Pat_in_Mich

I need to take the train between Amsterdam and Bruges and the schedule I get from the various train sites shows the following:

Amsterdam Centraal We, 01.06.11 dep 07:53 14a IC 9220 Intercity

Antwerpen Centraal We, 01.06.11 arr 10:00 Transfer time 5 min.
Antwerpen Centraal We, 01.06.11 dep 10:05 IC 710 Intercity

Gent St Pieters We, 01.06.11 arr 10:55 Transfer time 5 min.
Gent St Pieters We, 01.06.11 dep 11:00 IC 1531 Intercity

Brugge We, 01.06.11 arr 11:25

A couple of questions:
1. The 5 minute transfer times make me nervous. We are 4 adults and we'll each have a carry on sized suitcase and a purse or backpack. Is 5 minutes enough time? Are the trains near each other?

2. If we miss the connection can we just hop on the next one? Or alternatively I noticed on the German train site that if I ask for a longer transfer time it still routes me through Antwerp, but with a 20 minute transfer time I can get a direct train to Bruges with no stop in Ghent. If I miss the connection to Ghent, could I just wait for the direct train to Bruges or does the ticket require me to be on the specified trains?

I have almost no experience taking European trains so any help would be greatly appreciated!

Dukey1

I suspect the tickets are probably "open"..you can certain GET that sort which are good for a specified period

hetismij

Since they are all inter-cities if you miss one train you just take the next one, no problems. They don't need a reservation so provided you travel on the day the ticket is valid it doesn't matter which one you take.

Alternatively take the Thalys to Brussels at 08.16 have a 15 minute connection time, and get to Brugge at the same time more or less as if you took the IC. If you book the Thalys early enough it may even be cheaper.

Pat_in_Mich

Thanks, hetismij! That's very helpful.

Can the tickets be purchased several days in advance? I was thinking of having my son purchase them at the airport when he arrives. Some thread I read said that the ticket booths at the airport are better able to accommodate our American credit cards.

hetismij

Afaik the machines at Schiphol don't take credit cards. The only place which I know for sure does is the international window at Amsterdam Centraal.

You can buy the tickets online now I believe, and print them at home, by going to www.nshispeed.nl or you can go to the international window and buy them there ahead of time.