9 Easy Day Trips From Brussels You Have To Go On

There are so many day trips from Brussels that it’s become one of my favourite cities to visit.

Brussels Belgium is the perfect place to stay if you want to explore both more of Belgium or the surrounding countries, like the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany and more!

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

Why Go On Day Trips From Brussels Belgium?

It’s exhausting to have to constantly repack your suitcase and lug it around with you every day. Instead you should choose a central location to stay and do day trips out of to different cities.

And Brussels makes the perfect base city to do that!

As I said, Brussels is one of the best cities to go on day trips from. It’s centrally located both within Belgium and Europe, and has an unbeatable train system.

It’s a lot easier, and less stressful to stay in Brussels and visit the surrounding cities for a day than to be constantly moving around!

How To Travel On Day Trips From Brussels: Four Ways

For Brussels day trips, you’ll usually have the option to either take a bus, train, rent a car, or book an organized tour.

I recommend taking the train or if you’d prefer being with a tour guide, an organized tour. But here’s a low down on each of your options…

Brussels Day Trips By Bus

The bus will be your cheapest option for day trips from Brussels, but often times I noticed it was also the least convenient and somehow slower.

In Brussels, the bus station was outside the city centre in Brussels Nord.

So depending on where you stay in Brussels, it could add a lot of travel time (like for me it added 45 minutes just to get to the bus station!).

I also noticed that at most destinations around Brussels, the bus station also wasn’t as centrally located (especially when compared to the train station).

The bus could also take you twice as long to arrive at your destination compared to the train…

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Why Ixelles Brussels Is The Best Neighbourhood To Stay In?

Day Trips From Brussels By Train

The train was my transportation method of choice. It did cost more than the bus, and sometimes significantly more, but the amount of time you saved was always worth the cost.

It’s important to note that there are two main train stations in Brussels: Central and Midi, each one opposite sides of the city.

Depending on where you want to travel to from Brussels, the train will leave from a different station. The trend seemed to be that local trains (staying in Belgium) left from Central and international trains mainly left from Midi.

If you’re interested in visiting both inside and outside Belgium, I recommend booking a place in between both – like somewhere in the Ixelles neighbourhood. I was a 15-minute walk to Central and about 25 minutes to Midi.

Brussels Day Trips Train Hacks

There are a few ways to save on train tickets within Belgium.

If you’re under 26 there are serious train discounts offered.

But, if you’re 26 and older, the best bet to save money is to actually travel on the weekends. I noticed that tickets are usually %50 off.

Buy train tickets.

Day Trips From Brussels Belgium By Car

We never looked into this option for day trips from Brussels because the train was always the most convenient.

But renting a car and driving in Belgium is always an option, and will usually cut down your travel time even more.

Keep in mind though you will also have to deal with parking and foreign driving routes, which can be quite stressful!

Booking An Organized Day Trip From Brussels

Booking an organized tour (like one of these through Viator) is the easiest way to go on day trips from Brussels but also THE MOST expensive.

An organized tour is a stress free way to visit any city or attraction from Brussels.

You don’t have to think about how you’re getting from point A to point B. But of course you also haev no say over your schedule.

See all the Viator tours offered from Brussels.

Best Day Trips From Brussels Within Belgium

The easiest day trips from Brussels are those within Belgium. There are smaller Belgian towns to discover each with their own unique history and culture.

1. Leuven (30 minutes by train)

Leuven Belgium is by far the easiest day trip from Brussels.

It’s completely worry-free because if you miss one train, there’s another one 15 minutes later. And the train ride itself is very short, only 30 minutes away!

Leuven is very similar to Ghent because they’re both university towns. Leuven is lot less known though, so you feel like you’re discovering a bit of a hidden gem in Belgium.

Leuven is mostly known for their library, that’s actually burned down twice throughout history, and for having the longest bar in Europe!

Needless to say, there’s no shortage of things to do in Leuven on a day trip from Brussels.

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2. Ghent (50 minutes by train)

Ghent is a quaint little university town with picturesque views.

But what really sets this city apart is the unique medieval castle you can tour.

I also love Ghent for taking it a bit slow. Enjoy walking through the different boutique shops (make sure to stop by the Helen B. store), and picking up a coffee to enjoy along the river.

If you’re interested in booking an organized tour, Viator offers a combined tour to Ghent and Bruges.

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One Day Guide To Ghent Belgium

3. Antwerp (50 minutes by train)

Antwerp is famously known for its fashion scene, diamond trade, and having one of the oldest zoos in the world.

And like any proper Belgian city, Antwerp has their own beer to try, De Koninck.

If you’re not ready to buy diamonds you can just visit one of the many museums Antwerp has to offer. Or, you can work on your Instagram game and find all the free picturesque spots around town!

P.S. If you’re interested in booking an organized tour to Antwerp? I love how this one with Viator also includes a photo stop at the Atomium in Brussels!

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4. Namur or Dinant (1h00 -1h30) Day Trips from Brussels

Both Namur and Dinant are a part of the Wallonia region in Belgium (Brussels is a part of Flanders). So they have a completely different language and culture to explore.

Both cities are quite similar that I’d actually recommend visiting only one of them.

For example, they both have a citadel, out of this world views, river cruises, and they even both have their own beer.

Each city does offer some unique activities, so I would recommend visiting the city with the activity you’re most interested in.

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Should You Visit Namur Dinant, Or Both In Belgium?

Namur (1 hour)

Namur is personally my choice between the two cities (Gasp! I know!).

First off, it’s a bit closer (only about an hour away instead of 1h30-1h45) and I liked their citadel tour better.

I also really enjoyed learning about local artist Felicien Rops and trying their local beer Blanche de Namur.

