paris to bruges in one weekend?

Is it possible to %26#39;do%26#39; paris and then take a train to bruges in brussels (i don%26#39;t know how long that will take) and then do bruges all in 5days including travelling time?

I don%26#39;t have long in europe so have to plan carefully!

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Yes it%26#39;s possible, but it is not enough time in Paris to be honest. Bruges requires at least one day, and getting there will take about 3-4 hours from Paris. So that takes another day or two out of Paris. Not enough time.

Spend it all in Paris unless you absolutely can%26#39;t miss Bruges.

Les

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The last time we were in Bruges (2004 summer) we learned (after the fact) that there was -- at least at that time -- a direct TGV between Bruges and Paris although I believe it only ran once per day each direction. I don%26#39;t recall whether it was timed such that you could take the train out of Paris in the morning and return late in the day, and still have time to see some of Bruges.

I enjoy Bruges (I have been there twice) and it%26#39;s interesting because it looks pretty much like it would have in the 1300s and 1400s when it was one of the economic centers of Europe, but to be honest you really don%26#39;t need more than a day, and even a few hours will give you a good taste of it. With no luggage in tow (I assume you are talking about a day trip?), you can walk from the train station to wherever you want to go.

All that said, I would not recommend trying to do it in a day if you have to go to Brussels and then take the connecting train to Bruges, as it would take a great deal of time.

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If there was a Thalys connection to Bruges (maybe just during the tourist season?), it will have driven at the speed of a %26#39;normal%26#39; train, and it will have stopped in Antwerp and Brussels. The TGV requires special tracks to drive at its normal (high) speed, and Bruges doesn%26#39;t have those tracks.

The Thalys site now doesn%26#39;t show a direct Thalys connection to Bruges - you will have to change to a local train in Brussels-Midi. Total time taken: 2.5 to 3 hours. You could leave paris at 6h25, and arrive in Bruges at 8.58. You will have to decide for yourself whether you think it%26#39;s worth it. Note that you need reservations for the Thalys.

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