My very own first go to to Bruges got here after I was an adolescent, after I was immediately gained over by its ridiculously fairly historic streets (and chocolate) – and with a lot to do in Bruges with youngsters, I knew it might be successful with my daughter too.
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I wasn’t fallacious. Visiting for a day journey every time we keep in Ghent, we’ve headed to Bruges – or Brugge, to present it its Flemish identify – in all weathers, together with 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 time solar or winter frost, you’ll discover so many issues to do in Bruges with youngsters – 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 one of the best.
The Choco Story chocolate museum
A go to to Belgium with out chocolate could be a missed alternative – and Bruges is house 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 one of the best chocolate, in addition to quirky details such because it as soon as getting used as a drugs.
The gathering has nearly 1,000 objects to assist study extra, together with some Playmobil scenes among the many extra in-depth info and a youngsters’ model of the audio information – plus in fact, there’s additionally the prospect to style some, after seeing the way it’s made.
Purchase Choco Story tickets with free cancellation in addition to a reserve now, pay later choice
You may watch an illustration of how chocolate goes from bean to the completed deal with: we watched the Choco Story specialists rework the uncooked components into hazelnut praline stuffed goodies earlier than attending to style a few of these and a few plain chocolate items.
There are additionally child-friendly workshops the place youngsters aged 7+ can get arms on and create your personal chocolate concoction – it’s also possible to guide household workshops by GetYourGuide.
Go to the Historium
One of many largest causes to go to Bruges with kids is its fabulous historic centre – so a go to to the Historium, to study extra in regards to the metropolis’s previous, is a improbable 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 by historical past. And in case you suppose that sounds very boring 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 may 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, to not point out the choice to improve for a VR expertise (for kids aged 6+) and also you gained’t be bored. It’s additionally an important choice for a wet day in Bruges with youngsters in case you go to in winter as we did.
You should purchase 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’ll climb the 366 steps to the highest of the Belfort for spectacular views over town’s rooftops and out to the encompassing countryside.
In your means up, you possibly can cease off on the treasury, for a well-earned break and to see the place town’s charters, seals and coffers have been held throughout the Center Ages.
If the tower climb is an excessive amount of for little legs, you possibly can nonetheless admire the tower from the surface and hearken 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 concert events within the evenings throughout summer time.
Entry is included within the 72-hour Musea Brugge card together with 11 different museums and monuments
Observe a strolling route
One of the simplest ways to understand Bruges’ fairly streets and historical past is on foot – you possibly can merely wander round to your coronary heart’s content material or attempt following a strolling route or strolling tour.
Throughout our first 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, so it’s price checking to see what’s on supply. The Oooh Bruges information has a number of concepts for walks.
The Golden Triangle stroll, beginning on Blinde Ezelstraat close to the Burg takes you previous a few of the key websites. Observe 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.
You can too discover child-friendly guided strolling excursions of Bruges, together with this two-hour strolling tour led by an area.
Or there are a string of self-guided excursions you possibly can observe in your cellphone, together with this scavenger hunt taking you to 10 key websites in Bruges and a self-guided audio tour, with a sequence of challenges.
Take a ship alongside the canals
One other enjoyable strategy 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 wholly totally different perspective.
On board the family-friendly boat tour, a educated information tells you all in regards to the websites you go and the historical past of town as you journey, they usually’re normally nice at conserving the knowledge 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.
You can too get tickets for a mixed boat cruise and strolling tour
Take a horse drawn carriage experience
Whereas that is undoubtedly a novelty expertise designed for vacationers, a experience in a horse-drawn carriage (or caleche) remains to be one of the memorable methods to discover Bruges with youngsters.
Even in case you don’t recommend it your self, youngsters are sure to identify the horses all around the metropolis and beg for a experience anyway, so it’s price being ready!
The carriage rides begin from the Grand Place and take you on a soothing guided tour by the slim metropolis streets, passing lots of Bruges’ most well-known landmarks – lots of the guides may even share attention-grabbing details and tales in regards to the metropolis (although it varies) and children might have likelihood to experience 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’ll stretch your legs. Not the most cost effective expertise although at round 60 Euros for half an hour.
Eat fries on the Frietmuseum
What child doesn’t love fries? Properly, do you know that fries have been truly a Belgian invention? And Bruges is even house 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 will likely sound just a little boring on paper, there are literally loads of enjoyable issues contained in the museum to maintain youngsters of all ages entertained, together with a fries cone slide to get down the steps and strange potato weapons.
After visiting the museum, you possibly can – in fact – additionally seize some fries to eat from the basement fryshop. Belief us, you’re undoubtedly going to be craving some at this level – your complete museum smells of them!
