Trains

The main train station of Ghent (Dutch name: Gent) is called Gent-Sint-Pieters. All trains going through Ghent call at Gent-Sint-Pieters.

All international high-speed trains to Belgium (Thalys, Eurostar, TGV, ICE) stop in the station of Brussels South (Dutch: Brussel-Zuid; French: Bruxelles-Midi) which serves as a hub for the Belgian railways. From Brussels South, there are at least 2 trains per hour to Ghent without intermediate stops: every hour at xx:05 to Oostende and at xx:32 to Knokke/Blankenberge. The last train leaves Brussels South at 00:32.

For timetable information, you can use the website of the Belgian railways. When looking up timetables, keep in mind that train schedules in Belgium can differ significantly between weekdays and weekend days. For real-time timetables (including train delays), have a look at www.railtime.be.

Buying your train ticket online

It is possible to buy your train ticket online and print it. In most cases, you should buy a STANDARD TICKET to GENT-SINT-PIETERS. However, people less than 26 years old can buy a GO PASS 1 at a reduced price. Note that the train station of Brussels Airport is called BRUSSEL-NATIONAAL-LUCHTHAVEN.

Brussels Airport

Brussels Airport (BRU) is the main airport of Belgium and is the most convenient airport to travel to Ghent. There are flights to Brussels from many European airports; there are not so many intercontinental flights. There is a train station in the airport with many trains to Brussels (do not take a train to Leuven or Landen). You can change in Brussels South to a train for Ghent (see above). Some trains also go from Brussels Airport to Ghent, but they stop in many more stations and take a longer time. The last train from the airport is at 23:50.

• wikipedia page with destinations

Charleroi Airport

Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL) is a low cost airport in Charleroi, about 60 km south of Brussels. It mainly serves Ryanair flights to European destinations. There are two main ways to go to Ghent:

1. Take a coach to Brussels South station and then a train to Ghent. The coach stop is on the right when you exit the terminal. Tickets can be bought on board or online.
2. Take a city bus from TEC to the train station Charleroi-Sud, then a train to Brussels, changing in Brussels South to a train for Ghent. The bus stop is on the left when you exit the terminal. There is a special cheap ticket which combines the bus and train tickets which can be bought from a machine at the bus stop or online (select the TICKET FROM CHARLEROI AIRPORT option from CHARLEROI SOUTH AIRPORT to GENT-SINT-PIETERS, single ticket). This option probably takes a longer time, but it is cheaper.

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Charles de Gaulle Airport (Paris)

Intercontinental travellers might have better connections to Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in Paris. There are no connecting flights from Paris to Brussels; instead, there is a train station in the airport with high-speed trains to Brussels South. If you are flying with Air France, this train ticket can be booked together with the flight (the IATA airport code of Brussels South is ZYR). Note that these trains are not so frequent and might be fully booked (or ridiculously expensive). There are two alternatives:

1. Take RER B (some kind of Express Metro) to the train station of Paris Nord. Then take a Thalys train from there to Brussels South.
2. Take a TGV from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Lille, and then a Belgian Intercity train from Lille-Flandres to Ghent, possibly with a change in Kortrijk. This is the cheapest option.

For those arriving on the 29th of August, have a look at this list of the most convenient train connections (as opposed to all connections) from CDG to Gent.

• wikipedia page with destinations

Schiphol (Amsterdam)

Another option is Schiphol (AMS). There is a train station in the airport. You should take either a Thalys train or an Intercity train to Antwerpen Centraal. From Antwerpen, take a train with destination Oostende, Kortrijk or Lille-Flandres and get off at Gent-Sint-Pieters.

• wikipedia page with destinations