Amsterdam to Brussels Day Trip

Beautiful Belgium cities

Although Amsterdam is a wonderful place to stay and explore, there are other major cities that are worth discovering during your stay. Brussels is one of these.

Brussels is the capital of Belgium and is easily reachable from Amsterdam on a day trip, either by organised coach or by train. You could even fly there too.

Chocolate, waffles, beer, Tintin and Smurfs, not a sentence you’d find anywhere else, but you’ll find them all in Brussels. There are iconic buildings like the Grand Place (UNESCO World Heritage site) and the Atomium alongside a collection of art-nouveau styled buildings, museums, shopping, cultural attractions and more.

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What to do in Brussels

As the capital city of Belgium, Brussels offers a wealth of attractions and reasons to visit.

Iconic Buildings in Brussels

The Grand Place is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is in essence a square surrounded by guildhalls, the town hall and the King’s House. These buildings are truly beautiful, making this a must-visit part of Brussels.

Another iconic building to visit is the Atomium. If you can cast your mind back to the World Fairs, this Atomium was built in 1958 for Brussels hosting of the World Fair. The atom shaped building has amazing views over the city and features exhibitions on science and design.

If you enjoy Art Noveau then Brussels will definitely appeal. Many of its buildings are in this style with Victor Horta the most recognisable name and Brussels has a museum featuring his work – The Horta Museum.

Museums in Brussels

As a capital city Brussels offers lots of different cultural attractions. In terms of museums you can visit the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, the Magritte Museum, Royal Belgium Institute of Natural Sciences and the Horta Museum. There is also the Brussels City Museum, Art & History Museum, Autoworld, Atomium and Musical Instruments Museum.

On a Brussels day trip you wont have time to visit all of them, but as you can see you are spoilt for choice.

The Belgium Comic Strip Centre

Located in the centre of Brussels, the Comic Strip Centre showcases the history of comic book art with exhibits of original artwork including the famous Smurfs. A great place to visit for this type of art and kids will certainly enjoy this museum. It is also situated within a lovely art nouveau building created by Victor Horta.

Food and drink in Brussels

Belgium is synonymous with waffles and chocolate. You simply have to enjoy a Belgium waffle and taste the artisan chocolate whilst there. Great for gifts too.

Let’s not forget the famous Belgium beers, probably Leffe and Duval being the most well-known. Finding a cafe/restaurant and enjoying a cool Belgium beer is a great recharge/relax moment.

Alongside beer and chocolate, the other food to make note of is the Fries or Moules-Frites. Belgium fries are usually served with mayonnaise and Moules-frites are mussels with fries, which you will find available in most restaurants.

Shopping & Markets

There are plenty of markets in Brussels including flea markets like the one at Place du Jeu de Balle and the bigger Midi Market.

Visit Avenue Louise for more luxurious shopping and the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert for shopping arcade style.

Amsterdam to Brussels & Bruges Day Trip

A stunning Belgium day trip from Amsterdam

This is one of those epic day trips from Amsterdam where you will get to experience two amazing Belgium cities and be guided throughout.

This tour lasts 16-hours so that you have ample time to explore and enjoy both cities fully. The tour departs at 7am from De Ruijterkade 151 Amsterdam.

The tour starts with the journey to Brussels. Once in Brussels you will have two hours to experience a photostop at Atomium, a guided visit to Saint-Hubert Royal Galleries, Grand-Place, Manneken Pis, Tintin Comic Mural. Mont des Arts and Brussels Town Hall.

Then it is time to catch your breath on the coach as you journey to Bruges.

Once in Bruges you will have a further two hours with guided visits to the Lake of Love, Berguinage, Halve Maan Brewery, Bonifacius Bridge, Rozenhoedkaai, Belfry of Bruges and Bruges City Hall.

Then it is a relaxed journey back to Amsterdam.

As you can see this is a day trip from Amsterdam to Brussels that will live long in the memory and fill your camera/phone with more images than you thought possible. There is also no denying it is a long day with a lot of travelling between cities. The scenery is beautiful and is a great way to see a bit more of the Netherlands outside of Amsterdam.

For a taste of Belgium whilst staying in Amsterdam, it is a day trip that is hard to beat. Do make sure you choose the correct language for your tour as it comes in both English and Spanish.

Tour price is €149pp (but you will often find it on special offer throughout the year).

Amsterdam to Brussels Train

Getting from Amsterdam to Brussels is pretty easy. There are a variety of trains you can choose from each running daily, some slower than others.

Intercity Train

You can take an intercity train to Brussels from Amsterdam and just turn up, pay and get on board. The train will take around 3-hours though some take up to 4-hrs, so do check when booking. The added benefit is travelling through the Dutch countryside on the way allows you to see a bit more of the country than if you stayed in Amsterdam for your whole trip.

Eurostar

If you want to get to Brussels quicker, you can pre-book a Eurostar to Brussels ticket. By pre-booking early you get the best rates and guarantee your seat. The Eurostar trains are not ones to just turn up on and hope you get a seat, especially in peak season.

Using the Eurostar to Brussels will speed up your journey time considerably taking only 1-hr 52 minutes.

It will cost a fair bit more, but you’ll have more time in Brussels and less travelling time. Booking ahead early will get you the best value tickets.

Leaving from Amsterdam

All the above routes leave from Amsterdam Centraal Station including the Eurostar. The Eurostar will be more expensive than the intercity trains, but is faster so it is up to you on speed vs cost.

Although you are travelling to another country you may not be asked for your passport. This is because cities in France, Belgium, Germany and Netherlands do not require ID to pass through from one to the other. However, this presumes you are from one of those countries, so if you are not, it is recommended to have some form of ID with you as there are occassional spot checks. Take your passport to be safe.

Book train tickets including Eurostar

Use the above link to check train times and prices including those for Eurostar and Intercity to Brussels.

Amsterdam to Brussels bus

Going from Amsterdam to Brussels by bus is by far the cheapest option, but it is also the slowest.

The distance from Amsterdam to Brussels is 130 miles and travelling by bus will take approx 3.5-4hrs.

If you are to use a bus to travel independently, then personally I would consider making the trip for 2 days with an overnight stay to make the journey more agreeable. The day tours although long will allow you to make the most of your time in Brussels without any of the worries of catching your bus and getting back to Amsterdam the same day.

There are multiple coach operators running the route between Amsterdam and Brussels with Flixbus and BlaBlaBus being the two dominant operators. Coaches either leave from Sloterdijk Station or Biljmer Arena.

Prices vary, but average around €20-€25.

Book Flixbus Tickets from Amsterdam to Brussels

Compare all prices using Busbud