A one-week loop from Brussels: Mechelen and Antwerp, the Flemish cities of Ghent and Bruges, the coast and the Ypres battlefields, then Namur, Dinant and the Ardennes as far as Bouillon. Stages rarely take more than two and a half hours of driving; the real issue is the low-emission zones of Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent, where a foreign-registered car must be registered.
Road route calculated from the stops (OpenStreetMap). Driving times assume no stops and no traffic: add time for photo breaks.
From April to September, when the Ardennes are in full swing: City Pass+ and falconry at Bouillon Castle from 1 April to 11 November. In winter, short days and reduced hours at the citadels, but the Flemish cities can be visited all year round.
🚗 120 km · 1h50 of driving from Brussels
E19 via Mechelen and Antwerp, then the E17 to Ghent. Antwerp and Ghent have a low-emission zone: foreign cars must be registered.
🚗 52 km · 45 min of driving from Ghent
E40 heading west. Paid, narrow centre: park at the Centrum-Station car park, with a free bus to the centre.
🚗 93 km · 1h50 of driving from Bruges
N34 coast road via De Haan and Ostend, then Nieuwpoort and Diksmuide, across the polders, to Ypres.
🚗 184 km · 2h25 of driving from Ypres
A19 towards Kortrijk, E403 towards Tournai, then the E42 via Mons. In Wallonia, 90 km/h outside built-up areas instead of 70.
🚗 176 km · 2h30 of driving from Namur
N92 along the Meuse to Dinant, minor roads to Durbuy, then the E411 and N89 to Bouillon.
🚗 165 km · 2h of driving from Bouillon
Skip the coast, Ypres and Bouillon: Brussels (1 night), Ghent (1), Bruges (1), then Namur (1) by motorway. On the last day, Dinant and the Meuse before heading back to Brussels.
| Small car, average | ≈ €36 a day (Kayak, Brussels Airport, Sept. 2026) |
|---|---|
| Car hire only, January (most expensive month) | ≈ €39 a day |
| Car hire only, September (cheapest) | ≈ €31 a day |
| Vehicle | City car: narrow old centres, tight car parks. No point going bigger. |
|---|---|
| Where to pick it up | At the airport or in town, after seeing Brussels on foot. A Belgian car: no registration needed. |
| Your own car | Foreign number plate: register it on lez.brussels, and once for Antwerp and Ghent. Diesel Euro 6 required in Brussels. |
| Age and card | 21 minimum at rental companies, young driver surcharge. Credit card for the deposit. |
| Insurance | Deposit held on the card; without an excess waiver, it covers the excess if there is damage. |
⚠️ Unregistered foreign number plate: €150 fine in Brussels, even if compliant. Diesel Euro 5: banned in Brussels, allowed in Antwerp and Ghent.
Recognised in Belgium, with no International Driving Permit. Keep the registration document and insurance certificate on board. Other licences: check whether an International Driving Permit is required.
Strict priority to the right, even from a small side street. Trams always go first.
Outside built-up areas: 70 in Flanders, 90 in Wallonia. Brussels: 30 everywhere by default since 2021.
0.2 g/l for professional drivers. Fixed and mobile speed cameras and unmarked cars are common.
Brussels: diesel Euro 6, petrol Euro 3. Antwerp and Ghent: diesel Euro 5, petrol Euro 2.
Once on lez.brussels, once for Flanders (free, valid for Antwerp and Ghent). Dutch plates are exempt.
For a non-compliant vehicle. Brussels: 24 a year, can be bought up to 5 days afterwards. Ghent: 12 a year.
You cannot drive from one sector to another: go back out via the R40 ring road. Cameras.
Holding your phone while driving is banned.
High-visibility vest when outside a broken-down vehicle. First-aid kit and fire extinguisher required only for Belgian cars.
On roads with two or more lanes, move aside to let emergency vehicles through between the lanes.
≈ €1.98 per litre of petrol, €2.42 for diesel (21 Sept. 2026)
Price recorded in September 2026: it changes every week, sometimes by 10 to 20 cents in a month. Check it before you go.
⛽ 790 km at 7 l per 100 km: about €110 at September 2026 prices, to share between passengers.
GlobalPetrolPrices. Petrol is cheaper than in France (€2.15), diesel slightly dearer (€2.38): if you arrive from France with a diesel, fill up before the border.
| Motorways | Free for cars, no vignette |
|---|---|
| Liefkenshoek Tunnel, Antwerp | Toll, not on the route |
| Day pass, Brussels zone | €35 for a non-compliant vehicle, 24 a year at most |
| Day pass, Ghent zone | €45, 12 a year at most |
| Zone fines | Brussels: €150 without registration, €350 non-compliant; Ghent: €185 |
| Centrum-Station car park, Bruges | €7.10 for 24 hours, free bus to the centre for 4 people |
| Namur Citadel underground passages | €14 per adult, guided tour |
| Dinant Citadel | €15 per adult; €25 with the Meuse cruise |
| Bouillon Castle, City Pass+ | €16 per adult from April to November, falconry included; €12 in winter |
| Dinant Citadel cable car | Closed for renovation; citadel open, free parking at the top |
|---|---|
| Ghent pedestrian streets | Car-free from 11:00 to 18:00; Graslei too, June to September |
| Menin Gate, Ypres | Traffic stopped every evening at 20:00 for the Last Post |
| Bouillon Castle | Falconry and City Pass+ from 1 April to 11 November |
| Namur Citadel, visitor centre | Closed on Mondays from 2 November to 3 January |
| Brussels Ring | Outside the low-emission zone |
Allow 7 to 8 days for this loop of 6 stages and 7 nights: Brussels, Ghent via Mechelen and Antwerp, Bruges, the coast and Ypres, Namur via Tournai and Mons, then Dinant, Durbuy and Bouillon. The longest stage, Namur to Bouillon, takes about two and a half hours. In 5 days, skip the coast, Ypres and the Ardennes.
Allow €220 to €275 for car hire over 7 days (€31 to €39 a day, Kayak) and about €95 of petrol at September 2026 prices (800 km), with no tolls. Add parking (€7.10 for 24 hours in Bruges) and admissions: €14 for the Namur underground passages, €15 for Dinant Citadel, €16 for Bouillon.
Yes, if it meets the standards: diesel Euro 6, petrol Euro 3 at least, across the 19 municipalities, day and night. It must also be registered on lez.brussels, even if compliant, or you face a €150 fine. Non-compliant: €350, or a day pass at €35. The Ring around the city is outside the zone.
Yes, with a foreign plate: a single free registration covers Antwerp and Ghent, but not Brussels. You can do it up to the day after entering the zone. The criteria there are less strict: diesel Euro 5, petrol Euro 2. Otherwise, a day pass at €45 in Ghent; fine of €185.
No: Belgian motorways are free for cars, with no vignette. Only the Liefkenshoek Tunnel, in Antwerp, charges a toll, and the route does not use it. Road costs come from parking and, for an older vehicle, low-emission zone passes.
In Bruges, at the Centrum-Station car park, near the station: €7.10 for 24 hours, free bus to the centre for 4 people. In Ghent, the centre is split into 6 sectors: aim for a car park in your hotel's sector, without driving across, and avoid the pedestrian streets from 11:00 to 18:00.
Driving rules, prices and closures checked in September 2026; hotels checked on OpenStreetMap and then on Booking. Rules change: read the official source before you leave, and check your own government's travel advice for the country. Stop photos: Wikimedia Commons, authors and licences under each image.
Off We Gooo road trip guide · offwegooo.com/en/road-trips/belgium · by Pierrick, updated 1 October 2026
