A trip to Brussels, Belgium

This Easter we have decided to take our children to Belgium and I knew that traveling with children is hard work however, I did not regret it at all. It was the best short holiday we’ve had so far. We enjoyed it and the kids loved it too, so I can’t wait for our next trip in Europe.

How did we get there?

If you read my previous post, you will find out how we got to Belgium and how we first stopped in Knokke-Heist for 3 days and then we drove to Brussels from there.

What did we visit?

Belgium has got so much to offer and beautiful things to see. Although we didn’t see everything that was on the list because I have to admit – travelling with children is not as easy as it looks. However, we did see plenty of beautiful places and the most important thing for me is that we are getting our children used to the idea of travelling and I hope that they will love it as much as we do, because recently, I have seen a lot of people that don’t like to travel that much, which is a shame really.

1. The Atomium 

The Atomium is beautiful and so unique, definitely worth seeing. We did go inside in one of the balls where we were able to see everything from above, BUT, if you’ve ever been to any other tourist attraction that allows you to see the city from above like London Eye, The Shard, etc., I don’t really recommend going in to the Atomium – there really isn’t anything else to see and in my opinion, houses and trees look the same in every city. Nevertheless, this is just a personal preference and if you do decide to go in and you’re a student, make sure you have your ID with you at every attraction because you can take advantage of the student discount, which I found very useful.
We have also tried the Belgian waffles from a waffles van that was just outside of the attraction and they were super delicious. Yummy, I wish I had some right now!

2. Grand Place 

Grand Place is amazing guys – like nothing I’ve seen before. The architecture is breathtaking. There’s loads of restaurants and cafes where you can take it all in, but it is pretty busy there most of the times. A lot of people visit the central square so I am not surprised.

3. Mont des Arts 

It’s a hill overlooking the central Brussels which houses several art museums including the National Library, Magrittee, and a Musical Instruments Museum. The gardens are beautiful too, with benches so you can enjoy the day from the central square and terraces,  since it’s only a 10 minute walk from the central square.

At the top of the hill, you will also find some royal palaces, monumental statues and other stunning buildings. The walk through the beautiful streets of Brussels was totally worth it.

A few more photos from walking around the area … 

4. Battlefield  of Waterloo & Lion’s Mound

Lastly, we visited the Battlefield of Waterloo which saw over 250,000 men from at least seven nations in action. More than 11,000 were left dead and 33,000 wounded. It was one of the largest and bloodiest pre-twentieth-century European battles. The main attraction however, was the Lion’s Mound (Butte de Lion) which is a 40-m tall tumult topped by a huge cast iron lion measuring around 4.5 m in both length and height. This isn’t in Brussels, but a 30 minutes drive from it, and I definitely think it’s worth a visit.
We took the 226 steps to the top of the Lion’s Mound,  although it was a bit windy that day so we didn’t enjoy it as much; we wanted to go back down as soon as. However, the museum was so interesting and unique. I really recommend it; they have so many things to see and do inside there. We saw different soldiers’ uniforms; some of their portraits; a long hall full of soldiers’ statues which looked amazing; we also watched a 15 minute 3D movie and saw what it was like back then when the soldiers fought and died; and so many other things. It really was a nice day out with the children.