Amsterdam to Brugge / Bruges by train

All that’s good to know about taking the train from Amsterdam to Bruges / Brugge

There are no direct trains from Amsterdam to Brugge / Bruges, but they are two routes to choose from, both of which have only one straightforward connection.

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Routes

From Amsterdam Centraal / Amsterdam CS to Brugge

Travel Information

Look up this journey on the ticket agents and you will see a typical journey time of 2hrs 43 mins.

However, to reach Brugge/Bruges in that time you have to make an ambitious 7 min connection at Antwerpen-Centraal station and make an additional change of train at Gent/Ghent/Gand.

But there are also hourly direct IC trains between Antwerpen and Brugge.

So to save ascending four levels of Antwerpen-Centraal station against the clock (the trains to Gent/Brugge depart from the top level of the station), SMTJ's suggestion is take your time and wait for the direct train to Brugge from Antwerpen.
It will have a final destination of Oostende and should be departing 36mins after the Thalys has arrived.

Your tickets will be valid either:

  • if you take the earlier train and make another connection in Gent
  • or hang back and take the direct train to Brugge.

Alternative routing via Bruxelles/Brussels:

When looking up this journey on the ticket agents, you will also see journey times of around 3hr 12mins, which involve a change of train in Bruxelles/Brussels.

So faster than this suggested routing that involves changing trains at Antwerpen and then taking a direct train from there to Brugge, but also usually more expensive.

Also despite the need to change levels in Antwerpen Centraal station; making the transfer between trains at Antwerpen is arguably less confusing than changing trains at Bruxelles-Midi station.

up to 14 x connections per day

(The connections aren't quite 1 x per hour, but this journey option is available in most hours during the day).

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 4 months ahead of the travel date

You won't see this combination of Thalys train + direct IC trains from Antwerpen to Brugge on sale on the ticket agents.

They will always assume that you will want to make an additional change of trains in Gent and get to Brugge 36mins faster.

But if you do want to follow this suggestion of having a less stressful journey by cutting out the change of train in Gent, still book  the Thalys + IC journey  that will have 'x2' or '2 changes'.

Seats on Belgian IC trains can't be reserved so simply hang back and Antwerpen and use your ticket(s) on the direct train from there to Brugge.

The alternative train/ticketing option:

There are also Intercity (IC) trains from Amsterdam to Antwerpen

The limited numbers of cheapest discounted tickets for the faster option Thalys + IC train journeys can be cheaper than the slower alternative, of making the entire journey by a combination of IC trains.

However, when the cheapest tickets have sold out for the Thalys + IC train journeys, you can save money by taking the journey options that solely involve taking a combination of InterCity trains.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
NS Intl from €34

NS Intl Guide

NS is the Dutch national rail operator and it operates a bespoke website for the booking of international rail journeys from and to The Netherlands.
Therefore it offers tickets for journeys by:

  • Thalys trains to Bruxelles and Paris
  • IC trains to Berlin via Hannover and Bruxelles via Antwerpen
  • Eurostar to London
  • ICE trains to Basel and Frankfurt (Main) via Koln
  • the Nightjet trains to Austria and Germany

NS International also sells tickets to a range of destinations in Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Italy and Switzerland, which involve a change of train in Germany, along with the destinations in France, which can be accessed by making a connection in Bruxelles.

B-Europe from €34

B-Europe Guide

B-Europe is the website provided by Belgium's national railway operator for the sale of international rail journeys from and to Belgium.
Therefore tickets can be booked for the following international train services to/from Belgium

  • Eurostar
  • IC trains to France, Luxembourg and The Netherlands
  • ICE trains to Germany
  • Thalys trains to Germany, The Netherlands and Paris
  • TGV trains to destination in France other than Paris
    B-Europe offers a 'Best Fares' policy for journey by these trains.

It also sells international end-to-end journeys solely by train, with connections outside of Belgium, if you will be heading to popular destinations in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Italy.

Users of Eurail and InterRail passes can also book seat reservations on the Eurostar and Thalys services without paying booking fees.

Journey Features

Scenic - NoHigh Speed (total journey)

Good to Know

Final Destination: Paris Nord or Marne La Vallé

All trains also call at: Schiphol and Rotterdam

Of the two options for making the train journey from Amsterdam to Antwerpen, this is the fastest because the Thalys trains travel on high speed lines for virtually the entire journey.

And the high speed line is also now the most direct route between these two cities.

You can glimpse windmills from the high speed line between Schiphol and Rotterdam You can glimpse windmills from the high speed line between Schiphol and Rotterdam

It's not a scenically interesting journey, but look out around 15 mins before the train is due to arrive in Antwerpen for the dramatic crossing of the location of where the River Rhine meets the North Sea.

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