Brussels is bursting with activity and is a great place to spend a vacation with the kids in tow. From theme parks to chocolate shops and everything in between, Brussels welcomes families to join in on the fun.
Spend time visiting intriguing museums such as the Comics Art Museum. Sign up to learn how to make (and eat!) delicious chocolates. Or head to Mini-Europe, a fun and exciting theme park. There are many different and interesting family-oriented places to explore in Brussels.
Plan your next family trip to Brussels and prepare for a whirlwind of excitement and activity. There are plenty of things to do for kids from toddlers to teens; you just have to know where to look!
While you are out and about in Brussels with the gang, stow your large bags and heavy backpacks at a luggage locker for safekeeping. Then plan every minute of your family trip to Brussels by checking out some of these exciting attractions for kids.
Comic Art Museum
Also known as the Belgian Comic Strip Center, this museum is completely dedicated to comics and is a fantastic place to spend a few hours with the kids. Be ready to spend a few hours here! Upstairs, the Museum of the Imagination showcases how comics are created.
Learn about one of the best-known Belgium cartoonists, Hergé. Exhibited here is the beloved series, The Adventures of Tintin. Tintin is a rather famous Belgium cartoon character who gets into all different sorts of situations and trouble.
Museum of Natural Sciences of Belgium
Dedicated to the natural history of Belgium, the museum is home to 30 different fossilized Iguanodons that were discovered in Bernissart, Belgium in 1878. But with over 37 million artifacts and specimens, you will want to spend at least an afternoon here.
Plan to spend time in the Dinosaur Gallery, where kids can learn about paleontology at the paleoLAB, an interactive workshop with hands-on fun. Activities include digging for fossils and minerals, re-creating skeletons, and making prints of fossils.
Mini-Europe
No family trip to Brussels is complete without a trip to Mini-Europe, a unique theme park with interactive miniature landscapes of different European cities. There are over 350 buildings that make up 80 cities for you to explore.
Listen to the chimes of Big Ben in London or explore the canals of Venice where gondolas float by. You can even watch the Berlin Wall as it crumbles down or see the magnificence of Mount Vesuvius as it explodes. Book your tickets online before you go.
Bois de la Cambre
Pack a picnic and head over to Bois de la Cambre, also known as Ter Kamerenbos, a public park located right on the edge of the Sonian Forest. Locals particularly like this picturesque park for jogging, walking, cycling, and picnicking.
Rent a pontoon boat and visit the small island in the middle of the lake in the park. It is not a large island, but children especially love exploring. The south end of the park is a golf club offering lessons to children and adults.
Train World
The kids will love seeing the oldest preserved steam engine in Europe when you visit Train World. This railroad museum is the National Railway Company of Belgium’s official museum and is home to over 20 vintage trains.
Marvel at several interactive displays that draw you in and make you want to learn more and more about railroads and trains. Get your tickets and be sure to check out the Trans-Europe-Express; this stainless-steel train was operational in the 1950s.
Auto World
If you thought Train World sounded like great fun, check out Auto World where you can participate in a treasure hunt. There are over 300 American and European vehicles dating from the late 1800s to the 1990s on display.
Sign up for a guided tour to learn even more about the showcased automobiles. There are fun kids’ activities to keep the younger kids engaged while exploring this unique attraction. Keep the gang from getting restless by ordering your tickets in advance and skipping the lines.
Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate
Your crew will have a blast at the Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate. Be intrigued by its delicious and amazing displays and live demonstrations by a master chocolatier. Make your own chocolates to take away with you.
The museum encompasses two galleries, one housing all the chocolate and cocoa-related artifacts. The other gallery houses the state-of-the-art gourmet kitchen for the demonstrations, making Belgian pralines, and the workshops.
Brussels Chocolate Tour
If you did not get enough Belgian chocolate at the Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate, sign up for a chocolate tour. Brussels Walking Tours offers a Brussels Chocolate Tasting Tour that is ideal for families to do together.
The tour generally lasts for two hours. During this time you will visit some of the top chocolate shops in Brussels and sample scrumptious chocolates. You will also learn about the history of the Belgian praline and see how they are made.
If you are not too keen on joining a tour, some of the chocolate shops in the city host chocolate demonstrations throughout the year. Check with Mary Chocolatier, Neuhaus, and Godiva to see when their fun and informative demonstrations take place.
Manneken Pis
One of the absolute must-see sculptures in Brussels is the Manneken Pis, a bronze sculpture of a naked little boy peeing into the basin of a fountain. Designed by Jérôme Duquesnoy the Elder, the original statue was created in 1618.
A replica statue was put in place in 1965 after the original was stolen. The original was eventually found and is now in the Brussels City Museum. The statue is dressed in rather quirky costumes that change several times a week. It is a favorite of locals and tourists alike.
Plan your next family getaway to Brussels! Check out some of the places listed here as a starting point to keep the kids occupied and having a fantastic time. After all, family trips are for making memories that last a lifetime. Brussels is the perfect place to do just that.
Resources:
- http://www.mim.be/
- https://www.brussel.be/manneken-pis?_ga=2.54717667.97219390.1561566058-1522489991.1561566058
- https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g188644-d11450573-Brussels_Chocolate_Walking_Tour_and_Workshop-Brussels.html
- http://choco-story-brussels.be/
- https://www.autoworld.be/onthaal
- https://www.trainworld.be/en
- https://www.brussel.be/parken-en-tuinen
- https://www.minieurope.com/en/
- https://www.naturalsciences.be/en/museum/home
- https://www.comicscenter.net/en/home
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