Welcome to Spa and the Land of Springs!

Transcription

1 Welcome to Spa and the Land of Springs! PRACTICAL INFORMATION Water & Marine Directors' meeting Thursday 2 and Friday 3 December 2010 (arrival on Wednesday 1 December) Venue: DORINT Hotel Route de Balmoral SPA-Balmoral BELGIUM

2 I. LOCATION Spa is a small Belgian town of 10,000 inhabitants. It lies in the country's Walloon Region, in the Province of Liege. It is situated in a romantic valley amid hills which form part of the Ardennes chain, some 45 km southeast of Liege, and 49 km southwest of Aachen. II. TRAVEL INFORMATION A. HOW TO TRAVEL TO VERVIERS and SPA? A shuttle service for all participants coming by plane or by train will be organised between VERVIERS-Central railway station and the venue (DORINT Hotel in Spa Balmoral). 1) Arriving by plane a) Arriving from Brussels National Airport (BRU) in Zaventem More information on transport to and from Brussels Airport can be found on the Brussels airport website (For flight timetables see ). Take the train at level - 1 of the airport, in the direction of Brussels-North (Bruxelles- Nord/Brussel-Noord) railway station or in the direction of Leuven (depending on the time: see attached train schedules). There is a train between Brussels airport and Brussels- North station about every 20 minutes. Then take an Intercity train to VERVIERS-Central. For information regarding Belgian railways see (for all train timetables). You can buy your train ticket at the airport railway station or through e- ticketing ( Approximate travel time from the airport railway station to VERVIERS-Central : 1 hour and 50 minutes. 2

3 b) Arriving from Charleroi Airport CRL ("Brussels South - Charleroi Airport") Various low cost airlines (Ryanair, Wizzair, etc.) operate flights to and from Brussels South-Charleroi Airport. For destinations and flight timetables from/to Brussels South- Charleroi airport: see There is no railway station at this airport. A shuttle service runs every 30 minutes between Charleroi Airport and the international railway station Bruxelles-Midi (South). The shuttle coach stop in Brussels is at the junction of 'rue de France' and 'rue de l'instruction'. Shuttle tickets cost 13 for a one-way ticket and 22 for a return ticket and are sold outside the airport terminal or can be purchased online ( Travel time from Charleroi airport to Brussels- Midi with this shuttle is about 1 hour. At Bruxelles-Midi railway station, take an Intercity train to VERVIERS-Central. All train timetables are available at See also attached train schedules. Attention, for the return flight, passengers are advised to arrive at this airport 3 hours prior to the departure of the flight! 2) Arriving by high-speed train (THALYS, EUROSTAR, ICE) The closest international railway station for THALYS and EUROSTAR high-speed trains is Brussels-South Station (BRUXELLES-Midi). Fast intercity trains are available from the stations of Bruxelles-Midi/ Bruxelles-Central/ Bruxelles-Nord to VERVIERS- Central (1 train per hour). All trains stop first at LIEGE-Guillemins, the new Calatrava station. Approximate travel time from Brussels-Midi railway station to VERVIERS-Central railway station: 1 hour 30 minutes: see attached train schedules. The closest international railway station for ICE high-speed train coming from Germany (Aachen, Cologne, Frankfurt) is LIEGE-Guillemins Station. Then take a conventional train to VERVIERS-Central. Approximate travel time from LIEGE-Guillemins railway station to VERVIERS-Central railway station: 25 minutes. B. HOW TO REACH THE VENUE WITH THE SHUTTLES? Shuttle coaches will operate from/to VERVIERS-Central railway station to/from the venue, DORINT Hotel in SPA Balmoral (address : route de Balmoral N 33). Spa is located 12 km from VERVIERS-Central railway station and shuttle coaches to/from the venue will operate during the arrival and departure days. Transfer time is around 20 minutes. 3

4 Timetable for arrival transfers Shuttle coaches will operate from VERVIERS-Central railway station to the DORINT hotel in Spa: on Wednesday 1 December afternoon and evening, shuttle departure at 13.35, 14.35, 15.35, 16.35, 17.35, 18.35, 19.35, 20.35, 21.35; on Thursday 2 December morning and early afternoon, shuttle departure at 10.35, 11.35, , 13.35, These time schedules might be slightly adapted to the participants arrival times. If you arrive at the station later than on Wednesday, we recommend you book a taxi (rate: ): Central TAXI in Verviers (available at night until 02.00): Tel TAXI JAMES in Spa (available later than if booked in advance): Mobile Timetable for departure transfers (Please remember the participants common dinner at Stavelot Abbey on Thursday 2 nd of December) Shuttle coaches will operate from the DORINT hotel in Spa to VERVIERS-Central railway station: on Thursday 2 December in the late afternoon, shuttle departure at and 17.05; on Friday 3 December: shuttle departure at 7.05, 8.05, 9.05, 10.05, 11.05, 12.05, 13.05, 14.05, These time schedules might be slightly adapted to the participants departure times. C. ARRIVING BY CAR : Access map: The way to the DORINT HOTEL (route de Balmoral, SPA Balmoral) 4