If you are interested in visiting Namur from Brussels, I wrote a full city guide!

Dinant (1h30)

About 30 minutes passed Namur is the hidden city Dinant. As I mentioned, like Namur, they have a citadel on top of the mountain that you can tour.

But Dinant is also know for being the birthplace of the inventor of the saxophone, Adolphe Sax!

And if you go a bit further outside of the main city centre, you can visit the Leffe Museum (with tastings), and you can even explore some underground caves, Grotte de Dinant “La Merveilleuse”.

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Dinant Belgium: A Guide To The City With The Best View

5. Brugge (1h20)

Ah, Brugge! Do I even need to say anything more about this medieval town to convince you to go on a day trip from Brussels to Brugge? 

And there’s so much more to do in Brugge than just admire how it looks like it’s straight out of a fairytale. 

For example, you can visit a brewery, rent a bike and see some windmills, and try the best waffles in all of Belgium (in my opinion anyway).

I won’t lie and say we didn’t make a trip from Brussels to Brugge our second time in Belgium specifically to get waffles – and they did not disappoint. Let’s just say we were unimpressed by our options in Brussels.

We found Chez Albert, Fred’s, the Waffle House, and the truck in the Burg Square were all delicious options!

There’s too much to do that I have a full guide to Brugge for more activities to do while you’re there!

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Brugge Belgium: Everything You Need To Know For Your Trip

6. The Belgian Coast (1h30)

If it’s a beautiful day outside, there’s no better place to visit on a day trip from Brussels than the Belgian coast!

Did you know that the Belgian Coast is home to the longest coastline tram in the world!? You can ride it the entire way to see the whole Belgian coast from the Netherlands to France!

You can simply sit on the beach soaking up some sun, or you can also check out some of the small coastal towns, or learn more about WWI and WWII in Belgium.

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What To Know Before Planning a Trip To The Belgian Coast

Day Trips From Brussels Outside Of Belgium!

7. Germany: Cologne & Aachen  (~2h00)

Cologne and Aachen in Germany both make easy days trip from Brussels because a fast train will take you directly there in under 2 hours!

If you’re looking for a spa day, Aachen is the place to go.

But we opted for Cologne because it seemed like there was a bit more to explore in the city centre than in Aachen. Plus you get to see the tallest twin spired church in the world!

Cologne is one of the best day trips from Brussels if you want to completely delve into another culture (one that’s even different from the rest of Germany!). Despite its small size, Cologne has its own beer culture that somehow rivals Germany’s AND Belgium’s!

It’s also where Eau de Cologne was invented, so make sure to check out that museum to learn more!

Without giving away too much, see why I absolutely fell in love with Cologne on a day trip from Brussels!

8. Netherlands: Amsterdam  (2h15)

A bit further by train, but not by much, you can make it to Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

A day trip to Amsterdam from Brussels is all about the canals! Either book a canal tour or simply walk through the canal lined streets!

Another must-see is Anne Frank House (just make sure to book your tickets months in advance), and artistic lessons in Rembrandt’s House. 

And let’s not forget about Amsterdam’s culinary scene! The Netherlands is well known for producing delicious cheese, and you can sample a lot of it at the Cheese Museum. You also can’t leave without trying a traditional stroopwafel and bitterballen (fried meatballs) either! 

You’ll also want to try to stay a bit later at night in Amsterdam to experience a bit of the Red Light District (although it’s pretty much happening 24/7).

9. Luxembourg (3h00)

Luxembourg is on the edge of doable day trips from Brussels because it’s 3 hours away by train. But it’s such a small city centre that you can still see everything you want to and more in only one day.

Luxembourg is so different than any city other I’ve visited before because it’s made up of mostly foreigners, and it’s also one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

Not to mention the city is separated onto two levels, making it absolutely stunning!

Day trips from Brussels to Luxembourg are very popular so you can book a combined organized tour with Dinant in Belgium through Viator to make the trip a bit easier.

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How To Go On A Day Trip From Brussels To Luxembourg

Bonus! London & Paris (2h00)

If you have some more time in your itinerary you can also make day trips from Brussels to Paris and London.

You can make it to Paris in under 2 hours from Brussels. London is a bit further, it would be about 3 hours by train.

Although, they’re such big cities having only a day to explore is a bit more intense. Both London and Paris might be better suited for weekend trips from Brussels.

Hotel Recommendations In Brussels

Looking for a place to stay in Brussels? We stayed at an Airbnb in Ixelles during our time in Brussels. I would recommend staying in Ixelles in Brussels (read why here). There are a few hotel options you can stay at like Hygge Hotel in the heart of the Matonge area.

You can’t get a better location than this in Ixelles. It’s actually right down the street from where our Airbnb was, we walked by it all the time. You’re next to the subway station with groceries and shopping at your finger tips. They also have larger rooms to accommodate families. See availability and room rates.

If you’re interested in staying in the city centre in Brussels, you can’t get better value for your money than staying at Motel One Brussels. This hotel is only a 10 minute walk from Grand Place in Brussels. See availability and room rates.

For a luxury stay in Brussels, a 2 minute walk from Grand Place is Rocco Forte Hotel Amigo. A beautiful unique stay that offers elegant and designer hotel rooms. They have a concierge and 24 hour room service to help you with anything you may need during your stay in Brussels. See availability and room rates.

Or see more Brussels accommodation on Booking.com.

My Belgium Day Trip Essentials

Visiting Brussels? Read Related Posts

• The Complete Guide To Brussels
• How To Visit Luxembourg City In One Day From Brussels
• What You Won’t Want To Miss In Ghent Belgium

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Last update on 2024-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API