11 Jan I would like to take a first class train from London to Brugge, returning London 14 Jan.

Would love direct route, though appears I must transfer in Bruxelles.

Am about to make reservations on b-rail -- but does anyone have a recommendation.

Two routes:

1 Eurostar to Lille-Europe then walk the walkway .5 mile to Lille-Flandres for trains, some direct, others requiring an easy change at Kortrijk to Bruges

2- to Brussels then backtrack to Bruges - this could take longer but will be cheaper due to the ABS All Belgian Stations fare that you should request with your Eurostar ticket - means you can go within 48 hrs of each way to/from Eurostar train in Brussels to any station in Belgium. Think applies in first class as well but not sure but it will get you there free (if bought in US - not sure about if bought on UK eurostar site)

No direct London-Bruges trains

Now you should start booking that ticket now because Eurostar fares have many different prices and cheaper tickets can be impossible to get the closer the train date becomes - even in first class, at least for the cheaper ones like Leisure return fares - there are several levles of these with escalating prices. If you just show up you may pay literally $100 or more P.P. Check sources in U.S. (if in U.S.) and at www.eurostar.com for prices in British pounds - there is little correspondence between $ prices and pound prices often so always check both sources. I always recommend calling Byron at BETS 800-441-2387 to check on prices in U.S. thru raileurope as you can talk to someone expert and have a manual search done - www.raileurope.com IME does not always list the cheapest fares. That said the best fare may well be available at www.eurostar.com in Pounds so check both and then jump on whatever is the cheapest - cheapest fares non-refundable, non-changeable for most part.

should take about 3 hrs London-Bruges via Brussels but you do lose an hour on the clock due to time zone change.

> I would like to take a first class train from London to Brugge, returning London 14 Jan.

All trains have both classes - just a remark.

>Would love direct route, though appears I must transfer in Bruxelles.

Since the Eurostar doesn´t even run through Brugge, you don´t have any other choice.

>Am about to make reservations on b-rail -- but does anyone have a recommendation.

You can look whether you can get something cheaper directly from www.eurostar.com - but I doubt it.

Eurostar to Bruxelles. Change in Bruxelles to regional train to Brugge. Platforms are practically next to each other. Very easy and quick. Then do the reverse.

Oh, the Eurostar sounds rather fast. Is there a way to book the local train to Brugge in advance -- and is it as nice.

Also, what would be the cost, or seating options of the local to Brugge.

< the Eurostar sounds rather fast >

It is. 300km/hr (186mi/hr)

<is there a way to book in advance>

Yes. We got tickets for the entire trip in London.

< and is it as nice >

Well, not quite. But the trip to Brugge was less than an hour (as I recall) and accommodations were very clean, roomy, on time and very confortable. No complaints at all.

< Cost and seating options >

Sorry, I don't recall. SIL bought tickets (1st class) and wouldn't let us reimburse her!!!

As mentioned, there are 1st and 2nd class options.

Eurostar fares should have an ABS fare i described above - at least those bought thru U.S. agents do and then you travel free on any train to Bruges or any station in Belgium within 48 hours of your flight

I believe Eurostar tickets bought anywhere have the ABS though it may not be free

otherwise go to www.b-rail for local train fare Brussels-Bruges - which i believe reservations are not possible but service so frequent no problem - especially in first class.

I know Eurostar tickets bought in US include the ABS fare

but i don't know if ones bought on European online sites do

Does anyone know - the ABS fare can of course save a lot of money if you can indeed take any train as part of your Eurostar fare to any Belgian station

like folks going to Cologne could go free to the Belgian/Germany border - most of the way, etc.

Anyone..for Jejune..

Do the hydrofoils still run the route from Dover to Ostende (close to Brugge)? We took it about ten years ago....this would be an ideal alternative for JeJune...it's also the best view you can get of the White Cliffs...took two hours if I recall....then we rented a car in Ostende for the 20 minute drive into Brugge , etc.

Stu T.

I used to take that route Dover-Zeebrugge or Oostende a lot but i'm pretty sure they do not run any more for several years now since Chunnel opened.

Our Eurostar tix bought in the UK include the ABS arrangement.
By first class, I assume you mean Leisure Select on Eurostar. That allows you to travel first class to Brugge. The Business Premier option isn't worth it, in our opinion (we are Carte Blanche Eurostar travelers and take Eurostar dozens of times a year).

FYI, according to a Flemish friend living near Brugge, there will be a lot of track work on the line(s) serving Kortrijk in 2008, which may slow things down on the route between Lille and Brugge.

thanks BT

I wasn't sure the ABS fare covered first class for first class Eurostar tickets but thought so

thanks

I tried to see if I could, at one point, buy ABS tickets from Thalys.com (with either Cologne, or Amsterdam, or Paris), but could not figure out how to do this with self-print tickets. Has anyone purchased online ABS Thalys tickets?

I also thought that ABS would save a bit of money, but not so much as I would hope. If you price out Cologne-Liege with ABS, you have to pay a fair bit more than if you do Cologne-Brussels with ABS (just as an example, and this is also true for round trips). Of course if you want a Belgian town near Liege, it would be fine. And there's also the interregio - for the tri-country Liege/Aachen/Maastricht border area. I guess I am getting off-topic for Brugge, though.

Yes, I bought a Thalys ABS ticket online for a day trip from Paris to Belgium last week. Had no trouble printing it out. (Plus I was able to find the discounted Smilys fare available for the date and times I wanted, even though I bought my ticket just a week before the trip.)

BTilke, which language/country settings did you use?

Hmmm...I don't remember. Probably picked France as the country since I was traveling from Paris but I may have picked English as the language. I know I had to print in A4 landscape setting.
No problem using the tickets on the train. You're supposed to provide official ID for the ticket check (a requirement for the online tickets, but as you're traveling between countries, you need some form of official ID on you anyway), but the conductor just waved it away.

The Dover to Ostende route doesn't exist anymore. You can still do the ferry crossing though but then from Dover to Calais (P&O and Seafrance) or Dunkerque (Norfolkline). To Calais is one and a half hour, to Dunkerque one hour and fifty mins. Calais to Brugge is an easy drive of about one hour fifteen mins. (one hour from Dunkerque).
I agree about the best view on the white cliffs.

We just did the trip to Bruges from London on the Eurostar...it is a great town! You take the Eurostar from St Pancras to Brussels. We had a short stop in Lille. At the Brussels station you need to change to the local train to Bruges. We asked at the info station as its not really clear. Your Eurostar tickets are valid to Bruges so you just jump on the next local train. Its an hour from Brussels, with one stop in Ghent. Very easy!

For future reference, catching a train from the Eurostar portion of Brussels Midi to Bruges is actually quite simple.
Leave Eurostar arrivals area and head over to the main station (you can follow the signs with the big M for the metro, that takes you through the main part of the station). Check the big departures board for trains heading to either Ostende or Knokke-Blankenbirge. They will stop in Bruges. Catch an escalator up to the track and board the train. The ride takes 50 minutes. FWIW, I prefer to sit on the right side of the trains heading to Bruges, the scenery is slightly more interesting on that side. A windmill or two, a small castle/domaine, a few other sights. On the left side, the most interesting sight used to be the small peacock farm, but the farmer doesn't seem to be raising them anymore.