In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Bruges is about 1 hour by train, Ghent 35 to 40 minutes and Antwerp 40 to 50; Leuven and Mechelen are about 25 minutes each and make a half day. Waterloo has no train to the battlefield: take bus W or 365. Dinant is the long one, usually with a change at Namur, and its cable car is closed, leaving 408 steps. Paris and Amsterdam are rail days on Eurostar. Three closures change the plan: the Groeningemuseum in Bruges closes on 11 January 2027 for four years, Antwerp’s Rubens House is closed until 2030 at the earliest, and Leuven’s Town Hall is closed until 2029. A tour from €34 saves the train and the changes and gives you a guide; the entries are priced separately. Or book now: the Bruges and Ghent day tourad is from €34 for 10.5 hours, and the Luxembourg tour with a Dinant visitad from €48 for 12 hours (GetYourGuide).
The day trips compared
Entry prices are the operators’ own, for one adult. A tour’s price is GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” price. The SNCB fare is on SNCB’s journey planner.
| Trip | By train from Brussels | Entries on your own | Tour from | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruges | About 1 hour, three trains an hour from Brussels-Midi; get off at Brugge | Belfry €15 or €16, canal boat €15 | €34 | The Groeningemuseum closes on 11 January 2027; boats cannot be booked ahead |
| Ghent | About 35 to 40 minutes to Gent-Sint-Pieters | Altarpiece €12.50, Gravensteen €15 | €47 | The station is a tram ride from the centre |
| Antwerp | About 40 to 50 minutes to Antwerp-Central | Cathedral €12, MAS €12 | €49 (with Ghent) | The Rubens House is closed until 2030; the MAS is shut on Mondays |
| Waterloo | No train to the battlefield; bus W or 365, about 60 minutes | Estate €25.50 or €29 | Private tours only | The Lion’s Mound is 226 steps |
| Leuven | About 25 minutes | M Leuven €16 | None | The Town Hall is closed until 2029; M Leuven is shut on Wednesdays |
| Mechelen | About 25 minutes | Tower €8, Hof van Busleyden €15 | None | The tower has 538 steps; the Hof is shut Monday and Tuesday |
| Dinant | About 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours, usually with a change at Namur | Citadelle €15 | €48 (with Luxembourg) | Cable car closed: 408 steps |
When a tour is worth it
A tour earns its place where one day takes more than one train, or where the town is hard to reach. Bruges and Ghent together are two stations and two sets of connections; the coach tour is one booking. Dinant and Luxembourg is a 12-hour coach day. For Antwerp, Leuven and Mechelen the train is simple and the tour buys a guide. A tour saves the train, the changes and the planning. The listings do not say which entries are included, so check before you book.
| Tour | Length | From | Rating | Entries on your own |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruges and Ghent day tourad, small group | 10.5 hours | €34 | 4.7 from 9,377 | Belfry and boat in Bruges, €30 or €31; altarpiece and Gravensteen in Ghent, €27.50 |
| Guided day trip to Bruges and Ghentad | 10.5 hours | €46 | 4.6 from 10,300 | The same |
| Bruges day trip with optional boatad | 10 hours | €34 | 4.5 from 1,588 | Belfry and boat, €30 or €31 |
| Ghent day trip with an Atomium stopad | 9 to 9.5 hours | €47 | 4.8 from 209 | Altarpiece and Gravensteen, €27.50 |
| Antwerp and Ghent full-day tourad | 10 hours | €49 | 4.6 from 1,261 | Cathedral and MAS, €24; Ghent as above |
| Luxembourg tour with a Dinant visitad | 12 hours | €48 | 4.6 from 4,083 | Dinant Citadelle, €15 |
| Guided day trip to Dinant and Luxembourgad | 12 hours | €49 | 4.5 from 3,081 | Dinant Citadelle, €15 |
Trains from Brussels
Trains to these cities leave from Brussels-Central and Brussels-Midi; Central is about 430 m from the Grand-Place.
- The ticket: SNCB sells single tickets only, priced by distance from €2.60, with no return tickets. The ticket is valid for your route on the day you chose. Buy in the SNCB app or at a machine.
- Discounts: adults aged 26 to 64 pay 30% less on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Children under 12 travel free with an adult.
- Discovery Ticket: SNCB takes 40% off a same-day return train when you buy a ticket for a partner attraction first, such as the Gravensteen in Ghent, and enter its code on belgiantrain.be.
- Strikes: rail strikes in Belgium can be announced at short notice, so check SNCB the day before.
The trips
Bruges
About 1 hour · three trains an hour from Brussels-Midi · tours from €34
The belfry (366 steps) and the canal boats are the two things to book or queue for, and the Groeningemuseum closes on 11 January 2027. The Bruges guide has the hours, the prices and the right station, and the full Bruges city guide covers an overnight stay.
Ghent
About 35 to 40 minutes · Gent-Sint-Pieters · tours from €47
The Ghent Altarpiece is €12.50 for 25 minutes or €16 with an augmented-reality tour, and the Gravensteen is €15. The Ghent guide has the tram from the station and the Discovery Ticket.
Antwerp
About 40 to 50 minutes · Antwerp-Central · tours from €49
The cathedral and the MAS are €12 each, and the Rubens House is closed until 2030. The Antwerp guide has the order for Saturdays and Sundays.
Waterloo
No train to the battlefield · bus W or 365 · estate ticket €25.50 or €29
The battlefield is in Braine-l’Alleud, not the town of Waterloo. The Waterloo guide has the bus stops, the ticket and the hours.
