seetheworld

DH and I are planning a 30th anniversary trip to Paris with a short trip to Brugge Belguim. We have pretty much researched the Paris portion, but not the Belgium portion of the trip.

Train information would be helpful. And does anyone know if it is possible to get around Brugge without a car?

Thank you.

Ooops, in case you didn't notice, I'm wondering about the train, lol. Double posted it in my title.

TimS

You can take a Thalys train to Bruxelles and an IC train from there to Brugge. Or you can take a TGV to Lille and IC and regional trains from there to Brugge. Sometimes a change is required in Kortrijk between Lille and Brugge. For complete timetables go to www.bahn.de. Click on the drop-down menu in the upper right-hand corner for English. After you get summary timetables for Paris-Brugge, click on "Details for all" to see the connecting points.

USNR

We left Gare du Nord, Paris on the Thalys around 9 a.m. and were in Brussels in a couple hours, transferred to a westbound train and were in Brugge for lunch. No big deal. You do NOT need a car in Brugge. It's a wonderful place for strolling, taking a boat ride through the canals, and generally just people-watching. While there, incidentally, we booked through our hotel a most interesting day trip around Flanders, including visits to Ypres, its fascinating "In Flanders Fields" museum, the battlefields and cemeteries of that area (both Allied and German), and on to the coast, and back to Brugge. Fellow picked us up at our hotel, spoke excellent English, took us to all sorts of back roads places we never could have discovered, and had us home around 5 p.m. Lunch in Mt. Kemmel.

ira

Hi See,

Schedules and prices are at www.voyages-sncf.com for
Paris-Brussels-Bruges and Paris-Lille France-Bruges.

seetheworld

Thank you for the train information.

USNR, sounds like a delightful day.

GeoffHamer

The SNCF website does not give all connections via Lille. The full schedule is on www.bahn.de.
There are hourly TGVs from Paris to Lille, and hourly trains from Lille to Brugge (some with a change at Kortrijk).
Via Brussels, there are connections every half hour from Paris to Brugge.

MAP

We took the TGV to Brussels and then changed trains to Bruges. Easy trip about 2 1/2 hours. Someone on Fodors put us on to the "All Belgium" tickets (I've forgotten the details) but we saved a ton! I think our total round trip per person was about $120. I booked 90 days out from the US and got a senior rate. All travel in Belgium within 48 hours of arrival was free, so we spent just one night in Bruges. The Hotel Heritage was just wonderful and the buffet breakfast was beyond belief....even champagne included, fresh oj, meat, eggs, pastries, fruit.........lovely dining room with fireplace and cloth napkins and table cloths. We loved it. Great meal at De Vlammishe Pot (spelling?) and chocolates at Dumon.

MAP

I meant to say we took the Thalys,not TGV to Brussels.

Robespierre

How long is the train? About ten cars, I believe.

When you book, look for a destination called Any Belgian Station. This combines the Paris-Brussels and Brussels-Bruges legs and applies a discount.

seetheworld

hehehe.

MAP and Robes, is the discount you are referring to on the Bahn site? I'm not coming up with "Any Belgium Station", but I'll keep looking.

MAP

I booked on the SNCF site. And actually, the fare may have been just over $100 rt.

GeoffHamer

The Deutsche Bahn website has comprehensive schedules, but won't have fares for journeys outside Germany.
SNCF fares are complex. For travel tomorrow afternoon, I found Paris-Brugge was 75.20 euros via Brussels or 66.90 via Lille, but there are fares of 37.60 on most trains to Lille, and the Lille-Brugge fare is 14.70 (all one-way fares). There are cheaper fares on Thalys and TGV if you book in advance, but the Lille-Brugge fare won't vary.

MAP

I just checked my journal, and in Oct. of '07, we paid $112 for two round trip tickets Paris-Brussels-Brugge....I think they were PREM fares and Any Belgium Station.

