Food destinations within easy reach of Brussels, worth the early start.
Food destinations within easy reach of Brussels, worth the train, the rental car or the early start.
Famous for Cuberdon sweets, Tierenteyn mustard, Ganda ham and chocolate
Ghent is the nearest big food day out: Visit Gent lists cuberdons or neuzekes, Tierenteyn mustard, Ganda ham and a long line of chocolate makers.
InterCity trains run between Brussels-South and Gent-Sint-Pieters
Famous for De Halve Maan brewery, mussels and Flemish stew
Bruges is about an hour from Brussels-South by train: a brewery tour at De Halve Maan on Walplein, mussels at Breydel-De Coninck and stew at Cambrinus.
Three trains an hour leave Brussels-South for Bruges, ending in Ostend, Knokke or Blankenberge
Famous for The Jane with two Michelin stars, and the city's wine bars
Antwerp is the fine-dining day trip: The Jane holds two Michelin stars in the 2026 guide, and Visit Antwerpen lists the wine bars worth an evening.
The hourly Amsterdam to Brussels InterCity calls at Mechelen and Antwerpen-Centraal
Famous for The Oude Markt bars and Stella Artois
Leuven is the beer day trip: the Oude Markt, a square of bars nicknamed the longest bar in the world, and Stella Artois, which is brewed in the town.
InterCity line 01 runs between Brussels and Leuven
Famous for The Mechelse koekoek chicken and St Rumbold's Cathedral
Mechelen, on the Brussels to Antwerp line, is home to St Rumbold's Cathedral and the Mechelse koekoek, a heavy local chicken breed with pale, fine meat.
The hourly Amsterdam to Brussels InterCity calls at Mechelen
Famous for The cathedral, the belfry and local beers
Tournai is the Walloon day trip: a Romanesque and Gothic cathedral, the oldest belfry in Belgium and a local beer trail listed by Visit Tournai.
Check the SNCB timetable for trains from Brussels-South to Tournai
