Train ticket from Brussels to Bruges - Need to book/purchase in advance?

There is no need to do so and there are no promotions! Make sure to use the Brussels station that's most convenient for where you are staying in Brussels - you have the choice between Bruxelles Nord, Central and Midi, and usually, Bruxelles Central is the most convenient. If you're not stating in Brussels but only passing through, then you'll probably use Bruxelles Midi, and note that there are hourly trains from the airport to Bruges as well.

There are no promotions for early booking, but depending on your age, day of the week and/or number of people you travel with there are several possible promotions. Unfortunately you mentioned none of these details, so I can only refer you to the website of the Belgian railway company which lists all the different tickets available https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/tickets-and-railcards/overview-products/adult-senior

as Dutch_traveler mentioned, a little more background would help. For example, if you are a senior and willing to travel after the morning rush you can travel anywhere in Belgium for an extremely low price.

Hi all! Thanks!

I will be traveling from Brussels Centraal station as my Brussels hotel is near the station. I am not an elderly so I probably can't get any special fares.

So I guess I can just go to the train station to buy the tickets before I board my train?

At peak hours (work and school) there can be lines at staffed ticket booths. Do you know yet if your credit card works in the ticket machines?

I'm surprised you see only two trains an hour. Is this some tourist run or a non-stop? NMBS website? I will say that pre-Pandemic, trains could be full at peak hours. Basically, local trains between Brussels and Ostend are unreserved.

Edit: Although the website had some glitches, I see five trains an hour (Brussels-Brugge) tomorrow morning, Monday August 15. I will say that (not having been there since the Pandemic), I was surprised to see that some journeys from Antwerp to Brugge (which is not what you asked about) had a change in Gent, which I don't remember from past trips.

We purchased tickets easily this summer from the kiosks at the station using our wireless (tap) credit cards. The machine had the option to select a language, so you could read the instructions in English. Traveling around 9:00 am the station was busy but no problem finding seats on the train. They did have a you and me fare where you could get two tickets for the price of one for two people traveling together.

I bought ours on the app the day we traveled. Some trains that day did sell out - though not sure exactly if it really was since the tickets didn't seem timed... but I just went on in the morning and we just booked them for whatever time we wanted that day. plenty of availability. We did the duo ticket, so you buy one ticket for two people. This was in July.

Have fun! :)

“ Some trains that day did sell out - though not sure exactly if it really was since the tickets didn't seem timed”
This is very odd. Trains can’t sell out in Belgium because tickets are valid all day (or all weekend) and aren’t tied to a specific train on a specific day. Trains in Belgium are mass transit with free seating. If all seats are occupied, you will have to stand. So since you can’t buy tickets for a specific train or reserve a seat, trains can’t sell out.

As I wrote in another thread, Europeans tend to have a different attitude towards public transportation than auto-centric Americans. But all ticket buyers expect to get a seat on a paid rail journey. In that sense, having no seat available for a passenger who wants to travel on this departure is, in current terminology, a "fail." I stood for hundreds of rides from Teaneck NJ to NYC, because I boarded at one of the last stops before the non-stop highway and Lincoln Tunnel portion of the trip.

Long ago, I had to stand on an Amtrak train from Washington DC to Philadelphia. That would be an "epic fail" in today's terms. Anyway, I think it is fair to use the term "sold out" for any substantial journey that is supposed to have assigned or unassigned seats and fails to provide them. Even successful welfare states fail, increasingly so today, as they run up against the same costs and taxpayer refusal to fund them as have harmed the United States.

I am not addressing public vehicles that are designed to make non-executive, non-VIP travelers stand, like "bus gates" on the airport tarmac, or Airtrain vehicles desgned to pack-em-in. But is it any wonder new pop singers get quoted, "I'll never fly scheduled again ..."

The way I understood Kim’s remark about sold out trains, was that she meant to indicate that she wasn’t able to buy tickets for certain trains because the tickets were sold out. I didn’t read into it that she was suggesting that the trains were completely full.
In Belgium you can’t buy a ticket for a specific train, so trains can’t sell out. It’s just not possible.
During peak hours it can occur that all seats, which aren’t assigned, are occupied. In that case you will have to stand or take a later train. Buying a ticket from Brussels to Bruges doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a seat.

Hi all! Thanks for your help! I feel so much more relieved about being able to buy train tickets directly at the train station. Thanks!