4-Day Belgium Itinerary

4-Day Belgium Itinerary Overview

If you’re visiting Belgium how long do you really need to see the best of the country? I did my research and put together a 4-day Belgium itinerary with the main to see as much of the country as possible. On our two-week Europe Itinerary we put my research to the test and spent four days and four nights in Belgium. It turns out for us a 4-day Belgium itinerary was the perfect amount of time! Here’s our 4-day Belgium itinerary and the main highlights of our time in this lovely country.

Day 1: Brussels Sight-Seeing 

• Grand Place 
• Manekin Pis 
• Eating Belgian chocolates and waffles everywhere
• Delirium Cafe 

Arrival
We arrived in Brussels by train from Amsterdam which was quite fast but we also found it a little difficult to navigate the train station. We purposely booked our hotel near the Brussels Midi station, and also near Grand Place so again we were in walking distance. After a short walk from the station we arrived at our hotel (iBis Brussels off Grand Place) and were again able to check-in immediately.

Grand Place
The hotel was in a fantastic location for sight-seeing and within minutes we could be in the Grand Place area to see all of the beautiful buildings. Grand Place is a large square with amazing architecture. The buildings are now hotels, restaurants and shops. It’s a lovely spot to have a meal outside and appreciate the historic square.

Manekin Pis
We researched the top things to see in Brussels, and Manekin Pis was high on the list. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it’s literally a statue of a tiny man (child?) peeing in to a fountain. It’s a quick stop, but a fun sight to see. And boy, did that attraction ever get busy!

Chocolate & Waffles
This wasn’t an actual attraction, but as we walked through the pretty streets of Brussels we stopped for the essentials: Belgian chocolates and waffles! You cannot go to Belgium without eating as much chocolate and waffles as humanly possible. Try them “avec chocolat” for a special treat! 

Delirium Cafe
Our route brought us to Delirium Cafe, which was recommended to us by numerous people. It’s a bar that has over 2000 beers from around the world! So basically, it was my husband’s dream destination. We had a great evening trying different beers and learned a bit about the glass industry in Belgium and how beers need to be served in specific glasses to fully appreciate their taste. 

Day 2: Sight-seeing, Scott’s Bar

• Mont des Arts & Park Mont des Arts
• Royal Palace of Brussels 
• The Park of Brussels 
• Scott’s Café & Bar
• St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral

On the second day of our 4-day Belgium itinerary (our second day in Brussels) we ventured further away from our hotel to see more of the popular tourist attractions including:

Mont des Arts & Park Mont des Arts 
We walked around this park to appreciate the well manicured grounds and lovely fountains. A nice spot to walk or to sit on one of the benches along the perimeter. If you are in the area this would be a nice spot for a picnic, leisurely walk or to sit on one of the many benches and people watch. It’s conveniently located near the Royal Palace of Brussels, which was our next stop.

Royal Palace of Brussels
The palace was on my list because I love to visit palaces and castles. Unfortunately we couldn’t go inside – we were a few days late for an inside tour. We were able to get some nice photos from the outside, but I wish I did my planning in advance because we might have been able to see inside! Across the road we saw a large park and green space so we went there next.

The Park of Brussels  
We didn’t know where we were until we saw some signage and maps. We had found Brussels park – a large park in the centre of Brussels. There were lovely walking paths, fountains, benches and they were setting up for wine fest while we were there. This is another great spot for a picnic, to take a long walk or to hang out. There was also a little restaurant/cafe in the park that you could hang out at. We found it was pretty busy for a weekday, but parks are clearly the place to be in Brussels!

Scott’s Café & Bar 
We heard from a few people and reviews online that we had to try Scott’s Café & Bar. It was pretty nice, but a fair distance from our hotel. They had a good selection of beers on tap, but I’d say they don’t even come close to the selection Delirium had. Though, this place was much cleaner. The pizza looked really good and huge too. We didn’t have food, but if we went back we were planning on having that pizza.

