Country itinerary · Belgium
7 days in Belgium
A route that follows geography, not a list: Brussels, Antwerp and Bruges.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Francisco Conde Sánchez, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Spend 3 days in Brussels, 2 days in Antwerp, 2 days in Bruges. The stops are ordered to keep travel short — about 123 km in total. Go in April–June, September–October and December for good conditions everywhere.
Key facts
- Stops
- 3
- Total distance
- About 123 km
- Start
- Brussels
- Best months
- April–June, September–October and December
Days 1–3: Brussels
The Grand-Place, Art Nouveau houses, comic murals and serious beer and chocolate
Belgium's capital pairs one of Europe's grandest squares, the Grand-Place, with the Art Nouveau townhouses of Victor Horta, the Magritte Museum and the Atomium.
- See: Grand-Place, Manneken Pis, Atomium, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Magritte Museum and Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries
- Eat: Moules-frites and Belgian frites
- Stay: Grand-Place and Îlot Sacré — Guild houses, glass-roofed galleries and narrow restaurant lanes in the historic Lower Town
Days 4–5: Antwerp
About 41 km from Brussels.
Antwerp, Flanders' largest city, grew rich in the 16th century as one of Europe's great trading ports, and its old centre around the Grote Markt and the Cathedral of Our Lady still shows that wealth.
- See: Cathedral of Our Lady, Grote Markt and City Hall, Antwerp Central Station and Museum Plantin-Moretus
- Eat: Belgian fries and Moules-frites
- Stay: Oude Stad — Guildhouses, the cathedral and cobbled lanes around the Grote Markt
Days 6–7: Bruges
About 82 km from Antwerp.
Bruges is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in northern Europe: a UNESCO-listed oval of canals, brick gables and cobbled squares that was a great trading port in the 14th and 15th centuries.
- See: Markt, Belfry of Bruges, Burg and City Hall and Basilica of the Holy Blood
- Eat: Moules-frites and Frites
- Stay: Markt and Burg — The two central squares, the Belfry and the Gothic City Hall
The route at a glance
| Stop | Days | From previous stop |
|---|---|---|
| Brussels | 3 | Start |
| Antwerp | 2 | 41 km |
| Bruges | 2 | 82 km |
Total straight-line distance between stops: about 123 km. April–June, September–October and December suit every stop on this route.
What 7 days in Belgium costs
Estimated spend per person on the ground, excluding flights, from the daily ranges in our destination research. Prices change; treat these as planning figures.
| Stop | Days | Budget | Mid-range | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brussels | 3 | $240–$390 | $510–$900 | $1,200–$2,700 |
| Antwerp | 2 | $160–$260 | $340–$600 | $760–$1,700 |
| Bruges | 2 | $160–$260 | $340–$600 | $700–$1,600 |
| Total | 7 | $560–$910 | $1,190–$2,100 | $2,660–$6,000 |
Costs are similar across the route: every stop is moderately priced for international visitors.
Questions travellers ask
+Is 7 days enough for Belgium?
It covers Brussels, Antwerp and Bruges at a steady pace.