We will be in Brussels this year in December (during the winter market) for 3 days. We go every year, so we've already spent a lot of time in Brussels, Ghent, and we've been to Bruges, Antwerp, and Mechelen as well as day trips.

We're trying to come up with a good location for a day trip. We've talked about going as far away as Amsterdam, but we are also interested in visiting the Wallonian part of Belgium, and we've considered places like Tournai and Dinant.

We won't have access to a car--we are planning to take public transportation.

We love art and architecture, we like the atmosphere of the cities but we like small towns too. Belgium has a special place in our hearts, so we would like to see more of it (and this hopefully won't be our last trip!), but the idea of a day trip to Amsterdam or Aachen seems pretty tempting--so...

Is there too much to do in Amsterdam to warrant a day trip? What about Aachen? Especially during winter? We would want to be back in Brussels that evening, keeping it as our base.

Also, does it make sense to go all the way to Dinant in the middle of winter?

sorry for such a random series of questions! thanks for any help!

We're just back from a trip to Belgium based in Brussels. In addition to the places you have already visited, we enjoyed Leuven and Tournai. Both should appeal to you with your interest in art and architecture. You can walk to the major sites from the train stations, and there are frequent trips from Brussels.
The cathedral in Tournai is undergoing major renovation work for the next few years but we still enjoyed seeing it -- it is a major cathedral which dramatically illustrates the transition from Romanesque to Gothic building styles.
Aachen is another great destination.
I would think Amsterdam might be too much to attempt for a one-day trip.

thanks for the tip about Tournai's cathedral. if it's undergoing rennovation work, we might wait, since we go to belgium often enough--maybe it makes sense to see it on a future trip?

we are also thinking about Leuven, but more as half-day trip since it's so close to Brussels! We're not sure yet. Did you spend the entire day there? I was under the impression that it's quite small.

We're also considering the mines in Marcinelle--anyone been there?

You could consider Maastricht rather than Amsterdam - though if you travel with Thalys Amsterdam is doable as a day trip from Brussels. You will obviously have to make choices about what to see there but it is doable. If you decide on Amsterdam book your Thalys ticket asap. Thalys is considerably faster than the IC but can be a lot more expensive.

Other options in the Netherlands include Breda, Den Bosch and for modern architecture Rotterdam.

Wallonia is best seen with a car, so you can enjoy the Ardennes scenery too. Maybe on another trip you could hire a car and plan to stay overnight in Wallonia.

I would be frustrated doing Amsterdam as a day trip since there is so much to see/do. Aachen is much more doable. Liege also has some interesting museums (one in a very old/charming building, and a nice cathedral.

I think the renovation at Tournai will be going on for some time. There is concern about the stability of the choir section especially after the tornado in 1999, and that area is heavily braced. There is some plan to remove the supports gradually and see how that works (?).

We spent 5 1/2 hours in Leuven including a lunch at the Domus restaurant/small brewery in the center of town. We saw the exterior of the Town Hall and the Grote Markt and Oude Markt squares, toured the cathedral pretty extensively and walked around the university area and the Grote Beginjhof. We didn't make it to the museum or the Klein Beginjhof or some of the historic churches, and we missed a guided tour of the Town Hall. We would have stayed longer but had to get back to Brussels for an early dinner and theater with our friends.

One possible place to combine with Leuven is Trevuren. We went there separately via tram from Brussels but I think you could take a train to Leuven, tour there then take a bus to Trevuren and a tram back to Brussels quite easily. The main attraction is the Royal Museum for Central Africa which is fascinating

Leuven is an excellent choice; a prestigious university in a historic medieval town; many medieval buildings, also a wonderfully restored beguinage. It is a student town, so it may seem a bit empty at the end of the year according to university holidays, but that shouldn't bother you.
Maastricht is also a good choice, a bit further away, but still doable in 1 day.
If you want to go to the sea, for a walk alongside the beach, with brisk and fierce winds, you could go to Oostende or Knokke. No historic towns, just a brisk walk, with a fierce wind, and probably ice cold. Very revigorating!!!

How about Strasburg?

thanks for the advice everyone!

tentek: i think strasbourg is a bit far, isn't it? not sure how far it is from brussels...

Maybe the ideas about Wallonia are right--we should go back when we rent a car. Is it something that is better done in summer or spring though?

baldrick, thanks for the beach town suggestions . while Oostende in the winter is TEMPTING, hopefully the cold winter weather EVERYWHERE will be enough to rinvigorate us, but you never know !

