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Flying Friendship Cup in Brussels

Travel By Air

British Airways, BMI, KLM and Brussels Airlines fly direct to Brussels out of London Heathrow. Bucket shops and flight websites may also help you find flights from other carriers & airports but beware of stopovers! The railway & bus stations are conveniently located under the terminal building. There are several trains an hour taking only 20 minutes to the city (Brussels Midi or Brussels Central)and an express bus service. Public transport in Belgium is very cheap! Click here for a link to the Brussels Airport website for more information.

Check with your airline about the carrying of fencing bags or weapons & arrive at Check-In a bit earlier than usual. Fencing bags will normally have to be specially checked in as oversize baggage possibly at extra charge. Most airlines also treat fencing kit as sporting equipment but the same extra charge should apply.

Travel By Train

Eurostar run 5 trains a day from London St.Pancras to Brussels Midi in the city centre. Click here for the Eurostar website.

The problem with Eurostar is their baggage policy which is similar to the airlines. Weapons or oversize (more than 85cms long)bags have to be sent as registered baggage at extra charge. This has to be checked in separately & Eurostar will only guarantee that it will be available for collection at the destination within 24 hours.

However, their Baggage Services have also said that if a team is travelling together they will normally put the kit on the same train. Again it will be sensible to check in early. If somebody is going by car to Brussels ask them if they can take your weapons/kit for safety.

Travel By Road

Ferries from Dover to Calais or from Ramsgate to Ostend and the Eurotunnel service are probably the best options for travel by road. And there will be no baggage problems!

The Dover ferry takes 1.5 hours and the motorway route from Calais to Brussels should take around 2 hours according to the AA Route Planner. P & O Ferries operate a no extra charge policy for late check-in provided you arrive no more than 2 hours late.

Crossing by Eurotunnel takes only 35 minutes followed by the same 2 hour drive.

The Ramsgate ferry takes 4 hours but as Ostend is closer to Brussels the motorway drive takes only 1.25 hours.