Arriving by train at about 3 PM and will be based in Ghent for 72 hours.
Wondering what kind of public transportation ticket we should purchase.
Our apartment is just south of St Michael's Church, so is a little ways from the train station.
We will walk some of the time, but not always.

Plan is to explore Ghent and also do day trips to Bruges and Brussels.
CityCard Gent? or just individual tickets?

I have been watching youtube videos. I always get Brugge and Ghent mixed up for which one needs the bus into the center from the train station. We are coming from Brussels I think unless we decide to use one of our Ypres days. Very sure it is Ghent. I love that the city center is pedestrian only. I watch one video on BbyB chocolate. Suppose to be magical. When are you going? We are planning on first of Nov.

The public buses are great otherwise we walked.

Bruges has a decent walk from the train station to the center of Old Town. Ghent has 2 station options, we just happen to be a ways from both of them.
Ghent does seem to have a good tram/bus system, we're just trying to figure out what type of pass/ticket will fit best.

We're going in mid-September after getting off a Rhine cruise.
We already plan on visiting the famous Chocolate World in Antwerp, but will more than likely being hitting a chocolate factory in every city!
Enjoy your trip!

Sorry I can't comment much on Ghent but I do know Brussels' public transport a bit.

In Brussels itself you can buy either a 10 journey Brupass or a 1-day Brupass, which is unlimited travel within 24 hours. It depends a little on what you think you'd see. I think you could probably share the 10 journey Brupass, but you would have to check that when you buy your ticket, as the names of the tickets and possibly their conditions have changed since I was last there. You need to additionally buy a MOBIB card, which is just a plastic card to which the tickets are uploaded (EUR5). If you buy the two one-day tickets (as you will need one for each of you), then you can upload them to a single card, but when you get on and off the tram or train then you need to tap on and off twice, once for each of you. I don't think you can give the card back at the end but it makes a neat souvenir.

You can actually see quite a bit of the city by foot. If you want to see the Atomium or Mini-Europe that is a trip to Heizel/Heyzel (within the blue zone, the central area covered by the Brupass), but if you wanted to go out to the African Museum that would be a trip out to Tervuren and would necessitate the Brupass XL ticket. Mostly the areas you might want to visit would be Gare du Midi / Zuidstation (the metro stop servicing Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel Zuid train station) (possibly to see the flea markets or the Sunday market), Gare Centrale/Centraal Station, De Brouckère and maybe out to Porte de Namur/ Naamsepoort (shopping street, on the way to Place Flagey), Louise/Louiza (tourist and shopping area) or Porte de Hal/ Hallepoort (the last medieval city gate, now a museum). The area between De Brouckère and Gare Centrale/ Centraal Station (closest area to Grand' Place, Galeries-St-Hubert, Cathedral of St Michel and Ste Gudule, Manneken Pis and many museums) is entirely walkable, and if you are just there for the day and just want to soak up some of the atmosphere you won't need to take the metro anywhere. If you alight the train from Ghent at Centraal Station (the train, not the eponymously named metro) then that takes care of buying a metro ticket (i.e. you won't need one). You can also walk from Gare du Midi/ Zuidstation, it's not really that far. Walk up Rue Blaes or Rue Haute for antique shops, ethnic neighbourhoods and the Marolles, an authentic old neighbourhood which has its own dialect.

Lavandula

No-one else seems to be coming on board with thoughts about the CityCard Gent so I will add my two cents - I had a look at the cost (EUR38 for 48 hours or EUR48 for 72 hours). If you are only in Ghent for 3 days and two of those days are in other cities you will really only need to pay for public transport to and from the train station on those two days and won't get any other use out of it on those days. Granted the 48 hour ticket might be handy for getting into museums (you will want to see the castle) on the first day, but a 20 min time slot (you will have to reserve a time slot) is only EUR12, so I think it probably isn't worth it for the way you might potentially use it. I would talk to the people at the Lijnwinkel (De Lijn is the transport company for Flanders, 'winkel' means shop) at Gent Sint-Pieters station to see what they recommend for you - they might be able to sell you a different ticket. I think possibly the mCard10 (10 tickets) might be helpful for you (EUR16). Have a look for yourselves: https://www.delijn.be/en/vervoerbewijzen/tickets/

Lavandula

This caught my eye as well. We do plan on using the app instead of buying physical tickets.
It does state that you can use 1 mobile phone for 2 passengers, but is vague about how to do it.
I think we'll each get our own to make it easier if we separate.

