Looking for the best things to do in Brussels with your kids? Brussels is a great family weekend destination only 2 hours from London with Eurostar trains going there every day.
The Belgium capital has a lot of interesting indoor activities and attractions suitable for children. But which ones will you need to do on your first visit to the capital.
Brussels offers a lot of playgrounds and parks for families looking to entertain their children across all seasons.
If this is your first time in Brussels, you have to go to Grand Place and take a photo with the Manneken Pis but you already knew this. So what is worth to doing in Brussels with Kids?
Let’s explore all the great things to do in Brussels with Kids. C’est parti!
1. Museum of Natural Sciences
As every capital of Europe, Brussels also has its Museum of Natural Sciences with the largest incredible Dinosaurs Gallery of Europe.
You and your little tribe will be blown away by this collection.
You could also wander on the History of Mankind and learn how our body functions.
2. Children’s Museum Musée des Enfants
As its name suggests, this museum is designed for children between 4 and 12 years old where you can enrol them in different workshops during opening times. They will learn cooking, fairy tales, DYI, construction and even acting in a theatre play. This museum will touch every 5 senses of your children with the objective of bringing the creativity within them. Not to be missed.
Address: Rue du Bourgmestre 15, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium
Opening Times: School period : Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 2:30 to 5pm and during School Holidays : Every day from 2:30 to 5pm
3. Comics Arts Museum Le Musée de la BD
This museum is very unique and will delight adults and children if you are into comics books. As you may know Brussels has a lot of comics artists with its famous ambassador Hergé who created the series Tintin. Quite a few workshops are organised for children (only in French language though) and a great library will allow you to buy your favorite comic to take home as a souvenir of Brussels. This is a favourite activity to do in Brussels with your kids for sure.
Address: 20 rue des Sables B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
Opening Times: open everyday from 10am until 6pm
4. Musical Instrument Museum MIM
If you wish to introduce music to your children and more precisely to a wide range of instruments, the MIM museum is a great venue to listen and discover different sounds. We recommend to rent the headsets so your children can appreciate even more the museum. After the visit, don’t forget to go the last floor to discover an amazing view of the city.
Address: Rue Montagne de la Cour 2, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
Opening Times:
Tuesday – Friday: 9.30 a.m. – 5.00 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday and on holidays: 10.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m.
24 & 31 December 2017: 10.00 a.m. – 3.00 p.m.
Closed on Mondays, also on 1 January, 1 May, 1 and 11 November, 25 December
5. The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
What is great about these museums is that you can pick and choose different collections from the Old Masters Flemish painters (Memling, Bosch, Bruegel, Rubens, Van Dyck…) to the modern Art with Magritte Museum or the Modern Museum with contemporary artists like Bacon or Dalí. Also, children have free entrance to the museums.
The Magritte Museum has audio guides available (4€) in different languages for children (aged 6 – 11 years old) so they can explore the museum throughout 30 pieces of art with a funny dialogue and interaction. A lovely museum to do in Brussels with your kids.
Address: Rue de la Régence 3, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
6. Spot Street Art in Brussels with Kids
A really unique activity in Brussels with Kids – the kids will love to spot famous French cartoon characters all over the city. With Brussels being the Capital of Comics or “La BD” as they say in French (Bande Dessinée) a lot of cartoonists have spray painted their favourite characters all over the cit. It now attracts tourists to spot as many as possible. This is a fun trail that adults and children will enjoy doing on a bright sunny day.
Address: various streets of Brussels but you can have help here
7. Guided Bike Tour
With so many things to see (and eat!), a guided bike tour is a great option for all members of the family. It’s a great way to keep kids from getting bored or tired of walking while sightseeing. Plus, you can enjoy the outdoors and discover the best things to do in Brussels while keeping off the holiday weight. Ride your bike along the top attractions, exploring unique neighborhoods and getting a chance to experience the authentic Brussels vibe. Baja Bikes offers the chance to do a Highlights Tour or a Private Bike Tour if you want a more personalized experience. Either way, if you’re traveling in Brussels with your family, a bike tour is a great idea. Child bikes and seats are available.
8. Parc de Bruxelles
Brussels Park formerly known as the Royal Park is located right in the centre of the city. Your children will enjoy playgrounds for different age groups with sandpits, slides, swings and more. Definitely worth a visit on a sunny day in Brussels with kids.
Address: 1000 Brussels, Belgium
9. Mini Europe – Miniature Park
This miniature amusement park was open in 1989 to reproduce the main monuments of Europe. All 350 buildings are built on scale of 1:25 and features live attractions like trains going around, erupting volcano or windmills. This is fun activities for the whole family that maybe will inspire you to visit more areas of Europe.
Address: 1020 Brussels, Belgium
10. Parc du Rouge Cloitre
Rouge-Cloître is a former monastery which is located on the outskirts of Brussels in the South West of Ixelles. Around the monastery, you can find a great fitness trail and several playgrounds for young children under 6 and another one for older children. Last but not least, there is a Pirate ship that your kids will play on for hours.
Address: 1160 Oudergem, Belgium
11. Bois de la Cambre
For families who who like to explore further than the City Centre, Bois de la Cambre is representing the old part of the Forest of Soignes. There is a lake with a small island called Robinson’s Island with a restaurant in a rebuilt chalet open in 2009. Expect some magical scenery in the Winter with the snow.
Address: Brussels, Belgium
12. Atomium
Next in our suggested list of things to do in Brussels with kids is the famous Atomium that you’ve probably seen in lots of photos about the Belgian capital.
This futurist architectural place was built in the 50s and was part of the 1958 Brussels World Fair. It was supposed to be demolished after the Expo ’58 but in the end the city decided to keep it with such a great popularity with locals and visitors at that time.
