Transportation / Trains - 4 questions

1. I will be travelling JFK-BRU. Is BRU known as Zaventem stop/station?

2. How do I get from the airport to Bruges? I can%26#39;t figure it out on the SNCB site. It tells me I have 2 changes and looks like I must take a tram/bus whatever. I know I%26#39;m doing something wrong on the site. I recall reading in an old post that it only involved one change of trains.

3. We are a party of 3. Would it be worthwhile to buy a %26#39;KEY CARD%26#39; as described on the SNCB site since it is transferable between people? [Itinerary: airport to Bruges, Bruges to Brussels, Brussels to airport]

4. On my return, I want to be at the airport at 0600hrs. Do trains run that early, or earlier?

5. On the SNCB site regarding the KEY CARD topic %26#39;How to use it%26#39;. What does this mean: %26quot;Your train must call at the stations of departure and arrival stated on your card.%26quot;? Who checks?

|||

1. and 2. I don%26#39;t know what you might be doing, but I would recommend using the D-Bahn site rather than B-Rail (SNCB); B-Rail includes local transport which is fine if you know what you are doing but can be complicated for people who only want rail travel and can%26#39;t work out different names for stops and stations. In D-Bahn you can use BRU, the airport code, for Brussels Airport (it will prompt you to select the proper name - which is not Zaventem, this is the village located near the airport, also shown as Zaventem-Dorp: the full name of the Airport railway station in timetables is something like Bruxelles-nat.-aéroport). Normally there is one change, which it will suggest at Bruxelles-Nord, as the first stop on the airport train on the way into Brussels; rumour has it that it is easier to change at the next station, Bruxelles-central (Brugge train - which has as final destination Oostende or Knokke/Blankenberge - may even stop at the same platform you arrive at, facing the same way).

3. You can%26#39;t buy a key card as this is only for short trips but you can buy a 10-trip railpass for €73, i.e. each trip costs €7.30, which is definitely better than the normal price from BRU to Brugge (or even the special %26quot;airport%26quot; price of €11 to any station in Belgium) and Brugge to Bxl - but not Bxl to BRU since this only costs €3.

4. Trains from Brussels to the airport start around 5 a.m., and take only 20 minutes so yes you can get there for 6 a.m.

5. The conductor on the train, of course, and there are very high fines if you haven%26#39;t filled in the card, which is the same as not being able to present a valid ticket. But this is irrelevant for you, you can%26#39;t use key card. It is valid only for short (suburban etc.) journeys e.g. Brussels-Grimbergen, not Brussels-Brugge. I think the meaning is clear, i.e. if you have bought a key card from Brussels to Grimbergen and are found on a train that doesn%26#39;t stop at Grimbergen, you are in trouble - even if you had also bought yourself a ticket from Grimbergen to wherever you were going to, because it would amount to manipulating this special price for short journeys to cover part of a longer one.

|||

Sorry, here is the DB site: http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

|||

Thanks. I guess it shows 2 connections because there%26#39;s a bus from Staionsplein (Brugge) to Centrum.

|||

I always walk from the station into the center of Bruges, but my trips are always daytrips from Brussels and I%26#39;m not carrying luggage. Plus, I%26#39;ve always been lucky with the weather on the days I visit Bruges.

Instead of using the bus, especially if your luggage is bulky, you might spring for a taxi. It shouldn%26#39;t be very much for three people as the distance isn%26#39;t that large.

|||

Thank you. We%26#39;ll probably spring for a taxi. As someone pointed out - wheels on suitcases don%26#39;t do well on cobblestones. Besides, I%26#39;ll be ready for a nap having travelled over the water.