Travel to Bruges
Flying to Bruges
The closest airport to Bruges is Brussels Airport which is located northeast of the Belgian capital, approximately 110km (68 miles) to the east of Bruges. Airlines offering direct flights to Brussels from the UK include British Airways, Brussels Airlines and easyJet. From the USA to Brussels, there are direct flights with Brussels Airlines, Delta, Jet Airways and United.
Flight times
To Brussels: From London - 1 hour 10 minutes; New York - 7 hours 20 minutes; Los Angeles - 13 hours (including stopover); Toronto - 7 hours 20 minutes; Sydney - 24 hours (including stopover).
Travel by road
Traffic drives on the right and the minimum driving age is 18 years. Speed limits in Bruges are 120kph (75mph) on motorways and dual carriageways, 90kph (56mph) on single carriageways outside built-up areas and 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas. A valid national driving licence is required. Although not compulsory for travellers within the EU, it can be a good idea to obtain a Green Card if you're taking your own car into Belgium.
Emergency breakdown services
Touring Club de Belgique (tel: 070 344 777, in Belgium only).
Routes
Bruges lies a short distance from the main E40 motorway connecting Brussels with Ostend and Calais, and the E403 from Lille and Kortrijk to Zeebrugge. It is 100km (60 miles) west of the capital. The access roads from the motorway into the city centre can become extremely busy at times. Visitors arriving in the city by car are best advised to park in the multi-storey car park at the main railway station, which is a 15-minute walk from the centre. A free shuttle bus runs to the city centre; you can obtain tickets from the De Lijn office outside the railway station on production of the car park ticket.
Coaches
De Lijn (tel: +32 70 220 200; www.delijn.be) operates regional bus services to and from Bruges - scheduled direct routes connect the city with Ostend, Zeebrugge, Ghent and other destinations, while regular daily connections between Bruges station and Brussels South Station take around two hours.
Time to city
From London - 4 hours 30 minutes; Brussels - 1 hour 30 minutes; Paris - 3 hours 30 minutes; Amsterdam - 2 hours 50 minutes; Cologne - 3 hours 10 minutes.
Travel by Rail
Services
The central station in Bruges is a short walk from the town centre and stands on the main Ostend-Brussels Intercity line, which connects to the major international Thalys services (www.thalys.com) for Paris and Amsterdam and Eurostar services (www.eurostar.com) for London at the Gare du Midi station in Brussels. Trains to and from Bruges also connect with cross-channel ferry services at Ostend and Zeebrugge, both a short distance from the city.
Operators
Belgian National Railways - SNCB/NMBS (tel: 70 797 979; www.belgianrail.be) operates rail services to and from Bruges.
Eurostar (tel: 3432 186 186; www.eurostar.com) runs from London to Brussels Midi in 2 hours. If you select 'Any Belgian station' when you book, your Eurostar ticket allows a connection to anywhere in Belgium as long as you make the journey within 24 hours. Trains from Brussels to Bruges take around 1 hour.
Journey times
From London - 3 hours 20 minutes (including connection); Brussels - 1 hour; Paris - 2 hours 50 minutes (including connection); Amsterdam - 3 hours (including connection); Cologne - 3 hours (including connection).