Yes, you can use an app for the Brupass as well. It makes sense in Ghent to have about 10 tickets each. Last time we were in Brussels we each had a JUMP card (now a Brupass) for 72 hours on a single MOBIB card which we shared between three of us. In the case of a card the seller just loads up the card with a ticket or tickets. If you are using an app then the holder of the phone (the purchaser) would just buy the two tickets with their phone (that is, if you only wanted to use one phone). You have to create your own account and I would do this with your phone rather than using your computer. If each of you is using a phone that makes it easier in case one of you has to do something different.
Good luck, it will be an interesting trip, and don't forget to pre-book all your visits to attractions.

Lavandula

If I buy a daypass, can it be used in any city that De Lijn operates?
ie. ride the tram in Gent and once in Bruges or Brussels, ride the public transportation there with the same pass?

Hi 2idocs, you should be able to use a De Lijn pass in Gent, Brugge and Antwerpen, but not in Brussels. There are De Lijn services (i.e. really only buses) that enter Brussels, but the Brussels Capital Region is not Flanders (even if geographically located inside Flanders) and the transport companies are separate, although you can buy Brussels passes from a Lijnwinkel. I would not expect you would be riding a tram or bus in Brussels, the metro is probably more convenient for normal tourism. If you give us an idea of what you want to do in your destinations I can help with telling you which metro (or other) mode of transport would be useful. I am not surprised you are asking these fine-grained questions, the waters are quite muddy when it comes to what pass can be used where.

Lavandula

For Brussels, which station should we get off at?
Other than the Town Hall, we're not sure what other sites we want to see in Brussels. We are toying with the idea of renting a car for a day and visiting Bastogne instead.

Which day of the week are you visiting? It does change a little depending on when you come. If you are going on a Sunday there are will be a big market at Bruxelles-Midi with a north African / Middle Eastern vibe, so you should hop off there. During the week there is a flea market nearby at Place de Jeu de Balles (near Midi), and from there you can walk up Rue Haute or Rue Blaes (antique shops) until you reach the middle of the city. Museums will be open on Sundays and same with restaurants and shops in the tourist areas. If these things don't interest you then alight at Bruxelles-Central, where you are close to the Grand' Place and there is less walking involved. The area around Bruxelles-Midi (Brussel Zuid), which is the main international rail station is a bit run down, but not unsafe. However, there are reports of suitcase thieves in the station itself from time to time, although it is well-lit, clean and there are often police there, so just keep your eyes open. There are also rental cars, so if you wanted to get to Bastogne from there that might be a possibility also (however it is quite a long way from Brussels, it would make for a long day).

There are a few good museums in the centre:
* the Musical Instrument Museum (with a good café at the top with traditional meals and a view of the city), housed in the Art Nouveau former department store Old England
* Coudenberg
* Musée Horta (architect Victor Horta's house, really a must if you like Art Nouveau) (tram down Ave Louise)
* Autoworld (a car museum in the Parc Cinquantenaire (metro: Mérode), likewise the military museum, in the other half of the triumphal arch in the park.
* Musée René Magritte
* the Town Hall

You should also factor in some eating and drinking experiences because Brussels is all about good food. Not sure what will be open when you go in the wake of Covid.
* Vincent restaurant for a fancy meal, likewise Aux Armes de Bruxelles
* Noordzee in the Ste.-Catherine area, not far from Grand' Place for a less fancy but excellent seafood meal
* If you like chocolate there are a number of chocolate shops around the very elegant Place du Grand Sablon and also in the Galeries St-Hubert, which are both close to GP. Skip the chocolate museum, it is really a very old-fashioned display, unless you want to see chocolate being made, as there is a display of chocolate-making at the end, which is quite good.
* I am not sure how old you both are but if you are young then I might suggest a beer or a thé du menthe in a café around Place St-Géry (maybe Mappa Mundo) (close to De Brouckère metro), and do some people watching. If you are more mature then a kriek (cherry beer, or you can also get a raspberry beer, a framboise), perhaps at À la Mort Subite (close to GP), or a half and half in Falstaff or Le Cirio, all of which are old-school cafés, some back to the 19th century. Give Delirium a miss, too touristy.

You notice I have not mentioned any of the big sights - GP, peeing boy, Galeries St-Hubert, waffles, frites. You can get all of these without much difficulty in the area between De Brouckère and Gare Centrale metro stations. If you want a treat, have a sit-down waffle upstairs in Maison Dandoy. Atomium and Mini-Europe at Heizel/Heyzel.

That can start you off. If you prefer Bastogne, there are a few people here on the forum who have been and you will get some good suggestions.

Lavandula