Trains

Vanette, most likely 3 trains. The first train will be a local Belgian train from Bruges to Bruxelles-Midi. The second train will take you somewhere inside Germany where you will change to a 3rd train. I don't immediately see any runs with less than 3 trains. Some runs have 4 trains. I've provide a link to a picture of what I see on www.bahn.de, the German train website. If you buy up to 90 days out, you can get some nicely discounted tickets. http://gyazo.com/69cc09bdddba1c33f3d508d8ff511800

To add to Larry's reply, you can follow Rick's directions on using the Bahn website: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/db_tips.htm. And do see, from Larry's screenshot, the substantial savings on advance tickets. You can book directly on the Bahn site, print out the tickets, then show the printout and the credit card to the conductor on the train - very easy.

The duration of the trip depends on what time you leave Brugge. The quickest option is a Belgian IC to Brussels, then a German ICE to Köln, where you can then catch a direct ICE to Bremen, total duration of the trip is about 7:15. But this option is only available if you leave Brugge by 7.15 in the morning, or at about 12.30 in the afternoon (there is a later version of this itinerary, but you would arrive in Bremen very late at night). This is also the only option if you wanted to book directly from the Deutsche Bahn website. All other options involve several changes, like through Antwerpen into the Netherlands via Roosendaal to Deventer, then via Osnabrück to Bremen, or Brussels to Liége to Maastricht to Roermond to Venlo to Düsseldorf to Bremen. Duration is between 7.5 to 8.5 hours. Because these trips involve multiple segments outside of Germany, you can't book them directly through Deutsche Bahn, but you can probably purchase it through Belgian Rail NMBS. If not, you can purchase the tickets directly at the Brugge rail station, although you'll pay the full fare.