BY AIR
1. Arriving in Brussels/Zaventem
Belgium’s main international airport (Brussel Nationaal) is situated about 15 km/9 miles outside Brussels in the town of Zaventem (app. 110 kilometres/68 miles from Bruges). Flight schedules for departures and arrivals are available at the official Brussels airport website at www.brusselsairport.be.
The easiest way to travel from Brussels airport to Bruges is by train. The train station is located on level -1 of the airport building. The Airport City Express Train leaves 4 times an hour to Brussels North, Central and South Station. You will have to change in Brussels North, Central or South Station where you can take a connecting train to Bruges. The complete journey by train from Brussels airport to Bruges station will take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. Timetables are available on the Belgian Railways website (www.b-rail.be). The conference centre Oud Sint Jan is located at a 10 minute walk from the station in Bruges. When you leave the station (take exit “Brugge”) you cross the station square and then you follow the signs for Oud Sint Jan via Oostmeers and Zonnekemeers.
2. Arriving in Brussels-South/Charleroi
Belgium’s other international airport, Brussels-South, is located in Charleroi, at 40 km/25 miles from Brussels city and operates low cost airlines. Flight schedules for departures and arrivals are available at www.charleroi-airport.com.
There are direct shuttle bus connections from Brussels-South airport to Bruges train station. Tickets are on sale inside the Charleroi airport terminal (counter no. 1) and on the internet: www.voyages-lelan.be. Buses depart from the airport 4 times a day. The journey between Charleroi and Bruges takes app. 2 hours.
3. Arriving in Amsterdam/Schiphol
Flight schedules for departures and arrivals at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam are available at www.schiphol.nl. From Amsterdam, you can take the fast Thalys connection to Brussels - for more information and timetables visit www.thalys.com. From Brussels there are regular trains to Bruges, the journey takes about 1 hour – timetables are available on the Belgian Railways website (www.b-rail.be). See also point 1 - Arriving in Brussels/Zaventem above.
4. Arriving in Paris/Charles de Gaulle
Flight schedules for departures and arrivals at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris are available at www.paris-cdg.com. The rapid RER train service links Charles de Gaulle Airport with central Paris. Trains run every 15 minutes (eight minutes in peak periods) and the journey takes approximately 35 minutes. Line B runs from the TGV station at Terminal 2 to Gare du Nord, from where you can take the fast Thalys connection to Bruges - for more information and timetables visit www.thalys.com.
5. Arriving in London/Heathrow
Flight schedules for departures and arrivals at Heathrow airport in London
are available at www.heathrowairport.com.
Heathrow Express is the fastest transport connection between Heathrow and central
London. Non-stop trains run every 15 minutes between Heathrow Central and London
Paddington, a 15-minute journey. From Paddington station there is a direct underground
connection to London St Pancras, from where you can take the fast Eurostar connection
to Brussels - for more information and timetables visit www.eurostar.com.
From Brussels there are regular trains to Bruges, the journey takes about 1
hour – timetables are available on the Belgian Railways website (www.b-rail.be).
See also point 1 - Arriving in Brussels/Zaventem above.
BY TRAIN
There is a direct international (Thalys) train connection between Paris and Bruges. If you are travelling from Amsterdam or London, you will need to change in Brussels. For more information and timetables visit www.thalys.be (for connections from Paris and Amsterdam) or www.eurostar.com (for connections from London). Timetables, prices and information on international train connections between Brussels and other European cities are available on www.b-rail.be under ‘Travelling in Europe’. International trains usually arrive and leave from Brussels South Station (“Bruxelles Midi” in French/”Brussel Zuid” in Dutch), from where you can catch a train to Bruges. The train journey between Brussels and Bruges takes app. 1 hour. The conference centre Oud Sint Jan is located at a 10 minute walk from the station in Bruges. When you leave the station (take exit “Brugge”) you cross the station square and then you follow the signs for Oud Sint Jan via Oostmeers and Zonnekemeers.
BY CAR
To plan your journey, please refer to www.viamichelin.com. The conference centre is easily accessible via the E40 Brussels - Ostend. You take exit 8 and drive until the second traffic lights where you turn right. Then you follow the signs to the railway station of Bruges (passing by two roundabouts). Drive under the railway bridge and when reaching the front of the station you follow the signs of "Oud Sint-Jan" to the left. Via Oostmeers and Zonnekemeers you will arrive at the conference venue.
TRAVEL SUPPORT
A limited number of travel grants will be awarded to students and possibly other members of the AVS Science and Technology (become an AVS member now). The Thin Film Division of the AVS will review and approve the applications. Requests can be directed to Dr. Chris H. Stoessel.
