brussels

media type="custom" key="27183702" align="right"belgium / Brussels
related: city editing: http://planeta.com/brussels


 * Brussels** is the capital and largest city of Belgium and de facto the capital of the European Union (EU). It has more than 40 square metres of green spaces per resident, making it the greenest capital in Europe. But it is more than parks and the Foret de Soignes that the city embraces. It is committed to sustainable development through its Regional Plan which is targeted at supporting energy efficiency upgrades in its buildings and creating a sustainable economy.

Brussels Region is officially bilingual: French and Dutch. Unofficially, English is the lingua franca of nationals of the various countries of in the European Union to do business and socialise.

RSS
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**Getting Around**
The city has an extensive public transport network including a metros system, buses and trams operated by STIB-MVIB. Ticket offices on the metro and vending machines dispense tickets. Tickets must be validated at the commencement of the journey and each time the mode of transport is changed. They are valid for 1 hour on all transport modes from the time of first validation. It is also possible to buy an electronic pass that can be topped up at the ticket dispensing machines.

The city has operated a bicycle share scheme since 2010 and it is still expanding with new stations constantly being added. It is possible to buy a day pass and utilise a long pass code to hire bicycles, but it is easier to buy a 30 euro yearly pass from a supermarket, if staying longer. The city has Zen electric cars for hire throughout the city and in line with the rest of Belgium hosts Cambio car sharing.

Getting there
The gare du Midi/ Sud station is connected to the European High Speed Rail network with connections to London (Eurostar), Koln (Thalys and ICE), Amsterdam (Thalys and in the future Eurostar). Paris (TGV and Thalys). There are also direct high speed trains to Lyon, Marseille and ski resorts in winter. It is also served by inter- city bus services. Eurolines (connections to Antwerp, Amsterdam, London, Lille, Paris, Geneva, Chamonix, Milan) IDBus (Paris), Megabus (London). The main European auto route E40 connects the city to Calais and the Channel Tunnel to the west and Liege, and Koln to the east. The E411 connects to Namur and the Ardennes and Luxembourg. The main airport is Brussels National which is still referred to as Zaventem. It is connected by rail and bus to the centre of Brussels. Low cost airlines also use Brussels Sud at Charleroi 30 minuntes to the souh of Brussels. A bus link connects to Brussels gare du Midi / Sud station.

City Tours
[|Brussels Greeters] are locals who volunteer to show the city through their own eyes to up to 6 visitors. [|Pro Velo]is an organisation promoting cycling in Brussels. They run themed bicycle tours of the city at various times throughout the year.

Events
[|Fete de L'Iris] celebrates the formation of the Brussels Region with events and free concerts. Second weekend in May. [|Brussels Jazz Marathon] held over a weekend at the end of May. 200 free jazz concerts at venues throughout the city. [|Fete de la Musique] has three days of free music over a weekend in June. Each July Brussels Harbour becomes a beach in [|Brussels Beach / Bruxelles les Bains / Brussel bad].

Wikipedia
[|Belgium] [|Brussels]

Apps
[|STIB-MVIB Public transport] (Real Time Bus, Metro and Tram information) [|SNCB] Timetables and Belgian Rail Booking [|All Bikes Now]: An app that gives status of bike share stations in Brussels and other Belgian cities

twitter
[|@visitBrussels] [|@eurostarbe] [|@BrusselsAP]

Hashtags [|#bruxelles]

Features
[|Europe's Most Congested City Contemplates Going Car-Free]

Flights
https://www.jetairfly.com/en/last-minute/brussels/miami#promo-undefined

Toerisme Vlaanderen is een strategie- en kennisgedreven marketingorganisatie die de toeristische sector in Vlaanderen en Brussel ondersteunt.

Op basis van zijn missie heeft Toerisme Vlaanderen een visie ontwikkeld op wat zijn opdracht is voor het toerisme en de toeristische sector. Het agentschap ziet voor zichzelf drie grote rollen weggelegd.

1. Een toeristisch kennis- en innovatiecentrum 2. Een kennis- en marketinggedreven, gestroomlijnde marketingorganisatie 3. Een klantgerichte dienstverlener (lees meer)

Meer informatie op [|www.toerismevlaanderen.be]

Tourism Flanders is a strategy and knowledge-driven marketing organization that supports the tourist industry in Flanders and Brussels.

Based on his mission, Tourism Flanders has developed a vision of what is required for tourism and tourism. The agency sees three major roles for itself.

1. A tourist knowledge and innovation center

2. A knowledge- and marketing-driven, streamlined marketing organization

3. A customer-oriented service provider (read more)

More information on www.toerismevlaanderen.be https://www.flickr.com/photos/toerismevla/