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Guide · Brussels

Brussels with kids

Brussels is a manageable city with children, mostly because the centre is small enough to cross on foot and the good things are close together. It also has an unusually child-friendly public art habit: comic book murals painted across building ends throughout the centre, which turn an ordinary walk into a hunt.

Plan for rain. It is frequent rather than heavy, and the pattern of a shower every few hours means an umbrella and a loose plan work better than a fixed schedule. The upside is that the indoor options are genuinely good, and the city does chocolate and waffles as a legitimate cultural activity rather than a tourist trap.

The parks are the other reason it works. Several large ones sit within a short tram ride of the centre, with proper play equipment and space to run.

Open Brussels on the map

Family places in Brussels

🎠Activities 7

  • AtomiumBrussels' best-known landmark, a 102-metre model of an iron crystal built for the 1958 World's Fair, with escalators and spherical rooms inside and an app-based science game for children. Free under 115 cm. You can buy combined tickets with Mini-Europe.
    GamesIndoor
    Official website
  • Brussels Town HallThe Gothic Town Hall on Grand Place, with guided tours of the ceremonial rooms and a 96m tower with city views. Free on the first Sunday of each month. Free under 6.
    Ages 12+Indoor
    Official website
  • Etangs de FlageyTwo ponds in Ixelles ringed by a cycle path and running track, with family-friendly café terraces on the banks. A pleasant stroll near the Matongé neighbourhood.
    FreeOutdoor space
    Official website
  • Grand PlaceBrussels' central square and a UNESCO World Heritage site, with the Gothic Town Hall and gilded guild houses. The square hosts seasonal events through the year.
    FreeOutdoor space
    Official website
  • Jump XL BrusselsA large indoor trampoline park in Laeken near the Atomium, with foam pits, dodgeball, a ninja course and a toddler zone. A good rainy-day option. "Mini Jump" slots for 2-5 on weekends.
    Ages 2+Play areaGamesIndoor
    Official website
  • Manneken PisThe small bronze statue of a peeing boy, one of Brussels' symbols, often dressed in one of his many costumes. On some days the fountain dispenses beer or fruit juice.
    FreeOutdoor space
    Official website
  • Tour & TaxisA former customs warehouse turned market and event space. The Sunday farmers' market inside has food stalls, antiques and local producers in an industrial setting.
    FreePlay areaGamesIndoor
    Official website

🌳Parks 8

  • Brussels ParkThe royal park in front of the Royal Palace, with formal gardens and fountains. Free to visit and a useful green space in the upper town.
    Free
    Official website
  • Duden ParkA wooded park in Forest with a large adventure playground, a summer paddling area and mature trees. Less well-known than other Brussels parks.
    FreePlay area
    Official website
  • Elisabeth ParkA landscaped park in Koekelberg with a large playground, a pétanque area and tree-lined paths. A quiet family park in the north of the city.
    FreePlay area
    Official website
  • Forest ParkA large park in Forest with sports courts, a summer outdoor pool and open green space. Popular with families in the south of the city.
    FreePlay area
    Official website
  • Josaphat ParkA park in Schaerbeek with a lake, a children's farm, a large playground and summer family events. One of the more complete family parks in Brussels.
    FreePlay areaPetting farm
  • Leopold ParkA small park in the EU Quarter with a playground and a pond. A good stop after the European Parliament or the nearby Natural Sciences Museum.
    FreePlay area
    Official website
  • Mont des ArtsElevated gardens with views over the Lower Town, popular for photos and picnics, and a good spot to watch street performers. The view of the Town Hall spire is one of the city's best.
    Free
    Official website
  • Parc du CinquantenaireA large park in the EU Quarter with a triumphal arch, wide lawns and several playgrounds, home to the Royal Museums of Art and History and the Autoworld museum. Good for combining a museum with a picnic.
    FreePlay area
    Official website

