Train from Belgium airport to Bruges.

Buying train tickets ahead is convenient but not necessary.

Outsight rush hour seating will not be a problem.

Others on the forum have more experience with luggage storage on trains and can tell you more than I can.

The airport has elevators and the larger train stations escalators like anywhere else in the modern world.

One way tickets and roundtrip tickets are the same price, buy what you think is most convenient.

Thank you = when I said up the stairs, I was referring to the stairs on the trains as I read many are double deckers. I think hauling luggage up them would be so hard.

And - there are a few train stations in GERMANY that do NOT have elevators or escalators- lots of steep steps to drag luggage up - Nuremberg is one of those places- we just want to be prepared.

Thanks for your response.

Also - we will be in Bruges 2 nights and then return to Brussels. Do we buy 2 ONE WAY tickets, or RoundTrip tickets?

It depends if it's over a weekend or not. You can buy weekend tickets, which are good for the two days. But an ordinary return ticket must be used up before train services close down for the night. So under normal circumstances you would buy 2 one way tickets.

Also - is 1st class an option? How do we book this?

Have a look at www.belgiantrain.be - there is a booking tool there, where you can have a play and work out how to buy tickets. Just do a dummy booking as though you were doing the real thing, just don't pay at the end. There is just a button that you click to choose 1st class. It's an option, and not terribly expensive. You might find there is a bit more space, a few more seats, and you can watch your bags more easily. There is luggage storage, racks above your head and a section at the beginning of the carriage, probably a bit more in 1st. Your train will be an IC. It doesn't matter if you buy tickets at the station or before. You can also download an app and buy them on your phone. I would not worry about a problem taking your bags upstairs / downstairs on the trains as it's only about 5-6 steps. Unless you have really brought too much in the way of luggage and can't lift it. If this is the case you have to review what you are bringing, because you can't bring a bag and not be able to lift it into the train. Don't leave your bags downstairs, that would make you vulnerable!

Lavandula

We just bought our tickets at the airport station when we arrived. There was no line. We had trouble with the ticket machine so went to the manned window.

We took the train from Lille to Bruges, so can't speak for what the train is like out of Brussels, except that our train had such limited storage that it all just piled up in the floor in front of the very limited luggage rack near the doors, blocking the aisle. There's no way I'd select upstairs seating. You need to take your luggage with you. It was luggage chaos in my opinion. The luggage rack above your head seemed tight for a carry on suitcase; but good for a personal backpack or something of that nature. This was on a Sunday late afternoon.

On single deck trains the luggage racks are quite big, and you can store quite big bags in them. On double deck trains you can store luggage between the seats usually.

But a lot of people travel with to much luggage, or inappropriate luggage. Squat spinners may be convenient if your travel only involves airports and taxis. For train travel I think that a more elongated bag is more appropriate. I find rolling duffels the best for train travel. The fixed wheels are sturdier, and they often have a skid plate, which means you can drag them up stairs without worry. The fixed wheels hold out better on coblestones, and that they are not completely rigid means you can more easily squeeze them between seatbacks.