Practical information

Welcome Pack

The welcome pack is now available for download (here in Word format). The pack gives you lots of practical information about staying in Brussels and the festival itself. There are also directions for getting to and from the theatre by car or public transport listed below each of the hotels on this page.

Hotels

We recommend that you look for a hotel in the so-called “European Quarter”of Brussels centred around the Rondpoint Schuman and Schuman Metro stop, from which the Feats 2009 theatre, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre Cultural Centre is easily accessible by public transport.

We have arranged group rates for Feats 2009 attendees at these hotels:

To find out details of the preferential rates, please contact accommodation@feats2009.theatreinbrussels.com.

You can find out about other hotels in Brussels at these web sites: tripadvisor.com, booking.com, brussels-hotels.com.

For those of you on a budget, you may be interested in the following hostels:

Auberge Sleep Well Rue du Damier 23, 1000 Brussels Find on Google Maps http://www.sleepwell.be

Centre Vincent Van Gogh Rue Traversière 8, 1210 Bruxelles Find on Google Maps http://www.chab.be

Jaqcues Brel Youth Hostel Rue de la Sablonnière 30, 1000 Brussels Find on Google Maps http://www.laj.be/html/en/hostels/brel/aubergesbrel_en01.htm

Public transport

STIB is the organization that runs public transport in Brussels.  You can find out more about the system by visiting their website, which has an English language option:  http://stib.be/index.htm?guest_user=guest_en

There are a variety of tickets available, and they are available as Jump or Mobib tickets.  Visitors to Brussels will most probably want to use the easy-to-purchase Jump tickets.  The single ticket option is always more expensive (€2 if bought on a tram, €1.70 if bought elsewhere) than the 5 (€7.30) or 10 (€12.30) journey tickets or the 1 (€4.50) or 3 (€9.50) day tickets. In addition there are return journey tickets (€3.30) and group tickets (€10) which allows up to 5 people to travel together all day.

Tickets are available from various outlets. Some shops sell a limited supply of tickets, but visitors to Feats will be particularly keen to know that they can be bought from:

Kiosk Shops

• Schuman Station: Monday-Sunday and national holidays, 6.30am – 9.30pm
• Gare Centrale: Monday-Sunday and national holidays, 6.30am – 10.30pm
• Montgomery Station, Merode Station:  Monday-Friday 6.30am – 9.30pm

Self-Service Machines

• Available at a large number of bus and tram stops, including: Schuman, Merode, Montgomery and Tomberg.

Jump tickets have to be validated by being stamped in the orange box at the entrances to every form of transport every time you start a journey, and are valid for one hour. The machine is on buses and trams, but at the entrance to metro stations. If you change between bus/tram/metro you have to revalidate your ticket.  If you are travelling within the hour you will be registered as in transit, and no extra charge will be made on the ticket. It is very important to verify your ticket as there are police checks run on all forms of transport, and people without a valid ticket will be fined.

Disabled Travellers: STIB provides certain services. Please check on their website for further information.

In addition, bus/tram/metro tickets are available from the Information Desk at the Theatre.

Brussels 20k Run - Sunday, 31 May

The 30th edition of the 20 km of Brussels takes places on May 31st 2009, starting at 3pm from the Esplanade at the Cinquantenaire.

Please be advised that this event will affect Hotel bookings and public transport regarding the FEATS Festival weekend. The clash will be minimal, however forward planning regarding the fringe and the Featlets festival at De Kam is advisable.

You can find out more about the 20k at its website: http://www.20kmdebruxelles.be/20km/set_en.htm

Brussels Walkabout

A walking tour of the centre of Brussels will take place on the Saturday and Mondays of the festival. It will start at 10.30am and should finish at 12.30pm. The two-hour walk will take in some of the strip comic murals as its comic strip year and 20 years since the Horta comic strip museum opened.

Numbers will be limited for everyone’s benefit, so please book early at the festival information desk to avoid disappointment.

Belgian law

Visitors must carry their passport/identity card at all times, and must show this to a uniformed police officer on request.  Foreigners unable to prove their identity may be placed in detention! 

Driving:

• Cars must be equipped with rear fog light, fire extinguisher, a red triangle, fluorescent jackets for all travellers and a first aid kit. Proof of insurance, certificate of road-worthiness and driving licence must be carried.
• The alcohol limit for driving is 0.5 grams/litre max (one glass of wine).
• The police have the right tostop and breathalyse any motorist.  A delay of 30 minutes before taking the test is permitted. 
• A speeding ticket can be issued on the spot and must be paid within 48 hours.
• Speed limits: 31mph (50km/h) in the city, 56mph (90km/h) outside the city, and 75mph (120km/h) on 4-lane highways.
• Front and rear seat belts must be worn at all times. Children under 12 years of age are prohibited from sitting in the front seat.