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Looking for the best day trips from Brussels? From Bruges to Dinant, here are 12 unmissable trips, all under 2 hours from the capital.
I have a real soft spot for Brussels. There’s something about the mix of grand squares, waffle stands on every corner, and that slightly chaotic, multilingual energy that makes it one of my favourite European capitals to just wander around in. Grand Place still gets me every single time I walk into it, no matter how many visits I clock up.
But here’s the thing about Brussels: it’s also one of the best-placed cities in Europe for exploring further afield. Belgium is tiny, brilliantly connected, and packed with medieval towns, riverside cities, and even a slice of northern France, all within about two hours of the capital. I’ve spent a good chunk of time using Brussels as a base and hopping on trains to see what else the country (and its neighbours) had to offer, and honestly, some of my best memories from Belgium happened outside Brussels entirely.
So if you’re planning a trip and wondering what to do beyond the city itself, here are my 12 favourite day trips from Brussels, all doable there and back in a single day.
Obviously if you’re basing yourself in Brussels itself, then make sure you check out my guide on the top things to do, where to stay and what to eat while you’re there!
Are you planning an amazing weekend in Brussels? If so, you may want to book your hotels and tours asap to ensure availability. Here are some links to quickly help plan your trip!
Best hotels and apartments in Brussels:
- Rocco Forte Hotel Amigo (top rated 5* hotel)
- Moxy Brussels City Center (top rated 4* hotel)
- Urban Yard Hotel (top rated 3* hotel)
Best activities and tours in Brussels:
- Walking Tour with Belgian Lunch, Chocolate, & Beer
- Chocolate Museum Entrance with Tasting (top activity)
- Brussels Atomium Entry Ticket (usually sells out)
How many days do you need in Brussels?
I get asked this a lot, so here’s my honest take: two or three days is the perfect amount of time to explore Brussels itself and fit in one or two of these day trips without feeling rushed. That gives you enough time to wander the Grand Place, discover the city’s incredible food scene, hunt down comic book murals and explore neighbourhoods like Sablon and Saint-Gilles.
If you’ve only got a couple of days, I’d stick to the closer options like Bruges, Ghent or Leuven. They’re all easy to reach by train and give you a completely different side of Belgium without spending hours travelling. If you’ve got four or five days, you can start adding in places like Dinant, Antwerp or even Luxembourg, which make for longer but rewarding day trips.
Either way, I wouldn’t try to cram too much into one trip. Belgium might look small on the map, but each city has its own personality, and the best part of travelling here is taking your time – whether that’s enjoying a Belgian beer in a historic square, wandering medieval streets or stopping for chocolate along the way.
Quick overview
| Destination | Journey time | Best mode of transport | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruges | 1 hour by train / 1h15 by car | Train | Fairytale scenery – medieval streets, canals and Belgian charm |
| Ghent | 35–40 min by train / 50 min by car | Train | Culture and atmosphere – medieval architecture, food and a lively city feel |
| Antwerp | 45 min by train / 50 min by car | Train | City life – fashion, diamonds, museums and Rubens masterpieces |
| Waterloo | 30 min by train and bus / 30 min by car | Public transport or car | History – the famous battlefield and Napoleon’s final defeat |
| Leuven | 25 min by train / 30 min by car | Train | Beer and culture – university life, historic buildings and cafés |
| Mechelen | 25 min by train / 30 min by car | Train | Hidden gems – quiet streets, historic towers and local charm |
| Liège | 1 hour by train / 1h10 by car | Train | Local life – markets, riverside walks and a different side of Belgium |
| Namur | 1 hour by train / 1 hour by car | Train | Scenery and history – rivers, old streets and an impressive citadel |
| Dinant | 1h20 by train / 1h25 by car | Train | Photography – dramatic cliffs, river views and one of Belgium’s prettiest towns |
| Tournai | 1 hour by train / 1h10 by car | Train | History – Belgium’s oldest city, medieval architecture and fewer crowds |
| Lille, France | 38 min by high-speed train / 1h10 by car | Train | A taste of France – Flemish architecture, food and city breaks |
| Ostend | 1h15 by train / 1h20 by car | Train | Beach escapes – Belgian coastline, seafood and seaside walks |
Bruges
If you only do one day trip from Brussels, make it Bruges. I know, I know, everyone says this, but there’s a reason for it. The whole medieval centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and wandering along the canals past those stepped gable rooftops genuinely feels like walking through a postcard.
Climb the Belfry if you don’t mind 366 narrow steps, the view over the rooftops is worth every wobbly leg afterwards. Grab a cone of proper Belgian chips from a friterie, and don’t leave without trying a few different beers, Bruges takes its brewing heritage seriously. It’s touristy, sure, but it earns it. If you’re short on time, a fantastic way of seeing the city is by jumping on a tour. This is basically a highlights tour in 2 hours, so perfect for a day trip.
By public transport: Around 1 hour on the direct IC train from Brussels-Midi or Brussels-Central to Bruges.
By car: About 1 hour 15 minutes via the E40.
Ghent
Ghent is the day trip I always recommend to people who tell me they loved Bruges but wished it felt a bit less like a theme park. It’s got the same canals and medieval architecture, but with a proper working city built around it, students, locals, and a genuinely great food scene.
Climb Gravensteen Castle, a real medieval fortress you can actually walk right through, and then just get lost in the Patershol district for dinner. The Graslei waterfront at golden hour is one of my favourite spots in the whole country. For this one, you can jump on a boat which is a fun way to see the city.
By public transport: Around 35–40 minutes on the direct IC train from Brussels-Midi.
By car: About 50 minutes via the E40.
Antwerp
Antwerp feels different to anywhere else on this list, more fashion capital than fairy-tale town. The diamond district sits a few minutes from the station, and the Cathedral of Our Lady houses some genuinely stunning Rubens paintings if art’s your thing.