Leuven sounds really nice, and I am leaning toward visiting it, at least for a half day. Part of me would really like to visit Amsterdam though, so I am still undecided about that! we don't mind limiting our options on what to see, but obviously we want to do the place justice.

The Royal Museum for Central Africa looks fascinating too--something that my husband might be really interested in.

Food suggestions in Leuven? I'm a vegetarian (my husband eats meat) so that always make it difficult. Vttraveler, would you reccomend the place where you ate: Domus?

thanks again!

I thought the food at Domus was ok, not spectacular. there were vegetarian options (including pastas and pizzas) and some fish.
http://www.domusleuven.be/

Aachen and Liege will easily be reachable by train and nice cities to visit on foot.

Both also have really nice Christmas Markets ..

If my mind were set on going to Amsterdam for a day, I would just do it. It is doable as a daytrip, but then do take the Thalys highspeed train, on which it's a 2 hr journey. On the regular IC train it's almost 3 hrs.

Aachen is pretty, but it's smallish. And it's also a long train ride (2 hrs, with a change in Liège).

I second the idea of a (half) day in Leuven.

Touring the Ardennes by car might be better in late spring or summer. Not only because there is the risk of snowfall (we had a LOT of snow in December 2010) but also because of the very short days in December. It will be completely dark by 5:15 pm.

Happy planning!

You can take the Thalys from Brussels to Aachen, direct. It takes 1h10m

ok, I think I'm leaning toward Amsterdam and maybe Leuven for half a day. Then we can spend the rest of the time in Brussels enjoying the winter market and eating waffles .

I think it makes sense to leave Wallonia for some time when we have a car--the only problem is that we don't normally come in summer, just winter. maybe we will have to make an exception at some point?

my husband would like to visit Liege at some point, so thanks for pointing out the Christmas market there. Is it any different from the ones in Brussels/Ghent/Antwerp?

I second the suggestion for Maastricht. Perfect in december, for a daytrip from Brussels.

Never been to the Xmas market in Liège. What I love about Liège is the new station of Liège Guillemins, designed by the architect Santiago Calatrava. I really stood in awe the first time I saw it, just as much as with the monuments he designed in Valencia.
The centre of Liège used to be somewhat rundown and dirty but they seem to have done a serious clean-up there. It's good for a few hours of sightseeing.

>> Food suggestions in Leuven? <<

Yes, my favorite Belgian chocolate shop is this one, located about 1/2 way from the train station to the city center along the main road. A lovely little mom & pop shop, and I love the way the wrap the boxes.

Chocolaterie Raets - Putseys‎
Bondgenotenlaan 85

the chocolate shop advice is great, thank you! I will check it out for sure!

myriamC: really about Calatrava? I love his architecture. We went to Milwaukee a few years back just to see his museum (worth it for sure), and I am among the few in Italy to like the bridge in Venice! I definitely have to see the station in Liege...now i am having a hard time deciding where to go!

ok, after some consideration, my husband and I are leaning toward Maastricht for the day trip instead of Amsterdam. It will be our first time in the Netherlands, and a part of me really wants to see Amsterdam. But it's further away, and Maastricht looks really lovely and my husband and I both agree on this one!

And, we will get to change trains in Liege, and therefore see the Calatrava station.

What do you think?

I've looked at what to see and do in Maastricht--what about restaurants? for vegetarians? Indonesian food perhaps?

thanks everyone for your feedback thus far!

If you're in Brussels on a beautiful day and you feel like being outdoors and going for a walk in the woods, one of my outdoor places is the castle on the edge of La Hulpe, a pretty suburb with all the usual Wallonian small town amenities: cafes, a good butcher, nice selection of restaurants, fancy lingerie store, beauty salon, and gourmet chocolate/pastry shops) and visit the Chateau de La Hulpe in its 500+acre setting (free entrance). http://chateaudelahulpe.wallonie.be/apps/spip/

In addition to its beautiful park and farmland (lots of trails), it also has the foundation/museum dedicated to Belgian artist Folon, set in converted farm buildings
http://www.fondationfolon.be/index_en.php

You can get there directly by bus on line 366 which has a stop (La Hulpe Etangs Solvay) right by the chateau/park entrance:
http://www.infotec.be/Files/TECBW/cartoL366_A4P.pdf (map)
http://www.infotec.be/PDFtemp/PDFgen...f917b98143.pdf (schedule)

The La Hulpe train station is about 2 miles or so from the chateau, so go by train only if you want to wander the village streets and have lunch at one of the restaurants. In the chateau park, there is a cafe next to the Folon foundation.