My very own first go to to Bruges got here after I was an adolescent, after I was immediately received over by its ridiculously fairly historic streets (and chocolate) – and with a lot to do in Bruges with children, I knew it will be a success with my daughter too.
incorporates affiliate hyperlinks*
I wasn’t flawed. Visiting for a day journey throughout our keep in Ghent, we’re heading again to Bruges – or Brugge, to present it its Flemish title – once more for Christmas when this chocolate field of a metropolis will get some added winter wonderland magic.
And whether or not you’re visiting in February rain, summer season solar or winter frost, you’ll discover so many issues to do in Bruges with children – quirky museums, interactive historical past, chocolate galore, and a few nice methods to sightsee, all in a compact centre which is straightforward for households to get round. Right here’s my decide of the perfect.
The Choco Story chocolate museum
A go to to Belgium with out chocolate can be a missed alternative – and Bruges is residence to its personal chocolate museum, Choco Story.
Cut up into three sections, a go to shares the 4,000-year-old historical past of chocolate, from its origins to its look in Europe and the key of making the perfect chocolate, in addition to quirky details such because it as soon as getting used as a drugs.
The gathering has nearly 1,000 gadgets to assist be taught extra, together with some Playmobil scenes among the many extra in-depth info and a children’ model of the audio information – plus after all, there’s additionally the prospect to style some, after seeing the way it’s made.
You’ll be able to watch an indication of how chocolate goes from bean to the completed deal with: we watched the Choco Story consultants rework the uncooked substances into hazelnut praline crammed sweets earlier than attending to style a few of these and a few plain chocolate items.
There are additionally child-friendly workshops the place children can get palms on and create your personal chocolate concoction – it’s also possible to e-book household workshops.
Purchase Choco Story tickets with free cancellation in addition to a reserve now, pay later choice
Go to the Historium
One of many greatest causes to go to Bruges with kids is its fabulous historic centre – so a go to to the Historium, to be taught extra concerning the metropolis’s previous, is a implausible choice for households.
Taking you again to sooner or later in 1435, throughout Bruges’ Golden Age, there are seven themed rooms to take you on a journey via historical past. And for those who suppose that sounds very uninteresting for teenagers, it’s truly very family-friendly.
You’ll discover movies telling tales as you stroll round this historical past museum, in addition to interactive video games for teenagers and dressing up. You’ll be able to go behind the scenes of the portray of considered one of Van Eyck’s nice works, plus there’s a panoramic view of the Markt, the principle market sq. of Bruges, from the balcony.
Add in an audio information plus a household path to observe, in addition to the choice to improve for a VR expertise (for youngsters aged 6+) and also you received’t be bored. It’s additionally an amazing choice for a wet day in Bruges with children for those who go to in winter as we did.
You should buy tickets with free cancellation in addition to entry with digital actuality improve
Climb the Belfort (Belfry Tower)
Positioned within the Grand Place, the medieval Belfort – or Belfry Tower – is considered one of Bruges’ tallest buildings and most outstanding landmarks.
The 83 metre construction towers over the remainder of the historic metropolis and you may climb the 366 steps to the highest of the Belfort for spectacular views over the town’s rooftops and out to the encompassing countryside.
In your method up, you’ll be able to cease off on the treasury, for a well-earned break and to see the place the town’s charters, seals and coffers have been held through the Center Ages.
If the tower climb is an excessive amount of for little legs, you’ll be able to nonetheless admire the tower from the surface and take heed to the music of the tower’s carillion, which consists of 47 bells.
The carilloneur performs the bells on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 11am to noon, and there are normally further carillion live shows within the evenings throughout summer season.
Entry is included within the 72-hour Musea Brugge card together with 11 different museums and monuments
Comply with a strolling route
One of the best ways to understand Bruges’ fairly streets and historical past is on foot – you’ll be able to merely wander round to your coronary heart’s content material or attempt following a strolling route or strolling tour.
Throughout our go to, the vacationer info centre had a booklet with 4 household trails across the metropolis, mentioning decorations on buildings, eye-catching statues and sharing quirky details.
The Golden Triangle stroll, beginning on Blinde Ezelstraat close to the Burg takes you previous among the key websites. Comply with the path to Burgstraat, Wapenmakersstraat, Academiestraat, Jacob Van Ooststraat and Kuipersstraat to the Eiermarkt, Markt itself and again alongside Breidelstraat to Burg.
Alongside the way in which, look out for the bear on the coat of arms, a statue with the phrase ‘love’ in 40 totally different languages, and one other statue impressed by a Mozart opera.
It’s also possible to discover child-friendly guided strolling excursions of Bruges, together with this 90-minute strolling tour led by an area.
