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If you are thinking of travelling to Belgium in 4 days then this itinerary is for you. We have spent 4 days in Belgium and explored all the main cities of the country. In those 4 days we managed to cover few offbeat places as well. We will cover day wise itinerary so that you can easily follow this to enjoy your time in the country. You can also make this 3 days itinerary as well by skipping or clubbing days into one. To follow this itinerary we highly recommend to fly into Brussels city airport instead of Charleroi which is 2 hrs away from Brussels. We also recommend you to make Brussels as your base and do day trips from the city, it is very convenient that way.
Day 1 Brussels in our 4 day Belgium itinerary
Day 1 is the arrival date, and as suggested you will land at Brussels city airport. There is a direct train from the airport to the city where you are going to check in to your hotel. After freshen up head out to explore the city. Brussels can be explored in a day, specially if you are visiting in summer months.
St. Michael & St. Gudula Cathedral Stop 1
If you are staying near the Brussels central station then all of the stops for day 1 is nearby. Start with the St. Michael & St. Gudula Cathedral first. This cathedral is big and gorgeous, not that touristy too. There are no entry fee and I do recommend to get inside the cathedral. This stop will not take you more than 20mins.
Stop 2: Royal Gallery
Next up is Royal gallery, it is nothing but a shopping center. It is worth the visit to enjoy the beautiful architecture of the gallery walk around the gallery mainly window shopping. I have one recommendation though, to try the chocolates from the shops here and carry some as souvenirs. We tried Mary’s chocolate and it was good.
Stop 3 Grand Place in on first day in Brussels
Grand place is the central square in Brussels, surrounded by gorgeous aesthetic houses. It is beautiful and each building is something to pay attention at. The city hall of the city is also in this square, if you want you can visit the city hall as well.
Manneken Pis Stop 4
Next stop is just few block away, passing through busy lanes and alleys with shops and tourists. Manneken Pis fountain is the most famous fountain in Belgium, a tiny fountain of a little boy pissing. You can rarely see the boy as everyday a new attire is put up on the statue. There is a nearby museum as well which showcases all the attire adorned by the statue.
Stop 5 : Mural Walk on our Belgium itinerary
This is not a single stop to be honest, it is multiple stop around Brussels. You can spend half a day exploring all the hidden gem of murals through out the city of Brussels like we did. You can also see a few near by in the same route around the above stops.Just need to search them in your map and it can be just a walk away from where you are standing.
Second Day visit Antwerp and a little bit of Brussels
Second day you start with covering few famous stops in Brussels if that interest you. Then Take the train post lunch to Antwerp and spend the rest of the day here. Take the night train back to Brussels to call it a night.
Stop 1: Atomium
Atomium is a famous sculpture in Brussels, built representing the structure of an atom. It has an entry and you can find the ticket prices here.
Mini Europe for Stop 2:
You can skip this if you want as it has cost involved, but if you have small children then I recommend you to visit. Mini Europe is a miniature world created European monuments, bonsai trees and all. You can buy the tickets together with visit to Atomium.
Stop 3: Parc du Cinquantenaire in 4 day Belgium itinerary
This is a large park away from the city so you need to plan ahead to reach here. It is quite far that is why we skipped it during our trip. If you are skipping any of the stops and you enjoy parks then definitely visit.
Stop 4 Royal Palace of Brussels
Royal Palace in Brussels is where the king and queer lives till date and works from there. You can enjoy the palace from the outside as it is a gorgeous architecture.
Once you are done, you take the train to Antwerp, we have not done any of the above due to lack of time and interest in few. These are quite common amongst tourists hence listing them above but you can pick and chose some of them or take the day slow.
Belgium Itinerary Day 2 Last stop Antwerp
Antwerp is a big city, so you expect a city vibe here. If you take the train to reach the city, make sure you see the central station well before heading out. Once done walk towards the Groenplaats, the shopping district on Antwerp. Walk towards Grote Markt and stop at the Cathedral of our lady enroute. You will find a statue of a small boy called Nello and his dog Patrasche based on story ‘A Dog of Flanders‘. After that reach Grote Markt to enjoy the square and the surrounding buildings. You can chose to have lunch or dinner here as there are plenty of good restaurants around.
Belgium Itinerary Day 3 day trip to Ghent and Brugge
You will spend the whole day exploring these two towns on your second day of 4 Days in Belgium. This is the most famous day trips in this area so be prepared it to be crowded. If you want to get here without the crowd I recommend reaching Ghent as early as possible. Also make sure you take the return ticket till Brugge and you can use it to cover both the towns.
Ghent in half a day
You take the train to Ghent station from Brussels, and either take tram/bus to visit the center of the town. If you are visiting before breakfast you will have all the attraction by yourself. You can then chose to have brunch at any restaurant. You can also take a canal ride by this time post lunch, which will be relaxing. Once done take a ride back and head to Brugge.
Visiting Brugge from Brussels in our Belgium Itinerary
Once you are in Brugge, start walking towards the old town. If you just walk 5 mins you will fell in love with the town. By 5pm most of the day trippers will be gone so you will have a great experience having the place all to yourself. You can do a canal ride in Brugge, on reaching as the rides stop operating after 6pm. You can then explore the town on your own time and pace as much as you want. Make sure to have dinner at any of the open air restaurant near the canal before you end your day. Trains are operational quite late so you will have ride back home till midnight. More detail to plan your trip you can read here.
Last Day in Belgium visit Dinant & Luxembourg as a Day trip
Day 4 is your last day in the country, on this day either you travel back home or visit another country nearby hence for day 4 I have two options for you depending if you have the whole day or half a day.
Option 1: When you don’t have the full day in Belgium
This is the day where you can take it a bit chill and chose to indulge in some experience. I highly recommend you to book a chocolate making class or beer tasting session on this day. If you have more time them may be both.
If you are not into these experiences then you can chose any of the sights that were left in day 1 or 2 exploring Brussels.
Option 2: A day trip to Dinant & Luxembourg
On our 4 day itinerary in Belgium if you have the entire 4th day then why not see another gorgeous town in Belgium combining with another country? Sounds great right that’s why we suggest either do a day trip to Dinant and Luxembourg or stay the night at Luxembourg and carry on from there.
You can take a train to Dinant and in 3 hrs you will be in the town. You can spend easily 2-4hrs exploring the town. After exploring take the train to Luxembourg to do the sights there.
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