Name: Brussels

Capital of: Belgium

Nationality: Belgian

Population: 1,000,000

Languages: Brussels' residents are generally biligual and most will speak Dutch and French. German is also spoken in the east. English is also widely spoken.

Currency: Euro. Organise your currency before you go here

Tipping: Tipping is not obligatory as service and value-added tax (VAT) are included in hotel and restaurant prices. Cinema and theatre attendants generally expect a Euro0.50 tip, and in public toilets it's usual to leave Euro0.25 for the attendant.

Climate: Mild, wet and changeable throughout the year. There are hot, humid days in July and August and cool, damp days in December and January. Temperatures rarely fall below freezing and summer high reach around 30°C and winter lows rarely fall below 0°C.

Best time to go: The weather is best between May and September and this is when the crowds turn up and accommodation tends to be booked up quickly. Brussels is ideal for a weekend break especially as the top hotels drop their rates between Friday to Sunday. November to March is wet and cold, but pack the right clothes and you could have the city to yourself.

Country Dialing Code: +32

City Code for Brussels: is (0)2

Mobile: Mobile phones operate on GSM networks.

Weights & Measures: Metric

Internet: .be

Time Zones: GMT/UTC +1 (GMT +2 from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October).

Electricity: 220V 50Hz

Flying time: Less than 1 hour from UK

Need to Know: By law, eveyone must carry identification at all times.

Entry/Visa: The borderless region known as the Schengen area includes the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. All these countries issue a standard Schengen visa that has a multiple entry option that allows the holder to travel freely within the borders of all. Nationals of non-EU countries are recommended to hold return or onward tickets, sufficient funds and documents for their next destination.

GETTING THERE

Airport: Brussels International Airport (BRU), (formerly Zaventem) is 14km (9 miles) northeast of Brussels. To get to the city centre you can hop on the Aiport City Express train shuttle. The train station is at the airport's lowest level (-1). The shuttle will take you to the city's main stations: Gare du Nord, Gare du Mid and Gare Centrale. Gare Centrale is just a five-minute walk to Grande Place. Taxis are available and the official ones have a yellow and blue 'Taxi' sign.
Departure Tax: None

Eurostar: If you are coming from southeast England the high-speed Eurostar is a good option. It will get from London St Pancras International to Brussels in just 3 hours. From Paris, travellers can use the high speed Thalys trains which offer a journey of 1 hour and 40 minutes from city centre (Gare du Nord) to city centre (Brussels Midi).

Getting around: It's easy to get around Brussels. Public transport comprises the metro, trams, premetro (trams that go underground for part of the journey) and buses. They are all run by Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles (STIB in French, MIVB in Flemish).Tickets are available at metro stations, STIB kiosks, some newsagents and on buses and trams. You can purchase single-trip tickets, five/ten-journey tickets or day passes. Metro stations are marked by rectangular signs with a white 'M' on a blue background. Tram and bus stops have red and white signs. There's no central hub for buses, so you'll want to pick up the STIB's free transportation map. Premetro trams run mainly between Gare du Nord and Gare du Midi.

Metro: These are marked by a white 'M' on a blue background. There are three lines: Line 1A ((yellow) goes from Roi Baudouin station to Herrmann-Debroux; Line 1B (red) runs from Erasme to Stockel; and Line 2 (orange) is a loop that joins Simonis with Clémenceau, following the Petit Ring. There's a train roughly every 10 or 15 minutes.

Bus/Tram: There's no central hub for buses or tram so to find out where to pick up one up you'll need to get hold of the STIB/MIVB transport map which is free from the tourist office. Trams and bus tops have red-and-white signs. Premetro trams run mainly between Gare du Nord and Gare du Midi, travelling underneath the ruler-straight boulevard known consecutively as Adolphe Max/Anspach/Maurice Lemonnier.

FURTHER READING

15 August 2008