Or there are a string of self-guided excursions you’ll be able to observe in your telephone, together with this scavenger hunt taking you to 10 key websites in Bruges and a Metropolis Highlights Exploration Sport, with a collection of challenges.
When you’re visiting with older children who love historical past, this self-guided tour of Medieval Bruges introduces you to extra of the historical past as properly.
Take a ship alongside the canals
One other enjoyable option to discover Bruges with kids is on a ship cruise across the metropolis’s picturesque canal system, letting you expertise the historic metropolis from a completely totally different perspective.
On board the family-friendly boat tour, a educated information tells you all concerning the websites you go and the historical past of the town as you journey, they usually’re normally nice at maintaining the data easy to maintain youthful kids engaged.
There are a number of boat departure factors across the metropolis providing excursions. The cruise lasts round half-hour, which is good for little ones with shorter consideration spans.
It’s also possible to get tickets for a mixed boat cruise and strolling tour
Take a horse drawn carriage trip
Whereas that is undoubtedly a novelty expertise designed for vacationers, a trip in a horse-drawn carriage (caleches) remains to be some of the memorable methods to discover Bruges with children.
Even for those who don’t counsel it your self, children are sure to identify the horses all around the metropolis and beg for a trip anyway, so it’s value being ready!
The carriage rides begin from the Grand Place and take you on a soothing guided tour via the slim metropolis streets, passing a lot of Bruges’ most well-known landmarks – lots of the guides can even share attention-grabbing details and tales concerning the metropolis (although it varies) and youngsters might have likelihood to trip up entrance with the motive force.
Most carriage rides embrace a cease at both Minnewater Lake or the Windmills so the horses can take a break and you may stretch your legs. Not the most affordable expertise although at round 60 Euros for half an hour.
Eat fries on the Frietmuseum
What child doesn’t love fries? Nicely, do you know that fries have been truly a Belgian invention? And Bruges is even residence to the world’s “first and solely museum devoted to potato fries”.
The Frietmuseum is a unusual museum dedicated to the historical past of potatoes and the manufacturing of Belgian fries.
And whereas this may increasingly sound slightly boring on paper, there are literally loads of enjoyable issues contained in the museum to maintain children of all ages entertained, together with a fries cone slide to get down the steps and weird potato weapons.
After visiting the museum, you’ll be able to – after all – additionally seize some fries to eat from the basement fryshop. Belief us, you’re undoubtedly going to be craving some at this level – your entire museum smells of them!
Or for those who don’t make it to the Frietmuseum, head to the ‘Frietkot De Markt‘ within the Grand Place to attempt among the greatest potato fries in Brugge.
Purchase Frietmuseum tickets with free cancellation, in addition to a reserve-now pay-later choice
Purchase some chocolate
Whether or not your go to to Choco Story has simply whetted your urge for food otherwise you’re searching for a scrumptious memento to take residence (properly, to remove… it won’t final till you get residence!), there are some nice chocolate retailers to browse in.
So many, actually, that you just’ll hardly ever be greater than a truffle’s throw away from someplace to purchase a variety, many with a restaurant serving sizzling chocolate in addition to Belgian waffles and ice cream.
For some relatively extra uncommon flavours, head to The Chocolate Line the place the weirdly great (and nonetheless scrumptious) flavours embrace wasabi, sake and popping sweet. Although not all combined collectively.
In addition they import all their very own cacao to make chocolate as properly.
Or Olivier’s Chocolate Store and Bar is a good place to get sizzling chocolate (darkish, milk and white) in addition to selecting up some sweets to remove. Adults can get a Belgian beer there to go along with the chocolate, which works unexpectedly properly.
Go to the windmills of Bruges
Bruges is a metropolis with an extended mill historical past, and within the Sixteenth-Seventeenth centuries, there have been as many as 25 windmills within the metropolis.
At present, solely 4 stay; Sint-Janshuis mill (or Sint-Janshuismolen), Koeleweimill, Nieuwe Papegaai, and Bonne Chiere, all trying like they’re straight from the pages of a children storybook.
The mills are situated shut to one another alongside the historic ramparts within the northeast of the town, so you’ll be able to take a stroll alongside the peaceable canal and go to all 4 in as little as 10-Quarter-hour.
Sint-Janshuismill is the one mill the place grain remains to be floor and is open for the general public to step inside and be taught concerning the milling course of – far more enjoyable for teenagers to take pleasure in studying about milling by seeing the mechanism in operation.
It’s also possible to climb to the highest for superb views over the town. The mill is closed through the winter months, aside from a number of particular opening days.
Entry is included within the 72-hour Musea Brugge card together with 11 different museums and monuments
Wander across the Beguinage
The ‘Princely Beguinage Ten Wijngaarde’ is part of the town made up of a giant tree-filled backyard surrounded by small white homes and a church – and a stroll via the tranquil backyard is likely one of the greatest issues to do in Bruges with kids who want a break from the customarily crowded metropolis streets.
