The new Guillemins station, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, was inaugerated on September 18th, 2009 with a multimedia spectacle by Franco Dragone (the designer of many Cirque du Soliel performances.) The new station was built on the site of the old, and the civic replanning of the surrounding area to accommodate the larger building and architects vision has helped to improve the quarter. Slowly, we see more upscale offerings moving into the area.
Immediately accessible within the station concourse (situated one level below the train-platforms) you will find:
The Maison Tourisme - Here there are maps and pamphlets for various attractions in the region, and there is a multilingual person on-hand to advise tourists. As well, the TEC (local public transport) provides information and sells transport fares here.
A Vending Nook - This area contains several food and beverage vending machines as well as photo-booths and automated banking-machines.
L'espress "oh" Juice - Here you can find made-to-order juices and smoothies, coffees and a small selection of hand-prepared snacks.
Crocantine - This small shop offers pre-packaged snacks, beverages and a selection of candies.
Leonidas - A boutique offering Leonidas brand chocolates and other small gift items.
Victoria - A wide variety of stylish accessories for both men and women are sold here, including Guess, DKNY, Diesel, Storm, Swatch, Esprit, and Fossil, among others.
Les Jardins D'Iris - A design-focussed florist offering flowers, plants, and decorative gifts.
Point Chaud - A chain-café in Belgium offering sandwiches made to order, coffee, croissants, and other pastries.
Relay - A newsstand selling magazines, books, chocolates, potato crisps, stuffed toys, stationary supplies and small souvenirs.
Cucina - A resto-café boasting an excelsior espresso machine, Harney & Sons teas, and a large pastry case offering a variety of sweet and savory snacks as possible accompaniments to your beverage.
Pharmacie - Pharmacies here normally have a small selection of items in the store-area in front of the counter, though they actually offer a much wider selection of products than can be seen. It will be necessary to speak to the Pharmacist if you do not see what you are looking for in front of the counter. Even if what you seek is not a medication, it may still be stored behind the counter! Closed Sundays, limited morning hours on Saturdays.
Café de la Grande Gare - A newly opened upscale-brasserie offering attractive seating, a good selection of beer and wine, champagne, a menu that includes meals, snacks, desserts and local specialities, as well as several kinds of tea or coffee.
Louis Delhaize. A smallish grocery store with reasonable pricing considering the location. Though it is situated in the station, there is currently no point of entry from inside the main concourse, so you must exit the station and enter via their separate entrance, to the side of the main station entrance. Here you can find fresh produce, dry grocery staples, pet food, alcohols, DVDs, pre-packaged meals (fresh and frozen), sandwiches, candies, personal care items and grooming products. It is possible to purchase postage stamps and to post items at the cash register.
Station facilities: Currently there are 500 spaces available in the on-site car-park, with 300 more due to open soon. There is a luggage-locker area where bags may be secured for 24 hours at a time, and these facilities are surveyed by CCTV. Attached is a bike-parking/lockup area (locking up your bike here is free, but we recommend you do yourself and your bike a favour by using a good lock.) Next door to the luggage lockers and bike lockup part of the station is the "Maison du Cyclisme", where a variety of bikes (electric, folding, normal) can be rented or serviced for repair, and where cycling maps for the area are found. The external entrance to these facilities is located just next to the Louis Delhaize.
Should you have any comments to make concerning the station or the surrounding area, Eurogare, the consultancy responsible for revitalization and development of rail-properties in Belgium would be happy to hear from you.
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