St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral
On our way back to the hotel we passed by this beautiful cathedral in Brussels looking down over the older part of the city. You could go inside and look around, but we admired the architecture from the outside and took photos. You’d probably only need about 20 minutes for a tour inside if you wanted to look around.

Day 3: Bruges & Ghent day Trip

On the third day of our Belgium itinerary, we took an organized day trip to see the cities of Bruges and Ghent. This is definitely one of our trip highlights. The cities are actually UNESCO world heritage sites and if you have the opportunity to spend more time in these locations I would highly recommend it!

• Morning in Ghent
• Afternoon in Bruges

Nicholas’ Church
Our first stop on our Ghent walking tour was Nicholas’ Church. This church is famous for being built with Tournai bluestone in a historic Gothic style and is just as beautiful inside as it is outside! It is in the centre of town and is a focal point of the area. Make sure you stop inside to see the light shining through the beautiful stained-glass windows.

Gravensteen
Next on our walking tour was Gravensteen, a fortress with an impressive history, including a love story dating back to year 860. We unfortunately didn’t have time to go inside, but we would definitely do that if we ever return to the area.

Gothic St. Bavo’s Cathedral
The final stop on our walking tour through Ghent was the Gothic St. Bavo’s Cathedral. The cathedral of St. Bavo’s is the oldest parish church in Ghent and dates back to the middle ages. The architecture is very detailed and it makes you feel like you went back in time!

We travelled by bus through the beautiful Flemish countryside and arrived in Bruges to begin our second walking tour.

Lake of Love
The first stop in Bruges was at the Lake of Love (Minnewater). Bruges is a romantic city, and at the heart of Minnewater park, you’ll find the Lake of Love and lover’s bridge. The area is grassy and also has walking paths and benches making it a perfect spot for a romantic stroll or picnic with a loved one. You’ll also notice that there are many birds in the area – swans, geese and ducks all flock (pun intended) to the area.

Belfry of Bruges & Central Market Square
After lunch our group met up again and our walking tour continued through Bruges to see the Belfry of Bruges and the central Market Square. We learned that the market square has a long history and today you can find shops, restaurants and horses with carriages. Rides through the town don’t come cheap! It was at least 50 euro for a 30 minute ride. If you don’t get run over by a horse (I almost did – and yikes those things don’t care who they are about to run over) you can see the lovely Belfry Tower located in the square. Just mind your surroundings while you try to take photos!

Day 4: Luxembourg & Dinant

We felt that we had seen enough of Brussels in our first two days and evening walks for dinner so we looked for another option for our last day. I found and booked a last-minute full day tour to Luxembourg and Dinant, Belgium. It was a fantastic day that brought us to another country for the morning and early afternoon and then to a charming city in Belgium. We were able to see some fantastic sights – but I’ll skip the Luxembourg part for another day!

City of Dinant
After the majority of our day spent in Luxembourg, we stopped in the small city of Dinant, Belgium on our way back to Brussels. This picturesque city is located on the Meuse River and is home to a 15th-century collegial citadel, Notre Dame de Dinant, and a tiny saxophone centre. For stunning views of the city and river below, head up to the citadel via stairs or a cable car. Below you will see the main street with restaurants and shops along the waterfront. Among these shops is La Maison de Monsieur Sax – a centre dedicated to Adolphe Sax – the inventor of the (you guessed it) saxophone! This is a free attraction too, which is always nice to find among some of the more expensive tourist attractions. We stopped for some local beers at one of the pubs along the waterfront before we had to head back to Brussels.

4-Day Belgium Itinerary Summary

So there it is, my attempt to see all I could during my 4-day Belgium Itinerary. It was quite a fast-paced experience, but I don’t think I needed any additional time in Brussels and I was able to see a few locations outside of the large city. If I ever head back to Belgium, I would definitely make another stop in Bruges because I absolutely loved it and could have spent a few nights there for a leisurely itinerary. If you’re heading to Belgium I hope you find this post helpful in your planning!