Zaventem, "Welcome to Europe" (airport, Brussels) - the best air harbor in Europe

On March 22, 2016, the Belgian International Airport (Brussels) was on the front pages of newspapers and in the main news of the TV channels. The terrorist act shocked many people who had come to the capital of Belgium through this air harbor. After all, according to a survey conducted in 2005, a hundred thousand respondents named Brussels Airport the best in Europe. Well, no one is immune from terrorist attacks. Most likely, the consequences of the explosions will soon be eliminated, and the protection of the terminal will be strengthened to prevent such acts from happening again. Let's consider, what is interesting this airport with such eloquent title: "Welcome to Europe".

History

It is interesting that the residents of the Belgian capital were presented with a hub by the Germans. At the beginning of the First World War, they invaded the country, urgently built a hangar in the open field for launching airships. This structure passed several times from one belligerent side to the other. Every time the Germans got their hangar, they modernized it and in every possible way equipped the airfield. The glorious combat past of this building became a page in the history of aeronautics. After the war, an airport was built here on the airfield. Brussels has invested, at last, its own funds in the arrangement of the hub. Now the air harbor receives about twenty million passengers a year. It is used as its base by such major carriers as Brassels Airlines, Lufthansa and BiMAm. Aeroflot sends its planes here from several large cities of the Russian Federation.

Airport map

The air harbor of the Belgian capital consists of only one terminal. But do not delude yourself. International airport (Brussels), calling itself the gateway to Europe, multi-level. It consists of zones A and B, and in the future additional compartments will be added to them. But for now everything is simple. "A", connected with the main building by a covered passage, serves passengers traveling to the countries of the Schengen area. "B", on the contrary, is used for international flights to countries that have not acceded to this agreement. Now we start to consider the levels. Level -1 is an underground floor. If you want to take a train to get from Brussels Airport to the city center (as well as to other towns in Belgium), then you come here to the railway station. A floor above (Level 0) is its bus analogue. Levels 1 and 2 are the arrival hall. Here you will find a travel agency, racks of different firms, from which you can rent a car, post office, ATMs. Level 3 - for departing passengers. The whole floor is occupied by check-in counters for flights. The fourth level is the most beautiful. It is also called the Promenade. It offers a panoramic view of the airfield, and here lies the lion's share of all cafes and shops.

Belgian International Airport (Brussels): services

Not for nothing that a hundred thousand survey respondents in 2005 called this hub the most comfortable in Europe. Since that time the airport is constantly being modernized and updated. The waiting rooms are equipped with comfortable armchairs. A pleasant gift for the airport to passengers is free Wi-Fi. Everywhere you will find fountains with drinking water. In the terminal there is a mass of services: the Travelex stand for VAT refund (located in the non-Schengen zone), postal and bank branches, a tourist bureau, car rental offices, prayer chapels and meditation rooms. The only downside: many of these services are available only until nine in the evening. But the scoreboard information is very convenient and understandable. Airport employees do everything possible to ensure that the necessary formalities before and after the flight occurred as soon as possible.

Brussels Airport: how to get to the city center

Naturally, the most trouble-free way is to take a taxi. Smart yellow-blue cars are waiting for their passengers when they leave the arrival hall (at the first level). But the cost of such a trip will be no less than forty euros. And not the fact that it will be fast. After all, the capital is not infrequent traffic jams. Brussels Airport is located in Zaventem, twelve kilometers from the main city of the country. Therefore, the fastest mode of transport will be an electric train. The entrance to the station, as we already mentioned, is located right at the airport terminal, at level -1. The trains run at intervals of a quarter of an hour. They quickly deliver passengers to all Brussels stations : Brussels Midi (the main station), North and Central.

How to get to other cities in Belgium

Many tourists following in the majestic Liège, gingerbread Bruges, romantic Ghent or ancient Antwerp, arrive in Brussels. From the airport to the center you can get not only by train or taxi, but also by bus. Transportation is carried out by two companies. The first, De Lijn, delivers passengers to the metro station "Rudebek". The second, MIVB / STIB, sends its buses not to the old city center, but to the institutions of the European Union. From Brussels Airport you can go straight to Antwerp. The cost of the bus ticket, which can be purchased from the driver, is ten euros. Time in a way, depending on congestion of roads, - from thirty five minutes up to an hour. To get to other cities in the country, you must first reach the train stations in Brussels. But carefully study the schedule at the railway station in the airport terminal. Perhaps the right train will pass through Zaventem.

How to get to another Brussels airport

The capital of Belgium has another hub. It is intended for reception of budgetary loukostov ("ViszEir", "IsiJet" and others). This air harbor is located 60 kilometers south of Brussels, near the town of Charleroi. Unfortunately, there is no direct communication between the two airports. In addition to taxis, there are two ways to get to the loukost hub. From Zaventem, you can take the train to any Brussels station. From there you need to get to the Charleroi train station. From the city to the hub shuttles shuttle. The second way to get to the airport (Brussels - Charleroi) - combined. By train, we reach the "Midi" station and take the bus.