PalenQ

3.5 hours on either route via Lille or Brussels

With the ABS fare it may be cheaper to go via Brussels but only if you can get one of the cheaper Thalys tickets - if not Lille route could well be cheaper - esp for walk up fares. Early Bird gets the worm on Thalys trains. Best fares usually on www.thalys.com or www.voyages-sncf.com but always check also, if in U.S. RailEurope which sometimes has promotions on Thalys (currently for purchases by Sep 17 and travel thru Oct i believe 50% off full fare - though SMILYS type tickets could still be cheaper, if available. I always advise calling www.budgeteuropetravel.com for any RailEurope product as you can talk to an expert IMO and have a manual search done as raileurope.com does not always IME show the lowest fares that actually can be booked thru them. But try voyages-sncf.com for sure and then compare to U.S. prices in dollarss to see if they have something lower - sometimes do but not typically IME

plafield

bm

Guenmai

Yes, the Thalys is non-stop and only a couple of hours from Paris to Brussels. I have zipped up there, from Paris, from time to time to spend the day and then back to Paris by dinner time. Then it's not far from Brussels to Brugge. Don't forget to take an umbrella. I've been going to Belgium since the late 70s and can't remember when it wasn't overcast and raining. Smiles. Happy Travels!

Taaner

You can also check the site of the Belgium Railcompany (even in English) http://www.b-rail.be/int/E/index.php

I dont know about the Thalys (fast speed train between Paris and Brussels) but I can say about Brussels to Brugge:
- train every half hour. Take a IC-train (InterCity) with destination Oostende or Knokke/Blankenberge. First stop is Gent-Sint-Pieters (after 20 minutes), Brugge is the next one (another 20 minutes)
- there are no reserved seats on the national trains in Belgium. Trains on this route are quit modern (the Knokke/Blankenberge can be double-decker where there is some less legroom)
- most people travel second class. You can also choose first class (more expensive) but I think if you combine with Thalys this goes along with your comfort class on Thalys.

About Brugge: the railway station is just on the border of the historical center. When you walk out the station on the frontside (I dont know about the current situation but there are big construction works at the station) you can just walk into the centre. Everything is on walking distance, but if necessary you can take one of the city-busses who cross the centre every 5 to 10 minutes (I think about 1.50 euro for an hour). There are also taxis on some fixed stops (station, marketplace) or you can call one to pick you up (you can ask in every pub, restaurant, hotel)
A lot of visitors take a tour by horse&carriage or minibus with audio-guide, or even more popular a boat-trip.

Weather in Belgium is around the same as in Paris.

Some highlights of Brugge: http://www.pandhotel.com/sightse.htm

chelseaboy

It is very easy and wonderful to walk around Brugge. Some lovely quiet streets around the canal to the east side of the town and very good shopping/restaurant streets in the centre that are safe and easy to walk. We will be there for the 4th year running in late November for the Christmas fair - superb!

yk

Hi seetheworld-

We just did this trip last week (Paris-Brugge).

There are 3 routes you can take:
1) Paris-Lille-Brugge. The first leg is by TGV and second leg is Belgian Railways

2) Paris-Brussels-Brugge. The first leg is by Thalys and second leg is Belgian Railways

3) Paris-Brugge (direct train without change) by Thalys. This is the one we took and it only runs once a day departing Paris at around 6:30pm and arriving at Brugge at 9pm.

The option we chose worked well for us because we had a full day for sightseeing in Paris before leaving for Brugge. Once we arrived in Brugge, we took a cab to our B&B (€8). The station is about a 20-min walk to the center of town, that's why we opted for a taxi at that time of day. You will NOT need a car in Brugge!!!

I bought our Thalys tickets 3 months ahead, and was able to "score" the discount tickets called "MINI" fares. Our tickets for 2nd class travel were only €25 per person from Paris to Brugge!

BTW, keep your eye out for my trip report. We were in Brugge for 2 days. I'll start posting probably later today/tomorrow.

seetheworld

<b>Yk, </b>OH MY! I completely missed your response, yk! I am so sorry.

We just booked our Paris and Belgium hotels today !!! The train information that you provided will be so helpful. We scored a great deal in Ghent, so that will be our homebase while in Belgium.

Now I will have to read your Belgium TR. Thanks again!