As part of booking roundtrip flights which depart from US airports, Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on TAP - Air Portugal, which operates a daily non-stop flight from Brussels, Belgium (BRU) to Washington (IAD) regularly scheduled to depart at 12:10pm and arrive at 3:03pm. Usually a Boeing 767-300 is flown for this route. The average travel time from Brussels, Belgium to Washington, DC is 8 hours and 53 minutes.*

* Some flights must connect with international service on this airline.

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Regularly Scheduled Flights to Washington (IAD) from Brussels, Belgium (BRU)
				Daily Non-Stops		Select Non-Stop		Earliest Flight		Last Flight
	TAP - Air Portugal			1		-		12:10pm		12:10pm
	Lufthansa			1		-		12:10pm		12:10pm
	LOT - Polish Airlines			1		-		12:10pm		12:10pm
	United Airlines			1		-		12:10pm		12:10pm
	US Airways			1		-		12:10pm		12:10pm

During your Washington vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:

National Gallery of Art
Most people don't realize it, but the National Gallery of Art is not part of the Smithsonian complex. Housing one of the world's foremost collections of Western painting, sculpture, and graphic arts, spanning from the Middle Ages through the 20th century, the National Gallery has a dual personality. The original West Building, designed by John Russell Pope (architect of the Jefferson Memorial and the National Archives), is a neoclassic marble masterpiece with a domed rotunda over a colonnaded fountain and high-ceilinged corridors leading to delightful garden courts. It was a gift to the nation from Andrew W. Mellon, who also contributed the nucleus of the collection, including 21 masterpieces from the Hermitage, two Raphaels among them. The ultramodern East Building, designed by I. M. Pei and opened in 1978, is composed of two adjoining triangles with glass walls and lofty tetrahedron skylights. The pink Tennessee marble from which both buildings were constructed was taken from the same quarry; it forms an architectural link between the two structures.The West Building: On the main floor of the West Building, about 1,000 paintings are on display at any one time. To the left (as you enter off the Mall) is the Art Information Room, housing the Micro Gallery, where those so inclined can design their own tours of the permanent collection and enhance their knowledge of art via user-friendly computers.To the right and left of the rotunda are sculpture galleries. On view are more than 800 works from the museum's permanent collection, mostly European sculptures from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century. Among the masterpieces here are Honoré Daumier's entire series of bronze sculptures, including all 36 of his caricatured portrait busts of French government officials.The National Gallery Sculpture Garden, just across 7th Street from the West Wing, opened to the public in May 1999. The park takes up 2 city blocks and features open lawns; a central pool with a spouting fountain (the pool turns into an ice rink in winter); an exquisite glassed-in pavilion housing a cafe; 17 sculptures by renowned artists like Roy Lichtenstein and Ellsworth Kelly (and Scott Burton, whose Six-Part Seating you're welcome to sit upon) and, the latest installment, a Paris Metro sign; and informally landscaped shrubs, trees, and plants. It continues to be a hit, especially in warm weather, when people sit on the wide rim of the pool and dangle their feet in the water while they eat their lunch. Friday evenings in summer, the gallery stages live jazz performances here.The East Building: Inside this wing is a showcase for the museum's collection of 20th-century art, including works by Picasso, Miró, Matisse, Pollock, and Rothko; this is also the home of the art history research center. Always on display is an exhibit called Small French Paintings, which I love.The National Gallery is in the midst of finishing up a renovation, so some galleries and favorite works of art may not be on view. For instance, the famous, massive aluminum Alexander Calder mobile that usually dangles in the seven-story skylit atrium of the East Building is off being cleaned and won't be re-hung until the summer of 2005. Call tel. 202/842-6179 for information.Altogether, you should allow a leisurely 2 hours to see everything here.Pick up a floor plan and calendar of events at an information desk to find out about National Gallery exhibits, films, tours, lectures, and concerts. Immensely popular is the gallery's Sunday concert series, now in its 63rd year, which take place Sunday evenings at 7pm in the garden court of the West Building. Admission is free and seating is on a first-come basis -- people start arriving at 6pm, entering through the 6th Street and Constitution Avenue door, the only entrance open. The concerts feature chamber music, string quartets, pianists and other forms of classical music performances. Call tel. 202/842-691. Highly recommended are the free highlight tours (call for exact times) and audio tours. The gift shop is a favorite. The gallery offers several good dining options, among them the concourse-level Cascade Café, which has multiple food stations; the Garden Café, on the ground floor of the West Building; the Terrace Café on the second level of the East Wing (which sometimes tailors its menu to complement a particular exhibit); and the sculpture garden's Pavilion Café.Avoiding the Crowds at the National Gallery of Art--The best time to visit the National Gallery is Monday morning; the worst is Sunday afternoon.

