Showing 4 Alitalia Flights from Brussels - Starting at Just ₹8,780

  About Brussels

As the de facto capital to the European Union, Brussels is a city that celebrates Flemish culture with exquisite architecture. The city is blessed with rich Gothic and Baroque-styled architecture that adds to the beauty of Brussels. The city is the capital of Belgium and has influences of the Dutch and French as it was once a colony. Brussels is one of the populated cities in Belgian and enjoys the status of being the wealthiest city in the country. Brussels has also turned into an important political and financial centre on international levels. The city is bilingual with citizens speaking both Dutch and French. However, the population leans more towards the French language.

Brussels is blessed with some exquisite UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Grand Palace. While the city has some of the finest architectural bliss to witness, it's the food and beer culture that caters to a wide population of tourists. The Belgian witbier is a famous crafted beer that has been recognised worldwide. Even the waffles made by the Belgians have received honour and stature in the culinary industry to be the best. Booking a flight ticket to Brussels is quite convenient, as is living in the city. There are many options for a backpacker or even a luxury traveller to be entertained as Brussels does accommodate all kinds of travellers.

The hotel rooms are also cheap, provided you make some prior bookings and ensure to get your travel expenses sorted beforehand. It's all about planning perfectly.

Best time to visit Brussels

Spring and fall are the best seasons in which you can visit Brussels. The months March to May and September to October, see Brussels in new lights. With the onset of summer, the city rings in various music festivals as the climate is drier in comparison to other times. With the temperatures falling between 10 degree Celsius to 15 degree Celsius, the chill breeze roaming the city paints quite a romantic picture. This is also a favourable time to visit for many tourists, making flight tickets to Brussels slightly expenses. Even accommodations take a hike with tourists from the UK, Netherlands, Germany and other parts of the neighbouring cities visiting the city. Mainly, people flock over to Brussels to revel in the carnival hosted in the city. In the month of May, the city hosts Iris Day Festival and Brussels Jazz Weekend. These festivities often pique the interests of tourists who wish to engage in the carnivalesque celebrations. During this time, flight tickets to Brussels see a spike, as does the accommodation. The best thing that would make sense for you is to book your flight tickets and hotels in Brussels, months ahead. You might also receive some cheap flight deals online.

September to October sees the temperatures fall to the mid-60s. The atmosphere is quite breezy and beautiful, which makes travelling within the city a good trip. In September, Brussels hosts the Brussels Comic Strip Festival as well as Belgian Beer Weekend. These festivals are attractive, they don't bring in as much crowd as one would hope. Travelling to Brussels from India during September and October would be quite fun as the temperatures are lovely. Plus, with less crowd, the accommodation also sees a drop, giving you ample options to choose instead of settling for some hotel in Brussels.

Place to visit in Brussels

Brussels is blessed with some very European tourist attractions. From the Belgian Comic Strip Museum to the Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, many places in the city would give you the tourist vibe and at the same time will pique your interest. To start with, the first on your list should be the Grand Palace, a royal Gothic and Baroque-style structure that has even been tagged by the UNESCO World Heritage Site. While you're around this area, you can also visit the attractions close to the palace such as St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral. The famous Manneken-Pis, literally a bronze statue of a small boy relieving himself, is a landmark that should definitely be witnessed. The city also has a museum dedicated to musical instruments called Musical Instruments Museum. It's quite a fancy place to visit as it houses 1,200 instruments extracted from around the world. You should also check out archaic Renaissance-inspired arcade Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubter, which is also popularly called 'umbrella of Brussels' in the city.

Things to do in Brussels

At Brussels, there are two things that you simply cannot miss, waffles and beer. The country is famed for its Belgian waffles and Belgian witbier. You can either go separately on an excursion to check out waffles and beers, or you can mix it up in one tour. Brewery hopping is certainly something you would enjoy as you will get to taste some of their finest crafted beers. A day at the theme park, Mini Europe, will do you good. You can take a day trip to the theme park and get to see miniature versions of all the famous European tourist attractions. Plus, their chocolates are another trip to the factory that deserve to be explored.

Food and Restaurants in Brussels

Brussels sees an interesting amalgam of flavours from the French and Dutch style of cooking. Needless to say, mussels also play an important role in their cuisine. Their dish for summer, mosselen-friet, is a lovely melange of mussels and fries, something that would definitely go down well with you. One of the main reasons why summer is ideal to try this dish out is because it is the harvest season of mussels, which means you will be blessed with some lip-smacking fresh mussels on a plate. Much of their cuisine gives seafood a lot of emphasis. Garnalen krokkettenm, one of their dishes, is basically varied types of teeny grey shrimp put together with rich béchamel sauce and served with bread. While seafood does take centre stage in their cuisine, the Belgians do know how to cook good meat as well. You will find some impeccable thick beef stew which is often cooked with beer. Speaking of which, beer plays a staple to their meals just like Belgian frites (fries), and stoemp is to their evening meals. They simply cannot do without the presence of potato and beer.

