Bruges and Ghent - Belgium's Fairytale Cities - from Brussels
4.5
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About
Don’t waste your precious vacation time organizing transportation and itineraries; let a guide do the hard work on this day trip to Bruges and Ghent from Brussels. It’s perfect for travelers with limited time, offering a great introduction to these two UNESCO-listed medieval cities. Learn the history of each place from your guide and relish the cultural highlights.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 0-99, max of 200 per group
Duration: 10h 30m
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English, French, Spanish
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Highlights
- Take a full-day tour of Bruges and Ghent from Brussels
- Let someone else handle transportation and the itinerary
- Commentary brings the history of the two UNESCO-listed cities to life
- Take a guided walking tour of Bruges and Ghent highlights
- Upgrade to include a cruise on Bruges' idyllic waterways
- Professional guide (tour may include bilingual commentary)
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Radios and earphones
- Organization of boat trip (at extra cost)
What's not included- Hotel pick up & drop-off
- Food and drinks
- Your day trip begins with pickup in central Brussels, from which you embark on a journey through the Belgian countryside to Ghent, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On arrival in Ghent, visit St. Bavo's Cathedral (Sint-Baafskathedraal), home to the world-famous 'Mystic Lamb' painting, and take a guided walking tour of Ghent’s churches and castles, including Gravensteen Castle (Castle of the Counts). The next stop is Bruges, another UNESCO-listed medieval city, where you break for lunch (own expense) at Minnewater (Lake of Love). Tick off Markt Square, Belfry (Belfort), the Basilica of the Holy Blood, plus many more on a walking tour accompanied by historical commentary. Upgrade to take a canal cruise on Bruges’ idyllic waterways before returning to your vehicle for the journey back to Brussels.
- Start:
- Bd de Berlaimont 18, 1000 Bruxelles, BelgiumLook for our staff and the Keolis coach outside the National Bank of Belgium.
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Not wheelchair accessible
- Pushchair accessible
- Near public transportation
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2200DEB02- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Access to the Mystic Lamb at St Bavo's Cathedral is not possible on Sundays
- Comfortable walking shoes are recommended
- Our guides are pleased to guide the tours in English, Spanish and/or French depending on the language need of our guests on the tour
- Please note that we cannot accomodate latecomers
- This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 200 travellers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- What time do we stop for lunch on the Belgium's Fairytale Cities Tour?
- Lunch is usually between 12:00pm - 2:00pm. The time is subject to change.Answered Jun 2023
- Can I change the date of my excursion?
- Yes, we can change your trip to another date of your choice, depending on our availability.Answered Jun 2024
- Will you wait for me in case I’m late for the meeting point?
- We can wait for 5 minutes if you let us know in advance about your delay (please call +32 2 513 77 44 in that case).Answered Jun 2024
- Can I book the canal tour in Bruges in advance?
- The canal tour in Bruges can only be booked with your guide, on the day of your trip.Answered Jun 2024
The tour operator has provided the following answers to customers’ questions.- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2200DEB02
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₹4,374.49
per adult
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Itinerary
- Bd de Berlaimont 18, 1000 Bruxelles, BelgiumLook for our staff and the Keolis coach outside the National Bank of Belgium.
