I've visited the city of Brussels from London a few times- I enjoyed the first visit but not the subsequent ones. Scroll down to find out why and whether Brussels is the right London day trip by train for you.
To be honest, Brussels is not one of my favorite European cities, nor one of the best day trips from London in my opinion.
I would personally leave a Brussels day trip till after finishing Paris or 1 of these day trips from London under 2.5 hours by train (unless you're a huge fan of Belgian beer or Art Nouveau. (There are about 1000 Art nouveau buildings in Belgium's capital city. My top Belgium recommendation is the beautiful city of Brugges instead!))
I actually much prefer Lille in Northern France (also on the Eurostar London route, right before the Brussels stop.) Brussels, despite being the capital of Belgium- even central Brussels- is quite scruffy and doesn't feel super safe if you're not staying in the posh parts of town (like Louise.)
On my 1st trip, I stayed at Louise, which could be why I enjoyed it, and on my 2nd, I (unknowingly) ended up in a less upscale part of town.
Things to Do
- Eat delicious Belgian chocolates: not all the chocolate shops are good though. Neuhaus sometimes has chocolate making workshops, which I took and found very fun. It makes you better appreciate a chocolate toggle!
- Check out the vintage market: this is considered a Brussels staple but I feel it's gone down over the years.
- Grand Place is one of the iconic landmarks (or grote markt, a UNESCO World Heritage site)
- Tintin walking tour
- Eat a Belgian waffle
- Drink hot chocolate
- Visit the European Parliament
- Have a Belgian beer
- Take a day trip to Bruges: if you have enough time, this romantic little city is definitely worth seeing. You can also visit Ghent but I much prefer Bruges.
Skip
- The original Manneken pis statue: if you pass it, get a photo, but not worth going out of your way for. It's not large but you'll always find lots of tourists taking photos of it.
Getting There
Direct train from London St Pancras Station to Brussels Midi/ Zuid train station (south of the city centre) If you need some reading material for the train and are a fan of Withering Heights, here are some novels I recommend.
Travel time: the Eurostar journey takes just under 2 hours.
Note: you'll go through border controls.
Note: if you're making this an overnight trip, The Hoxton is beautifully decorated and has great service BUT the area is a little dodgy. (I stayed there on my last visit.)
Travel Tips
- There is often broken glass on the streets (from beer bottles etc) so wear good walking shoes. I'd advise against all the cute open-toed sandals you see on Instagram and social media to keep your feet safe!
- Brussels Station is very confusing: the way to the Eurostar is not very distinctly marked so buffer in time to find your way around. (It took me about 15 minutes to clear baggage and immigration (without a queue), which opened 80 minutes before departure.
- There is a small shop at the platform with Neuhaus, Pierre Dandoy and Godiva chocolate for last minute souvenirs.
Any questions about visiting Brussels from London? Let me know in the comments!