Talk about Belgian food, and you simply cannot miss waffles and chocolates. They definitely know how to make people go weak in the knees with their savouries. The country is literally recognised for the waffles made by them. While you will see various toppings put on the dessert, the best is the classic Belgian waffle with whipped cream and probably Nutella. Some patisseries don't even add these toppings and let the customer experience the true nature of a lovely plain and crispy waffle. For the classic Belgian food interspersed with French cuisine, head straight to Maison Antoine. As for some more interesting take on Belgian recipes visit Pistolet Original, Au Vieux Marché, Le Clan des Belges, Noordzee Mer du Nord, La Quincaillerie and Delirium Cafe, to name a few. You will return with a big smile on your face after visiting these restaurants and their exquisite culinary.

How to reach Brussels (Transportation)

By Air

As the capital of Belgian, Brussels airport witnesses a good number of tourists at the Brussels International Airport. Flight connectivity of Brussels to many important European cities is excellent. Although the city's airport is located in Flanders, which is away from the Brussels main city, thanks to airport shuttle services, buses and rentals, travelling within the city are possible and convenient. You can book direct flights to Brussels from India. Cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai. Kolkata, Kochi and Bangalore have provisions of direct flights to Brussels. While there are some airlines that would have layovers or might need connecting flights, usually that's not a problem.

The major Indian cities provide non-stop flights to Brussels, making travelling favourable and seamless. Airlines such as Emirates, Etihad Airways, Air India, Lufthansa, KLM Royal Dutch, Air France, Gulf Air, have frequent flights connecting Brussels and India. Booking your flight tickets to Brussels from India should be done well in advance though, if you wish to get good flight deals. It would be even better if you peruse through online for flight as well as accommodation deals. Options from luxury stay to hostels are available. As long as you book your hotel in Brussels before leaving India, it would be favourable.

By Rail

Many travellers visiting Brussels are often travelling across Europe. The connectivity of the European countries is immaculate, making travel easier. Even for Brussels, you can take flights to Germany, Netherlands or France, have some good time exploring those countries and then take a train to Brussels. A majority of the big European cities are connected by rails. Not only would the trip be amusing as the scenic views are worth all the duration, but this way, you can save up as well. Multiple rail options are available from Munich, Luxembourg, Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin and more.

  About Alitalia

Alitalia – Società Aerea Italiana or primarily referred to as Alitalia, is the national flag carrier of Italy. The airline has its headquarters in Fiumicino, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital. The airline's main hub is Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, Rome, while its secondary hub is located in Linate Airport in Milan. Alitalia's other focus airports in Italy also include Naples Airport, Milan Malpensa Airport, Catania-Fontanarossa Airport and Palermo Airport. The airline was recorded in 2018 as the twelfth-largest in Europe. Alitalia in Italian is a portmanteau of the words 'ali' for wings and 'Italia' for Italy. Alitalia has not been the best of airlines in terms of raking a profit margin. In fact, it has been a loss-making venture for quite a few years now. In 2017, after formal approval by the government, the airline went into administration. However, the operations of Alitalia has been continued with the same loss-making approach and level of flight activity. Eventually, in 2020, the government of Italy opted to take over all the flight operations and management from Alitalia.

The Italian airline came into existence in 2008 with formal operations starting from 200, following a Compagnia Aerea Italiana consortium that took place to buy out the bankrupt Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane. They further planned to merge the airlines with Air One, another bankrupt Italian carrier. Compagnia Aerea Italiana or CAI placed an offer of €1 billion to acquire a few parts of the bankrupt airline. Further, to accommodate the new Alitalia airline, the consortium took up several labour agreements, offered to administer the operations of Alitalia and receive support from the Italian government from bankruptcy. The consortium even took up the responsibility of taking over some of Alitalia's debt. There were a few controversies that did take place which included the wealthy Berlusconi cronies. Claims of the wealthy individuals trying to take over healthy fragments of Alitalia while leaving the debts to the citizens and taxpayers of Italy were stated. Eventually, the new Alitalia was launched for operations. The same year, the Compagnia Aerea Italiana sold about 25 per cent of their shares to Air France - KLM. Additionally, Air France - KLM also mentioned a clause to purchase more shares of Alitalia in 2013, if need be.

In January 2010, the airline celebrated its first anniversary since the official relaunch. The airline carried about 22 million passengers in the first year of operations. The following year, the airline also carried about 25 million passengers. Since its relaunch though, Alitalia faced its first protest as employees called for a four-hour strike over wage issues. The same year, the word about a possible merger between Alitalia and Meridiana Fly, an Italian carrier. However, the merger did not take place. Trouble didn't seem to end for Alitalia as there were authority issues and lack of slots to cater to domestic routes. In 2014, Etihad Airways, the national flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates, announced that they would be investing in Alitalia and purchasing about 49 per cent of stake. In the same year, Alitalia's subsidiary Air One cased operations over losses. In 2015, the airline's consortium with Compagnia Aerea Italiana was eventually passed on to Alitalia-SAI, a new entity commenced by Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways. Alitalia's Compagnia Aerea Italiana continued to own 51 per cent of stakes.