- Pass byHet Belfort van GentGraslei and Korenlei
- 1Pass byGravensteen
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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- noes9680 contributionsWonderful Day Trip!!!Exploring Dinant and Luxembourg was such a treat. We very much enjoyed both and recommend this day trip if you are visiting Brussels. Dinant is charming and Luxembourg’s bridges were awesome!Written 18 January 2025
- ellenl9630 contributionsCharming and picturesqueThis trip was amazing! I went in mid January, so it was colder & had snowed a few days earlier, but was a great experience. Dinant was so charming, with the view’s & saxophones lining the streets. The driver took us through a narrow passage in the rock with ease, very impressive. Luxembourg was a pleasant surprise. We had a tour of the city & free time for lunch. Both places were very picturesque & it was a full day for sure. Highly recommend.Written 18 January 2025
- emiliomP5747XO0 contributionsGreat way to see LuxembourgAmazing day trip to Dinant to see the place where the saxophone was invented and Luxembourg with a very experienced guide and a comfortable coach to travel.Written 5 January 2025
- SujeshKP0 contributionsEasy and informative: the trip was wonderful, the bus started off ontime , it was easy to locate as well .The guide - Stefan was quite helpful , his insights to history and stitching them into the places of visit made it more interesting. Dinant is a small town but interesting one . Picturesque, even in December . Then we headed off to Luxembourg and spent quality time walking around the place . The guide took us to a steet full of small eateries and we had a splendid choice . We went through the main avenues of Luxembourg . The return trip was also smooth , we reached back Brussels by 20.30 hrs .Written 22 December 2024
- Betsy L0 contributionsDidn’t love Dinant but loved Luxembourg!Dinant was a bit underwhelming but Luxembourg was phenomenal! We had Veronica as a tour guide and she was great, however dinant just left a lot to be desired (we came in the morning hours of a Saturday and not many cafes were open or shops). Luxembourg we were given our tour by Veronica and we found it very informative and interesting - the king and queen of Belgium were in town so we even got to see them drive by! Overall I’d say the trip is worth it for Luxembourg alone!Written 19 December 2024
- GClife0 contributionsVery long dayThis tour provides coach access to Luxembourg But be prepared for a very long day sitting in the coach Our trip home from Luxembourg was 4 hours driving due traffic and weather Our guide was okay But like Wikipedia in way too much historical information Didn’t have suggestions for museums or dining in the free time we had It was a day of rain and Luxembourg has no protection so dress for the day and double check weather forecastWritten 5 December 2024
- Aldo G0 contributionsMust Do while in BrusselsGood visit into Luxembourg . Really enjoyed the stop in Dinant first as it allows us to see more of Belgium. Both places were very cool , with amazing views. The tour guide Ania was knowledgeable and accommodating. Recommend this tour for anyone wanting to see another country while visiting Belgium. The ride there didn’t feel too long.Written 17 November 2024
- honorat_hm7040 contributionsGreat trip!I really enjoyed the trip to Dinant and Luxembourg. Our guide, Stephane, explained very well the history of the cities. He did a wonderful job. It’s around four-hour drive when we are going to Luxembourg because we had a stop in Dinant and around three-hour drive when we are going back to Brussels. The cities’ view was breathtaking. Highly recommend as a day trip from Brussels.Written 9 November 2024
- maryannh9400 contributionsCan explore amsterdam on your ownWe were able to explore amsterdam on our own without help of the guide I wish our guide only speak english ............ I feel he support other guestsWritten 5 November 2024
- geraldjH3054IN0 contributionsWonderful tour of the WWI battlefields and monumentsIt was a wonderful tour of many of the battlefields and monuments from WWI. The guide was very friendly and knowledgeable and provided us with commentary along the way and handed out a battlefield map for us to follow along. The evening ceremony at the Menen Gate was a particularly moving experience and was a fitting end to the tourWritten 28 October 2024
- S7005PEchristopherw0 contributionsFlanders Fields tour from BrugesVery knowledgeable guide. Lots of very interesting info learned about WW1. The man couldn’t pronounce Iron which was funny. He also had a moan when we were waiting to be picked up at 11, as stated in the email but he said that was when we were due to leave. We were there by 10:50 and if he wanted us there earlier it should have stated this info on the booking info. He also said there were no toilets from 11am till 13:30 but there was one on the coach. Were we not allowed to use that one? My wife has anxiety and that really worried her. Other than that all good and thoroughly enjoyed the tour.Written 28 October 2024
- L1895BWannec0 contributionsDinant luxembourg day tripanother enriching day trip to include while visiting Belgium! so much to see and lot of nice places to visit and pictures to take! food was great although it was rainy when we were in Luxembourg!Written 26 October 2024
