We arrive (VIA AUSTRIAN AIR ) into Brussels at 715 pm on Monday, May 22. We want to get on a train to Brugge that night and I believe that there are departures at 806 pm and 906 pm. Is it reasonable to expect that we will make the train that evening? We will not have checked luggage to deal with.
Can we buy ticket in advance to ensure a seat on that particular train?
Thank you!
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Domestic trains in Belgium are unreserved. Your ticket is good on any train. If there are no seats on a train, you stand.
From the airport, you take a train to Brussels North station (signs and announcements will say both "Brussel Noord" and "Bruxelles Nord"). There, you change to a train to Brugge (there are two an hour). The final destination of your train to Brugge (Bruges in French) will be Knokke, Blankeberge or Oostende; just take any of these, and it will stop in Brugge.
Looking at the schedule on Bahn.de, the last train of the night from Brussels to Bruges is 23:12 (11:12 PM); then there's one at 00:19 (12:19 the next morning). So, even if there is some delay getting out of the airport and into Brussels, you will definitely make a train to Bruges that night.
When you buy your ticket at the counter at Brussels airport, buy it all the way to Bruges. That way you can go right to your next train without having to stop and buy tickets again.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Also note that some trains at the airport go all the way to the coast, hence you might not even need to change at one of the downtown stations.
Posted by
Alexandria, Virginia, USA
504 posts
I understand that you're anxious, as I always am on a new trip. We did this in 2015. It was very easy, once we got to the airport.
--Dav
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
Also, it's extremely unlikely that a late-evening train between Brussels and Bruges will be so crowded that you have to stand.
Posted by
the Netherlands
2487 posts
Or use the planner of the Belgian railways: www.belgianrail.be/en/Default.aspx You can already buy your tickets at this site, having one thing less to worry about. Select »Brussels Airport - Zaventem« as departure and »Brugge« as arrival station.