Smithsonian Information Center (the "Castle")
Make this your first stop, and enter through the Enid A. Haupt Garden (see description further along, in the "Parks & Gardens" section), for a pleasurable experience. Built in 1855, this Norman-style red-sandstone building, popularly known as the "Castle," is the oldest building on the Mall, yet it holds the impressively high-tech and comprehensive Smithsonian Information Center.The main information area here is the Great Hall, where a 24-minute video overview of the institution runs throughout the day in two theaters. There are two large schematic models of the Mall (as well as a third in Braille), and two large electronic maps of Washington allow visitors to locate nearly 100 popular attractions and Metro and Tourmobile stops. Interactive videos, some at children's heights, offer extensive information about the Smithsonian and other capital attractions and transportation (the menus seem infinite).The entire facility is accessible to persons with disabilities and information is available in a number of foreign languages. Daily Smithsonian events appear on monitors; in addition, the information desk's volunteer staff can answer questions and help you plan a Smithsonian sightseeing itinerary. Most of the museums are within easy walking distance of the facility.While you're here, notice the charming vestibule, which has been restored to its turn-of-the-20th-century appearance. It was originally designed to display exhibits at a child's eye level. The gold-trimmed ceiling is decorated to represent a grape arbor with brightly plumed birds and blue sky peeking through the trellis. This is also where the Seattle's Best Coffee kiosk is located, so why not grab a cuppa and a muffin and your guidebook and maps and settle yourself outside on a bench in the Enid A. Haupt Garden and plan your day.On Sundays, the Castle serves an extensive brunch in its Commons room, from 11am to 2pm, for $33 per adult, $16 for children 12 and under; call tel. 202/371-1083 to make a reservation.

Newseum & Freedom Park
The Newseum opened in 1997 as the world's first museum dedicated exclusively to news, it's been such a hit that it's already outgrown its location. This location is closed, and a new, larger, and higher-profile headquarters is under construction at 6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, just off the Mall, though it won't open until 2006. You can visit Freedom Park and the Freedom Forum Journalists Memorial, however.Adjoining the museum, Freedom Park, which opened in the summer of 1996 and sits atop a never-used elevated highway, celebrates the spirit of freedom and the struggle to preserve it. Here, too, are many intriguing exhibits: segments of the Berlin Wall (the largest display of the wall outside of Germany), stones from the Warsaw Ghetto, a bronze casting of a South African ballot box, a headless statue of Lenin (one of many that were pushed over and beheaded when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991), and a bronze casting of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birmingham jail-cell door. The glass and steel Freedom Forum Journalists Memorial (honoring, as of 2004, more than 1,528 journalists killed while on assignment; their names are etched in the glass panels) rises above the Potomac, offering views of the Washington Monument, the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, and the National Cathedral.

Make your reservations for discount hotel rooms in the Washington area, including:

Capitol Hill Suites
A $3 million renovation completed at this well-run, all-suite property in spring 2000 produced remarkable and lasting results. Bedroom walls are painted cobalt blue, heavy velvet drapes keep out morning sun, lamps and mirrors are from Pottery Barn, desks are long, desk chairs are ergonomically correct, and beds are firm. Bathrooms are tiny, but sparkling. The lobby, which features an enclosed fireplace, leather chairs, and an antique credenza where self-serve coffee is laid out, is inviting enough to linger. (Sit here long enough and you might spy a congressperson or senator -- a number of members reserve suites for 100 days at a time.) High-speed Internet access is available in all guest rooms at a charge of about $10 per day.The location is another plus: Capitol Hill Suites is the only hotel truly on the Hill (on the House side of the Capitol). It stands on a residential street across from the Library of Congress, a short walk from the Capitol and Mall attractions, a food market, and more than 20 restaurants (many of which deliver to the hotel).The term suite denotes the fact that every unit has a kitchenette with coffeemaker, toaster oven, microwave, refrigerator, flatware, and glassware. Most units are efficiencies, with the kitchenette, bed, and sofa all in the same room. The best choices are one-bedroom units, in which the kitchenette and living room are separate from the bedroom. A third option is a "studio double," with two queen beds and a kitchenette, but no living room area. Some rooms in each category have pullout sofas.Guests, no matter their political leanings, have privileges to dine at the Capitol Hill Club, a members-only club for Republicans, and can charge their meals and drinks to their hotel bill.

