Day Trips from Brussels
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Day Trips from Brussels - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Kasteel van Beersel
Beersel Castle floats on the waters of its moat like some medieval bath toy. It's a wonderful sight, and one of the country's best-preserved châteaux. It was built around 1420, though fell foul of the 1489 rebellion against the rule of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and was subsequently rebuilt. Its moat, drawbridge, and battlements couldn't be more medieval in appearance if they tried. It's been undergoing renovations since the early 2000s and now visitors can explore freely.
Lotsestraat 65, Beersel, Flanders, 1650, Belgium02-359--1636Sight Details
Rate Includes: €4, Closed Mon. and Dec.--Feb. -
2. Kasteel van Gaasbeek
Originally built in 1240, Gaasbeek has had numerous makeovers, though its current Romantic look hails from its last remodeling by the Marchioness Arconati Visconti in the 19th century. She refurbished the castle as a museum to stash her vast art collection before gifting it all to the state in 1921. From its terrace is a fine panoramic view of Pajottenland. You'll have to wait until April 2023 to see it, as the interior of the castle is undergoing a major restoration. That said, the grounds are a fair consolation and the park remains open to visitors and picnickers year-round. The gardens only open in summer. Look out especially for the early Baroque walled French garden, which has a staircase affording fine views of the castle
Gaasbeek, Flanders, 1750, Belgium02-531--0130Sight Details
Rate Includes: €5 park and gardens, Gardens closed Oct.–Apr. -
3. Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale
Any visit to Brussels should include a visit here, if only to understand Belgium's difficult relationship with its own past. While much of its collection is invaluable from a scholarly point of view, it came at an incalculable cost, rooted in Leopold II’s brutal colonial rule. Even the building itself, built for Leopold II's 1897 Exposition trumpeting his violent success in the Congo Free State (1885–1908), commemorated the names of those Belgians who died there, etched into its very walls; nothing on the 10 million Congolese estimated to have died under Belgian rule. It reopened in 2018 with less emphasis on explorers and stuffed wildlife (though there is still some). The new version focuses more on Congolese voices and accurately reflecting the horrific consequences of Belgium’s colonial rule (1908–62) of a country 76 times its own size.
Leuvensesteenweg 13, Tervuren, Flanders, 3080, Belgium01-769--5211Sight Details
Rate Includes: €12, Closed Mon. -
4. Plantentuin Meise
Belgium's national botanic garden is a sprawling site that takes up most of the southern fringes of Meise. It wraps the old estate of Kasteel van Bouchou, which, despite being utterly destroyed during the French Revolution, was later rebuilt and now houses a museum all about the grounds. Beyond its moat lies an English-style garden filled with exotic plants from around the world, but the pièce de résistance here is the Plant Palace, the largest greenhouse in Belgium and one of the biggest in Europe. It is a vast biome of 35 hothouses filled with huge water-lily pads and tropical wonders. Other sights, such as the much smaller, mid-19th-century Balat Greenhouse, which was originally intended for a zoo, are just as fascinating for those interested. In addition, you'll find medieval, medicinal, and rose gardens, rhododendron woods, trails, art, an apiary, and some 18,000 plant species. Visit any time, though spring is naturally the most colorful season.
Nieuwelaan 38, Meise, Flanders, 3000, Belgium02-260--0970Sight Details
Rate Includes: €9 -
5. Sint-Pieterskerk
This magnificent Gothic church was originally built in AD 986, though the current version dates to the 15th century. It has survived countless wars, most notably in 1914 when fire collapsed its roof, and then again in 1944 when the northern transept was bombed. Inside, the church is filled with art of the late medieval era. Among the finest pieces is the 15th-century Last Supper triptych by Leuven-based Flemish Primitive artist Dirk Bouts, still hanging in its original place in the chapel.
Grote Markt 1, Leuven, Flanders, 3000, Belgium016-272--959-tourSight Details
Rate Includes: €12 HoloLens tour; €5 tablet tour, Closed Wed. Oct.–Mar. -
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6. Stadhuis
There is no grander Town Hall in Belgium than Leuven's 15th-century folly. Built to dazzle, the profits from its cloth trade were sunk into letting everyone know just how wealthy its merchants were. Some 235 individually carved stone figures decorate the outside, cut into small alcoves and giving the building a strange texture from afar. These figures were added after 1850, and each tells a different folk tale, bible parable, or story of the city; you'll also find grotesques of local nobles and dignitaries.
Grote Markt, Leuven, Flanders, 3000, Belgium016-203--020Sight Details
Rate Includes: €4 guided tour; €2 booklet -
7. Universiteitsbibliotheek
The original Flemish-Renaissance library was set up in the old Cloth Hall on Naamsestraat in 1636. But after the university was disbanded during the French Revolutionary Wars, its collection was ushered away to Paris. Though destroyed in 1940 by British-German artillery fire, postwar it was rebuilt to the same design and today, visitors can climb the 300 steps to the top of the tower where a carillon of 63 bells, weighing 35 tons, rings out across the square.
