Travel Man: Brussels
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Brussels with the family
How about a weekend with the family? Discover the architectural treasures together, from lively squares to iconic monuments, creating joyful, shared memories. A stay in Brussels, where every corner holds a new adventure for the whole family.
Brussels surprises people who expect a gray administrative capital. It is the headquarters of the European Union, but it is also a city of ornate guildhalls, comic-strip murals and some of the best-known food in Europe. In the Travel Man episode, Richard Ayoade and comedian Lee Mack arrive by Eurostar and spend two days showing that the city takes its pleasures seriously. They visit a square twice, eat mussels cooked dozens of ways and learn why Belgian chocolate has its reputation. This family itinerary takes the same highlights and turns them into a bookable trip, with the hotel and airport transfer handled. The link below opens the full trip, and you can change any part of it.
A Square Worth Seeing Twice
Richard’s first stop is the Grand Place, Brussels’ main square and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Gilded guildhalls surround the cobblestones, and the town hall’s tall spire rises above them. His second move is to see it again at 1:25 scale. Mini Europe, a miniature park just outside the center, packs about 80 European cities into scale models, so you can walk past tiny versions of landmarks from across the continent in an afternoon. It’s a knowingly silly stop, and that’s the appeal, especially for kids. The itinerary includes skip-the-line entry, so the family can walk straight in.
Ride to the Top
Next to Mini Europe stands the Atomium, a 1958 landmark built as a giant model of an iron crystal, with nine steel spheres joined by tubes. Richard rides to the top in a very fast lift, and Lee stays on the ground and eats a waffle instead. The spheres hold exhibits, and the top one has a view over the city. It’s one of those structures that sounds like a joke until you are standing inside it.
The Atomium, built for the 1958 World’s Fair as a model of an iron crystal enlarged 165 billion times. Nine steel spheres are joined by tubes you can walk through.
Mussels and Puppets
Dinner is at Le Zinneke, where the menu lists mussels cooked in dozens of ways. Richard and Lee try Moules Genghis Khan and Moules Stink Puut, the latter roughly translating to “stinky feet.” The standard moules frites on the same menu, mussels with a side of fries, are the dish Belgians take seriously, and they’re the reason to go back. After dinner, there’s time for a show at the Royal Toone, a puppet theater that has staged traditional Belgian puppetry in the center of Brussels for generations.
Statues, Chocolate and Comics
The second day opens with a short walk to see Brussels’ three peeing statues: the Manneken Pis, the Jeanneke Pis and a dog, the Zinneke Pis. It’s a strange civic tradition, and the statues are free to visit. From there, Richard and Lee learn how chocolate is made in a workshop. The itinerary’s own chocolate workshop runs 90 minutes. You taste cocoa from bean to liquor, make mendiants (chocolate discs topped with nuts and dried fruit) and truffles, and leave with a personalized bar and a shop discount.
The iconic Belgian waffle. A must try snack when visiting Brussels.
The day ends at the Belgian Comic Strip Centre, which celebrates the country’s long comics tradition. Tintin is Belgian, and the center shows how much the form shaped the country’s culture. Waffles are the episode’s running snack, so save room for one near the Grand Place.
What the Itinerary Covers
The trip is built around a stay at the Aparthotel Adagio Brussels Grand Place, a short walk from the square, with a private minivan transfer from the airport on arrival. The first day covers the Grand Place, the Palace of Justice and the Manneken Pis. The second is the chocolate workshop and Mini Europe. Kids get the scale models and the peeing dog, and adults get the chocolate and the mussels. The link below opens the full trip, with dates you can choose yourself.
Brussels with the family
How about a weekend with the family? Discover the architectural treasures together, from lively squares to iconic monuments, creating joyful, shared memories. A stay in Brussels, where every corner holds a new adventure for the whole family.
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