“Brussels is a city that’s full of cartoons and excellent waffles so it’s like a playground for children as well as adults who never want to grow up."
My Favourites:
Exploring Brussels with your family
“I think the biggest, most unique reason why Brussels is great for families is comics. Kids love comics, and Brussels is their home. I grew up as a massive fan of the Smurfs but, since moving to this city, I have become something of a Tintin superfan. My favourite episode is “Destination Moon” where he goes to space. Tintin shares a lot of connections with Brussels. Walking around the city, you can see Tintin in the street names and on the city walls. The Comic Strip Center is great fun – obviously, the focus is on Belgian comics but they also do exhibitions on comics from all over the world.
The best of Brussels for families
Two words: chocolate workshop. Belgium is of course famous for its chocolate and we have a ton of great chocolatiers: Mary, Pierre Marcolini and Neuhaus are our favourites. An hour-long workshop at Neuhaus is probably the activity that our guests say they enjoy the most. You get to make your own chocolate creations, flavoured with wacky ingredients like ginger or rose, and then get to bite into the fruits of your labour. It’s a great hands-on experience for children of all ages.
Out and about with the little ones
When my niece comes to visit, I like to take her to Halle Gate Park. The area is an old port town which reminds me of being back in Rome. There’s a beautiful playground with a big ship. Grown-ups will enjoy the area as well, not just because of the beautiful old architecture of the port but also because the park itself is very beautiful.
Engaging activities for teenagers
There are some beautiful bike routes around the city. I would recommend going to Bois de la Cambre park – it's the wildest, most natural space in Brussels. It’s an easy cycle from the hotel and you see lots of urban culture before ending up in the city’s only real patch of wilderness. It’s to the south-east, through the neighbourhood of Louise, or you could take a detour through Porte de Hal and Saint-Gilles.
Then there’s the Parlamentarium, which is an interactive museum all about the history of the EU. It’s very hands-on and really brings together the European story. At Hotel Amigo we do a teenager package where they go to the Parlamentarium and also do this fun city escape game called Coddy. It’s like an escape room, but the whole of Brussels is the setting.
Recently I visited “Luminopolis”, an interactive exhibition at the Museum of Natural Sciences that’s all about light. I took my niece there and we had a fantastic time learning about light from various angles and perspectives: social, biological and physical. The exhibition is based entirely on play, which made it more fun than some stuffy old museum.
Found in the heart of Brussels, Hotel Amigo seamlessly blends art, culture, heritage and creativity.
Phone Number*
Address
Rue de l'Amigo
1000 Brussels, Belgium
Brussels
1000 Brussels, Belgium
Brussels
Found in the heart of Brussels, Hotel Amigo seamlessly blends art, culture, heritage and creativity.
Phone Number*
Address
Rue de l'Amigo
1000 Brussels, Belgium
Brussels
1000 Brussels, Belgium
Brussels
Found in the heart of Brussels, Hotel Amigo seamlessly blends art, culture, heritage and creativity.
Phone Number*
Address
Rue de l'Amigo
1000 Brussels, Belgium
Brussels
1000 Brussels, Belgium
Brussels