Brussels to Bruges by train

ktd84

Hi there,
I am planning a trip for a large group to Bruges. I am trying to prebook the train tickets so I dont have to buy them when we get there but dont know how to do this! Any advice??

munchkin_utd

ktd84 wrote: »

Hi there,
I am planning a trip for a large group to Bruges. I am trying to prebook the train tickets so I dont have to buy them when we get there but dont know how to do this! Any advice??

you can buy in advance here :
https://buy.b-rail.be/eTicketing/ETicketOrdering/InitStrutsActionToWelcome.do?lang=3

you can only get 6 at a time so you'll have to repeat till you have enough tickets

Also! Bruges is BRUGGE in flemish so thats your destination. Brussels has numerous stations available so you'd need to figure which one you are making your journey from there.

solerina

I went by train from Bruissels to Bruges a few years ago and had no problems at all buying them in the train station in Brussels...its very easy to do

zagmund

While you can get walk up fares in stations, the best value tends to be available with advance purchase. Walk up fares can sometimes be astronomical, especially if you pick a route that happens to be a busy intercity route and you happen to rock up to the ticket desk at something like 1700 on a Friday afternoon.

It's like walking up to the Ryanair counter and saying "Give me a seat on the next flight to London". Their eyes light up, they start to drool, etc . . . at the prospect of hitting you for (say) €350 for a fare you could have bought online a few days earlier for a fraction of the price.

If you have a group that you want to keep together you might be best to contact the Belgian rail people (or the bahn.ie people) and enquire about group fares. Otherwise you risk the possibilty that only some of your people can get tickets for one train (if it's compulsory reservation) and others have to wait for the next train.

z

ktd84

Oh! I thought it was €20 return for the train! I cant seem to find anything on bahn.ie for a train that goes from Brussels Airport to Bruges! I know I have to change trains but I assume the same ticket works for the whole trip? It's very confusing!

snubbleste

I went through that link and it says that groups of 15+ get up to 70% discount. You need to email them to make sure there are enough seats in advance.
From Bruxelles-nat-aeroport to Brugges is €7.10 single per person

Victor

Off-peak the trains can be quiet, but there can be some odd peak times. On a public holiday, I used a mid-morning train from Brussels to Ieper and it was quite busy.

Note that trains are run by several different companies. SNCB is the main train operator, but local services may be run by other companies. http://www.b-rail.be/main/E/

The main station is Bruxells-Midi / Brussels-Zuid which is the south station (not the middle one). Brusells Airport is Brussel-Nat-Luchthaven. Check which airport you are using - Brussels South is at Charleroi. They are 70km apart. http://maps.google.ie/maps?q=Brussels+Airport,+Steenokkerzeel,+Belgium+to+Charleroi+Airport,+Brussels,+Belgium&saddr=Brussels+Airport,+Steenokkerzeel,+Belgium&daddr=Charleroi+Airport,+Brussels,+Belgium&hl=en&sll=53.401034,-8.307638&sspn=6.644571,19.753418&geocode=Ff65CAMdP4FEACHkJX8OPk5RJA%3BFQAaAgMdbTdEACHSYHbjZu2ixA&oq=Brussels+Airport,+Steenokkerzeel,+Belgium+to+charle&t=m&z=9

I think there is construction on the airport line.

Note that certain groups may be entitled to discounts, but there might be special requirements. For a group, a "Summer Ticket" for next month is €7.50 single or €15.00 return. For today a Standard ticket is €13.50 single or €27.00 return. http://www.b-rail.be/nat/E/tarifs/ Express and local service may have different prices.

Be more willing to speak English than French in Flanders. I was positively ignored when I spoke French to a bus driver. :eek:

Louche Lad

If it's Brussels National airport you're using, then the train takes somewhere around one hour and 40 minutes, including a change at Brussels. Some examples here (hope that URL works!). Try to change at Brussels North station - although it's not the prettiest of stations, it's not as confusing as Brussels South (a.k.a. Midi/Zuid).

I echo what Victor says about not using French in Flanders - I used to, but found people immediately snapped back at me in English.