Belgium and Luxembourg in one trip, in by train and out by air

From the UK, Belgium and Luxembourg make an easy pairing. The Eurostar gets you to Brussels, a direct train runs on to Luxembourg City, and Luxair flies from Luxembourg to London City, so you never have to retrace your steps. The two countries share a 148 km border, according to STATEC, and my advice is not to treat Luxembourg as a half-day stop between Brussels and somewhere else, but to give the pair ten days.

Which way round

In by train, out by air. CFL explains that a Luxembourg to London booking through them runs on a CFL or SNCB service to Brussels and then the Eurostar, so the rail link is well trodden. Coming the other way, you end the trip in the smaller, calmer country, which I find suits the tail end of a holiday full of cities, and fly home from Findel. Both countries are in Schengen, so expect the EES biometric registration on arrival and keep an eye on passport validity, as I explain in Luxembourg entry requirements.

Six days in Belgium

Brussels deserves two days. Visit Flanders picks out the Grand Place with its Gothic town hall, the Saint-Hubert galleries and more than a hundred museums. Then Bruges, whose entire historic centre is UNESCO-listed, with its canals and the Flemish Primitives of the Groeningemuseum. Ghent has the Castle of the Counts, its three towers and the Ghent Altarpiece, and Antwerp the Rubens House and the KMSKA. The Flemish tourist board makes the point that its art cities are a stone’s throw from each other, which is why the Belgian leg works so well by train.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Luxemburgo for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

Crossing to Luxembourg

The hinge is the direct train from Brussels to Luxembourg City, which CFL says takes just short of three hours. You pull into the central station and the tram carries you up to the old town. Two warnings, both covered in Brussels to Luxembourg. First, don’t confuse Bruxelles-Luxembourg station, which is in Brussels, with your destination. Second, rail is only free inside Luxembourg, so the Belgian leg is paid, and buying from the conductor costs extra.

By road it’s 225 km from Brussels to Luxembourg City, 168 from Liège and 254 from Antwerp, according to the Ville de Luxembourg.

Four days in Luxembourg

Four days cover the capital and two regions, which is what I set out in my Luxembourg 4 day itinerary. Arrive at lunchtime and you still have the afternoon for the old town and the Corniche. Then Kirchberg and the Pétrusse, a day in Echternach and the Mullerthal rocks, and another up north in Vianden or Clervaux.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Luxemburgo for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

Two more links between the countries

For a halfway stop, Arlon is about 20 minutes by train from Luxembourg City, and its tourist office calls it one of the three oldest towns in Belgium. There’s more in my Arlon day trip guide.

If you’d rather walk, the Éislek Trail joins the two countries through the Ardennes. It leaves Kautenbach, passes Clervaux and Asselborn and crosses into Belgium via Houffalize and Nadrin to La Roche-en-Ardenne, 106 km in five stages, about 50 of them in Luxembourg.

What changes at the border

In Belgium you pay for every train. In Luxembourg, public transport has cost nothing since March 2020, for residents and visitors alike, second-class rail included, so the four days of the second half cost nothing in transport. You only pay for first class, €3 for two hours or €6 a day, and for any journey crossing the border. So if you pop back into Belgium on a day trip, say to Arlon, that ticket is on you. By car, Luxembourg’s own Grand Tour briefly crosses into Belgium via Ouren in the north before heading back to Weiswampach.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Luxemburgo on GetYourGuide.

What I’d avoid

I wouldn’t do Luxembourg as a day return from Brussels unless there’s no alternative. That’s nearly six hours on the train to see only the old town. If time is tight, I’d rather drop Antwerp and spend at least two nights in Luxembourg. Nor would I squeeze in more Belgian cities than fit, because every hotel change eats half a morning and the trip turns into a string of station platforms. Ten days with four bases is plenty. If a single day really is all you have, my express version is the Luxembourg day trip from Brussels.

If you would rather go at your own pace, see the car hire deals in Luxembourg: the earlier you book, the more cars are left to choose from.

Before you fix your dates, compare tickets to Luxembourg: the same journey can cost very different amounts from one day to the next.