Or in case you don’t make it to the Frietmuseum, head to the ‘Frietkot De Markt‘ within the Grand Place to attempt a few of 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 on the lookout for a scrumptious memento to take house (properly, to remove… it won’t final till you get house!), there are some nice chocolate retailers to browse in.
So many, the truth is, that you simply’ll hardly ever be greater than a truffle’s throw away from someplace to purchase a range, many with a restaurant serving scorching chocolate in addition to Belgian waffles and ice cream.
For some somewhat 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 blended 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 scorching chocolate (darkish, milk and white) in addition to choosing up some goodies 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 a protracted mill historical past, and within the Sixteenth-Seventeenth centuries, there have been as many as 25 windmills within the metropolis.
Immediately, solely 4 stay; Sint-Janshuis mill (or Sint-Janshuismolen), Koeleweimill, Nieuwe Papegaai, and Bonne Chiere, all wanting like they’re straight from the pages of a youngsters storybook.
The mills are situated shut to one another alongside the historic ramparts within the northeast of town, so you possibly can 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 study in regards to the milling course of – rather more enjoyable for teenagers to get pleasure from studying about milling by seeing the mechanism in operation.
You can too climb to the highest for wonderful views over town. The mill is closed throughout the winter months, other than 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 town made up of a giant tree-filled backyard surrounded by small white homes and a church – and a stroll by the tranquil backyard is among 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 house to the Beguines, emancipated laywomen who nonetheless led a virtuous and celibate life. Immediately, 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 a few of the Benedictine nuns worshipping within the central courtyard or taking a stroll across the peaceable backyard.
And for a small payment, you possibly can go inside one of many Beguinage homes to see what life was like for these residing there throughout 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 peculiar day by day life in Bruges within the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Set inside a renovated Seventeenth century house, the museum options an outdated classroom, a pharmacy, a confectionery store, a grocery store, and an genuine bed room inside. Children may even love the number of conventional toys and kids’s video games you possibly can 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 youngsters.
Entry is included within the 72-hour Musea Brugge card together with 11 different museums and monuments
Lease a motorcycle to discover the countryside
When you have greater than a single day or a weekend in Bruges with youngsters, it’s straightforward to get out of town for a short while and discover a few of the wider area as properly – Bruges is a reasonably small metropolis, so there’s solely a specific amount to do for households.
Lease some bikes for a day and head out to see extra of the attractive surrounding countryside. There are a lot of bike paths and quiet roads round Bruges, so there’s no want to fret about visitors.
You may cycle from Bruges to Dan Haan or Ostend on the coast, or uncover a few of the close by castles and one of many charming villages within the area, resembling Damme and Jabbeke.
And in case your youngsters are too younger to cycle on their very own, it’s also possible to lease 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 a few of the greatest views over the lake. The legend goes that in case you cross the Minnewater Bridge along with your accomplice, you’ll share everlasting love.
You may then take a peaceable stroll across the picturesque lake. Don’t miss the Gunpowder Tower and the small Gothic fortress.
Subsequent door, Minnewater Park is surrounded by bushes and has a playground, pond, fountain, sculptures, and extra. Lots to do to maintain the youngsters occupied for an hour or two.
Christmas in Bruges with youngsters
Should you’re contemplating visiting Bruges throughout the winter, you’ll discover a string of additional causes to guide a visit round Christmas in Bruges with youngsters.
In addition to two of Belgium’s loveliest Christmas markets – a conventional one on the Markt, and one other targeted extra on crafts and regionally produced items at Simon Stevinplein – there are additionally a string of actions as a part of the Winter Glow pageant.
Operating from late November till early January, Winter Glow features a Gentle expertise path previous totally different artworks, the prospect to go ice skating on the Minnewater plus a strolling path by the historic centre designed to take you previous a few of 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 normal Christmas dive from the Carmelite Bridge into the chilly canal.
Tips on how to journey to Bruges with youngsters
Should you’re planning a visit to Belgium with youngsters, one of the simplest ways to journey to Bruges from the UK is by prepare – 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 global airport, Ostend-Bruges, however at present there are fewer flight routes.
Quick trains from Brussels to Bruges take underneath 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 automotive, in addition to the Eurotunnel to Calais. Or you possibly can journey by ferry to Ijmuiden, the port for Amsterdam, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne
For extra inspiration for household journey in Belgium, take a look at my prime issues to do in Ghent with youngsters, one of the best issues to do in Brussels with youngsters and issues to do in Antwerp with youngsters
Disclosure: This publish accommodates affiliate hyperlinks – any purchases you make are unaffected however I’ll obtain a small fee
Fundamental picture/Belford/canal/carriages/fries/windmill/Beguinage/biking route/Minnewater/Christmas market courtesy of Depositphotos, all others copyright MummyTravels
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