Brussels with kids
Travelling with children? Brussels has more for kids than you might think. Here are 15 family favourites, with ages, prices and opening hours, plus ideas for a rainy day and practical tips.
Museum of Natural Sciences (Dinosaur Gallery) Indoor
Europe's biggest dinosaur hall, with a whole herd of real Iguanodon skeletons that leaves kids open-mouthed. The Living Planet gallery adds animals from every corner of the world.
- 👧 Ages: all ages
- 🎟️ Price: €15 adults (26+), €6 ages 3–25, under 3 free
- 🕗 Hours: Tue–Fri 09:30–17:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–18:00, closed Mon; closed 1 Jan, 1 May, 25 Dec
- ⏱️ Visit: ~2.5 h
- 💡 Tip: Entry is free on the first Wednesday of the month from 13:00, but you still need to book a free ticket online.
- 📍 Rue Vautier 29, 1000 Brussels
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near House of European History: 🚶 0.3 km · 3 min walk
Comics Art Museum (Belgian Comic Strip Center) Indoor
Tintin, the Smurfs and Spirou all live here, in a beautiful Art Nouveau building. Kids love spotting their favourite heroes and seeing how a comic is drawn page by page.
- 👧 Ages: 6+
- 🎟️ Price: €14 adults, €11 ages 12–25, €6 children 6–11, under 6 free
- 🕗 Hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00 (last tickets 17:00), closed Mon (open Mondays in July–August); closed 25 Dec and 1 Jan
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h
- 💡 Tip: All museum texts are in English, French and Dutch, so non-French speakers can follow along easily.
- 📍 Rue des Sables 20, 1000 Brussels
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula: 🚶 0.5 km · 6 min walk
Train World Indoor
Real steam locomotives in a magical setting, and you're allowed to touch (almost) everything. Kids can climb aboard and explore old carriages up close.
- 👧 Ages: all ages
- 🎟️ Price: €15 adults, €11 children 6–17, €5 children 4–5, under 4 free
- 🕗 Hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00 (last admission 15:30), closed Mon
- ⏱️ Visit: ~2 h
- 💡 Tip: Last admission is already at 15:30, so plan it for the morning or early afternoon. The museum is a 2-minute walk from Schaerbeek station.
- 📍 Place Princesse Élisabeth 5, 1030 Schaerbeek
- MapWebsite
Mini-Europe Outdoor
All of Europe in one afternoon: kids walk past a miniature Big Ben, Eiffel Tower and Venice, and many models move or make noise at the push of a button.
- 👧 Ages: all ages
- 🎟️ Price: €21.70 adults online (€25 on site), €15.30 children under 12 online (€17.90 on site), children under 115 cm free
- 🕗 Hours: 1 Oct 2026–3 Jan 2027 daily 10:00–18:00 (24 and 31 Dec until 17:00); last entry one hour before closing; closed 4 Jan–12 Mar 2027
- ⏱️ Visit: ~2 h
- 💡 Tip: Buy online: it's about €3 cheaper per ticket than at the gate. Combine it with the Atomium next door.
- 📍 Bruparck, 1020 Laeken (Brussels)
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Mini-Europe: 🚶 0.1 km · 1 min walk
Atomium Indoor
A giant atom you can walk inside: kids ride the fast lift to the top sphere for the view and slide through the tubes on escalators between the balls.
- 👧 Ages: all ages
- 🎟️ Price: €17 adults, €9 children taller than 115 cm up to 17, children up to 115 cm free
- 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30); 24 and 31 Dec 10:00–16:00; 25 Dec and 1 Jan 12:00–18:00; closed 18 Jan–5 Feb 2027 for maintenance
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h
- 💡 Tip: Kids are priced by height, not age: up to 115 cm they go in free. The ticket also includes Design Museum Brussels next door.
- 📍 Place de l'Atomium 1, 1020 Brussels
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Atomium: 🚶 0.2 km · 2 min walk
Choco-Story Brussels Indoor
The story of chocolate from cocoa bean to praline, with a live demonstration by a chocolatier and a tasting at the end. Kids love that the visit literally ends sweet.
- 👧 Ages: 3+
- 🎟️ Price: €16 adults (27–65), €14 ages 12–26, €10 children 3–11
- 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:00–18:00 (last admission 17:00); closed 25 Dec, 1 Jan and 4–15 Jan 2027
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h
- 💡 Tip: There's stroller parking, but a baby carrier is easier inside. Manneken Pis is just around the corner.
- 📍 Rue de l'Étuve 41, 1000 Brussels
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Manneken Pis: 🚶 0.1 km · 1 min walk
Manneken Pis & GardeRobe MannekenPis Indoor
Kids giggle at the famous peeing boy, then discover in the GardeRobe his enormous wardrobe of costumes from all over the world.
- 👧 Ages: all ages
- 🎟️ Price: Statue free; GardeRobe €5 adults, under 18 free, free for everyone on the first Sunday of the month
- 🕗 Hours: Statue: always visible. GardeRobe: Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00, closed Mon and 1/1, 1/5, 17/6, 1/11, 11/11, 25/12
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h
- 💡 Tip: The statue is smaller than most people expect, so lift little ones up for a look. The GardeRobe is a two-minute walk away and free for kids.
- 📍 Statue: corner Rue de l'Étuve / Rue du Chêne; GardeRobe: Rue du Chêne 19, 1000 Brussels
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Manneken Pis: 🚶 0.1 km · 1 min walk
Brussels Planetarium Indoor
Lie back under a huge 360° dome and travel through the stars and planets. There are films made especially for young children.