Relationship again to 1245, The Beguinage was initially residence to the Beguines, emancipated laywomen who nonetheless led a virtuous and celibate life. At present, it’s a monastery for the sisters of the Order of St. Benedict.
On a go to to the Beguinage, it’s possible you’ll even spot among the Benedictine nuns worshipping within the central courtyard or taking a stroll across the peaceable backyard.
And for a small charge, you’ll be able to go inside one of many Beguinage homes to see what life was like for these dwelling there through the Seventeenth century. It’s round a 15-minute stroll from the centre of Bruges.
Folklore Museum
The Folklore Museum is one other attention-grabbing place for households to find out about abnormal each day life in Bruges within the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Set inside a renovated Seventeenth century residence, the museum options an outdated classroom, a pharmacy, a confectionery store, a grocery store, and an genuine bed room inside. Children can even love the number of conventional toys and youngsters’s video games you’ll be able to attempt for yourselves.
If potential, go to on the primary or third Thursday of the month when a ‘spekkenbakker’ (sweetmaker) presents conventional candy making demonstrations, which is all the time an enormous hit with children.
Entry is included within the 72-hour Musea Brugge card together with 11 different museums and monuments
Lease a motorbike to discover the countryside
You probably have greater than a single day or a weekend in Bruges with children, it’s straightforward to get out of the town for a short time and discover among the wider area as properly – Bruges is a reasonably small metropolis, so there’s solely a certain quantity to do for households.
Lease some bikes for a day and head out to see extra of the gorgeous surrounding countryside. There are various bike paths and quiet roads round Bruges, so there’s no want to fret about site visitors.
You’ll be able to cycle from Bruges to Dan Haan or Ostend on the coast, or uncover among the close by castles and one of many charming villages within the area, similar to Damme and Jabbeke.
And in case your children are too younger to cycle on their very own, it’s also possible to hire bikes with youngster seats.
Minnewater Lake & Park
One other beautiful place to flee the busy metropolis centre is the Minnewater; an space within the south of Bruges made up of Minnewater Lake, aka the Lake of Love, and Minnewater Park.
Begin with a stroll over Lovers Bridge for among the greatest views over the lake. The legend goes that for those who cross the Minnewater Bridge together with your accomplice, you’ll share everlasting love.
You’ll be able to then take a peaceable stroll across the picturesque lake. Don’t miss the Gunpowder Tower and the small Gothic citadel.
Subsequent door, Minnewater Park is surrounded by bushes and has a playground, pond, fountain, sculptures, and extra. Loads to do to maintain the youngsters occupied for an hour or two.
Christmas in Bruges with children
When you’re contemplating visiting Bruges through the winter, you’ll discover a string of additional causes to e-book a visit round Christmas in Bruges with children.
In addition to two of Belgium’s loveliest Christmas markets – a standard one on the Markt, and one other targeted extra on crafts and domestically produced items at Simon Stevinplein – there are additionally a string of actions as a part of the Winter Glow competition.
Operating from late November till early January, Winter Glow features a Mild expertise path previous totally different artworks, the prospect to go ice skating on the Minnewater plus a strolling path via the historic centre designed to take you previous among the greatest lights and decorations, in addition to over 500 Christmas bushes.
Be careful too for the Star Procession, with greater than 100 actors (and sheep!) plus an orchestra re-enacting the Nativity, together with locals having fun with the standard Christmas dive from the Carmelite Bridge into the chilly canal.
Easy methods to journey to Bruges with children
When you’re planning a visit to Belgium with children, one of the simplest ways to journey to Bruges from the UK is by practice – the Eurostar runs straight from London to Brussels, the place it’s straightforward to connect with different Belgian cities and cities.
There are additionally common flights to the nation’s worldwide airport in Brussels. There may be additionally a world airport, Ostend-Bruges, however presently there are fewer flight routes.
Quick trains from Brussels to Bruges take beneath an hour from Brussels Midi, connecting with Eurostar, or it’s also possible to journey to Bruges direct in round two hours from the airport.
There are additionally a number of ferry routes to northern France together with Dunkirk, which is an hour from Bruges by automobile, in addition to the Eurotunnel to Calais. Or you’ll be able to journey by ferry to Ijmuiden, the port for Amsterdam, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne
For extra inspiration for household journey in Belgium, try my high issues to do in Ghent with children and the perfect issues to do in Brussels with children
Disclosure: This put up incorporates affiliate hyperlinks – any purchases you make are unaffected however I’ll obtain a small fee
Major picture/Belford/canal/carriages/fries/windmill/Beguinage/biking route/Minnewater/Christmas market courtesy of Depositphotos, all others copyright MummyTravels