Getting from Bruges to Brussels (and return)

Bruges (Brugge in Dutch) is in the north-west of Belgium, and its medieval center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the best preserved in Europe. It's also packed with day-trippers, many of them coming from Brussels, the Belgian capital and home to most of the EU's institutions. The two cities are about 100 km apart, and getting between them is about as easy as travel gets.

Quick summary

Take the train. Direct trains leave twice an hour, take about an hour, and you don't need to book ahead. The bus is cheaper if you book early but slower. Driving only makes sense if you're touring the countryside.

Trains between Bruges and Brussels

Belgian Railways (SNCB in French, NMBS in Dutch) runs InterCity trains from Brussels-Midi to Bruges twice an hour, direct via Ghent, in about an hour, according to Seat61.

• Fare: a standard one-way ticket in 2nd class costs €17.60, up from €13.50 when this page was first written. At weekends, discounted tickets bring it down to about €12.30 (Seat61's figures, checked September 2026).
• No reservations: tickets are valid on any train that day, so you can turn up, buy a ticket and get on the next one.
• Where to buy: at the station machines and ticket offices, on the SNCB website, or in the SNCB app.
• Pick the right train: Seat61 warns that some trains take a slower route. Look for the direct service via Ghent.

Bruges station is about a 20-minute walk from the Markt, the main square, and plenty of local buses cover the gap.

From Brussels Airport

If you're flying into Brussels Airport (Zaventem), the airport has its own train station under the terminal. Use the SNCB journey planner to find the best connection to Bruges, which may mean a change in Brussels or Ghent. Charleroi Airport, which the budget airlines use, has no train station, so you'll need a shuttle bus to Charleroi-Sud station or to Brussels first.

Buses between Bruges and Brussels

FlixBus runs a handful of buses a day, about five, with fares from €6.48 and a trip time from about 1 hour 20 minutes. It's the cheapest option if you book ahead, but with trains this frequent, most people won't bother.

Driving between Bruges and Brussels

It's about 100 km, mostly on the E40 motorway, and takes around an hour and a quarter without traffic, according to OpenStreetMap's route planner. Belgian motorways are free for cars. But traffic around Brussels can be heavy, and parking in either city center is expensive and hard to find. Brussels also has a low-emission zone, so check the rules for your car before you drive in. Unless you're heading into the countryside, the train is the easier choice.

Adding Amsterdam

Bruges and Brussels pair well with a trip to Amsterdam. See our guides to Amsterdam to Bruges and Amsterdam to Brussels. Heading on from Brussels? Try Brussels to Antwerp, Brussels to Luxembourg or Brussels to Berlin.

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