My wife %26amp; I are going to Germany by rail, from UK, and wish to break our journey on the return for a night or 2. I have little knowledge of the rail system across Europe (although I work on the railways in Britain, and know it well) so any information on times, regularity, cost, etc from Brussels to either Bruges or Ghent would be appreciated. I have made many searches but seem lost by it all. Many thanks in advance.
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Returning to the UK from Germany, you will pass through Brussels as you have to take the Eurostar from there (Bruxelles-Midi; but not Ghent or Brugge, which are on the line between Brussels and the coast - Oostende or Knokke/Blankenberge.
A single from Brussels to Ghent costs €8.10 and to Brugge, €12.90. You will only need a single because your Eurostar ticket from Brussels to London includes free transport starting at %26quot;Any Belgian Station%26quot;, as long as you don%26#39;t break your journey in Brussels for longer than 24 hrs.
There are several trains an hour to Ghent and Brugge from each of Brussels%26#39; 3 mainline stations (Nord, Central and Midi, in that order), timetables on http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en or of course B-Rail.
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Belgian railways are straightforward generally with frequent and regular services. No reservations and no ticket validation. (Turn up and go, like rail travl should be). The %26quot;any Belgian destination%26quot; element of a Eurostat ticket is useful too.
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Thank you both very much for the information. Have now booked my main rail journey %26amp; will sort out stopover in Belgium in day or 2.
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You will not be sorry about taking the time to see Ghent and Bruges!
If you travel on the weekend between Bruges/Ghent and Brussels, you may be eligible for a 50 percent off fare. I just returned and my ticket was 13.80 euros Round-trip from Brussels to Bruges and back. Be sure to ask at the train station.
The trip is about an hour long to Bruges, and trains run every 30 minutes. Most of them are direct, so no need to transfer, as long as you go from a main station in Brussels. Trains go from Brussels Nord, Brussels Centrale, Brussels Schuman and Brussels Midi, along with others.
Just google (B-rail) to check schedules. The Web site is easy and straightforward.
No need to book tickets in advance, you can just get them right at the station (although allow at LEAST 20 minutes for purchasing...sometimes the lines can be quite long and understaffed, particularly on the weekends).
You could also get off in Gent on the way, which is about 40 mintues from Brussels, then continue onto Bruges.
If you were pressed for time, you could probably do both places in the same day. Ghent is beautiful and less touristy than Bruges, but Bruges is magical. I went on a Saturday and although there were many tourists, I didn%26#39;t feel overwhelmed!
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