Paris, Brussels, Bruges or Ghent with teens?

[InterSteller]

I've got some Eurostar vouchers I need to use soon so planning on a city break in feb half term.

Don't want to go too far so can anyone advise which would be the best place to go with kids age 13&16? They like eating (lots) , football and are happy walking round looking at things!

Paris
Brussels
Ghent
Bruges

Thanks 😊

Hi! I'm not biggest fan of Paris (I love France by the way, just not Paris) but the Eiffel Tower is a bit of a must see for teenagers.

I love Belgium though, Brussels, Ghent and Bruges are beautiful places. I have football mad family, so we try and combine a football match with any city breaks. Have a look at the Belgian clubs and when there are home matches in any of those cities and maybe plan a trip that ties in with that?

Happy travelling!

weve done both Paris and Bruge
Paris obviously more touristy - the Seine, Eiffel Tower, Louvre so very instagrammable and plenty to do / see which is v important to teens
Bruge - beautiful. Horse and carriage rides, walking, cycling and fab restaurants and very pretty(lots of chockate and great art galleries). Pace feels slower there than Paris - also we drove to a beach from Bruge which was lush

I’d go for Brussels. There’s quite a lots that my dc enjoyed - Atomium, Mini Europe, Museum of cocoa and Chocolate, the comic strip museum, world of Banksy, a chocolate walking tour, Train World, a street art trail and waffles!

I had to go to Brussels for work last year in the Easter hols so brought DH and the kids and we all stayed on for a city break. Our expectations were low and exceeded massively, brilliant city with so much to do and had such a good time. Kids adored the food too. Took a day trip to Brugge which was a bit of a damp squib due to a sudden turn in the weather that we were not prepared for, but we really want to go back when it's nicer to walk around.

Would you be open to doing more than one?
I think I’d lean towards doing Brussels, Ghent and Bruges together. They are all very close by train. I’d be inclined to go to Bruges first, stay a night or two, then do a day trip in Ghent (leave bags in lockers at the station) and get back on the train to Brussels in the evening and stay there for another night or two before getting the Eurostar back home again.

If you were only doing one, I think I’d go with Bruges, although I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I liked Brussels.

Bruges is lovely but bored me senseless as teen. Didn't get what the fuss was about. So I'd give that a miss at those ages.

Ghent and hire bikes, you will not regret it: visit.gent.be/en/good-know/practical-information/getting-around/cycling-ghent

100% paris

Paris. Wouldn’t bother with the others. Brussels a grubby dump, overcrowded and unfriendly. Bruges and Ghent lovely but small. I’d say Amsterdam would be your best bet after Paris with teens.

Paris. Biggest city so
more things to do. I adore Bruges but you can see it all in a few hours.

Thanks everyone- although there's a mix of opinions! Really interesting, I was leaning towards Ghent or Bruges because they looked beautiful - but now I'm thinking the kids might be a bit bored there especially if the weather is crap - as it may well be in February!

My kids preferred Brussels over Paris as it is less crowded and we didn’t need to prebook museums. We’ve been a couple of times and enjoyed the Atomium, Comic book museum, Autoworld, train museum and mini Europe. They like the art nouveau architecture and street art as well. You can do Brugge or Ghent as a day trip. I love Brugge but there isn’t that much to do there. You can easily get to the coast which is quirky but not particularly beautiful.

been to both brussels and paris last year.

dc 16/15/13 enjoyed brussels better (less walking I suspect).
the atomium is fantastic as are the many museums, the old city, european parliament...

Definitely not Bruges or Ghent, both are lovely for an adult city break but very boring for teens. I’m not a fan of Brussels personally, just find it grey and dull so I’d choose Paris from your list.

Gent is brilliant, my teens loved it. Easy to combine with Brussels too. Bruges is pretty but dull and HEAVING with tourists.

I live in Brussels. There are lots of things to do. I love Ghent especially and Bruges. For Teenagers, though I would still say Paris.