Conference Venue MCE Conference Centre:
http://www.mce-ama.com/mce-conference-centre/map-and-route-planner/
Brussels Airport (BRU)
Brussels' main airport is Brussels Airport, (locally still commonly referred to as Brussels National or Zaventem)
A train runs every 15 min from the airport (Level -1) to Brussels' three main stations taking 15-25 minutes, with most trains continuing to other parts of Belgium.
STIB-bus 12 and 21 run every 20-30 minutes via metro station Schuman (where you can transfer to metro lines 1 and 5) to the European district around Place du Luxembourg/Luxemburgplein.
The same ticket is valid for a total of 60 minutes on the trains (by SNCB), metro (by STIB), buses (by STIB, De Lijn and TEC) or trams (by STIB) into the centre from the moment it is validated as you get on the bus.
De Lijn-bus 272 and 471 run every 30-60 minutes to Brussels' North Station (called Noordstation/Gare du Nord within the city or Brussel-Noord/Bruxelles-Nord in other places), just north of the city's historic core. The buses also depart from level 0.
De Lijn-bus 272 and 471 run every 30-60 minutes to Brussels' North Station (called Noordstation/Gare du Nord within the city or Brussel-Noord/Bruxelles-Nord in other places), just north of the city's historic core. The buses also depart from level 0.
A taxi to the center costs around €35. Taxis bleus/blauw (blue): +32 2 268 0000, Taxis Autolux: +32 2 411 4142, Taxis verts/groen (green): +32 2 349 4949. Beware of "waiting" charges if your flight is delayed and you pre-ordered a cab, some companies charge you parking fees + €25-30/h for waiting. Always confirm the final charge with your driver before getting in the car.
Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL)
Several budget airlines, including Ryanair and Wizzair fly to Brussels South Charleroi Airport (IATA code CRL). This airport is south of Brussels and one hour drive away from Brussels Midi/Zuid Station at the city center.
A shuttle bus runs about every 30 minutes to Brussels Midi/Zuid station and it takes about 1 hour to get there. Remember that buying the tickets online is cheaper.
The bus stops at Midi/Zuid station, on the Rue de France/Frankrijkstraat in the west. The metro and international trains (Eurostar, Thalys) are on the west side of the station, so upon entering the station from the bus stop, head left rather than straight. Midi/Zuid station PDF map
To go by train, take TEC-bus A direct from the airport to the Charleroi South (Charleroi-Sud) train station. A combined train+bus ticket to or from Brussels can be obtained from the TEC vending machine at the airport. Intercity trains to Brussels depart every 30-60 minutes, continuing to either Antwerp (Anvers) or Essen. These trains call at Brussels South (Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel-Zuid), Brussels Central (Bruxelles-Central/Brussel-Centraal) and Brussels North (Bruxelles-Nord/Brussel-Noord).
You can also get a taxi from the airport to the city center, but this will cost a fixed price of €90. For the return trip to Charleroi you can book in advance a Charleroi-based taxi (€90).
Other
Antwerp Airport (IATA code ANR) also has a good train connection to Brussels.
By train:
Brussels has three main train stations: Midi-Zuid, to the south of the city core, Central-Centraal, which is right next to the city center, and Nord-Noord, to the north of the city center (at Place Rogier). High-speed trains stop only at Midi/Zuid, except the ICE also stops at Nord/Noord. There is a shower at Midi/Zuid located in the toilet near platforms 19-20 (between Origin'O and Quick).
Brussels has three main train stations: Midi-Zuid, to the south of the city core, Central-Centraal, which is right next to the city center, and Nord-Noord, to the north of the city center (at Place Rogier). High-speed trains stop only at Midi/Zuid, except the ICE also stops at Nord/Noord. There is a shower at Midi/Zuid located in the toilet near platforms 19-20 (between Origin'O and Quick).
Thalys
The high speed Thalys train connects Brussels with Cologne (1h52), Paris (1h20) and Amsterdam (2h00). With your Thalys ticket you can also take a local train to or from Central-Centraal, Nord-Noord, Schuman and Luxembourg/Luxemburg stations.
Intercity from Luxembourg/Luxemburg. An hourly Intercity train from Luxembourg (3h07, via Arlon, Libramont, Namur) connects to Midi/Zuid, Central, Nord/Noord, Schuman and Luxembourg/Luxemburg stations. You don't need a reservation.
Eurostar
The Eurostar train line links Lille Europe (0h39, €22+), Ashford (1h38, €40+) and London St. Pancras (1h51, €40+) with Midi/Zuid. Some Eurostar tickets are also valid for internal train travel within Belgium for 24h from the time of the Eurostar ticket), so once in Belgium travel is free for the day. Check in the bottom left hand corner of your ticket and confirm this before you get on the train.
The Eurostar train line links Lille Europe (0h39, €22+), Ashford (1h38, €40+) and London St. Pancras (1h51, €40+) with Midi/Zuid. Some Eurostar tickets are also valid for internal train travel within Belgium for 24h from the time of the Eurostar ticket), so once in Belgium travel is free for the day. Check in the bottom left hand corner of your ticket and confirm this before you get on the train.
ICE
German ICE connects four times a day to Cologne and Frankfurt.
German ICE connects four times a day to Cologne and Frankfurt.
TGV
Connects Lyon, Marseille, Avignon, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nice and many other French destinations to Midi/Zuid.
Connects Lyon, Marseille, Avignon, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nice and many other French destinations to Midi/Zuid.
By bus:
Eurolines offers bus travel from many countries to Brussels, for example 8 hours from London Victoria station. In Brussels, they stop outside the Gare du Nord-Noordstation and Gare du Midi-Zuidstation train stations.
Megabus offers bus travel from London, Paris and Amsterdam to Brussels. In Brussels, they stop outside the Central train station.
De Lijn is the Flemish region (Dutch speaking) public bus service.
TEC is the Walloon region (French speaking) public bus company.