I see in Rome2rio that the best way to.travel between these two cities is by Thalys to Brussels and then train to.Bruges.
Do we need to buy Thalys ticket ahead of time or can we do it on same day?
From.Brussels to Bruges, do we change train stations to get train to Bruges?
Thanks!
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33818 posts
Q1., You can do it the same day if money isn't important. If it is the further ahead you buy it the more chance you have of a much cheaper ticket.
Q2., No.
Posted by
the Netherlands
2487 posts
Possible discount is highly dependent on day and hour of travelling.
Change is at Brussel-Zuid/Bruxelles-Midi station. Trains to Brugge (direct or with a change in Gent) run frequently. You can take any of them: they don't come with a reservation.
Posted by
Green Bay
21140 posts
By best, do you mean fastest? Cheapest? You can also go by changing trains at Antwerp and Ghent. If you use IC trains, the price will be the same if you travel "spur of the moment", but maybe a bit longer. You might get it cheaper and faster with the Thalys, but then you would need to buy advance nonrefundable tickets to get a low price on the Thalys portion well before your travel date. From Brussels or Antwerp, you can take any train that day for the continuation to Bruges.
Rome2Rio can give you an idea, but to see real train schedules, look at www.bahn.com. Buy tickets at www.trainline.eu for advance nonrefundable tickets. For "spur of the moment", you can just buy tickets at the train station.
Posted by
OP
Miami
165 posts
Thank you all for your great information. Just booked our Thalys tickets today.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7884 posts
Too late, I guess, but some people prefer the Thalys "Any Belgian Station" add-on option, so they don't have to buy a ticket from Brussels or Antwerp to Bruges, or reverse. Bruges is far enough that I wouldn't fuss over whether it costs a few Euro more or less than the (unreserved, no advance discount) local train tickets.