Day Trips from Brussels

In other destinations, the day trips are usually considered a “plus” and only recommend if you have extra time, however, in Belgium, there are some cities that are as important as Brussels itself.

To do these day trips we recommend spending the night in Brussels and taking an early train or bus to the city of interest. Since the following towns are so close to Brussels and are all relatively small, you’ll only need one day to explore them. What's more, hotels are generally more expensive outside Brussels.

Day trips from Brussels

Bruges

Bruges is a medieval fairy-tale town and Belgium’s most visited city with 7.8 million people exploring Bruges every year.

Ghent

Ghent is a stunning medieval city not far from Brussels and one of Belgium’s favourite places to visit. Find out Ghent’s top attractions and things to do.

Antwerp

Antwerp is known as the Diamond Capital of the World. It is the second most important city in Belgium after Brussels. Discover things to do in Antwerp.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is one of the most popular day trips from Brussels. This capital has a unique charm that will capture all, so discover all its highlights!

Without leaving Belgium

Less well-known are Mechelen and Leuven, but if you have a couple of days in the country and want to get away from the every day, you can set aside a day to visit these two Flemish cities and discover their great monumental heritage.

The south of Belgium hides two great secrets: the cities of Namur and Dinant. In this excursion you can make a route through two of the most beautiful cities of the French-speaking region of Wallonia

Day trips that are a little further away

A little further away, 177 miles (285 km) to the southeast of Brussels, in Paris. Belgium’s capital is connected to this city by the Thalys train. This high-speed train takes just over an hour to get to the capital of France.

You can also visit the neighbouring country of Luxembourg, south of Brussels. On a day trip, you can travel by train to the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, whose beautiful old town is a World Heritage Site.

Day Trip to Luxembourg and Dinant by train