- Navigator5039800 contributionsTour LuxembourgThe driver Philip and guide Jam were both excellent. The bus was clean and well driven and our tour very informative and funWritten 18 October 2024
- _m_tpratt0 contributionsFabulous tripFabulous trip I would have liked longer at some of the sights but it would have been a 20 hour trip Our guide was fantastic so muck knowledge and information would go againWritten 15 October 2024
- michael221640 contributionsWWI Rememberence Tour - Let Us Not Forget WWIVery good tour by a local Belgium who had relatives who were alive during WWI. I would suggest this tour for those who want to understand more of the suffering and struggles of the war to end all wars. My suggestion is that 11 hours or so is too long of a day. I think you can trim down the tour to about 5-6 hours and still get a good feel of that it is all about. Thanks for a great tour!Written 11 October 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
1,043 reviews
Excellent
719
Very good
193
Average
69
Poor
27
Terrible
35
Lisa C
30 contributions
Jan was an informative guide. He did the tour in English and French but it was not intrusive for either group to wait their turn to hear their language spoken. He knows how to provide important information without overloading your ability to recall too much. Both Bruge and Ghent were lovely. Both cities are seen by guided tour the majority of the time with a bit of free time allowed in both cities and an optional boat ride and lunch in Bruge. For the very reasonable cost of this wonderful informative 10-hour day including a clean cool bus to transport you round trip to and from these “fairy tale cities,” you truly get your money’s worth and then some. I highly recommend this tour.
Written 8 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Phil E
20 contributions
Very good day trip to Ghent and Bruges. The guide was very knowledgeable about the sites. Morning was in Ghent and most of the afternoon in Bruges.
In Ghent, if you want to see the altarpiece, you only have 15-20 minutes to run into the church, pay the fee, and see the piece before leaving the city.
In Ghent, if you want to see the altarpiece, you only have 15-20 minutes to run into the church, pay the fee, and see the piece before leaving the city.
Written 21 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
andravedetot
Ramnicu Valcea, Romania14 contributions
We had a great time and definetly recommend the visits with a guide as the diffrence in price from the train tickets is well worth it for the info and avoiding trying to find everything on your own.
The only thing is they should definetly have wi-fi on the bus and connect it to the navigation system. That could avoid some waiting time on the free way in case of accidents and stuff
The only thing is they should definetly have wi-fi on the bus and connect it to the navigation system. That could avoid some waiting time on the free way in case of accidents and stuff
Written 10 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mitchell B
2 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
We used viatour to book many tours throughout Europe and all were great so we were excited to embark on this tour. Unfortunately of the many tours we took, this was the worst one and was horrible. The tour guide was unengaging and didn’t seem to care about us or the trip. What made us most upset was he dropped us off in front of a tourist trap and encouraged us to eat only there and said it had the best prices and he didn’t give us enough time to eat anywhere else. The restaurant was way too expensive and they even charged us a euro for ketchup. The tour guide obviously got a kick back from this restaurant as they had his food and the drivers food ready when they arrived and did not charge them. This was overall a bad trip that I do not recommend. Save your money and don’t book with this company.
Written 11 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear customer,
We apologize deeply for your unpleasant excursion. Please know that your situation was an exception. As you can see on other reviews, we are known for taking ownership and caring deeply about our customers. We can’t fix the past but you have my personal commitment to improve the way our staff serves every customer. Please do not hesitate to contact us at info@brussels-city-tours.be to give another chance and we will give you a discount.
Best regards,
Brussels City Tours Team
Written 6 April 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lisa
4 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
My father and I have been to this tour with Andra/ Andrea. The tour guide was really professional and informative. She could handle a group of 50 people easily and still deliver pleasant information. Also, I would like to point out that the Asian lady on the front desk was very decent and helpful with us.
I highly recommend this tour!
I highly recommend this tour!
Written 24 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear customer,
This review made our day!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us this review.
Please share your lovely photos on our Facebook Page and feel free to tag us on instagram. We hope to see here again and please bring all your friends and family.
