Analysis of Algorithms 2006: Transportation
Address
Landcommanderij Alden Biesen, Kasteelstraat 6, B 3740 Bilzen,
Belgium. Tel: ++32 (0)89/519393 or 519352.
Location
Alden Biesen is located near the corner where Belgium, The Netherlands
and Germany touch.
It is 100 km to the east of Brussels,
and 15 km to the west of Maastricht.
The nearest big cities are Maastricht (The Netherlands),
Liège (Belgium), Aachen (Germany), Eindhoven (The Netherlands),
Antwerp (Belgium) and Brussels, in that order.
There is a railway station in Bilzen, 5 km away.
Warning regarding July 2 arrivals:
There is a huge agricultural event involving thousands of
tractors and horses at the castle of Alden Biesen. Some
roads are blocked, and taxis and cars may have to use the rear entrance
to the castle.
The city of Bilzen is just to
the left of Maastricht.
Bigger map of Belgium: We are located in the northeast part
of the country.
By plane
The nearest airport is the Maastricht Aachen airport,
which has daily direct flights
from Berlin Schoenefeld (by EasyJet) and Amsterdam Schiphol (by KLM),
for example. The airport is about 25km from Alden Biesen.
Brussels airport is about 90km away (see below for train
connections), and Amsterdam about 150km.
By train
From Brussels Airport you can reach Alden Biesen by train. At the airport you can buy a ticket to Bilzen. First take the train to Brussels North Station (every 20 min). In Brussels North you can take the train to Hasselt (every 30 min). The train via Landen will split in Landen---make sure you are in the right carriages for Hasselt (this will be announced in the train) or you will end up in Liège. In Hasselt you have a connection to Bilzen (every 5 min to the hour). People arriving in Brussels South station (also called Bruxelles Midi) by TGV (Eurostar or Thalys) can take the train to Hasselt from Brussels South. This is the same train that passes via Brussels Central and North. People arriving by train from the east (via Köln and Aachen) take the train to Liège. In Liège they take the connection to Bilzen / Hasselt and get off the train in Bilzen.
From Bilzen, one proceeds further by taxi or bus (see below).
By car
Alden Biesen is close to highway E313 Antwerpen-Liège (exit 31). The castle is indicated as soon as you leave
the highway.
Estimated travel times by car from various cities: Maastricht (10 min.),
Liege (20 min.), Aachen (30 min.), Antwerp (50 min.), Brussels (50 min.),
Amsterdam (2.5h), Frankfurt (3h), Paris (4h).
By taxi from Bilzen
Alden-Biesen is about 5 km from the station in Bilzen. The easiest way to reach the destination is by taxi. To order a taxi phone 089-411100 (Cars Mardaga). The estimated cost is 10 Euro. A less obvious way to reach the destination is taking the ``belbus''. These buses are part of the public transportation system but one has to order them by phone, tel. 011-850300, and there is about a 30 min. waiting time. The cost is about 1 Euro.
On the day of arrival, we could possibly arrange for private car transportation
on the hour from Bilzen station.
Map near the castle
Regional maps
Slightly larger view with the nearby village of Rijkhoven.
This map shows Rijkhoven with respect to Bilzen where some
of you will arrive by train. Bilzen is 2.5 km from
the castle for birds. It is about 4 km for larger animals.
Close-up of Lanaken. The Eurotel is on the wide Europalaan,
about where the Koning Albertlaan crosses it.
Neerharen, where we find La Butte aux Bois,
is just to the north, following the N78 (Europalaan, Staatsbaan).
This map situates Lanaken with respect to Bilzen:
the hotels are just about where the yellow road leaves the map
in a north-easterly direction (to the right of Lanaken).
If you take the Bilzerbaan and the Maastrichterstraat (also
in yellow), then you see how it connects to Rijkhoven from
two maps above: turn left on another large road (in yellow on that
map). Follow signs to Alden Biesen from there.
The castle is at the
intersection of the Roelants du Vivierlaan and the Kasteelstraat.
Help
The local organizers will try their best to help out
with the arrivals and organize car pools. More information
later.
Contact