7 Best Tours and Day Trips in Brussels

There are several essential things to enjoy during a trip to Brussels: exploring the city on a guided tour, trying its chocolate and beer, and discovering its surroundings. Here is my selection of the best tours and excursions so you don't miss a thing:

The first thing to do when visiting a city for the first time is to explore every corner of it. However, if we do this on our own, it is common to miss many details and for monuments or places of interest to go unnoticed by the eyes of a tourist. To avoid this, the best option is to have a local guide to show you around.

This guided tour of Brussels is one of the best options for getting to know the Belgian capital in depth. It is an excursion in a fully equipped vehicle with sections on foot.

Important details

The tour departs several days a week and you can book your place online. Once your booking is confirmed, you will receive an email with details of the meeting point and the time you should meet your guide. If your plans change, you can cancel up to 24 hours before the agreed time of your tour.

Why I like this tour

This experience is ideal for getting to know the city in depth in just half a day, saving you from walking and enjoying commentary on its culture, history and customs.

Itinerary

Who hasn't heard of Belgian beer? It is undoubtedly the most popular drink in Brussels and you can enjoy it in any bar in the city, but with a beer tasting organised by Brussels, you will have the opportunity to be accompanied by a local guide who will take you to the most significant venues in the city.

This experience is available in English, French and Spanish and lasts approximately two and a half hours. The feeling is very similar to going out for a beer with a friend who also knows everything about the city and the production and importance of its star drink. During the tour, you will taste three different types of beer and get a free drink.

Once you have booked your place on this tour online, you will meet your guide at a central point in the city, and from there the tour will begin, taking you through some of the city's most central streets.

Why I like this tour

This beer tasting tour is ideal if you already know the city and want to have a good time with the guidance of an expert while sampling authentic Belgian beer.

Itinerary

If beer is Belgium's drink of choice, chocolate is undoubtedly its most famous food, and there's no better place to try it than Brussels. Many cities have a chocolate museum aimed at tourists, but the chocolate tour experience in Brussels is unlike anything you can find anywhere else.

When I took this tour, I not only learned the theory behind how chocolate is made, but I was also able to see it being made live and even taste the raw ingredients used to make it. With this backdrop, it's inevitable that you'll be overcome by an irresistible urge to try it, which is why they took us to different bakeries around the city to taste different types of chocolate and the famous Belgian waffles.

The tour starts from a central point in the centre of Brussels, lasts two hours and is available in English and Spanish. You can book online.

Why I like this experience

I recommend this experience if you are a chocolate lover (like me) and are curious to learn more about how it is made and the differences between the various types of chocolate.

Brussels is a very accessible city; it has several things to see, but they are all close together, making it possible to see everything in one or two days. Does that mean your trip is over? Not at all! I recommend extending your stay in the Belgian capital by a few days to take some trips to nearby cities. The excursion to Antwerp, for example, is a must for me to complete your trip to Belgium.

Antwerp is one of the most important cities in Belgium and is located an hour's drive from Brussels. With this organised excursion, you will spend around five hours in Antwerp with a guide who speaks Spanish, English or French.

Why I like this excursion

I recommend this excursion if you want to learn more during your trip and leave other larger cities for an independent trip. Antwerp is the perfect size to see on a day trip.

Itinerary

Of course, there's Bruges. That fairytale corner that will become a thorn in your side if you leave it out of your trip. This small city, called the cradle of the Western Renaissance, is almost as popular as Brussels itself and a tourist and cultural attraction in its own right. With this excursion to Bruges from Brussels, you can spend a whole day in this city and, thanks to the services of your guide, you won't miss a thing.

First, the details: you can do it in English or Spanish and it includes the services of an expert guide and train tickets to Bruges. Travelling by train is much faster than by road, as it only takes an hour and a quarter to get to Bruges. Once there, in addition to the guided tour, you will also have time to explore the city at your leisure before returning to Brussels.

Why I like this excursion

This excursion is a must for anyone who has never been to Bruges and wants to visit it with the guidance of a guide who can provide you with the historical and cultural context that the city has to offer.

What you'll see in Bruges

If you want to make the most of your time, you can visit Bruges and Ghent in one day from Brussels. This excursion is designed for those who have limited time and don't want to miss out on these two wonderful cities near Brussels. The trip in a private vehicle and the services of an expert guide will allow you to make the most of your time.

You can book your place on this excursion online and choose between a guide in Spanish, English or French. Transport is included (meals are not included, but you can bring a picnic or eat in one of these two cities during your free time at lunchtime).

Itinerary

The first stop will be Ghent, where you can see St. Bavo's Cathedral with its legendary painting of the Mystic Lamb, the historic centre, the Castle of the Counts of Flanders, the Graslei harbour and St. Nicholas' Church.

Next, it's on to Bruges, a city known as the "Venice of the North" for its architecture and charming canals. Throughout the tour, the guide will provide commentary on the history and culture of both cities.

Why I like this excursion

This excursion is perfect for you if you are someone who wants to see as many places as possible during your trip and you like to make the most of your time by learning about their history and culture without just skimming the surface.

The Dutch capital is located about two and a half hours by road from Brussels. Let's start by saying that Amsterdam is worth a trip in itself to soak up the city and get to know it in detail. However, if you want to revisit this city or get a first taste of it, you can visit it on a day trip to Amsterdam from Brussels.

In Amsterdam, you will find a completely different scene to Brussels. While Brussels is a stately and regal city, Amsterdam is modern and carefree. The canals and coffee houses are its main attractions, but they are not the only ones.

This excursion is available in Spanish, English or French. The best thing about it is undoubtedly the services of the local guide, as Amsterdam is a city with a captivating subculture and, to really get a feel for it, it is good to have someone with knowledge of the city to immerse you in its landmarks and meanings.

Why I like this excursion

This tour is for you if you want to take advantage of your visit to Brussels to get a quick glimpse of the Dutch capital with the aim of completing your trip on another occasion.

What you will see in Amsterdam