Kind regards,
Brussels City Tours Team
Written 1 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
chris h
San Francisco, CA224 contributions
Jun 2022
While I have not wanted to go on large group trips, I did go on this one. I found the organization was well managed in both time and traveler assistance. We arrived at the appointed time, as did four other tours. One would expect this to be the beginning of a nightmare. It wasn't, and was handled very well. The trip included English, and Spanish speakers and our guide Stephen was quite able to speak to both with detail. Enough can't be stated about Stephan's skill and ability to communicate as well keeping track of 40 of us. Specifically, the tour is long and tiresome, however at the end of the day well worth the cost and effort. Some thoughts. Ghent was our favorite and some more free time there would have been nice. Burges was enjoyable as well. A bit overwhelming due to the number of other tourist. Arriving at Burges for the lunch break. I forget the name of the restaurant, but it was encouraged by Stephan and we found it a good recommendation was able to provide quick service with good food, I would give them a good review, but forgot the name. The bottom line here is the tour is good. I wish we would have been able to get a little bit more into it, but a lot to see in what is really a short time. Well done.
Written 29 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ashley D
17 contributions
Jul 2022 • Solo
Stefaan was an amazing guide. He was extremely knowledgeable on all the areas we visited and could go into more detail when asked about other things not on the tour. He also has a great sense of humor that kept us laughing.
Both Ghent and Bruges are beautiful cities with rich, interesting histories. There is a lot of walking (about 7mi./11km) on uneven stone streets so wear comfortable walking shoes.
I highly recommend this tour and Stefaan!
Additionally the morning of the tour I was running late and the woman at the main office (I didn’t catch her name) called the bus to stop them from leaving and literally ran the 2.5 blocks to the bus with me to make sure I got on.
Such a kind group of people in this company!
Both Ghent and Bruges are beautiful cities with rich, interesting histories. There is a lot of walking (about 7mi./11km) on uneven stone streets so wear comfortable walking shoes.
I highly recommend this tour and Stefaan!
Additionally the morning of the tour I was running late and the woman at the main office (I didn’t catch her name) called the bus to stop them from leaving and literally ran the 2.5 blocks to the bus with me to make sure I got on.
Such a kind group of people in this company!
Written 26 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emily V
4 contributions
It was awesome all around. Our guide Andrea was very knowledgeable and shared a lon of information without being overwhelming. Despite the national holiday and the festival taking place, she kept the group organized and able to enjoy the day. Had we traveled on our own to these two towns, we would not be able to see and learn this much. The rates were inexpensive compared to other trips, and it was worth every penny. A day well-spent, with a very comfortable ride to and from Brussels.
Written 22 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Emily,
Thank you for your fantastic feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you had an awesome experience on the tour. Andrea, our guide, is delighted to know that her knowledge and information-sharing added value to your day. It's great to hear that despite the national holiday and festival, Andrea kept the group organized and ensured you could fully enjoy the day.
We're glad that you found the tour to be informative and enriching, providing you with a unique opportunity to see and learn so much about the two towns. We're also pleased to know that you found the rates to be reasonable and the experience worth every penny.
Thank you for choosing our tour, and we hope to have the pleasure of serving you again for more enjoyable experiences in the future.
Best regards,
Team Brussels City Tours
Written 27 July 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
thetrotter07
England25 contributions
Solo travel to various WW1 & WW2 using various modes of transport, mainly train, tram and bus.
Started in Ghent for three days and from there walked round the city visiting ancient sites like the castle at Gravensteen. Easily accessible from Ghent, via rail are the WW1 sites of Langemark, ypres and the Menin Gate, give yourself a day to take everything in. Also the Waterloo memorial. The memorial itself is amazing but the museum has little or no artefacts from the battle, still worth the entrance fee. Bruges is a delightful historic town with loads of things to see and do.