The St. Regis
Ah, luxury! Guest rooms are quietly opulent and decorated in tastefully coordinated colors, with duvets on the beds, desks set in alcoves, mirror-covered armoire, creamy silk moiré wall coverings, gilded chandeliers and sconces, and marble bathrooms. On the concierge level (called the "Astor Floor"), a butler unpacks and packs your suitcase, presses two items upon your arrival, and generally sees to your needs. The best rooms (other than those on the Astor Floor) probably are the grand deluxe units, which are oversize traditional rooms with a sitting area. Suites number 13, plus one presidential suite. The hotel has a restaurant on-site, but it's the bar that is the winner here: The Library Lounge might be the best hotel bar in Washington, with a working fireplace and paneled walls lined with bookcases. Recent changes have installed 24-inch flat screen TVs in standard guest rooms, 48-inch plasma screen TVs in the suites, high-speed Internet access in all guest rooms, and wireless Internet service in the lobby, restaurant, and bar.Facilities: Restaurant (American); bar/lounge; 24-hr. state-of-the-art fitness suite (plus access, for $25 fee, to either of 2 nearby health clubs, 1 of which has an indoor lap pool); 24-hr. concierge; complimentary 1-way transportation within 6 blocks of hotel (7-9:30am weekdays); 24-hr. business center; 24-hr. room service; in-room massage; babysitting; same-day laundry/dry cleaning; concierge-level rooms; 3 rooms for those w/limited mobility, all with roll-in showers.

Embassy Suites Hotel Downtown
This hotel offers unbelievable value and a convenient location, within walking distance of Foggy Bottom, Georgetown, and Dupont Circle. You enter into a tropical and glassy eight-story atrium with two waterfalls constantly running. This is where you'll enjoy an ample complimentary breakfast -- not your standard cold croissant and coffee, but stations from which you can choose omelets made to order, waffles, bacon, fresh fruit, juices, bagels, and pastries. Tables are scattered in alcoves throughout the atrium to allow for privacy. Each evening, the atrium is the setting for complimentary beverages (including cocktails) and light cold snacks. The hotel's restaurant offers discounts to hotel guests and a children's menu for $4.95.By February 2005, the hotel will have completed a $4.5 million renovation to give the entire property an "urban-modern, but not chi-chi" look: Dark marble replaces light marble, guest room sofas will be covered in maroon tapestry fabric, and wireless Internet access will be available throughout the hotel (guests pay $9.95 per 24-hours for a computer access card, if needed).The accommodations remain, as always, nicer than your average hotel room, with better amenities. Every unit is a two-room suite, with a living room that closes off completely from the rest of the suite. The living room holds a queen-size sofa bed, TV, easy chair, and large table with four comfortable chairs around it. The bedroom lies at the back of the suite, overlooking a quiet courtyard of brick walkways or the street. A king-size bed or two double beds, TV, sink, easy chair, and chest of drawers furnish this space. Between the living room and the bedroom are the bathroom, small closet, and a kitchenette. It's worth requesting one of the eighth- or ninth-floor suites with views of Georgetown and beyond, as far as Washington National Cathedral (the hotel will note your request, but won't be able to guarantee you such a suite). For the roomiest quarters, ask for an "executive corner suite," the slightly larger, slightly more expensive suites situated in the corners of the hotel.Facilities: Restaurant (northern Italian); state-of-the-art fitness center with indoor pool, whirlpool, sauna; game room; concierge; business center (with free Internet access on 3 computers); room service (11am-11pm); coin-op washer/dryers; same-day laundry/dry cleaning; 8 rooms for those w/limited mobility, 2 with roll-in showers.