Things to do in Brussels

August 4, 2006 1:49 PM

Looking for vegan restaurants and things to do with a three year old in Brussels.

We (my husband, three year old and myself) will be spending a couple of days in Brussels next week. We plan to visit Bruxelles les Bains. Are there any other things we should not miss? I searched for toy stores online and found Caisse Noisettes and Serneels. Any other recommendations?

I found this overview of vegan restaurants but if you have any personal recommendations, they would be very welcome, as would recommendations for health food or other food stores.

posted by davar to travel & transportation (8 comments total)

I don't know from vegan in Brussels, but as for things to do the bicycle is king there. Take your three year old for a bike ride.
posted by caddis at 2:06 PM on August 4, 2006

I'd recommend going to Brugge (sp)?. My boyfriend and I found it a lot more fun than Brussels.
posted by k8t at 2:35 PM on August 4, 2006

Thanks caddis. That seems like a fun idea.
k8t: I searched mefi and saw more commenters that were not particularly impressed with Brussels. Did you really dislike it that much? I thought Brussels would be good because of the Brussels Beach thing and because it is usually easier to find vegan-friendly restaurants in a larger city. What did you like better about Brugge?
posted by davar at 3:12 PM on August 4, 2006

It isn't that we hated Brussels, but we just didn't find much to do there.

I'd saw do 1 day in Brussels and take the train out to Brugge.

We saw Mannekin Pis, went to the Mannekin Pis costume museum (which was great), went to the musical instrument museum (very fun... but only took an hour or so), looked at the pretty buildings, had a beer and lunch (food was really overpriced), walked around and found that we were "over" Brussels. We were also NOT impressed with the food selection - and we like cheese a lot!

Brugge, on the other hand, was really relaxed, had the beautiful monastary, canals, neat dining, chocolate, and shopping options (not sure on the vegan tip though... you might have to just order veggie stuff without cheese on it). The train ride out there was nice too.

Here's a link to our photos.
posted by k8t at 3:28 PM on August 4, 2006

Brugge is prettier, smaller in scale, and friendlier. Belgians are especially friendly to foreigners anyway, but I found people in Brugge to be very outgoing and tolerant of tourists. The old buildings are very pretty and the cobblestone streets and narrow avenues are fun to wander in. Lots of great food as well, although I can't speak specifically to a vegan diet; Belgians are certainly proud of their food, and the amount of fantastic seafood (the moules! oh!) and cheese available everywhere is beyond compare. I would assume this same attitude would be carried over toward their vegetable produce.
posted by luriete at 3:34 PM on August 4, 2006

Thanks k8t, those photo's are beautiful and Brugge looks much nicer than I thought. I'll think about visiting it, if not now then maybe later (we live close to Belgium).

Suggestions for things to do and places to eat in Brussels are still welcome!
posted by davar at 4:25 PM on August 4, 2006

There's also Janneke-Pis in the Impasse de la Fidelite.
posted by brujita at 10:03 PM on August 4, 2006

I had trouble eating vegetarian in Brugge, so I don't know about vegan. Just warning you...
posted by randomination at 4:54 PM on August 5, 2006