Bruges to Cologne

We%26#39;re spending a few days in Bruges and then taking a train to Cologne, Germany. Will we need to transfer trains in Brussels? Is the connection nearby? How do we know which train to take? Thank you. We plan on using a Rail Europe pass saver (Benulux-Germany).

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1) Yes, or else in Liège and Aachen, it depends on which connections you select when you decide what train (date, time) to take from Brugge, e.g. using http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en

2) It%26#39;s merely a matter of transferring from one platform to another. If you decide to take the Thalys from Brussels (Midi) rather than Intercity, the one to Köln Hbf starts from platform 1. I presume, however, that you will be excluding Thalys trains from your selection because you would have to pay a supplement over and above your railpass for the reservation, as Thalys is reservation only. If you were buying your Thalys ticket here it would include the reservation fee but as you have a prepaid pass you may find it simpler to buy it from Rail Europe again.

3) I don%26#39;t really understand what you are asking. If you mean, how do you know which train is which: if you don%26#39;t already know what platform you want at the station you are changing at (the Hafas site will tell you and you can also check with the ticket-collector on your train coming from Brugge), stations have large departure boards plus (in Brussels at least) displays at the bottom of the escalator leading to the platform, showing the next train from that platform, then there are displays above the platform itself, showing maybe the next 3 trains from that platform, plus there are announcements, in French, Dutch and often another relevant language (e.g. German for trains to Germany), from which you should recognise the destination..

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