Aside from the offices at the airport, there are two tourist
information offices in the city, both located right in the centre. The
main one is the BI-TC (Bruxelles International - Tourisme et Congrès),
in the Hôtel de Ville on the Grand-Place (May-Sept daily 9am-6pm; Oct-Dec
& March-April Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 10am-2pm; Jan & Feb Mon-Sat 9am-6pm;
tel 02 513 89 40, fax 513 83 20, www.tib.be ), which handles information
on the city only. It stocks a wide range of handouts, including free
city maps, has details of up-and-coming events and concerts and sells a
variety of general- and specialist-interest guides, the most useful of
which is the detailed Brussels Guide and Map (¬2). In addition, the BI-TC
issues a list of all the city's (recognized) hotels, and makes hotel
reservations for free - the deposit is subtracted from your final hotel
bill. This is especially attractive as the BI-TC can often offer
substantial discounts on published rates. It can help with public
transport, too: the BI-TC sells the 24-hour carte d'un jour pass and
issues free public transport maps. Finally, the BI-TC offers several
package deals , combining public transport and admission into certain
sights, though frankly these aren't especially enticing. Probably the
best is the Tourist Passport (¬7.45), which entitles bearers to free use
of the city's public transport network for two days and offers modest
discounts at a variety of attractions, though you do have to work fairly
hard to recover your outlay.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Bulletin (¬2.35), the city's main English-language weekly, contains
an excellent entertainment listings section, detailing what's on and
where. The magazine is on sale at most downtown newsagents. The BI-TC
also provides The Bulletin 's listings section - "What's On" - for free.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The city centre's second tourist office, the Belgian tourist information
centre , footsteps from the Grand-Place at rue Marché aux Herbes 63 (July
& Aug Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat & Sun 9am-1pm & 2-7pm; May, June, Sept & Oct
Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat & Sun 9am-1pm & 2-6pm; Nov-April Mon-Fri 9am-6pm,
Sat 9am-1pm & 2-6pm, Sun 9am-1pm; tel 02 504 03 90, fax 504 02 70),
provides information on the whole of Belgium. They do stock a few
brochures on Brussels, but this is not their main concern - they leave
the city largely to the BI-TC. They also operate a hotel room
reservation service, but again it's for the rest of Belgium, not
Brussels.
If you need a large city map , buy the Girault Gilbert map, which comes
complete with an index. It's available at most city-centre souvenir
shops, newsagents and bookshops, but at prices that range from ¬4.95 to
¬7.45: as you might expect, the souvenir shops near the Grand-Place tend
to up the ante.
Brussels on the Internet
Tintin
www.tintin.be
Blistering barnacles! Anything you've ever wanted to know.
Anderlecht football team
www.rsca.be
'Ere we go, the thrilling fields of Anderlecht.
Beer
www.belgianstyle.com
More encouragement, if you need it.
Lace
www.belgian-lace.com
Examples of lacy bits for all occasions.
Magritte
www.virtuo.be
More than 300 pics in this library and not just bowler hats.
Tourist Information
www.brusselsdiscovery.com
Straight from the tourist board's mouth. Well presented and organized,
and full of practical information.
|
