Thrilled to be going to Brussels!
 

Bon Jour Everyone! I am traveling to Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges, Amsterdam, and hopefully an overnight stay in Luxembourg, during my son's Spring Break. I thought that maybe I could get some good ideas about where to take him for special dinners in the evenings- (I personally am looking forward to the mussels in Brussels!) ... any ideas are gladly welcomed! I would also love any thoughts and ideas shared on what might entertain a 13 yr old boy (mine loves museums, music of any kind, plays, art and history ? he is the best travel companion!!!!) ? and I read that they have bicycle tours with Quasimodo (that sounds funny!) ? and if anyone has gone on a tour with them, did you like/dislike, any comments? We are staying at the Brussels Hotel Welcome, reservations in place (I have read a lot of raves!!)! But, I would like to get some ideas about somewhere to stay in Luxembourg, etc. (Anything under $300 USD per night) Also, is it a wise thing to purchase beforehand a rail pass for so many days with access to Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg? Also, after experiencing the strictness of nobody underage in the Pubs in London, unless at a section for meals, what is it like for traveling in Belgium, etc., do the same rules apply or more lenient?


Thanks in advance for any suggestions, advice, and ideas!


Steph

I believe Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg count as one Eurail country (Benelux). But of course check out eurail.com for info.

For your son, there is a chocolate museum in Brussels, also the Atomium and park there. There is also a mini-europe park soemwehere around there too that is pleasing to all ages.

I wouldn't expect as much strictness regarding age at any pubs/cafes, but again I don't know since I don;t travel with young'uns. I'm aimaginingthat with the numerous bike rental opportunities allt hrough these regions that your son should be pretty well occupied.

OK, I haven't answered much but I hope what little I've said is helpful.

My guess is he would enjoy a trip to the battlefield at Waterloo.

I'm not personally crazy about Brussels & a full day should be all that is needed. I would spend more of my time in Amsterdam & Lux. In Lux. there is a Best Western right across from the train station & w/in easy walking distance of everything you need to see. Namur & Maastricht (Neth.) are certainly worthy side-trips from Lux. as well.

Allovereurope, StCirq, and SAnParis: Thank you for your ideas - they are well noted.... I will look up the Best Western in Lux. as well...

Steph :)

I thought the food in Brussels overpriced and sometimes marginal. But if you are looking for mussels, then it would be hard to beat Leons. (But I can't imagine a 13 year old eating mussels.) I am also of the same mind that you would enjoy Amsterdam more than any other place in Benelux.

Steph,
Don't worry about taking your son to pubs in Belgium. As long as he's accompanied by an adult he won't have any problem.
Another suggestion for an excursion might be the Comic Strip Museum in Brussels.
Re bicycle tours: you can rent bicycles almost in every Belgian/Dutch railway station. A nice little trip (8 km one-way) is from Brugge to Damme along the Damse Vaart canal. An easy ride as it's very flat.
Have you checked out the www.trabel.com website? It's very informative about things to do/see in Belgium.
I'll get back to you if I think of something special for your son.

What would thrill your 13 year old? Stay in your hotel room and watch TV. Anything goes in Brussels....

A kid who likes museums and all kinds of music should like the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels. It's interactive, only a few years old, and in a great art deco building.

Hi Stephanie,
If you are the same Stephanie that was Thrilled to go to London, I seem to remember your little boy had quite sophisticated taste. Didn't he love Indian food?

I am sure some people imagine young kids as only eating McD's and watching tv. But if yours has already been to Europe, I am sure he will love Brussels also!

I meant art nouveau, not art deco. Sorry.

Thanks Bird for the restaurant, Leons...I do look forward to visiting Amsterdam!!

Myriam: I appreciate your mention of that website - I will have to take more time in the evening to look at it... the bike ride you mentioned sounds terrific! And, glad to hear that they are more relaxed with children/pubs! Makes things easier for a single mom traveling alone with child, to also stop and have a beer for the fun of it!

