I am traveling to Bruges in November and was wondering what is the best way to travel with luggage for one night. And do I need to buy a ticket in advance? How long a trip is it? We will be staying at the Hyatt near the Amsterdam Airport so where would I go to pickup whatever transportation is suggested? My daughter just went but was staying in the heart of the city of Amsterdam so she was not sure how we should travel? Also, she stayed at the Academie International Hotel in Bruges. How far do you think it would be to travel from the train stop to the Academie Hotel? What is there to do in Bruges for one night? Thanks all!
Posted by
Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico
1924 posts
Check https://www.nsinternational.nl/en/belgium/bruges-by-train for train information. Where it says Book your train ticket, enter Schiphol Airport as your From location.
According to Google maps it's an 11 minute walk from the train station to the Academie Hotel.
Check https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/belgium/bruges for what to do in Bruges.
Posted by
Oregon
248 posts
The November weather in Bruges/Brugge (the latter is the Dutch spelling, sounds like: broog-ah) might not be conducive to a lot of outdoor sight-seeing; often the wind whips right off the North Sea and is not stopped by the 10 miles of absolutely flat ground between the Sea and Brugge. Looking at the move In Bruges might give you an idea of the possible weather that time of year, although it was apparently filmed on location in March rather than November.
Not sure how many daylight hours you will have on your one partial day in Brugge. Rick's description, elsewhere in this website or in his Belgian guidebook, is good. There are several indoor places where you can see world-class art, if the weather is not conducive to outdoor activities.
This site has good suggestions on how to prioritize the sights for a short trip, although the indoor attractions would mostly not be open at night.
Even an 11-min walk from the train station to your hotel, dragging all your luggage over the cobblestones or other uneven pavement, can take longer and be more exertion than a person might think for an 11 minute walk sans baggage. There are buses and taxis that you can take from the station. This might be the time when a modest taxi fare would make perfect sense.
Brugge is great but we went in early Sept, had good weather and 2 full days.