Leuven
Train about 25 minutes · M Leuven €16 · Town Hall closed until 2029
Leuven is on the Brussels Airport rail line, so a stop fits a flight day: Brussels Airport to the city has the trains. Visit Leuven says the Town Hall is closed to visitors until and including 2029, with scaffolding until summer 2027. The Grote Markt stays open. M Leuven is €16 for an adult, €12 reduced, €6 for ages 19 to 25 and free for 18 and under. It is open 11:00 to 18:00, to 22:00 on Thursdays, and closed on Wednesdays, 1 January, the first Monday of September and 25 December. On 24 and 31 December it is open 11:00 to 16:00. Visit Leuven calls the Oude Markt “the longest bar in Europe”.
Leuven’s Town Hall on the Grote Markt. Photo: Foto Fitti, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Mechelen
Train about 25 minutes · tower €8 · Hof van Busleyden €15
Mechelen is on the Brussels to Antwerp line. St Rumbold’s Tower is 97 m high with 538 steps and a skywalk around the top: €8 for adults and €3 for ages 4 to 26. Visit Mechelen lists Monday to Friday and Sunday 13:00 to 18:00 and Saturday 10:00 to 18:00, with last admission at 17:00. It is closed on 25 December and 1 January, and it is not wheelchair accessible. The Hof van Busleyden, a museum in a Renaissance palace, is €15 for adults, €13 for ages 18 to 26, €4 for ages 13 to 17 and free for 12 and under. It is open Wednesday to Sunday 10:00 to 17:00, closed Mondays and Tuesdays except daily from 21 December to 3 January, and tickets are sold online by time slot.
St Rumbold’s Tower above the Grote Markt in Mechelen. Photo: Ymblanter, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Dinant
About 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours, usually with a change at Namur · Citadelle €15 · cable car closed
The Citadelle sits above the Meuse, and the SNCB station is about 250 m from the foot of it. Its cable car is closed for a major renovation, and the Citadelle is open at its usual hours: climb the 408 steps from the town, or drive to the upper entrance, where parking is free. Step-free access is by the upper entrance only; ring the bell at the green chalet.
| Ticket | Adult | Child 4 to 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Citadelle and the augmented-reality HistoPad | €15 | €13 |
| 3-in-1, adding a 45-minute cruise from Dinant to Anseremme | €25 | €20 |
The Citadelle is open daily 10:00 to 18:00 from April to September and 10:00 to 16:30 from October to March, and a visit takes about 1 hour 30 minutes. Individual visitors do not need to book: buy at the desk at the top or the bottom. The Luxembourg tour with a Dinant visitad is from €48 and the Dinant and Luxembourg day tripad from €49, both 12 hours by coach.
The Citadelle and the collegiate church above the Meuse at Dinant. Photo: Superbass, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Paris, Amsterdam and Luxembourg by train
These are rail days.
- Paris: Eurostar takes 1 hour 22 minutes, city centre to city centre. Carry a passport: France has notified controls on all its internal borders, Belgium included, from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027 (EU citizens: a passport or national ID card). Eurostar’s Brussels to Paris page has the fares, and the Paris guide has the city.
- Amsterdam: Eurostar takes 1 hour 52 minutes. Eurostar’s Brussels to Amsterdam page has the fares and the Amsterdam guide has the city. A 12-hour coach day with a canal cruise is from €69 on GetYourGuidead.
- Luxembourg: a direct train runs from Brussels, about 3 hours 40 minutes each way, so the day trip is the coach tour with Dinant.
Brussels-Midi is the Eurostar station; London to Brussels by Eurostar covers the checks and the way to the centre.
Before you go
- Passport: FCDO says Belgian law requires you to carry your passport at all times.
- Winter: Bruges’ belfry (from 3 November) and Dinant’s Citadelle (from October) close earlier, and the Bruges canal boats are guaranteed only from March to October. Best time to visit Brussels covers the season.
- Which to take: Bruges first, or Ghent if you want a shorter train; Antwerp for a second Flemish city; Leuven or Mechelen for half a day; the coach tour for Dinant.
- Getting to the station: Brussels public transport covers STIB, and hotels near Brussels-Midi put you beside the trains. 3 days in Brussels fits a day trip into the week, and where to stay in Brussels compares the areas.
Common questions
What are the best day trips from Brussels?
Bruges, about 1 hour by train, and Ghent, about 35 to 40 minutes, are the two most visited. Antwerp is about 40 to 50 minutes. Leuven and Mechelen are about 25 minutes each and suit a half day. Waterloo and Dinant need a bus or a change.
Should I visit Bruges or Ghent?
Bruges has the belfry and the canal boats, and the Groeningemuseum closes on 11 January 2027 for four years. Ghent has the Ghent Altarpiece at €12.50 and the Gravensteen at €15, and its station is a tram ride from the centre. Coach tours combine both in 10.5 hours from €34.
How much does a day trip from Brussels cost?
On your own, the entries run from €24 for Antwerp's cathedral and MAS and €27.50 for Ghent's altarpiece and Gravensteen to €30 or €31 for Bruges' belfry and a canal boat, plus the SNCB fare, which starts at €2.60 for a single ticket. Tours start at €34.
Is there a train to the Waterloo battlefield?
No. Take TEC bus W or 365 from Brussels-Midi, or a train to Braine-l'Alleud and bus W for 10 to 15 minutes.
Do I need a passport for a day trip from Brussels?
Carry one. FCDO says Belgian law requires you to carry your passport at all times. France has notified border controls on all its internal borders, Belgium included, from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027, so take a passport (EU citizens: a passport or national ID card) on a train to Paris.
Can I visit Paris or Amsterdam from Brussels in a day?
Yes, on Eurostar: Paris in 1 hour 22 minutes and Amsterdam in 1 hour 52 minutes. Both are rail days, not Brussels days.
