🇧🇪 Brussels · Living here

Weekend getaways in Brussels

Places within easy reach of Brussels, with how long they take, how to get there and what a weekend costs. Filter by time and mode.

For Brussels
Travel time, one way
Getting there

12 getaways from Brussels

  • Mechelen

    20 min · Train

    A compact medieval town with St Rumbold's tower to climb and a carillon school, a short hop from the centre.

    Stay
    Day trip
    Per person
    €15–€70
    Train from Central or Nord, several an hour
    All year

  • Leuven

    25 min · Train

    A university town with a flamboyant Gothic town hall, the Oude Markt's long bar terrace and the Stella Artois brewery.

    Stay
    Day trip
    Per person
    €15–€70
    Train from Central or Nord
    During term

  • Ghent

    35 min · Train, Car

    Canals, the Graslei quayside and the Van Eyck altarpiece, in a city that stays lively after the day-trippers leave.

    Stay
    Day trip / 1 night
    Per person
    €20–€200
    Train from Midi or Central to Gent-Sint-Pieters, then the tram
    All year; the Gentse Feesten in July

  • Lille

    35 min · Train, Car

    French Flanders across the border: the Vieille Bourse, estaminet taverns and the Palais des Beaux-Arts.

    Stay
    Day trip / 1 night
    Per person
    €40–€220
    TGV or Eurostar from Midi
    All year; the Braderie flea market in September

  • Antwerp

    40 min · Train, Car

    Rubens's house, the MAS museum by the docks, fashion boutiques and one of Europe's finest railway stations.

    Stay
    Day trip / 1 night
    Per person
    €20–€200
    Train from Central to Antwerpen-Centraal
    All year

  • Bruges

    1 h · Train, Car

    The best-preserved medieval town in Belgium. Stay the night: the canals are a different place once the coaches leave.

    Stay
    Day trip / 1 night
    Per person
    €30–€230
    Direct train from Midi, Central or Nord
    Autumn to spring, outside peak weekends

  • Namur

    1 h · Train, Car

    Wallonia's capital where the Sambre meets the Meuse, under a huge citadel reached by cable car.

    Stay
    Day trip / 1 night
    Per person
    €25–€200
    Train from Midi, Central or Luxembourg station
    Spring to autumn

  • The coast: Ostend and De Haan

    1 h 15 min · Train, Car

    Long sandy beaches, North Sea fish, and the Belle Époque villas of De Haan along one of the longest tram lines in the world.

    Stay
    Day trip / 2 nights
    Per person
    €30–€280
    Direct train to Ostend, then the coast tram along the seafront
    June to September; bracing walks all year

  • Durbuy and the Ardennes

    1 h 20 min · Car

    Forested hills, rivers and walking from a tiny town of stone houses. A car makes it much easier.

    Stay
    1–2 nights
    Per person
    €150–€400
    Car south-east through Wallonia; public transport is sparse
    Spring to autumn

  • Paris

    1 h 25 min · Train, Bus

    Under an hour and a half by high-speed train, which makes Paris a realistic weekend rather than an expedition.

    Stay
    1–3 nights
    Per person
    €150–€450
    Eurostar from Midi, many a day; book early for the cheap fares
    All year

  • Dinant and the Meuse valley

    1 h 30 min · Train, Car

    Cliffs, a citadel and the birthplace of the saxophone, with kayaking on the Lesse and abbey beers nearby.

    Stay
    1–2 nights
    Per person
    €100–€300
    Train via Namur, or drive down the valley
    May to September

  • Amsterdam

    1 h 50 min · Train, Bus

    Canals, the Rijksmuseum and a quite different city culture a couple of hours north.

    Stay
    1–3 nights
    Per person
    €150–€450
    Eurostar from Midi, or the slower Eurocity
    All year

Budgets are per person for the whole trip: return travel, a mid-range double room shared, and food.