# Day trip to Mechelen from Brussels: Kazerne Dossin, Het Anker and St Rumbold's Tower

Kazerne Dossin in the morning, the beguinage and the Het Anker brasserie at midday, and in the afternoon the 538 steps of the tower and a boat on the Dijle. 20 minutes by train from Brussels.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/belgium/mechelen/itineraries/kazerne-dossin-and-het-anker · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## El día
- 09:00 · Salida: 15 min by train (from Bruxelles-Central or Midi; from the station to the centre, 15 minutes on foot or by bus)
- 09:45 · Kazerne Dossin, Holocaust memorial and museum (€12 · €5 for ages 9 to 21 · closed Wednesdays)
  - 8 min on foot
- 11:45 · Mechelen's Great Beguinage, a UNESCO site (free; cobbled streets)
  - 5 min on foot
- 12:30 · Brasserie Het Anker (kitchen from 12:00 to 21:00 every day) · Brasserie Het Anker, €€
  - 12 min on foot
- 14:00 · St Rumbold's Cathedral and the Grote Markt (free; the Christ on the Cross by Van Dyck)
  - 1 min on foot
- 14:30 · Climbing St Rumbold's tower and its skywalk (538 steps · €8 · book a slot at weekends)
  - 8 min on foot
- 16:00 · Boat trip on the Dijle from the Haverwerf (Rederij Malinska · €11 · April to October) · Rederij Malinska, From €11 per person
  - 2 min on foot
- 17:00 · The floating Dijle walkway, from the Haverwerf to the botanical garden (from the Haverwerf to the botanical garden, free)
- 17:45 · Vuelta: 15 min by train (from Mechelen; in Brussels before 18:30)

Mechelen is the shortest trip from Brussels: twenty minutes by train and a small, flat city with no cars in the centre. This plan begins with the most serious, the Kazerne Dossin memorial, passes through the beguinage and the Gouden Carolus brewery at lunchtime and leaves the afternoon for climbing St Rumbold's Tower and sailing on the Dijle.

## The day, hour by hour

9:00 · Train to Mechelen. About 20 minutes from Bruxelles-Central.

9:45 · Kazerne Dossin. The Holocaust museum in the former barracks from which Belgium's Jews and Roma were deported. €12; two hours. Closed on Wednesdays.

11:45 · The Grand Beguinage. Cobbled lanes and little brick houses, a UNESCO site, free.

12:30 · Lunch at the Het Anker brasserie. Flemish cooking with the house beer, open every day.

14:00 · The cathedral and the tower. Go into St Rumbold's for free and climb the tower: 538 steps to the skywalk, €8. At weekends, book the slot.

16:00 · Boat on the Dijle. 45 minutes from the Haverwerf with Malinska, €11, from April to October. With the boat ticket, the tower costs €6 if you do it afterwards.

17:00 · The floating walkway. From the Haverwerf to the botanical garden, over the water.

17:45 · Return to Brussels.

## Is it for me?

If you are interested in history and want a quiet city, yes. With small children, swap Kazerne Dossin and the tower for the boat and the toy museum, or for Planckendael zoo. In winter, without the boat, extend your visit to the Hof van Busleyden.

## Cómo llegar

### Without a car
Train from Brussels to Mechelen, 20 minutes, and everything on foot.

### By car
Half an hour along the A12 or the E19; park free at the Douaneplein, because the centre is closed to traffic from 11:00 to 18:00.

## Consejos

### Avoid Wednesday
Kazerne Dossin is closed that day.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How much does the trip to Mechelen cost?
Between €60 and €90 per person with train, museum, tower, boat and lunch.

### Can it be done in half a day?
Yes: the Grote Markt, cathedral, tower and Dijle fit into an afternoon.