The main sites to visit in Brussels
In Brussels, you won’t just eat fries and chocolate! It is also a capital recognized for its cultural attractions. Here are some great ideas to look out for with the kids.
Grand-Place : listed as a Unesco heritage, baroque style, the Grand-Place is lined with old houses. Fairly central, wherever you are you will have to walk through it. It is very often lively and is full of restaurants serving Belgian specialties.
Atomium : Built for the 1958 World’s Fair, the Atomium is an astonishing futuristic structure. Impressive, the set consists of 9 spheres connected to each other by 20 tubes (12 edges and 2 tubes for each of the 4 diagonals). To do: take the elevator to the upper ball and look at Brussels from up there.
Prices: 6 and 8 euros (children and adults). Free for children 6 and under.
The Mini-Europe park : it is the family attraction par excellence. The Mini-Europe site is located at the foot of the Atomium. Just like miniature France, you will discover the great cities of Europe united in one place, thanks to 350 models which wonderfully reproduce the most famous monuments of each capital.
Prices: 10,50 euros for children (under 12) and 14,50 euros for adults
The Belgian Comic Strip Center : comic book fans will be in heaven. A few streets from the city center, nearly 4m² are devoted to comics. We discover the history of the 000th art with temporary exhibitions on an author or a method of drawing.
Prices: 10 euros for adults, 6,50 euros for over 12s and 10 euros for adults.
The Sablon district : direction flea markets. Let your family discover cool places to find fairly rare Art Nouveau decorative objects or antique furniture with character. Some shops will amaze children with very funny trinkets.
Children’s museum : participatory and fun exhibitions allow children to get to know each other better and to understand the world around them.
Price: 8,50 euros for adults and free for children.
Hergé Museum : on the road from Paris, plan a stopover dedicated to one of the most famous Belgian authors. The Hergé Museum, in Louvain-la-Neuve, pays tribute to the work of the father of Tintin and Snowy. More than 80 original plates, 800 photos, documents and various objects have been brought together in one place, an extraordinary building by the way.
Prices: 9,50 euros for adults and 5 euros for children from 7 to 14 years old.
How to travel to Brussels?
-by car : from Paris, by the North motorway, you can reach the Belgian capital in just under three hours. However, be aware that it is difficult to park in the city center and the vast majority of streets are paying.
-the train : one of the best solutions to go to Brussels. With the SNCF, you will travel by Thalys from Paris-Gare du Nord to Brussels, in 1h22. On the price side, the prices are quite attractive if you book in advance: the one-way ticket can cost you around 29 euros if you take comfort 1 seats. Note: the “kid & co” price allows an adult traveling with a child to benefit from a reduction of 50%.
For accommodation, certain specialized sites offer you the best rates: hotel.com, booking.com or directly on ibis.com, accorhotels.com, etc.