Ostend has numerous sites to see and from there you can go along the shore to numerous WW2 sites including the Fort De Dune and the Atlantik Wall. A must is a tram ride to Dunkirk. Once you hit the French border, bus rides are free. Follow me on instagram @pome.blog
Started in Ghent for three days and from there walked round the city visiting ancient sites like the castle at Gravensteen. Easily accessible from Ghent, via rail are the WW1 sites of Langemark, ypres and the Menin Gate, give yourself a day to take everything in. Also the Waterloo memorial. The memorial itself is amazing but the museum has little or no artefacts from the battle, still worth the entrance fee. Bruges is a delightful historic town with loads of things to see and do.
Ostend has numerous sites to see and from there you can go along the shore to numerous WW2 sites including the Fort De Dune and the Atlantik Wall. A must is a tram ride to Dunkirk. Once you hit the French border, bus rides are free. Follow me on instagram @pome.blog
Written 10 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christina L
Cambridge, UK6 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
This was a solid tour. You travel by bus to Ghent, get some history on the bus, get a walking tour of the city, which includes the Cathedral where Charles V was baptized, a key Reformation history figure, and then get about 35 minutes on your own. We wished we had more time to actually visit the castle there. Then you travel an hour to Bruges, do some guided tour, have an hour for lunch, and then more guided tour. You then get maybe 30 minutes on your own and then can go on an extra cost (15 Euro boat tour) or can adventure on your own for longer. We chose to adventure on our own and did a beer tasting at Yesterday's World. Nico, the guide, was great and working really hard, because he was doing the tour in English and Spanish. I was impressed by how hard he was working to cover everything twice in two languages! I understood all of one and much of the other, so this was a surprising learning review for me. However, the tour would be far superior if they just had had to serve one language. It would have let the guided tour part clip along faster and actually get to enjoy more spaces or more free time. We felt really rushed at lunch, as the place we went took long enough we had to gulp down our food and it was so delicious was would have preferred to savor it (Delice, right next to Vivaldi that they recommended for speed but Delice had the rabbit in cherry sauce and beef Flemish stew we had been wanting to try). Most of our tour was also desperate for a bathroom upon arrival in Ghent (morning caffeine and all) and people had to ask several times before we got to where there was a public restroom. So at least at this first stop there really needs to be an immediate or sooner bathroom option. We were told the bathrooms on bus were for emergencies only.
Written 20 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What is the closest train station and how far is it from the departure point? It appears there’s a train arriving the Midi station at approx 8:47 in the morning. Unsure if that’s too tight based on distance
Written 31 August 2024
How big are the Group sizes in August usually?
The description says max. 200 but that can´t be true Obviously.
Written 22 July 2023
How tight is this tour? There is a lot to watch in a short Time. Is it like jumping from one place to another in hurry or a little bit more relaxed?
Written 22 July 2023
Is it possible to take this tour and be back at port on a cruise at 5:00 PM?
Written 6 April 2023
Agree with the other travellers - the trip end much later in the evening
Written 8 May 2023
What time is the pick up & drop off? Thank you :)
Written 5 December 2022
What's up Tdot. (east york here). So the pickup/meet spot will always be at the same location, the tour's main office. They want you to be there about 15-20 minutes early (8:30ish). Go inside, tell them which day tour you are there for, they will give you a colored wrist band (and use the facilities while inside!). Your guide will collect you, and you'll take a 5-8 minute walk to the bus (parked elsewhere). You'll probably leave around 9:15am. The return will be about 7pm. You will get dropped off at where you got on the bus, not at the tour's main office location.
Written 7 December 2022
Nuria C
Spain
Where in central Brussels do the buses depart (pick up people)? And were do they stop when the excursion finishes?
Written 4 September 2022
Hello - I know meals are not included in the price of this day trip, but is there time allotted for lunch, or are we expected to bring a packed lunch? Also, how do we upgrade to participate in the river/canal tour option?
Written 2 September 2022
You get about 30 mins for lunch so you need to grab something quick to eat. We had to grab our sandwiches and run to make our group after lunch.
They arrange the river trip and you pay €11. The tour guide collects it.
It's a great tour and the tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable.
Written 2 September 2022
Dianne Simental
Austin, Texas
What is the pick-up time? When I booked, it said 9 AM but here I read 8 AM.
Written 19 June 2022
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