Brussels and Belgium with kids!

[Clearinguptheclutter]

Hello, it turns out that DSs (aged 10 and 8) and I will be in Brussels for 5 days in April

For anyone else that's been I'd hugely appreciate ideas of stuff to do and places to eat (fussy kids, one is vegetarian).

I rather shamefully know very little about what there is to do in Brussels though a quick google suggests it's vasty underrated as a tourist destination, at least by Brits.

We will definitely do the Atomium and a day trip out by rail to either Bruges or Ghent, or possibly both (which is better?). We won't have a car so stuff will need to be accessible by public transport.

Thanks so much

There’s quite a lots that my dc enjoyed in Brussels- 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! We also did a very successful day trip to Walibi theme park which was actually much better than i thought and we all enjoyed it. We got this ticket www.belgiantrain.be/en/leisure/discovery-ticket/walibi The theme park is less than a 5 min walk from the train station.

Brussels is great, small enough to mooch round big enough to have lots to do.

For younger kids the natural history museum is great, fine arts museum and Magritte may be good depending. There are activities like escape games which you can usually do in English too.

Lots of smaller museums like the sewer one whixh might please.

Shopping is very good, metro and trams are easy. Lots of second hand and unusual shops for a capital city once you get away from the main square.

Eating wise there are a lot of bistro style places with a vege option plus quite a few dedicated vege places. You can eat quite cheaply but drinks can be pricey.

Almost everyone will speak English.

I have no specific suggestions but when I went to Brussels it was heaving - Brits may not like it but it was a 24/7 hour party that summer! There was a huge flower carpet in the main square and it's a beautiful city.
One fun thing we did was a Belgian waffle making class - Google it.
I haven't been to Ghent but Bruge is gorgeous! Book a boat ride round the canals.

Ghent is lovely- medieval but a working city unlike Bruges which is basically tourists.

There are a lot of waffles in both. Ghent has a castle which is obvs one up on Bruges.

as a family we have enjoyed

Autoworld car museum
Atomium
Natural history museum
Comic book museum
Mini Europe
Train World

Just wandering around the centre, Grand Place cafes, chocolate shops.

We don’t eat meat but self catered. Enjoyed plenty of frites and waffles. There’s a row of Italian restaurants near the Grand Place which kept my DC happy.

Brugge is lovely by very busy and expensive. Antwerp is close enough for a day trip as well.

I'd recommend a trip to Ghent. The castle there (Gravensteen) has the funniest audio tour I've ever heard that I think an 8 and 10 year old would find hilarious. It talks about the first toilet and how it would 'plop' into the river below. Its all included in the entry fee and is genuinely funny.
Also, the trains in Belgium are great (loads are double decker) and so clean. They're also really reliable so I'd recommend a train to another town (particularly Ghent!)
Have a lovely time

Thanks so much for these. Looks like loads of fun stuff to do! Fingers crossed for decent weather but it looks like it could be a hit regardless

Belgian FR speaking schools are not on holidays in April (only Flemish speaking schools and EU/International schools), so you should find that most places aren't too busy in/around Brussels. I would personally recommend a day trip to Gent over Brugge. Brugge is very pretty but not that exciting and usually packed with tourists. Gent is a really lively university town and has a lovely centre and the castle is well worth a visit too.
In Brussels itself, I recommend the Atomium (and Mini Europe next door is quirky and quite fun if it's nice weather), the Chocolate museum, Magritte museum (maybe a bit more for adults, but kids are pretty cheap and it's a nice museum), the Natural History Museum (they have some cool dinosaurs and usually very interesting temporary exhibitions), the House of European History is also close by and definitely worth a visit. The Comic Book museum is good, but maybe less so for UK kids as they won't know many of the characters.
Brussels is full of fantastic places to eat. Avoid eating in the street behind the Grande Place as it's super over-priced (and not always the best quality). There are nicer places towards St Catherine, and the Bourse.
Ooooh another nice place to visit is Tour & Taxis (it's an old station that's been converted into exhibition centre and eatery). There's an illusion exhibition thing there called World Of Mind which kids would enjoy, and also some nice playgrounds, and a fantastic food court place where you can eat. If you prefer to stay more in the centre of Brussels, you could try the musée des illusions (which is similar to World of Mind, and you could try Wolf - which is another food court place about 5 minutes from the Grande Place.

@amyboo (and everyone else) that's extremely helpful thank you

Ghent is perfect for a day trip. When we were there, you could go to the tourist office and sign up for a free treasure hunt on your mobile which took you round all the key sights - my 8 yo loved figuring out the clues. It wasn’t long. At the end you were back at the tourist office and got a little prize. It was such a lovely idea, not sure if they still do it!

Another one suggesting a day trip to Ghent. The trains are fairly cheap, reliable and very clean. DD loved the fact that it was a double decker too.

I'd also suggest prebooking tickets for the attractions that you really want to see before going. We went on a last minute trip and a lot of things were sold out. Still had a fabulous time though.