By car: Bruges is easily reachable by car with the E40 and E403 closeby.  Circulation inside the historic center is challenging with one-way traffic and pedestrian streets.  Parking inside the center is limited and mostly paying or reserved for inhabitants.  The easiest and most cost-effective option is to use one of the underground parkings.  The largest one is under the Zand.  TIP: If you use the parking at the front of the train station, you  can get a free ticket for the bus to the center with your parking ticket (to be requested at the bus booth in the front of the station). 

By train: The railway station is located at the edge of town and is the main transport hub of Bruges.  Bruges has a good connection with all other main Belgian stations.  When coming from the interior of the country, trains with destination Oostende or Knokke-Blankenberge stop in Bruges.  Info on trains and timetables via nmbs.be.  

By bus: The Belgian public transport by bus is not really designed for intercity or cross-country travelling.  It is mainly focussed on transport inside the city or its periphery.

By air: The closest airport is Ostende but that is mainly used for transport and charter flights.  You will arrive most likely either from Brussels International Airport (Zaventem) or Brussels South Airport (Charleroi).  When you come from Zaventem, it's easy to take the train from the airport itself via Brussels.  WARNING: there is a special tax (Diabolo tax) for taking the train from the Airport to Brussels.  So, make sure that your ticket includes that tax to avoid a penalty when being controlled.  You should calculate about 1.5 hours to get to Bruges.  When you come from Charleroi, you can also take the train but that is quite a hassle because you will first have to get to Brussels and then change to Bruges. TIP: there is a direct airport shuttle between Charleroi and Bruges.  This bus also stops in Ghent.  You can reserve online on www.flibco.com/en.