Best Day Trips from Brussels, Belgium
Are you looking for the best day trips from Brussels, Belgium? Read on for my top picks!
Brussels is a great city, but it’s also an excellent base for taking day trips around the rest of Belgium — and even to other countries! I recently spent a week in Brussels and took several different day trips. I have visited all of the destinations below, either on a day trip from Brussels or at other times during my travels.
Each of these day trip destinations is reachable in under two hours by train from Brussels. If you have several days in Brussels, I definitely recommend dedicating at least one to taking a day trip!
Here’s a look at the best day trips you can take from Brussels:
⭐ Short on time? These are the top tours and activities I recommend. If you book directly through a link on this page, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Stay to Wander!
Best Day Trips from Brussels:
- Tour to Bruges with a boat cruise option
- Combo tour to Bruges and Ghent
- Combo tour to Antwerp and Ghent
- Two-country tour to Dinant and Luxembourg City
Bruges, Belgium
Bruges is one of the top Brussels day trip destinations, and for good reason!
This beautiful medieval city, located in the northern part of the country, is remarkably well-preserved. In fact, this led to the entire historic center of Bruges being designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In Bruges, which has been nicknamed the “Venice of the North” because of its canals, you can take a boat cruise, climb the Belfry Tower for great views of the city, stroll around the bustling Markt Square, and visit the beguinage, where religious women historically lived in a unique independent community.
You can easily spend a full day in Bruges, because there’s plenty to do, but I also appreciated that it’s a compact city that’s very walkable. Bruges is located just 55 minutes from Brussels by train.
If you don’t want to take the train, you can also join a guided tour like this one that includes round-trip transportation from Brussels to Bruges by coach bus, as well as a walking tour in Bruges.
Or you can join this full-day tour that includes a visit to both Bruges and Ghent (more on Ghent below!)
Ghent, Belgium
Ghent is another great day trip from Brussels, but a lot of people overlook this city in favor of visiting Bruges instead. Like Bruges, Ghent is in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking northern half of Belgium.
It’s a less touristy city than Bruges, but still very beautiful with a lot to do. Similar to Bruges, Ghent also has several canals and lovely historic architecture. I personally preferred Bruges, so if you have to choose just one city to visit, that’s what I’d recommend. But Ghent is worth it if you have some extra time!
Ghent is a quick day trip from Brussels, just 30 minutes away by train. However, the train station is a bit outside the city center (a 35-minute walk or 20 minutes by tram), so keep that in mind.
You can also take a canal cruise in Ghent, and I definitely recommend checking out the Gravensteen, or the Castle of the Counts, an imposing medieval castle in the historic center of the city.
Since Ghent is on the way to Bruges, you can also combine both destinations into one day trip. It will be a very full day, but it’s possible! This guided tour is a great way to see both Ghent and Bruges.
Antwerp, Belgium
Antwerp is one more Flemish city that is perfect to visit on a day trip to Brussels. I actually visited Antwerp many years ago, and up until this most recent trip, it was the only place I’d been in Belgium.
While I didn’t revisit Antwerp on my recent trip to Brussels, it is well-located for a day trip and has a lot to offer visitors. It’s only 40 minutes from Brussels by train, and it’s a city known for being the diamond capital of the world. It’s also a good destination to visit if you’re interested in art or design.
In Antwerp, you can visit the Rubenshuis art museum, learn about the history of the city at the MAS, and admire the city’s opulent Markt Square. If you want to combine Antwerp with another destination, you could opt for this guided tour, which includes transportation by coach bus to Antwerp and Ghent.
Dinant, Belgium
While all three of the cities I mentioned above are in the Dutch-speaking Flanders region of Belgium and have many similarities in history and architecture, Dinant is a very different city located south of Brussels.
It’s in the French-speaking Wallonia region, and is located on the Meuse River. Dinant features colorful waterfront buildings and a unique onion-domed Gothic church, with the Citadel of Dinant perched on a dramatic rocky cliff above it. One of Dinant’s claims to fame is that the saxophone was invented here.
If the weather is nice, you can also take a boat cruise on the Meuse River. Since I visited in December, the boats were unfortunately not running. But you can still spend a lot of time just wandering around.
Dinant is a little further from Brussels, located one hour and 20 minutes by train.
If you want to visit another destination along with Dinant, this full-day guided tour looks like an interesting option because you can visit another country! It includes transportation by coach bus from Brussels, a visit to Dinant with a guided tour, and then a visit to Luxembourg City with a guided tour.
Lille, France
If you want to visit another country from Brussels, Lille is just across the border in France and an easy day trip by train. Lille was historically part of French Flanders, and so it has many Flemish influences.
It’s not a really touristy city, making it an underrated gem. Lille is very lively and vibrant, being a major university city. It also has a charming old town and several interesting museums to check out.
Lille is just 40 minutes from Brussels by train. Once you arrive in the city, the Vieux Lille area is where you’ll find the oldest architecture and some charming cobblestone streets. The best museum in the city, if you only have time to visit one, is the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille, an impressive art museum.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam is one of the most ambitious day trips on this list, but it’s definitely doable with an early start! The capital of the Netherlands is less than two hours by train from the capital of Belgium.
You can reach Amsterdam in one hour and 50 minutes by train from Brussels.
Amsterdam is a large city, so you’ll want to take the earliest train you can to get there and the latest train back to maximize your time. There’s so much to do in Amsterdam — I recommend visiting either the Van Gogh Museum or the Rijksmuseum, and the Anne Frank House (book tickets far in advance!)
You can also take a canal cruise on Amsterdam’s scenic waterways to get a unique perspective of the city. And be sure to try some Dutch food specialties, like stroopwaffel and bitterballen.
Cologne, Germany
Finally, one more unique day trip you can take from Brussels is to Cologne. This German city is further afield, but still easily accessible from Brussels, being one hour and 50 minutes away by train.
Once again, you’ll want to make a full day of this if you’re going all the way to another country. One of the highlights of the city is Cologne Cathedral, a magnificent Gothic cathedral. Much of Cologne was actually destroyed by bombings during World War II and later rebuilt, but the cathedral was spared.
If the weather is nice, you can take a cruise on the Rhine River while in Cologne and see the city from the water. Another highlight of the city is visiting the Museum Ludwig, a modern art museum.
Best Day Trips from Brussels, Belgium
This guide showed you the best day trips from Brussels, Belgium.
If you only have time for one day trip, I’d recommend visiting Bruges, because it really is a magical little city. However, if you have more time, Ghent and Antwerp are cool cities to check out too. For something a little different, Dinant is a unique destination in the French-speaking Wallonia region of Belgium.
Enjoy your trip to Brussels!
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