Alitalia has been under losses ever since it resumed operations with new leadership. There have been several changes in its ownership styles and status. Currently, Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane is one of the shareholders with about 35 per cent stakes. Along with the Italian state railway company, the airline also has the Italian Ministry of Economy and Delta Air Lines as shareholders with 15 per cent and 10 per cent stakes respectively.

Fleet size of Alitalia

Alitalia's current fleet size comprises 91 aircraft which only include Airbus and Boeing. The fleet has about 38 Airbus A320-200s, 22 Airbus A319-100s, 14 Airbus A330-200s, Airbus 321-100s, 11 Boeing 777-200ERs and one Boeing 777-300ER. From 2009 and 2011, the airline refurbished its fleet by adding 34 new aircraft while 26 of the older ones retired. The renewal process concluded in 2013. The new aircraft that have been added to the fleet are not owned by Alitalia but have been leased from Aircraft Purchase Fleet. It is an Irish leasing company that was founded by former Air One owner, Carlo Toto. The company primarily offered flights on lease to purchase the new Alitalia fleet. With the Air One and Alitalia merger, the entire fleet that was leased and the one air One did not lease, was brought under the ownership of Aircraft Purchase Fleet. Except for the two new A330s, the entire fleet is under the Irish registry instead of the Italian registry. Prior to the new fleet, the previous fleet of Alitalia included McDonnell Douglas DC-9s, DC-10s, ATR 42 and ATR 72, to name a few.

Baggage Allowance

Baggage allowance on Alitalia is the standard protocol that a majority of international airlines have set. The checked baggage weight cannot weigh more than 23 kg for economy and premium economy class cabin. Meanwhile, the business class cabin has weight allocations of 32 kg. In case passengers have excess baggage weight, the airline has enabled the purchase of weight. While economy class passengers can carry about one checked baggage, premium economy class and business class baggage allowance has two pieces of bags. The maximum size of the baggage should not exceed 158 cm for checked baggage. Passengers must adhere to the checked baggage dimension rule. In case of excess baggage, the airline has listed out the tariffs that the passenger might have to pay. The prices also vary depending on the destination of the flight.

As for hand luggage, Alitalia's baggage allowance enables passengers to carry not more than 8 kg weighing luggage onboard. The dimension of the hand baggage should not exceed 55 cm x 235 cm x 25 cm. The size and weight of the baggage should be the same as mentioned by the airline. Failing to adhere to the rules of weight and size could lead to the airline rejecting the accommodation of the baggage onboard. The passenger might have to send away the hand baggage as checked baggage instead.

In-flight services

Alitalia provides passengers with world-class in-flight services ranging from special exquisite meals to onboard boutique. The seating configuration, as well as the seat types, are made to cater to the comfort of the passenger. The aircraft in Alitalia's fleet offers great legroom and leg rest facilities as part of its services. There are several other in-flight services of Alitalia that add to its experience. The airline offers in-flight WiFi connectivity for passengers. Depending on the ticket type, passengers can avail the WiFi network services. Meanwhile, the airline also provides personal entertainment decks with engaging and latest content such as movies, TV shows, music, video games and more. The business class facilities on Alitalia airline also provide the passenger with their Ulisse magazine as part of the in-flight entertainment services. Alitalia's onboard boutique offers products from GRIFFAIR that can be purchased. Passengers will receive some discounted rates too.

Popular routes and top cities for Alitalia

As of 2020, Alitalia is known to serve about 97 destinations and operates from the hub Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport in Rome as well as four other airports in focus cities of Italy. The airline has been part of the SkyTeam alliance and joined in 2009. There have been codeshare agreements that the airline has with other SkyTeam members to enable passengers to fly to numerous other destinations. Alitalia also joined the bandwagon of the transatlantic joint venture, KLM< Air France and Delta Air Lines enabling profits from the Atlantic flights to be shared between the four dedicated airlines. Alitalia's domestic route connections are extensive as they have flights to destinations such as Bologna, Bolzano, Brindisi, Genoa, Florence, Milan, Palermo, Parma, Pisa, Venice, Turin, Pescara, Olbia and more. The international route network of Alitalia is just as celebrated as it caters to a slew of destinations. As of 2020, Alitalia airlines cater to cities such as Brussels, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Toronto, Havana, Prague, Cairo, Luxor, Marseille, Paris, Nice, Toulouse, Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Athens, Budapest, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Beirut, Luxembourg City, Malta, Casablanca, Saint Petersburg, Madrid, Valencia, Zurich, Geneva, Tunis, London, New York City, Chicago and Washington DC.

Why travel by Alitalia?

Despite being a loss-making venture, Alitalia domestic route connectivity and international route connectivity is recognised worldwide. The airline has cultivated a reputation for itself thanks to being associated with SkyTeam airline alliance. Over the years, the airline has enabled several upgrades even though it has suffered debts and losses. The airline has made its official website as a hub for all kinds of booking activities. Travellers can book an Alitalia flight on their website as well as on any travel portal. Simultaneously, passengers can also do web check-in ahead of their flight, receive an update on the flight status and benefit from the list of Alitalia's flight schedules that have been shared on their website.