- 👧 Ages: 3+ (each film has its own minimum age)
- 🎟️ Price: €9 adults, €7 ages 3–25 (per film)
- 🕗 Hours: Ticket desk daily 10:00–17:00, films at set times; closed 24, 25, 31 Dec and 1 Jan
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h
- 💡 Tip: Check the film schedule before you go: some shows are for ages 3–7, others from 12, and each film runs at fixed times.
- 📍 Avenue de Bouchout 10, 1020 Brussels
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Mini-Europe: 🚶 0.4 km · 5 min walk
Museum of Illusions Brussels Indoor
Rooms where you shrink or grow, tilt without moving and pose for crazy photos. Kids and parents laugh just as hard, and there's a playroom full of puzzles.
- 👧 Ages: 5+
- 🎟️ Price: €17.50 adults, €14.50 children 5–18, under 5 free; family package (2 adults + 2 children) €54.50
- 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00); closed on Wednesdays outside school holidays
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h
- 💡 Tip: The family package (2 adults + 2 kids) is the cheapest way in for a family of four. Note it's closed on Wednesdays outside school holidays.
- 📍 Rue du Fossé aux Loups 18, 1000 Brussels
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert: 🚶 0.4 km · 5 min walk
Ferme du Parc Maximilien (city farm) Outdoor
A real farm in the middle of the city, with donkeys and other farm animals. Little ones can see the animals up close, for free.
Théâtre Royal de Toone (puppet theatre) Indoor
Brussels' last traditional marionette theatre, hidden in an alley off the Grand-Place. Kids are fascinated by the big wooden puppets swinging swords on strings.
- 👧 Ages: 7+
- 🎟️ Price: €20 adults (25–64), €15 under 25 and 65+ (cash only)
- 🕗 Hours: Shows Thu–Sat at 20:30, plus Sat at 16:00; closed in January. Puppet museum (Maison de la Marionnette, free) Thu–Sat 14:00–18:00
- ⏱️ Visit: ~2 h
- 💡 Tip: Pick the Saturday 16:00 show with kids, book ahead and bring cash. Shows are in French unless stated otherwise.
- 📍 Impasse Sainte-Pétronille, Rue du Marché aux Herbes 66, 1000 Brussels
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert: 🚶 0.2 km · 2 min walk
BELvue Museum Indoor
Playful game tours lead children aged 3 to 12 through Belgium's history, with role play, tactile trails and hidden objects to find.
- 👧 Ages: 3–12 (game tours)
- 🎟️ Price: €10 adults, €5 ages 18–25, under 18 free (game trail €1 per child); free for all every Wednesday from 14:00
- 🕗 Hours: Tue–Fri 09:30–17:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–18:00 (July–Aug daily 10:00–18:00), closed Mon; closed 1 Jan, 21 Jul, 25 Dec
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h
- 💡 Tip: Every restroom has a changing table, there's a lift for strollers, and the Brussels Park playground is right next door.
- 📍 Place des Palais 7, 1000 Brussels
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Magritte Museum: 🚶 0.3 km · 3 min walk
Parc de Bruxelles / Warandepark Outdoor
A green break right between the Royal Palace and Parliament, with a playground, fountains and wide paths for running around.
Bois de la Cambre / Ter Kamerenbos Outdoor
Brussels' big city forest, with a lake, huge lawns for picnics and plenty of space to cycle, run and play.
Parc du Cinquantenaire / Jubelpark Outdoor
Wide lawns in front of a giant triumphal arch, perfect for a picnic and letting off steam between two museums.
Rainy day? Go indoors
Tips for families
Kids ride public transport free
On STIB metro, tram and bus, children under 6 travel free without a ticket, up to 4 per accompanying person aged 12 or older. For older children, check the current child fares on stib.be.
Strollers, cobblestones and metro lifts
The old centre around the Grand-Place is full of cobblestones, so a sturdy stroller or a baby carrier makes life easier. Metro stations with the grey wheelchair logo have lifts or ramps, but lifts aren't always at the main entrance: check the STIB app for their location and live status, and fold the stroller at busy times.
Free museum days
On the first Wednesday of the month, the Museum of Natural Sciences is free from 13:00 (book a free ticket online), and BELvue is free every Wednesday from 14:00. On the first Sunday of the month, many city museums are free, including GardeRobe MannekenPis.
Changing nappies and toilet stops
Public toilets can be hard to find in the centre, so museums are your best bet for a clean toilet and changing table. At BELvue, for example, every restroom has a changing table, and kids under 18 get in free.
Rainy-day plan
Brussels has plenty of indoor fun: dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural Sciences, trains at Train World, comics at the Comics Art Museum and photo fun at the Museum of Illusions. In Heysel, the Atomium and the Planetarium make an easy indoor half-day together.
Small kids often go free
Before buying a Brussels Card for your children, check their prices: kids up to 115 cm are free at the Atomium and Mini-Europe, under-18s are free at BELvue and the GardeRobe, and under-6s are free at the Comics Art Museum. The Museum of Illusions sells a family package for 2 adults and 2 children.
Mind Mondays and Wednesdays
Most museums are closed on Mondays, including Natural Sciences, Train World, BELvue and the Comics Art Museum (outside July–August). Places open daily include the Atomium, Mini-Europe, Choco-Story and the Planetarium; the Museum of Illusions closes on Wednesdays outside school holidays.
Plan your trip → Put these places in a day plan with walking times.
More guides
Checked: 1 October 2026. Prices and hours can change; check the official site before you go.