🏛️Museums 7

  • Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée (Comic Strip Museum)A museum of Belgian comics, including Tintin, the Smurfs and Lucky Luke, in an Art Nouveau building designed by Victor Horta. Free under 6.
    Indoor
    Official website
  • Children's Museum Brussels (Musée des Enfants)A hands-on discovery museum for ages 2-12 in Ixelles, with themed rooms on science, art, the human body and daily life, plus workshops. Book ahead at weekends.
    Ages 2-12Play areaGames
    Official website
  • HallepoortBrussels' only surviving medieval city gate, with a small museum of medieval arms and armour where children can try on helmets and handle replica weapons. A rooftop walkway gives views over the Midi district. Free on the first Wednesday afternoon of each month, and free under 17.
    Outdoor
    Official website
  • Institute of Natural Sciences, Dinosaur GalleryHome to the world's largest collection of Iguanodon skeletons, with 29 specimens in one hall, alongside other natural history exhibits. Free under 6.
    Indoor
    Official website
  • Mini-EuropeScale models of 350 European landmarks, including Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower and the Alhambra, at 1:25 scale next to the Atomium. Free under 12 with a paying adult. You can buy combined tickets with the Atomium.
    Games
    Official website
  • Musée Magritte MuseumThe largest collection of René Magritte's surrealist works, with dreamlike paintings of bowler-hatted men, floating apples and burning tubas. Adapted audio guides for ages 6-12 and 12-18.
    Ages 6+
    Official website
  • Royal Gallery of Saint HubertA 19th-century glass-roofed arcade with chocolatiers, bookshops and tea rooms. A short covered walk in any weather, with chocolate-shop windows children enjoy.
    Free
    Official website

🎡Theme Parks 1

  • LEGO Discovery Centre BrusselsAn indoor LEGO attraction next to Mini-Europe, with a Miniland Brussels, a 4D cinema, rides and large building zones. Best for ages 3-10; book timed entry online.
    Ages 3-10Play areaGames
    Official website

🦁Zoo & Animals 3

  • Ferme du Parc MaximilienA community city farm in Parc Maximilien with goats, chickens, rabbits and a vegetable garden, surrounded by parkland. Free entry.
    Free
    Official website
  • Josaphat Park city farm (Nos Pilifs)A community farm in Josaphat Park, Schaerbeek, with goats, pigs, chickens and seasonal children's events. Part of a social enterprise. Free entry.
    FreeIndoor areas
    Official website
  • ParckfarmA community farm and park at Tour & Taxis with a permaculture garden, a wooden playground, goats, chickens and a café. Free entry.
    FreePlay area
    Official website

🛝Playgrounds 1

  • Parc Roi BaudouinOne of Brussels' largest parks, in Laeken, with a big playground, an open-air summer pool, sports fields and a nature trail. Popular with local families at weekends.
    Free
    Official website

⭐Local Tips 1

  • Belgian Chocolate WorkshopA family chocolate-making workshop near the Grand Place where children make their own Belgian chocolates to take home. Sessions last about 90 minutes.
    Ages 8+Indoor
    Official website

🍔Kids Restaurants 9

  • BAVETA Belgian noodle-bar chain where you choose your broth and toppings. Fast, affordable and popular with families, with several Brussels locations.
    Indoor
    Official website
  • EATS - City 2A food court in the City 2 shopping centre near De Brouckère, with several international stalls. Useful for families with different tastes, especially on a rainy day.
    Indoor
    Official website
  • Friterie de la BarrièreA chip stand in Saint-Gilles, popular with local families in the south of the city and away from the tourist centre.
    Terrace
    Official website
  • Friterie TaboraA chip stand near Rue Tabora in central Brussels, with crispy chips and a central location. A local alternative to the busier Grand Place stands.
    Indoor
    Official website
  • FritlandA well-known chip stand in central Brussels, on Rue Henri Maus near the Bourse, serving twice-fried Belgian chips in a paper cone with a choice of sauce.
    Terrace
    Official website
  • La FabbricaA brunch restaurant in Saint-Gilles, family-friendly especially on Sundays, when there are children's activities such as a bouncy castle, a clown and a face painter.
    Games
    Official website
  • Takumi JourdanA Japanese restaurant on Place Jourdan focused on ramen, with curry dishes, gyoza and vegetarian options.
    Terrace
    Official website
  • Umamido MerodeA Japanese restaurant near Merode in the EU Quarter, with ramen, donburi and bao buns at reasonable prices.
    Terrace
    Official website
  • Waffle FactoryA waffle chain near the Sablon with Brussels waffles and a range of toppings. An affordable treat stop in the city centre, often busy.
    Indoor
    Official website

See everything we have mapped in Brussels

Practical tips

  • Turn the murals into a huntThe comic strip walls are scattered across the centre. Counting them gives a small child a reason to keep walking between the actual stops.
  • Waffles are a plan, not a snackA waffle stop is the cheapest way to buy twenty minutes of goodwill in the middle of a walk. They are sold everywhere and cost very little.
  • Trams beat the metro with a pushchairTrams are frequent and mostly step free, and the routes cover the centre and the parks well.

If you only leave the centre once, make it for one of the big parks. They are where local families actually spend their weekends.