5 III. VENUE and ACCOMODATION: DORINT Hotel DORINT Hotel at SPA-Balmoral Address: Route de Balmoral 33 B-4900 SPA-Balmoral Tel : Fax: info@dorintspa.be The 4-star hotel is situated in a landscape of rolling, forested hillsides that is part of the Belgian Ardennes, with an exceptional view over Warfaaz Lake. 123 rooms. Free Wifi (with access code) available in the meeting room and in the hotel rooms. Free access to the swimming pool and the outdoor car park. Access to the fitness room and the Finnish sauna subject to a 7 extra charge. Room booking - Special rates for the Water & Marine Directors' meeting: We have pre-reserved 100 rooms at the venue. Please use the enclosed booking form to guarantee the following discount rate (guaranteed until 10 November) and send it by fax ( ) or to amatogp@gmail.com The following discount rates include breakfast and free access to the swimming pool and to the outdoor car park: Single room per night: 118 Double room per night: 158. IV. WEATHER IN SPA Spa is located in the Belgian Ardennes and the temperatures are about 3 C lower than in Brussels. Weather forecasts : 5

6 V. TOURIST INFORMATION PLANNED VISITS: a) We are organising an optional visit to Spa and its museum on Wednesday 1 December - afternoon ( hrs) b) We are organising a visit followed by our Common Dinner in the Guards Hall at STAVELOT ABBEY on Thursday 2 December. SPA HISTORY As the famed site of healing hot springs, Spa has been frequented as a watering-place since as far back as the 14th century. Though other sources of healing hot mineral springs have become famous throughout the world, it is the town of Spa which has become eponymous with any place having a natural water source that is believed to possess special health-giving properties, as a spa. The place name comes from the Walloon word "espa" meaning "spring, fountain". Approximately 300 springs find their way from deep inside the Ardennes hills; their water is carbonated and rich in iron and minerals, but low in sodium. Visit the fountain at the Pouhon Pierre le Grand spring (Tsar Peter I the Great) to sample its effects. In the eighteenth century, Spa became a favourite meeting place for the European aristocracy. Royalty and celebrities came here to ease their ailments, whilst also enjoying themselves, of course. After his visit to the town in 1781, the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II gave Spa the nickname of "Europe's Café"! Spa can also lay claim to the first modern casino. Among the personalities who stayed in the town, we can list Victor Hugo, Tsar Peter the Great, the Belgian Royal family, Casanova, Alexandre Dumas and the opera composer Meyerbeer. Society life in Spa in the eighteenth century is largely presented in Stanley Kubrick's film "Barry Lyndon". Agatha Christie's fictional detective Hercule Poirot was born in Spa. The town is perhaps best known today as home to the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, which hosts the annual Formula One Belgian Grand Prix. Mineral water producer Spa also has its headquarters here. Tourist Info - brochure in English and German (25 Mb) Tourist Info - brochure in French and Dutch (25 Mb) : 6

7 "Les Thermes de Spa" The "Thermes de Spa" The new spas named "Les Thermes de Spa" are located on a hill with a panoramic view, 2 km from the DORINT hotel (free car shuttle from the DORINT hotel on request). Address : Colline d'annette et Lubin N 1 - B-4900 S pa Tel Website : Rates with access to 2 thermal pools with hydromassage (32 C m²), Turkish bath, sauna, relaxation rooms: For 3 hours: 17 (after 17.30: 14 ) For one day: 27. Extra charges apply to massages and body treatments. Hiking in Staneux woods (near the hotel) and the "Hautes-Fagnes" (High Fens) nature reserve The Hautes-Fagnes (High Fens) nature reserve 7

8 Domaine de BERINZENNE Domaine de Berinzenne Maison de la Nature / Nature Centre Musée de la Forêt et des Eaux / Forest and Water Museum CRIE / Regional Educational Centre for Environmental Awareness-Raising Signposted walks. Address : Route de la Gleize, Spa Tel : Fax : info@berinzenne.be Open from Tuesday to Friday, STAVELOT ABBEY (Participants Common Dinner on Thursday 2 December) Abbaye de Stavelot Address : Place Saint-Remacle 32 - B-4970 STAVELOT Tel: +32 (0) Fax: +32 (0) info.tourisme@abbayedestavelot.be The town of Stavelot is renowned for its local traditions and its celebrated folk group, the "Blancs Moussis", and enchants its visitors with the charm of its picturesque lanes, Saint-Remacle square and its outstanding heritage. 8

9 Stavelot Abbey was completely renovated by the Walloon Region between 1999 and The architects restored its cloister by building a new wing made of glass and stainless steel on the foundations and within the same proportions as the fourth wing destroyed after the French Revolution. Three new museums were inaugurated in the abbey in March 2002: the Museum of the Principality of Stavelot-Malmédy, the Spa-Francorchamps Racetrack Museum and the Guillaume Apollinaire Museum. The Blancs Moussis (Stavelot Carnival) VII. CONTACT Should you have any question regarding the practical organisation of your stay, please contact Ms. Vanessa VAN HAUWAERT: vanessa.vanhauwaert@spw.wallonie.be Tel We wish you a pleasant stay in Spa! * * * * 9