BRAFA Art Fair 2027: Chauffeur from Amsterdam and Schiphol to Brussels

BRAFA Art Fair 2027 opens with the Collectors’ Preview on Friday 22 January 2027, followed by an Exclusive Saturday on 23 January and the public days from 24 to 31 January 2027. The fair takes place at Brussels Expo in the Heysel area, in Halls 3, 4 and 8. From Amsterdam or Schiphol it is a drive of about 2.5 to 3 hours. Brussels Airport is about 15 to 30 minutes from the fair. A private chauffeur covers either journey and can stay with you for the rest of the week.

This guide covers the 2027 dates, the drive from Amsterdam and Schiphol, arriving at Brussels Airport, getting around during the fair and combining BRAFA with Antwerp.

Book your BRAFA 2027 chauffeur

BRAFA 2027 at a glance

• Collectors’ Preview: Friday 22 January 2027, 12:00 to 22:00
• Exclusive Saturday: 23 January 2027, 11:00 to 19:00
• Public days: 24 to 31 January 2027, 11:00 to 19:00, late opening until 22:00 on Thursday 28 January
• By invitation only: Monday 25 January 2027
• Venue: Brussels Expo, Place de Belgique 1, 1020 Brussels, Halls 3, 4 and 8
• From Amsterdam or Schiphol: about 200 km, about 2.5 to 3 hours by car
• From Brussels Airport: about 14 km, about 15 to 30 minutes by car

Tickets for the preview days and the public days are sold on the official BRAFA website, which also lists any changes to the opening hours.

What is BRAFA?

BRAFA, founded in 1956, is one of Europe’s leading art and antiques fairs. Around 150 galleries from 18 countries show works from antiquity to the twenty-first century: Old Master and modern paintings, tribal art, jewellery, silverware and design. Before the doors open, more than 90 international experts vet the works for authenticity, quality and condition. The organisers report more than 70,000 visitors a year, which puts real pressure on hotels, restaurants and cars around the Heysel in the last week of January.

Amsterdam to BRAFA: your options

The train is the obvious first search result. The direct service from Amsterdam to Brussels-Midi takes about 1 hour 50 minutes, and from there the metro to Heysel adds about 15 minutes. That works for a day visit with a handbag. It works less well with luggage, catalogues or a group, and not at all if you want to stop in Antwerp on the way.

• Self-drive. About 200 kilometres via Antwerp, then the Brussels ring and parking at Brussels Expo, where the main car park is linked to Hall 4 by a footbridge and a shuttle. The Brussels-Capital Region is also a low emission zone, and foreign-registered cars may need to be registered before entering.
• Private chauffeur. Collection at your home, your Amsterdam hotel or the Schiphol arrivals hall, then one uninterrupted drive to the entrance of the fair or your hotel in Brussels. The rear seat is a quiet place to make calls, read the catalogue or rest.

For the route itself, with timing around the Antwerp and Brussels rings, see our page on Amsterdam to Brussels by private chauffeur. Travelling the other way after the fair is covered in Brussels to Amsterdam.

Airport pickups at Schiphol include flight tracking, meet and greet inside the arrivals hall and 60 minutes of free waiting from the booked pickup time.

Arriving at Brussels Airport

If you fly in from further afield, Brussels Airport in Zaventem is the closest major airport. The fair is only about 14 kilometres away, a drive of about 15 to 30 minutes depending on the ring road. Your chauffeur follows the flight, meets you in the arrivals hall and can drive you straight to Brussels Expo, with luggage staying in the car while you walk the fair. Our Brussels Airport guide explains the terminal, the piers and the walking times to arrivals.

Getting around during the fair

Brussels Expo sits in the north of the city, about 10 kilometres from the Sablon and the upper town, a drive of about 20 to 30 minutes outside rush hour. At opening and closing times, and on the evening of the preview, the approach roads and taxi ranks get busy.

Hourly chauffeur hire keeps one car and one chauffeur with you, with a minimum of 2 hours. In practice that means:

• Drop-off and pickup at the hall entrance, without a taxi queue
• A car nearby for lunch in town, an appointment at a gallery or a visit to a dealer’s showroom
• Dinner after the late opening on Thursday 28 January, then straight back to your hotel
• Your luggage and catalogues kept safely in the car

The same arrangement suits dealers and gallery staff on the preview days, when time between the stand, the hotel and client dinners is short. For meeting-heavy days elsewhere in the city, see our guide to chauffeur service in Brussels.

For valuable purchases, arrange shipping through the gallery or a specialist fine art shipper. A chauffeur car is not a substitute for insured art transport.

Combining BRAFA with Antwerp

Antwerp lies directly on the route between Amsterdam and Brussels, about 40 kilometres from Brussels Expo, a drive of about 35 to 60 minutes. That makes it easy to add a morning with Antwerp’s galleries and dealers on the way down, or to stay in Antwerp and drive in to the fair each day. Because the chauffeur stays with you, the stop needs no extra arrangements: you tell us the address and the time, and the drive to Brussels continues from there.

The chauffeur at your disposal for several days

If you arrive for the preview and stay two or three days, there is no need for a string of separate transfers. You can keep the same car and chauffeur for the whole stay: the drive from Amsterdam or the pickup at Brussels Airport, the fair, dinners, a day in Antwerp or Ghent and the return to Schiphol or Brussels Airport. The schedule follows your appointments and the price is agreed at booking. Payment is by credit card, and international clients pay in their own currency.

Where to stay

Central Brussels is the usual base, with a daily drive out to the Heysel. The Sablon, the antiques and gallery quarter in the upper town, is a natural base for collectors, and Avenue Louise has a concentration of larger hotels and shops. Antwerp is a good alternative for visitors who want to combine the fair with its galleries, at the cost of a longer daily drive.

Vehicles for BRAFA week

Our fleet consists of the Mercedes E-Class, EQS and S-Class, the BMW i7, the Mercedes V-Class and the Mercedes EQV with luxury seats, Sprinters seating 8 to 30 passengers, coaches, and, for the ultimate in luxury, a Mercedes Maybach on request.

• S-Class, BMW i7 or EQS: quiet comfort on the drive from Amsterdam or Schiphol.
• V-Class or EQV: advisors or a gallery team travelling together, with space for luggage and catalogues. Both have massage seats.
• Sprinter or coach: museum groups, patron circles and collectors’ clubs, on quote.

After BRAFA: TEFAF Maastricht

The art calendar does not pause for long. TEFAF Maastricht follows in March 2027, and the two fairs sit comfortably in one collecting season. We drive to Maastricht from Amsterdam, Schiphol and Brussels, so the same arrangement works for both trips.

Book your BRAFA 2027 chauffeur

Send your arrival details, hotel and preferred schedule. We confirm one fixed price agreed at booking, flight tracking on airport pickups and 60 minutes of free waiting on arrival. For a multi-day or group proposal, use contact.

Book your chauffeur from Amsterdam to BRAFA