Monseigneur Ladeuzeplein 21, Leuven, Flanders, 3000, BelgiumSight Details
Rate Includes: €7 tower and audio guide, Reservations required -
8. Groot Begijnhof
Beguinages were where unmarried women could dedicate themselves to God without taking the orders of a nun (poverty, chastity). This is one of the larger examples in the country, home to some 700 beguines at its peak. Its foundation dates back to 1232, but most of its 72 redbrick houses were built in the 17th century. The last beguine left here in the 1980s; by then, it had already been bought by the university, who set about restoring its houses.
Groot Begijnhof, Leuven, Flanders, 3000, BelgiumSight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
9. Grote Markt
At the bustling center of the city is the triangular wedge of the Grote Markt, home to the magnificent St. Peter's Church and Town Hall. On one side are the old guild houses, now café-bars. Gaze up to the tips of their gabled roofs and you'll spy elaborate decorations, from dancing girls to sailing ships, that lend a clue to their former masters. On the other side is the Tafelrond, formerly a theater that was destroyed in 1817. This was rebuilt in the Gothic style as a bank; now it's a very expensive (€400 a night) boutique stay.
Grote Markt, Leuven, Flanders, 3000, Belgium -
10. Hallerbos Forest
About 8 km (5 miles) south of Beersel, you'll encounter the wilderness area of Hallerbos. It's known locally as "the blue forest" for good reason: come mid-April and early May, the ground underneath becomes a dazzling carpet of blue-violet flowers, as bluebells cover every inch. It's a small window of opportunity, though it's a pleasant spot to wander at any time of year. To get there, take the train from Beersel to Halle, then either hire a bike at the station (www.blue-bike.be) and cycle or take the No. 155 bus.
Hallerbos, Beersel, Flanders, 1500, BelgiumSight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
11. M Leuven
An art gallery that focuses on Leuven and Flemish Brabant artists from the Middle Ages until the 19th century. Its permanent collection includes the work of sculptor Jef Lambreaux, whose mildly erotic Temple of Human Passions caused such a scandal when it opened in Brussels in 1886, and George Minne, a leading figure from the Latem School of Impressionists who set up their base in the villages south of Ghent. Temporary exhibitions ranging from the Old Masters to more contemporary art mix things up a bit.
Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 2, Leuven, Flanders, 3000, Belgium016-272--929Sight Details
Rate Includes: €12, Closed Wed. -
12. Oud Beersel Brewery
Founded in 1882, this is one of the last remaining original lambic breweries in Belgium. Lambic beers require a special kind of brewing that uses spontaneous fermentation. This relies on certain a kind of microflora found in only a few areas: the Pajottenland region, the Zenne Valley, and Brussels. Whether you have acquired the taste (and it is an acquired taste) for the gueuze and kriek beers it produces, it's still a fascinating process. This brewery sadly closed in 2002, when its iconic tiled Beerhuis (bar) became a flower shop. A few years later, however, it was bought by new owners and reopened, with its old bar starting up again in 2022. Tours of the brewery are organized on Saturday, lasting 45 minutes plus a tasting session.
Laarheidestraat 230, Beersel, Flanders, 1650, Belgium02-680--7954Sight Details
Rate Includes: €10, Booking required -
13. Park van Tervuren
Tervuren Park, once the hunting grounds of the Dukes of Brabant, was the venue for King Leopold II's 1897 Exposition. His aim was to showcase the wealth and "culture" he was tearing out of the then Congo Free State. International condemnation eventually forced him to even make it a colony. In preparation, he built the Koloniënpaleis (Colonial Palace), which now hosts the Royal Museum for Central Africa; and created gardens in the French style. The exposition itself was considered a success, though is now thought to be a stain on Belgian history. It contained a human zoo of Congolese, several of whom died in the crossing to Europe. But the park is more than this dark corner of history—its 205 hectares span a pair of valleys, and for those walking or cycling the trails here, it's the gateway to the northeasternmost reaches of the Forêt de Soigne, a vast forest of boundless trails.
Leuvensesteenweg 13, Tervuren, Flanders, 3080, BelgiumSight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
14. Sint-Servaasbasiliek Grimbergen
Not far from Meise, the neighboring town of Grimbergen is as famous for its abbey as the beer that (as of 2021) is once again brewed on its grounds. Sadly, like most abbeys in Belgium, visitors aren't welcome, though the Basilica of Saint Servatius is open to the public. It was even one of the few buildings to be spared by the wrath of the French Revolutionary army. The abbey has been destroyed and rebuilt three times in its history: first by the Lords of Grimbergen in 1142, then by Protestants in 1566, and last by the French in 1798. Only the church and rectory survived the last of these, a magnificent Baroque structure with a carillon of 48 bells.
Kerkplein 1, Flanders, 1850, Belgium02-272--4077-abbeySight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
15. Stella Artois Brewery
Few realize "Stella," the pilsner of choice among European soccer fans, is even Belgian, but it traces its Leuven roots back to 1726. These days, it's part of the massive AB InBev company, which owns everything from Budweiser to Leffe. As you'd expect, the brewery is highly automated, making for an interesting gear change to the usual small brewers most beer tours frequent. Two-hour tours and tastings for individuals are held on Saturday from 3 pm (in English), with online booking in advance advised if you want to get a slot.
Aarschotsesteenweg 20, Leuven, Flanders, 3000, BelgiumSight Details
Rate Includes: €12, Booking required
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