Ghent, Brugge, Antwerp logistics

Do you mean Fly Home from Lyon? Can you fly in to BRU?

Basing in Ghent is fine. Unreserved local trains are very frequent, but crowded during rush and school hours, so try to buy your tickets at a machine. Last time I was in Belgium tickets were dated and not valid other days. If you can specify advance dates at a machine, (??) maybe you could buy all 6 tickets at a slack time.

Lyon ticket should be cheaper in advance print at home.

I am off to Ghent on Friday for 3 nights followed by 4 nights in Antwerp, so I will have more knowledge next week. We are driving from the U.K. so I can’t comment on the trains. I don’t know when you are heading there, but Belgium seems to close on Sundays. Some museums are open but supermarkets, shops and many restaurants close.

There’s more than enough to keep you occupied in Antwerp for 2 full days, so drop Bruges or Ghent.

What day of the week is your Bruges day? If you are going for the museums in Bruges they are closed on Mondays whereas the excellent Ghent Altarpiece at Sint-Baafs in Ghent is open that day. It would be easy to flip your Bruges and Ghent activities.

Otherwise it looks fine. You may be ready to leave Antwerp before 8P if you are flying in to AMS Day 1. If you will have been in Amsterdam for a few days that will be easier.

When are you traveling?

@Jennifer - If you have any interest in the Ghent Altarpiece, do the Augmented Reality program. It's in the crypt before you go upstairs to see the altarpiece in it's new chapel home.

While I agree that Antwerp cannot be seen in a day or two, I don't recommend dropping Ghent or Bruges. They have unique attractions in art history, and are pretty old-town districts (surrounded by postwar sprawl.) All of these daytrips are cheap and trivial transit by 6-train-per hour unreserved (if crowded) rail.