low-price company "Ryan Air". They have flights between Stansted (near London) and Charleroi (city half an hour from Brussels).
website: http://www.ryanair.com
But don't let the website fool you: they do not offer any direct flights between London and Brussels. But only between Stansted and Charleroi.


3. SHIP (on the Sea)
This is the cheapest way. You buy a trainticket to Dover and there you take the Ferry to Calais (Northern France) or Zeebrugge (Belgium). Then you buy a trainticket from Calais to Brussels.
It is the cheapest way, but it will take you a couple of hours and more trouble (buying trainticket in London - Reservation Ferry - Buying train ticket in Calais or Zeebrugge to Brussels)
Website: http://www.posl.com


Overall I advise the train. It is very practical, only takes four hours and it brings you from the heart of london to the heart of Brussels. You only have to buy a trainticket once. Very easy.
(If you take the plane you lose time with check-inn and transport from the airport to the center, if you take the Ferry you will also have to organise transport from London to Dover and from Calais or Zeebrugge to Brussels).


A part from Brussels, I advise you to visit also Bruges, Gent and Antwerp.

Bruges is a must see. It is called "Venice of the north". The whole medieval center is protected as UNESCO world heritage. This year Bruges is als the cultural capital of Europe.
http://www.brugge2002.be

Gent is a big city with lots of cafés, musea, medieval center, etc…
http://www.gent.be/gent/english/index.htm

Antwerp:
http://www.visitantwerp.be.

If you have time left, it can also be nice to visit Namur and Leuven
http://www.namur.be/indexen.html

Leuven is a nice university town with beautiful medieval center, only half on hour from Brussels. On the old market there are over 30 cafés. Students go out there at night to party, drink and dance.
http://www.leuven.be (click on tourism)
and
http://www.leuven.com

[CJ725]

Thanks Fleming!
In case you need to come to my part, Hong Kong or China.
let me know, I can do it in return, give you lots of ideas and infos!
Cheers,
CJ725