I spent an afternoon just wandering the MAS museum’s rooftop for the view over the port, then eating my body weight in Flemish stew nearby. It’s a brilliant contrast to Bruges and Ghent if you want a day that feels more like a proper city break than a fairy-tale detour.
By public transport: Around 45 minutes on the direct IC train from Brussels-Central.
By car: About 50 minutes via the A12/E19.
Waterloo
History buffs, this one’s for you. The Battle of Waterloo happened just outside Brussels in 1815, and the whole battlefield site has been turned into a proper visitor experience. Climb the 226 steps of the Lion’s Mound for a view across the entire battlefield, then head into the underground visitor centre and its immersive 4D film for context on what actually happened here.
It’s a genuinely moving way to spend a few hours, and it’s one of the easiest day trips on this list logistically, since it’s barely outside the city.
By public transport: Around 30 minutes on the train to Braine-l’Alleud, plus a short bus to the site.
By car: About 30 minutes via the N5.
Leuven
Leuven is criminally underrated, and I say that as someone who nearly skipped it entirely. This is a proper university town, home to one of Europe’s oldest universities, and the Town Hall here might be the most elaborately carved building I’ve seen in Belgium, it makes Brussels’ Grand Place look understated.
Grab a beer at the Oude Markt, reportedly the longest bar in Europe, and you’ll understand why Leuven has such a buzzing, youthful energy despite being a fraction of the size of Brussels or Antwerp. I used to come to Leuven for Rock Werchter, one of Europe’s best music festivals. I still have so many happy memories of my time stumbling around the city after the festival!
By public transport: Around 25 minutes on the direct IC train from Brussels-Central.
By car: About 30 minutes via the E40.
Mechelen
Mechelen sits almost exactly between Brussels and Antwerp, and it’s the sort of place most people skip entirely, which is exactly why I loved it. St Rumbold’s Tower dominates the skyline, and you can climb it for one of the best panoramic views in the country on a clear day. The whole old town feels quiet and unhurried compared to its bigger neighbours, and it’s an easy half-day if you want to pair it with somewhere else on this list.
By public transport: Around 25 minutes on the direct IC train from Brussels-Central.
By car: About 30 minutes via the A1/E19.
Liège
Liège has a rougher, more industrial edge than most of the towns on this list, and I mean that as a compliment. It’s built into steep hillsides along the Meuse River, and the Montagne de Bueren staircase, 374 steps straight up the hillside, will absolutely get your legs burning before rewarding you with a proper view over the city. The Sunday market along the river is one of the best in Belgium if your visit lines up with it. It’s less polished than Bruges or Ghent, and I found that refreshing.
By public transport: Around 1 hour on the direct IC train from Brussels-Central.
By car: About 1 hour 10 minutes via the E40.
Namur
Namur sits at the meeting point of the Meuse and Sambre rivers, and the Citadel above the city is genuinely one of the most impressive fortresses I’ve visited in Belgium, huge, sprawling, and free to explore large sections of on foot. The old town below is a proper maze of narrow streets and squares, and it’s a great base if you fancy pairing it with Dinant later on this list, since the two are only a short hop apart by train.
By public transport: Around 1 hour on the direct IC train from Brussels-Central or Brussels-Luxembourg.
By car: About 1 hour via the E411.
Dinant
Dinant might be my favourite entry on this whole list. The town is squeezed dramatically between the Meuse River and a sheer rock face, with a citadel perched right on top and one of the most striking church spires I’ve seen anywhere in Europe.
It’s also the birthplace of Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone, which the town is rightly proud of. Take the cable car up to the citadel, then wander along the riverside for the best photos. It’s smaller and quieter than Bruges, but every bit as photogenic.
By public transport: Around 1 hour 20 minutes on the direct IC train from Brussels (change at Namur on some services).
By car: About 1 hour 25 minutes via the E411.
Tournai
Tournai is one of Belgium’s oldest cities, and it feels like it. The five-towered Cathedral of Notre-Dame is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the belfry next to it is the oldest in Belgium, you can climb it for a proper reward at the top. It’s a much quieter day out than Bruges or Ghent, with far fewer crowds, and I liked that it felt like a genuine slice of Belgian life rather than a stop built purely for tourists.
By public transport: Around 1 hour on the direct IC train from Brussels-Midi.
By car: About 1 hour 10 minutes via the E429/A8.
Lille, France
Technically you’re leaving Belgium altogether for this one, but Lille is so close it barely counts as a proper border crossing. The Vieux Lille district is full of Flemish-influenced architecture that makes it feel like a bridge between Belgium and France, and the Braderie de Lille, if your visit lines up with it, is one of the biggest flea markets in Europe. It’s also just a genuinely great city for food, this is northern France, after all.
By public transport: Around 38 minutes on the direct high-speed train from Brussels-Midi.
By car: About 1 hour 10 minutes via the E19/A27.
Ostend
If you fancy a proper seaside day out, Ostend is your easiest option from Brussels. It’s Belgium’s biggest coastal town, with a long sandy beach, a lively promenade, and genuinely great seafood if you know where to look.
James Ensor, one of Belgium’s most important painters, lived here for most of his life, and his old house is now a small museum. It’s not going to compete with the south of France, but as a change of pace from all the medieval towns on this list, it works brilliantly.
By public transport: Around 1 hour 15 minutes on the direct IC train from Brussels-Midi.
By car: About 1 hour 20 minutes via the E40.
Travelling around Europe? Then check out my city guides to Athens, Berlin, Graz, Prague and Rome.
I really hope this post helps with planning your day trips from Brussels! If there’s anything I can help with at all let me know in the comments below.
