Train travel in Belgium

[BeccaBean]

We have Eurostar tickets from London to Brussels this weekend but are travelling on to Bruges. Does anyone know if easier to buy the onward tickets online in advance or if we should buy at the station in Brussels? Also, if there is any left luggage at the station in Brussels as we are thinking of travelling back to Brussels in the morning before our evening train home but don't want to lug our bags around if so. Thanks!

DP went to Ghent recently and his Eurostar ticket was to 'any Belgian station'. I don't know if he bought that specifically or if that's always the case if you travel by Eurostar to Belgium.

Does your Eurostar have "ABS - Any Belgian station "on it? If not you will need to buy a ticket - though under 12s are free. There are machines at Gare du Midi or you can easily buy a ticket on SNCB.be - usually weekend rates are cheaper.
There is left luggage at both Midi and Central Station. If wanting to wander around Brussels its better to get off there as very close to centre / Grand Place etc.

Thanks so much @Janek and @MissAmbrosia . Our tickets are just to Brussels - it was my mistake to not buy the ABS when I bought the tickets earlier this year.

Thanks so much @Janek and @MissAmbrosia . Our tickets are just to Brussels - it was my mistake to not buy the ABS when I bought the tickets earlier this year.

The trains are easy, cheap, and on time. Use the SNCB app, you can see all the options on there.

I wouldn't necessarily rely on the left luggage lockers. We wanted to use them last year in Antwerp but when we arrived they were all full with a queue of people waiting for any that did become available. There weren't many lockers though, hopefully the left luggage bit in Brussels will be bigger so you won't have that problem. But maybe make a back up plan just in case!

We travelled all around Belgium by train last year. I seem to remember just using the app - anyway it was always very very straightforward (and cheap!). No need to book in advance for any journey.

It's not possible to reserve seats on Belgian trains

We've used luggage lockers at Midi. High tech and range of sizes. You can probably get cheaper using one of the bag drop apps but we found the station so convenient. We did what you are planning last year - returned to Brussels, dropped bags, spent afternoon in art gallery and then Eurostar home, worked well and saved worry about the local train being delayed.

Thanks everyone for the very useful info. Have downloaded the app and created an account and great info on the lockers. Final question - does anyone know if there are decent cafes near Brussels Midi as we might get lunch in Brussels before travelling to Bruges (our Eurostar arrives at lunchtime). Thanks again x

The area around Gare du Midi isn't the best so I wouldn't advise wandering around too much with luggage if you don't know where you are going. There is a Pret A Manger in the station and Carrefour Express for snacks. Otherwise get a train to Gare Centrale and get off as that is close to the Grand Place and Galeries with more options. An easy option is Pain Quotidien in the Galeries or De Pistolei.

Thanks @catmack16 . I think we might pick up snacks in the station in that case and picnic on the train to Bruges. We can always find somewhere nice to eat in Brussels when we return for the afternoon before our train home.

I wouldn't necessarily assume the trains will be on time.

We did Brussels/Ghent/Amsterdam last year and the trains were a nightmare. Lots of delays, cancellations and strikes and we spent far too long in small Belgian stations trying to get nearer our destinations.

I've just got home from Brussels!
We travelled by train to both Bruges and Ghent, and found it really easy.
I would take the train from Midi to Centrale (1 stop) and then from there to Bruges, it's about an hour. We just bought tickets at the station but I'm sure you can do it in the SNCB app so you save time. No problem with late or cancelled trains, we may have got lucky?
Have a fab time, Bruges is beautiful 😍

We did this trip last year. Don't bother with Midi, it isn't a nice area. If you want some time in Brussels before you go to Bruges then go to Central - plenty of places to eat near there. Station lockers are often full but there are convenience stores which also off luggage storage near stations. Have a great trip!

If you go out the doors on the left after coming down from Eurostar platform, there are a row of perfectly nice cafe/bar places across the way if you want to grab a quick lunch before moving on to Bruges. Not sure about Friday, but Saturday is meant to be 25 degrees and sunny! A bonus after weeks of incessant rain.

In Brussels - kids eat for free at Chez Leon in the Rue des Bouchers. Typical Belgian fare - mussels, meatballs, vol au vent etc. We really like the Lobster House in the same street for seafood plus non-fishy things. For Seafood - Place Ste Catherine and the Marche aux Poissons has some good offerings. And opposite the Bourse, St Gery has thai/vietnamese/Chinese places.

There is a Carrefour also in one of the first aisles facing the Eurostar entrance.

Some brilliant tips - thank you so much - and fantastic to hear that the forecast is for some lovely warm weather! Does anyone have any favourite places in Bruges to share? I am travelling with my husband and 8 year old DD. Have some ideas from reading but love to hear any recommendations. Thanks again - brilliant to get so much useful info.

I just enjoyed walking around Bruges. So pretty. Walked along the river and got to some windmills. The trains are so cheap and easy. I wouldn't worry at all, you can sort on arrival and buy a ticket with card from the machine.

We are currently in Bruges. We had the any station Eurostar ticket, but it would have been easy to buy the onward ticket at Brussels, there is a ticket office, or you can buy online. There are trains pretty much every half an hour, it was really easy to get the connecting train.

Do a boat trip in Bruges.