Getting in
- Brussels Airport: Take the NMBS/SNCB train to Brugge; services run via Brussels and/or Ghent, with a connection sometimes required depending on the departure. Allow about 1½ hours and roughly €20 one-way. This is the sensible choice; a private airport transfer is expensive overkill for one person or a couple.
- Brussels-Midi / Bruxelles-Midi / Brussel-Zuid: From the Eurostar station, buy a separate NMBS/SNCB ticket to Brugge. Direct intercity trains run about every 30 minutes, take roughly 1 hour, and cost around €20 one-way. Board any coastal-bound service that calls at Brugge—Oostende, Knokke or Blankenberge are the useful destination names. At busy times, expect full trains and possibly a stand rather than paying for a car transfer.
- Brugge railway station: The old centre is a 15–20-minute walk, but that is optimistic with a wheeled suitcase: cobbles are punishing. Take a frequent De Lijn city bus toward the centre instead, or a taxi for the short final hop. The station is south of the historic core, close to the Begijnhof and Minnewater rather than the Markt.
- Brussels South Charleroi Airport: Use the airport bus to Charleroi-Central, then NMBS/SNCB train connections toward Brugge; allow at least 2–2½ hours door to door and budget roughly €25–35 depending on the airport-bus ticket. It can be cheap for a flight, but it is not a Bruges airport—do not treat it as one.
- Ostend-Bruges Airport: Despite the name, this is near Ostend, not Brugge. Take a De Lijn bus from the terminal to Oostende station, then an NMBS/SNCB train to Brugge; allow roughly 45–60 minutes in total. It is useful only if your flight actually lands there; Brussels Airport has far better connectivity.
- Lille-Flandres station: Hourly rail journeys via Kortrijk can work from northern France; allow about 1½–2 hours including the change. It is a practical alternative when Lille is your starting point, but booking can be awkward because the legs use French and Belgian railways.