How to get to Belgium - Bruges?

By Air:

Brussels international Airport – Zaventem:
The international Brussels National Airport is located ca. 1,5 hour from Bruges. Arriving at Brussels/Zaventem airport: the Airport City Express conveniently leaves from within the airport building (floor -2) and takes you four times an hour to one of the main stations in Brussels (subsequently Noord/Nord, Centraal/Central and Zuid/Midi). In Brussels you can switch to one of the many intercity trains (IC) to or via “Bruges” (directions: “Knokke / Blankenberge”, “Oostende” all stop in Bruges – approximately 2-3 trains per hour). Every hour, a train runs directly from the airport to the railway station “Bruges” (Travel time: 1 h 45 minutes)

Charleroi Brussels South Airport:
There are two options for travelling between Charleroi (Brussels South) Airport and Bruges:

Option 1: by bus
The bus company Flibco.com (link: www.flibco.com) is offering a direct shuttle bus to and from the station of Bruges with a frequency of 9 trips a day. Using this service, you will travel more comfortably, it's cheaper and often also faster than other transport alternatives (train, combination of train and bus). Booking is cheaper online, on the bus or at the airport you will pay a surcharge.

Option 2: by train
To travel to Bruges by train you first need to take a train to Charleroi Sud Railway Station. A ticket “billet bulk” can be purchased at the bus stop (door n°2) at the airport. From the Charleroi South Railway Station you can take a train to Bruges. Train schedules are available at www.b-rail.be.
Note: the last return train to Charleroi Sud Railway Station departs from Bruges at 23h 22 and arrives at the Charleroi South Railway Station at 1h 32. The last return bus from Charleroi South Railway Station to the Brussels South Airport departs at 22h40. More Information

Option 3: by taxi
Private shuttles are available to and from Brussels South Charleroi Airport organized one of our partners , with prior reservation. The contact details of the company can be found at www.bcservice.eu.

The international Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is located ca. 3 hours from Bruges. The Thalys and InterCity train services depart from the Airport railway station “Schiphol Plaza”.

Thalys to Antwerp Central or Brussels-South (Brussel-Zuid or Bruxelles-Midi) and Inter City train to Brussels (Noord/Nord, Centraal/Central and Zuid/Midi), there you can switch to the Belgian trains that run directly to or via Bruges railway station (directions: “Knokke/Blankenberge”, “Oostende” or “Bruges”). From Antwerp Central Station you switch to the Belgian trains that run to or via Bruges railway station (direction “Oostende”, please mind there is once per hour a train to Bruges).

Some links of interest:
www.b-europe.com
www.schiphol.nl

By high-speed train:

The closest international railway station for high-speed trains is Brussels South (Bruxelles Midi) railway station (arrival of Thalys, TGV, Eurostar, ICE, etc.). Switch to one of the many intercity trains (IC) to or via “Bruges”, (directions “Brugge”, “Knokke/Blankenberge”, “Oostende” all stop in Bruges ).

Regular connections by train to Bruges railway station with a journey time of ca. 1 hour. Train schedules are available at www.b-rail.be. Note that the last direct train from Bruges’ railway station to the Brussels South (Bruxelles Midi) railway station departs at 23h 22 and arrives at 00h 18.

From the railway station of Bruges, you can walk to your accommodation or use the local busses or taxis.

VISA and Travel Documents:

What do you need - Bruges?

Do you need a Visum?
All the information concerning visa applications for Belgium is available on the website of the Foreigners Department of the FPS Home Affairs, which is the competent Belgian authority for access to the territory, stay, residence and removal of foreigners in Belgium. More info

For information about the Schengen- visa, please visit www.schengenvisainfo.com/belgium-visa

At which embassy or consulate shall I introduce my visa application?
You should apply for your visa in person at the Belgian embassy or consulate which is competent for your country of residence, where you will be requested to communicate your travel destination as well as the circumstances of it. In a number of cases, you can lodge your visa application through an external service provider (outsourcing partner). In some very specific cases, you can also be exempted from personally lodging your application. If you want to know more about it, please contact the relevant embassy or consulate. If you want to find out which Belgian embassy or consulate is competent for you visa application. More information

Invitation Letters:
The organization can provide you with a letter of invitation to participate in the ND2016 conference. The organization will only issue letters for the duration of the course and for congress participants only (no accompanying persons). No financial support can be given.

IMPORTANT: before we can issue an invitation letter, we must have received your on-line registration for the congress and the related payment.

If you need a letter of invitation, please contact the Secretariat in time, preferably by e-mail:
nd2016@semico.be or fax (+32 9 233 85 97).

Please state your:

• Last name
• First names
• Home address
• Birthplace
• Birth date
• Identity card number
• Passport number