I'm planning a trip from Nashville to Brussels and then Amsterdam. Trains are the confusing part. We will be in Brussels for seven nights. Explore Brussels and then. Our day trip plans include Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, and Dinant. There is also a possibility of Luxembourg. Is there a train pass for the week, or is every trip sold individually?
Would you do Bruges and Ghent on the same day? We were thinking of different days. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Hi nannorman: welcome to the RS forums -
It's been a few years since we used it but the Standard Multi 10-journey pass worked well for us. We weren't taking as many trips as you're planning so were able to share a card but if there are two of you (or more) you'd each want your own. It's good for a year.
https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/tickets-and-railcards/overview-products/adult-senior
https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/tickets-and-railcards/railpass
I can't seem to find the full information for use and restrictions in English but you could use a translation tool for the downloadable French or Dutch version linked on the page unless someone else knows where they're hiding it. :O)
I wouldn't personally recommend doing Bruges and Ghent on the same day but it depends on what you want to do/see in each place.
Trains in Belgium are mass transit. You can’t book a specific train or reserve seats and trains can therefore not sell out. If you want to go from Brussels to Ghent by train, you simply buy a ticket from Brussels to Ghent and hop on the next train.
Trains are already cheap, but there are several discount options available. The “Standard multi” for instance, which gives you 10 train rides within Belgium for €92. You can share the 10 rides with one or more persons. Another option is the weekend return ticket.
See the website of the Belgium railway company for all details https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/tickets-and-railcards/overview-products/adult-senior
Just a little mention on the cost of the Standard 10-journey pass.... It has gone up at bit to € 102 for 10 single, 2nd class journeys (€ 99 in the app. ). Dutch Travelers, do you know where the OP can lay hands on the complete information on usage in English?
are you a senior? If so, dirt cheap round trip (return) tickets are available to anywhere in Belgium.
I usually figure people know what they want, and do not try to rewrite their itinerary, but...you might consider Ghent as a base as opposed to Brussels, unless you have lots of plans in Brussels.
Ghent is more centrally located between Bruges, Antwerp, and Brussels, each being about an hour or less away by train. You can then devote a day to each of the cities.
I think Ghent offers a much more pleasant experience for strolling at night, good restaurants and beer bars, plus some great sights.
