Brussels With Kids: What to Do
Belgian kids grow up on comics, chocolate and dinosaurs, and Brussels has a genuine building dedicated to each. None of the four stops below need more than a short train or tram ride from the center.
Dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural Sciences
Rue Vautier 29, next to Leopold Park. The Dinosaur Gallery covers over 3,000 square meters and holds 30 complete fossilized Iguanodon skeletons pulled from a coal mine in Bernissart in 1878, displayed under a tall glass hall alongside a Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops and several mosasaurs. Adult tickets are €13, ages 4-17 €5, seniors €10, under 4 free. Open Tuesday to Friday 9:30-17:00, weekends 10:00-18:00, closed Mondays. It is included with the Brussels Card.
Train World, a real railway museum
Schaerbeek station, eight minutes by train from Brussels-Central or Midi. Twenty-two full-sized historic locomotives fill the halls, including the 1844 Pays de Liège, the oldest preserved steam engine in continental Europe, plus royal carriages and working train simulators kids can actually operate. Adult €15, child 6-17 €11, a family ticket for two adults and up to four kids is €48, under 6 free. Open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-17:00, last entry 15:30, closed Mondays. Family-friendly Brussels tours pairing Train World with the city center run on Viator for anyone who wants the day planned rather than pieced together.
Mini-Europe, at the foot of the Atomium
Brupark, reached by Metro 6 to Heysel. 350 miniature models at 1:25 scale represent 80 European cities, with animated features like an erupting Vesuvius and a falling section of the Berlin Wall. Minieurope.com currently lists adult tickets from €21.70 booked online, rising to €25 if bought on the spot, with children under 12 at €16 and under 115cm free; a combined ticket with the Atomium runs €33-35. The park closes for maintenance every year from around January 5 to mid-March, so check dates before planning a winter visit. Bruparck’s old water park, Océade, closed permanently in 2018 and is not part of a visit here.
Belgian Comic Strip Center
Rue des Sables 20, inside a 1906 Victor Horta building. Interactive exhibits trace Tintin, the Smurfs, Lucky Luke and the process of drawing a comic strip page by page. Adult €14, ages 12-25 €10, ages 6-11 €6, under 6 free. Open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-18:00, closed Mondays.
Booking ahead
Mini-Europe and the Atomium both get heavy school-group crowds on weekday mornings in May and June, so arrive right at opening or push the visit to early afternoon. Combined Atomium and Mini-Europe tickets are bookable on GetYourGuide , and confirming the exact online tier at atomium.be or minieurope.com before you go avoids paying the on-the-spot rate.
Before you go
Under-4s and under-6s ride free at every one of these four stops, but 115cm is the cutoff for a free Mini-Europe ticket rather than an age, so measure rather than guess. For more green space to burn off energy afterward, the Brussels sightseeing guide covers the parks around the center.