the 5 best day trips from Brussels!

Front Door Marketing
May 8
4 min read

Updated: May 13

Belgium is a small country located in Northern Europe, and from its capital, you can take several amazing day trips, not only within Belgium itself but also to neighboring countries like France, Germany, and the Netherlands! So below, you'll find my list of the 5 best day trips from Brussels!

If you don’t quite remember your geography class, Brussels is located in the central region of Belgium, in a super privileged location. It’s just 320 km from Paris and 203 km from Amsterdam. You can actually take a train from Brussels and arrive in either of these two major cities in under two hours, but I wouldn’t recommend it for a day trip.

Before we dive into the top destinations, let me share a quick tip: not every city is ideal for a short trip. As I often say in my day trip guides, travel time matters, you want to have enough time to enjoy the destination. So, my advice is to choose cities that are no more than 2.5 hours away from your base.

You should also consider the size and complexity of the city you plan to visit. If the city has a ton of attractions and needs more than a day to explore, it’s probably not a great day trip. For example, Paris and London are amazing, but not ideal for a quick in-and-out visit.

Now, ready to check out the list of the 5 best day trips from Brussels?

5 day trips from Brussels

Bruges

This is by far the most popular day trip! Most travelers who visit Brussels take a short detour to Bruges, and for good reason. The city is pure charm and often referred to as the “Venice of the North.”

Distance from Brussels: Bruges is located about 100 km from the capital. If you're driving, it’ll take around 80 minutes. But the train is the best option, only 60 minutes, and once you arrive, you can explore almost everything on foot.

When to Go: Best Time of the Year! But if you prefer warmer weather, opt to visit between May and September, when temperatures are more pleasant.

What to Do: Church of Our Lady; charming canals; architecture; beers. There are many places to admire, but the coolest thing is to stroll aimlessly through the streets. My advice is to leave the capital early to make the most of your day in the city!

Ghent

Another great option for a day trip from Brussels! Ghent isn’t as well-known as Bruges, and many people don’t realize it's the second-largest city in the country by population, second only to the capital, which has just over 1 million people.

Distance from Brussels: It’s located 55 km from the capital. If you go by car, the trip will take approximately 60 minutes. By train, it’s even faster,just 40 minutes. Very close to the capital, right?!

When to Go: Best Time of the Year!

What to Do: Gravensteen Castle; Three Towers; stroll through the historic center and admire the medieval-style architecture.

Leuven

Another small city close to the capital that's worth visiting on a day trip! Leuven is especially popular among fans of Stella Artois beer, as it’s home to the brewery’s factory.

Distance from Brussels: It’s located 32 km from the capital. If you choose to go by car, the trip takes about 35 minutes. By train, it’s only a 25-minute journey.

When to Go: Best time of the year!

What to Do: Town Hall building; Leuven Cathedral; Beguinage; the Stella Artois brewery, perfect if you like the beer or are curious to learn more about the world of brewing.

Lille

In fourth place on my list of day trips from Brussels is a city that's not located in Belgium, but in France. Lille is a charming destination!

Distance from Brussels: It is located 118 km from the capital. If you go by car, it will take approximately 90 minutes. By train, it takes only 45 minutes, which is the best option if you want to "save" time. The interesting part about driving is that you can stop in other towns along the way, which is great since they are charming and off the tourist grid, giving you a better feel for the countryside vibe.

When to go: Best time of year!

What to do: Walk around the historic center (Vieux Lille); beffroi (tower on the town hall building); Grand Place; Church of Saint Maurice; Museum of Fine Arts.

Dinant

To wrap up the list of best day trips from Brussels, we have Dinant, a charming little town that looks like it came straight out of a fairy tale book!

Distance from Brussels: It is located 110 km from the capital and can be reached by car or train. If you choose to go by car, the trip will take approximately 80 minutes. By train, the journey is a bit longer, almost 2 hours. It’s the furthest day trip from the capital on this list, but one that is definitely worth it!

When to go: Just like the other suggestions in this post, it can be visited any time of year.

What to do: Enjoy the city view (like the one in the photo), for that, head to the banks of the Meuse River on the opposite side of the church. Walk around the citadel.

Another day trip option from Brussels is to visit Antwerp. It didn’t make it into my list, but it’s one of the most popular day trips from the capital.

All done, that was my list with 5 amazing suggestions for day trips from Brussels! Now you can choose one or more destinations and make the most of your time in Belgium by exploring other cities too! If you have any questions, just leave them in the comments and I’ll reply as soon as possible!

Kisses and see you on the next adventure!