Steph

I'm not sure what made me open this thread, since I know almost nothing about Brussels and have no plans to go there (actually, maybe that's WHY I was curious). But, Bird, your post caught my eye and startled me. WHY IN THE WORLD would you find it so hard to imagine a 13-year-old who'd eat mussels?! It appears that StephanieJax is from the US, since she refers to prices in US$. Lots and lots of families in the US eat mussels, especially residents of areas fairly near the ocean and accustomed to seafood and people having ancestry in countries where mussels and other molluscs are commonly eaten. Contrary to some derogatory stereotypes, Americans don't all subsist on frozen dinners and casseroles made of canned food. In these families that eat all sorts of real food, the children, especially children as old as 13, eat the normal food of the family, including mussels if that's what the family likes to eat. It sounds like StephanieJax's son is a boy with interests and curiosity, and if he hasn't yet tasted mussels, there's no reason to think he won't try them.

KT: Yes he would like that one; He plays the guitar...interactive makes things better, even for us grown up kids...

Scarlett: Why Yes M'dear...I wrote Thrilled to go to London and the Thrilled Again version too - on our second trip over... My son does love Indian food, music and the Bollywood films!

In case you didn't catch what I meant about watching TV....be careful with the TV! Anything goes in Brussels - that includes porn channels - a lot of them! When we first checked into our hotel, my children (10 and 12 at the time), sat on the bed and started to flip through the channels. Then I heard them go - ewwwwwwwwwwwww - turned and looked - and was very surprised by what we saw! So be careful....

India, eh? There's an anthropological museum in Amsterdam called the Tropenmuseum (Tropical Museum). I've never been there (it's a bit out of the way), but I've heard it's very interesting -- stuff about life and culture from tropical and subtropical regions. Maybe somebody else on this forum has been there.

It focuses more on areas where the Dutch formerly traded/colonized, and I'm not sure how much is there related to India, but if he's that sort of kid, he might also be interested in things like Indonesian music and shadow puppet theatre or Caribbean music. Just a suggestion.

Also, since he likes history, I like the Amsterdams Historisch Museum, which covers the city's history, is housed in a former orphanage, and is often overlooked by visitors.

Really, you're spoiled for choice museum-wise. Get some guidebooks and see what grabs you!

Another museum that I'm sure your son will appreciate is the Museum of Natural Sciences in Brussels. It has a large collection of dinosaur skeletons. Really impressive.
The Ethnographic Museum in Antwerp should also be worthwhile. Although I live nearby I haven't been there myself. Shame on me ...
Do you think your son would be 'too old' to appreciate a zoo? The Antwerp Zoo is beautiful. It's a lovely park with buildings from the 19th century, in the city centre. It has about 950 species of animals (5000 animals total).

DonnaBee: Now I understand!! Thanks for clarifying - hahaha! and warning me... ;)

KT: The museums sound great, I did read about the Historich in Amsterdam..the building alone sounds very interesting. Yes, guidebooks are going to be a must!

Myriam: He is not too old for the zoo :) and he definitely will like the Natural Science - he liked London's Science Museum as well as he LOVES the Natural History Museum in NYC...

CMT: You are correct, we live in an area where seafood is abundant...and the kidlet loves seafood, including mussels - especially at the local Bistro, our family favorite!

Steph

Waterloo was perhaps the only disappointment my battlefield-loving, histoy-obsessed spouse has experienced in nearly 30 years of touring. It's a long ride to see a movie, a depressing and increasingly decrepit cyclorama -- think dead horses -- and a massive monument to an inadequate military leader.

And of course the gift shop is filled with busts of Napoleon who, if memory serves correctly, is the one who lost the battle.

We loved Brussels. Wander down the Rue des Bouchers and read the menus even if you elect not to eat there. Try to find the little church of St. Nicholas. It has a fascinating, year round, nativity scene complete with Til Eugenspiegel. Visit mini-Europe. Not as nifty as Madurodam in Holland but interesting never-the-less. One of the museums off the Gran Place has a collection of costumes for the Mannequin Pis. It's a lot of fun.

cmt is correct! My children grew up loving mussels in marinara sauce :)
Guess it depends on where you live and what you are exposed to.

I think any child or adult will love mussels with french fries!
Followed by some Belgian Chocolate :)