Bruges attracts tourists with its unusual architecture from the Middle Ages. This wayward Belgian city is located just twenty kilometers from the shores of the North Sea and is close to the border with the Netherlands. The city is interesting in any season. You can get into a winter fairy tale by visiting Bruges on Christmas, or breathe in the special atmosphere of the city in late spring and summer. How to get to Bruges?
In this article we will describe in detail for you how you can get to this interesting city in various ways.
You will learn:
- how to get to Bruges from the airport and the city of Brussels;
- how to get to Bruges from Amsterdam;
- how to get to Bruges from Antwerp.
How to get from Brussels
The easiest way to get to Brussels is by plane, which will land 11 kilometers from the capital in Zaventem. There is Brussels National Airport.
You can get to Brussels by rail using one of the trains arriving at the airport with an interval of twenty minutes. The trains run daily from five in the morning until midnight.
It is easy to get from Brussels to the airport by bus. There are many routes. You can also get to the city by bus departing from the airport cargo terminal.
There is no direct route from Zaventem to Bruges, but you can get on buses from Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and stopping at the end point of your trip. The bus station is located within the airport terminal (ground floor).
Getting from Brussels airport to the city quickly and with amenities is possible by taxi. A taxi rank is located at the exit of the terminal.
If you are a car enthusiast and want to get on your own, at your service are trucking companies that provide rental cars of various classes.
The railway method is popular with tourists and easily solves the question of how to get from Brussels to Bruges. It is considered optimal in terms of comfort, price and travel time.
Tourists can reach Bruges from any of the three railway stations in Brussels: Brussel Nord, Brussel Central, Brussel Midi – Zuid. The composition in Bruges stops at each of the listed stations. Trains are fast type IC and simple type R. Traveling by fast train will save you 20 minutes. The difference in price is 7-8 euros. Trains run every 20 minutes, travel time is about an hour. Driving time:
- Brussels – Bruges from 5.44 to 0.23.
- Bruges – Brussels from 4.08 to 23.22.
The trip is paid at the box office, payment terminals or over the Internet – on the railway website – www.belgianrail.be. Online payment is sometimes difficult. A registered electronic ticket requires a printout so that it can be presented to the controller along with a passport or rights.
If you are in time trouble, you can pay for the fare directly from the controller on the train. It is only necessary to warn the carriage conductor to avoid a fine. The commission for the purchase is 7 €.
For youth (up to 26 years), the cost of a one-way trip is 6 euros. For other tourists, tickets go at a standard fare. The price of the trip varies between 5-20 €, depending on the type of train and passenger class. In the second class you can buy a ticket for 14.3 €, the price of the first class is 21 €.
How to get from Brussels to Bruges by bus? Direct flights from Brussels are infrequent, but you can always get to the place with suitable regular buses. Bus services have their drawbacks:
- significant time intervals between flights;
- buses are less convenient than trains;
- travel may be extended due to traffic jams;
- buses do not directly enter the city, stopping at stations located at the southern tip of the city.
If you are located at Charleroi Airport, which is located 70 kilometers from the capital, you can get to Bruges with Flibco bus services. The price of the trip is 5 € – 17 €. If you pay in advance, it will be cheaper. The working hours of the route are from 6.10 to 23.50 with an interval of 2-3 hours. Travel time is 130 minutes. It is possible to pay for travel on the website of the Flibco carrier – www.flibco.com.
How to get from Amsterdam
Now we will tell you how to get to Amsterdam – Brugge, using various methods of transportation.
A flight from Amsterdam takes 4 hours – there are no direct flights, only with transfers. The total cost of the trip (including the road to the airport) will be 66 – 223 €. Itinerary:
- Departure from Amsterdam Station by Dutch Railways (NS) train. Compositions follow at half-hour intervals. Driving time – 13 minutes.
- The final stop is Schiphol.
- Landing on the plane Amsterdam – Brussels. Flight price from 40 €.
- Brussels. Transfer to the Intercity train from the airport. The interval of trains is -1 hour, the journey is -1 hour 29 minutes.
- Your stop.
From Amsterdam to Bruges can be reached by rail in just three hours. Every day at 8.18 (local time) an express train leaves from Amsterdam station. The fare on this comfortable express train is 45 €.
You can reach the passenger trains Thalys, Intercity Brussels. This option involves a change in Antwerp (Antwerpen-Berchem stop) or in Brussels. The road will last 3 hours or 4-5 hours depending on the route. The timetable, the price of the trip are reflected on the website of the railway company – www.thalys.com or www.nsinternational.nl. You must indicate that you are departing from the Amsterdam Centraal station, the final stop is Brugge.
The trip can be paid three months before its date. By purchasing a ticket in advance, you can significantly save on its cost. For early sales, the cost of the trip will be about 32 € (Intercity Brussels – 31.6 €, Thalys – from 36 €). Just before the trip, its price can reach 90 €.
Prices are for one way travel.
It is convenient to pay for the fare at the Amsterdam train station at international ticket offices. In this case, you will pay extra 3.5 euros. Payment by credit card will also incur an additional fee. We recommend using the online purchase.
If it seems difficult for you to purchase tickets, and independent travel is not a priority, take part in an organized bus excursion from Amsterdam to Bruges. A twelve hour tour costs about 100 €.
It takes 7 hours to get to Bruges from Amsterdam. Tickets cost from 22 to 31 €. Route from Amsterdam:
- Amsterdam. Stop Amsterdam, Linnaeusstraat. Boarding the number 41 bus. Cars run at intervals of 20 minutes. Travel time is a quarter of an hour. Transportation is handled by GVB.
- Stop Duivendrecht, Station Duivendrecht. Transfer to bus number 141. It runs daily, once a day. Travel time 5 hours 45 minutes Eurolines NL (www.eurolines.nl).
- Your stop.
How to get from Antwerp
In this section you will learn how to get from Antwerp to Bruges using the train or bus.
For traveling on the Antwerp – Brugge route, the railway is an ideal choice. You get a comfortable ride and explore the maximum of attractions. Trains from Antwerp Station run at half-hour intervals. They begin their work on the transport of passengers at 4.37, and end at 23.37. The last squad from Antwerp arrives in Bruges at 01.32.
You can pay for the trip Antwerp – Brugge:
- at the box office of Antwerp station;
- in payment terminals located in the territory of the station of Antwerp or in the immediate vicinity of it;
- online at SNCB Europe.
You can choose the price of the trip there. Prices are determined by class. The first class will cost you 14 euros, the second class – 10 euros.
There is no direct flight from Antwerp. How to get to Bruges by bus? Use transfer routes in Ghent. Buses on the route Antwerp – Ghent run four times a week every other day, starting on Monday. The route is served by comfortable Postbus machines. Departure from Antwerp at 13.15, arrival in Ghent at 14.10. At this point, you can transfer to flight number 58 and get to your destination.
Paying for a bus trip on the Antwerpen – Ghent route is beneficial on the Eurolines company website. Travel from Ghent to Brugge is best paid on the spot.
Getting to Ghent costs 2.5 – 4.5 euros. Traveling along the Gent – Brugge route will cost 4.5 euros. The final cost is up to 9 euros. This is somewhat cheaper than by rail. Given travel time and comfort, rail travel is preferable.
All prices and timetables on the page are current for January 2018.