Day Trip to Brussels From London: Eurostar Beats Flying
For a day trip to Brussels from London, Eurostar beats flying: about 2 hours St Pancras to Brussels-Midi, first train 06:16 on weekdays and last back 20:56 (Seat61, updated June 2026), Standard fares from £78 return. Our cheapest London flight day is £194 all in. From Manchester, Charleroi is £113 all in.
Brussels is the one city where we'll tell you not to fly from London. The train is quicker door to door, cheaper, and drops you in the middle of town. Here's the maths.
By Eurostar
- Time: about 2 hours from St Pancras to Brussels-Midi.
- First train out: 06:16 on weekdays, 07:04 at weekends.
- Last train back: 20:56 from Brussels-Midi, into St Pancras at 21:57.
- Price: Standard from £78 return, booked early.
Times and fares from Seat61's Belgium page (updated 10 June 2026, checked 19 October 2026). They change by date, so check yours on eurostar.com. That 06:16 gets you into Brussels for about 09:15 local time, which leaves you nearly 11 hours there.
By plane
From London, flying doesn't stack up. Our cheapest checked day is Heathrow on Thu 26 Nov: £132 return, £194 all in. That's more than the train, plus an airport each end.
From the north it's a different story. Manchester to Charleroi on Fri 20 Nov: £41 return with Ryanair, £113 all in, out 07:55 and back 21:35. Charleroi is an hour from Brussels by coach, so build that in.
What the day costs
Our costing from Brussels Airport: the airport bus there and back (£14), local transport (£7), lunch (£17), dinner (£24) and a coffee or a beer (£4). On the train you skip the airport bus. The Grand-Place, the Manneken Pis and the Mont des Arts cost nothing.
From 27 November to 3 January the Christmas market, Plaisirs d'Hiver (Winter Wonders in English), fills the centre. A December Saturday on the first train is one of the best day trips you can do from London.
See all Christmas market day trips. Flight prices are real fares for that exact date, checked 14 to 16 October 2026. Photo: BudgetBro library.
Day trips in this article
The cheapest day trips of the week, by email
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.
Related Articles
14 Day Trips Abroad From Stansted (Prices Checked)
Every city you can fly to and back from Stansted in a day, cheapest first, with flight times and the full cost.
· 1 min read
Day Trips Abroad From Glasgow Airport: 6 Cities You Can Do in a Day
Every city you can fly to and back from Glasgow Airport in a day, cheapest first, with flight times and the full cost.
· 1 min read
Day Trip to Amsterdam From London (and the Rest of the UK): What It Costs
Amsterdam in a day from London and the rest of the UK, with the real flight prices we've checked and what the day on the ground costs.
· 2 min read
Latest Articles
View all articles
Day Trip to Dublin From the UK: Every Airport, Cheapest First
Dublin is the cheapest day trip abroad from most of the UK. Here's every airport's cheapest Dublin day we've checked, flights plus the day on the ground.
· 2 min read
When Do the Christmas Markets Open in 2026? Opening Dates for 22 European Cities
The 2026 opening and closing dates for Europe's best Christmas markets, in order, with the cheapest checked day trip from the UK to each one.
· 3 min read
Christmas Market Day Trips From London 2026: 17 Markets, Cheapest First
Every Christmas market you can fly to and back from London in one day this year, cheapest first, with the flight, the day on the ground and the hours you get.
· 2 min read