Today, Atomium is probably the Eiffel Tower of Brussels and is worth to visit at least for the viewpoint you get at the top: a 360o view of the city of Brussels and its suburbs.
Address: Pl. de l’Atomium 1, 1020 Bruxelles, Belgium
13. Choco Story Brussels
I love Chocolate so when there is an opportunity to taste different kinds and learn about the history of the cocoa trees and the producers, I always look for a chocolate museum. Choco Story Brussels is one of them not to be missed.
The guided tour with a listening device takes about 1 hour and includes a small demo where you can see how chocolate is made.
Choco Story would be a winner among educational activities to do with children in Brussels.
Address: Rue de l’Etuve 41, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
14. Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour
It is a classic but who doesn’t like a Hop On Hop Off Bus tour to visit Brussels from the top deck without having kids complaining they don’t want to walk anymore.
The sightseeing tour bus will take you to the main points of interest of Brussels such as the Grand Place, the Botanical Gardens or the Atomium.
The full tour bus of Brussels lasts 2 hours but you can obviously get off at any stations and continue journey as you please.
You will have the option to book a 24 hours or 48 hours bus pass so plenty of time to explore what Brussels has to offer with kids.
15. Autoworld Museum
If you and your children are complete geeks about cars, you simply can’t miss the Autoworld in Brussels. This unique museum has a huge collection of vintage cars from the 19th century towards to the 90s.
Located inside the Parc du Cinquantenaire, expect to see sport cars, American cars or even old carriages. There is even a little cinema showcasing different movies about the automobile history.
Autoworld is a great activity to do in Brussels with kids on a rainy day even if you are not a car lover. Will you find your favourite sport car brand at the museum?
Address: Parc du Cinquantenaire, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
16. LEGO® Discovery Centre Brussels
It looks like LEGO® has expanded and opened a lot of these Discovery Centres in Europe. And of course, Brussels has its own indoor venue as well.
As you would expect, this attraction is Brussels is very popular with families including locals. The LEGO® Discovery Centre has 12 themed areas and is an opportunity for young children including toddlers to play with the famous bricks and use his or her imagination.
Also, make sure to dedicate enough time to enter the 4D Cinema and watch different short movies.
You can also have a lunch at the centre LEGO® café where you can eat snacks or hot food like burgers.
Expect lots of families visiting this attraction during Belgian school holidays. If you are visiting Brussels with kids outside these times, you’re a winner!
Address: DOCKS BRUXSEL, Bd Lambermont 1, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
17. Train World Museum
Choo Choo! I bet your children love trains so why not taking their mind off Thomas the Tank Engine and learn about the history of trains.
Located in Schaarbeek railway station, the Train World Museum is a fantastic museum to see old locomotives and immerse yourself in the world of trains.
With climate change in mind, trains are becoming the most eco friendly transportation in Europe so no wonder why young generations want to know more about it.
All exhibits are in multiple languages including English with also some interactive activities suitable for children. There is an audioguide available through a mobile app too.
Don’t forget to spot the temporary exhibitions. From 17 February until 05 November 2023, the venue sets a new theme around the connection between trains and biodiversity.
Address: Place Princesse Elisabeth 5, 1030 Schaerbeek, Belgium
18. Crosly Bowling
Need a fun activity to do with the family in Brussels just before dinner? Why not booking a few games of bowling at Crosly Bowling.
Situated not too far from Parc de Bruxelles, you will be able to play a round for 7 euros per person including the hire of the special shoes.
With 25 lanes and a disco theme on Friday and Saturday evening, Crosly Bowling is your ticket entry to a fun family time with lots of laughter and maybe some frustration if you kids beat you.
How many strikes will you achieve during the game?
Address: Boulevard de l’Empereur 36, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
19. La Ferme Maximilien
If you plan to spend a weekend away in Brussels with kids, you might be tempted to visit a city farm like La Ferme Maximilien.
This beautiful and well-preserved green area in the centre of Brussels hosts lots of animals that your kids can approach easily such as alpacas, chickens or donkeys. Not touching though!
This little city farm is open since 1989 and has free access to the public.
La Ferme Maximilien is a great outdoor activity to do in Brussels with kids if you are running of ideas with what to do with your children on a sunny day.
Address: Quai du Batelage 2, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
20. Josaphat Park
Josaphat Park is the perfect place to let your children spend all their energy by running around this beautiful historic park.
You will find two playgrounds, different cafés and even a miniature golf. Also, you can spot different animals like ducks, geese or donkeys.
Josaphat Park can be discovered all year round and is one the most popular parks with locals living in Schaerbeek in the North of Brussels city centre.
Address: Avenue Ambassadeur van Vollenhoven, 1030 Schaerbeek, Belgium
21. Stardust Park
👶 BABY & TODDLER FRIENDLY 👶
I couldn’t close this article on the best things to do in Brussels with kids by not mentioning a soft play indoor venue.
Stardust Park is situated on the South West side of Brussels and welcomes families who need to keep the children entertained for a few hours with lots of fun play areas.
For your little ones, you will find a toddler zone where only kids aged between 18 months and 3 years old are allowed to play. For older kids, you can check out the bumper boats or bumper cars or the Rio Grande train.
I bet your kids will also love climbing on the Volcano and come back with no time limits at all.
Address: Avenue du Globe 36, 1190 Bruxelles, Belgium
CONCLUSION
That’s a wrap. I hope you have found enough ideas to keep your kids busy during your family holiday in Brussels.
The Belgium capital is worth to visit across all seasons and never disappoints when it comes to activities, places to eat or places to stay.
The fact that the city is well connected with trains means you can plan to combine a visit to Brussels with another destination like Paris or Amsterdam or Bruges.
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