Brussels is honestly one of the easiest European cities to visit for a day trip from London, especially if you manage to find cheap Eurostar tickets.
This was actually our third trip to Brussels. We first visited for a day trip in November 2024, then came back in April 2025 and stayed overnight. I’ll link both of those older posts here too if you want to see some of the other things we’ve already done in Brussels with kids.
For this trip, I spotted Eurostar tickets for £39 each way for myself and £27 each way for my daughter.
I booked them on 26 July 2026 for travel on 26 September 2026, exactly two months later.
As soon as I booked, I shared the deal in my private Facebook group, Kiddo Adventures Days Out, and told everyone they were welcome to book the same trains and join us.
Quite a few families did.
This is definitely one of those situations where you need to move quickly if you see a price you’re happy with. Only a couple of hours after I shared the tickets, the fares had already shot up.
Our Eurostar Times From London to Brussels
We left London St Pancras International at 7:04am and arrived at Brussels Midi at 10:05am local time.
For the journey home, we left Brussels Midi at 8:26pm and arrived back at London St Pancras at 9:27pm UK time.
That gave us a really decent amount of time in Brussels without needing to stay overnight.
Some of the families who joined us came back to London that evening, while others decided to stay over and make a weekend of it.
Getting Around Brussels With Kids
Getting around Brussels was really easy.
We mainly used public transport and I didn’t bother buying any special travel cards beforehand. I just used contactless.
You need a separate contactless card or device for each passenger, so I used one card for myself and another for my daughter.
Children under 6 can travel free on Brussels STIB public transport. Older children need a valid fare unless they qualify for another pass, so because my daughter is older, using two separate contactless cards was the easiest option for us.
We could basically just tap and go, which is exactly what you want when you only have one day in the city.
Harry Potter: The Exhibition Brussels
One of the main reasons for this trip was Harry Potter: The Exhibition.
We had already done the exhibition when it was in Germany and really enjoyed it, so I wanted to see how the Brussels version compared.
There are costumes, props, sets and interactive areas inspired by Harry Potter and the wider Wizarding World.
It wasn’t exactly the same as the German version though.
When we visited in Germany, we had interactive wristbands which personalised different parts of the experience and helped change some elements into English. We didn’t have those during our Brussels visit.
There were still interactive bits for the kids though and we enjoyed walking around everything again.
Visiting the Atomium
Next up was the Atomium.
We had already seen it from the outside on previous Brussels trips, but this was our first time actually going inside.
And somehow we picked a very good day to visit.
WiseNight was taking place, which meant we managed to get into the Atomium for free.
Totally unplanned.
There were also different science activities happening, including LEGO activities, experiments and other interactive bits.
Normally the Atomium is a paid attraction, so we definitely got lucky with this one.
Seeing Manneken Pis
Obviously you cannot visit central Brussels without going to see Manneken Pis.
If you have never seen him before, prepare yourself because he is much smaller than you might expect.
We happened to visit on another pretty interesting day because Manneken Pis was dressed in a special costume commemorating the volunteers of the Belgian Revolution of 1830.
The City of Brussels had an official event taking place on 26 September, with Manneken Pis wearing the costume between 4pm and 6pm.
Apparently he has a wardrobe containing more than 900 costumes, so depending on when you visit Brussels, you might see him wearing something completely different.
We definitely came on a good day without actually planning any of it.
The Giant Smurf
We didn’t have enough time to properly visit the Belgian Comic Strip Centre, but we did stop for some photos with the huge Smurf statue and had a look around the gift shop.
Belgium has such a big comic book history and once you start looking for it, you’ll notice references to different characters all around Brussels.
The Smurfs were created by Belgian cartoonist Peyo, so it definitely makes sense that you’ll spot plenty of Smurf related things around the city.
Brussels Has a Museum About Chips
Another random thing we came across was Frietmuseum Brussels.
Yes.
An actual museum about chips.
It sounds ridiculous but also kind of cool.
Unfortunately, by the time we got there it was too late for us to properly check it out, but this is definitely going on the list for next time.
An entire museum dedicated to Belgian fries and potatoes is exactly the sort of random attraction I would end up visiting.
Waffles at Maison Dandoy
Obviously you cannot really visit Brussels without getting a Belgian waffle.
Before our trip I had been doing my usual TikTok searching to see where people recommended, and Maison Dandoy kept coming up.
There seemed to be quite a few Maison Dandoy locations around Brussels too, and pretty much every one we walked past had a queue outside.
That’s normally a good sign.
I couldn’t try the waffle myself because of my nut allergy, but my daughter practically cleared the plate, so I think it was safe to say she approved.
If you want to try Belgian waffles while you’re in Brussels, Maison Dandoy is definitely one of the places worth looking up.
Belgian Chocolate Shops
The same goes for chocolate.
Chocolate shops are everywhere in Brussels.
We popped into a few while walking around and even if you’re not planning to buy loads, some of the displays are worth having a look at.
Between waffles, chocolate and an entire museum dedicated to chips, you’re definitely not going to struggle for food related things to find.
Speeltuin Brigittinenpark Playground
Just before we left Brussels, we also found Speeltuin Brigittinenpark.
Of course, once the kids spotted a playground, that was basically that.
I’m not going to pretend it was the cleanest playground we’ve ever visited. Some parts definitely looked a little rough around the edges and it could do with a good clean up.
But the actual playground equipment looked pretty cool and, if the area was looked after a little better, it could be a really nice playground.
Did that stop the kids? Absolutely not.
And realistically, you don’t exactly expect children to come out of a playground spotless anyway.
I definitely gave my daughter a huge Dettol bath when we got home though.
Looking for More Things to Do in Brussels?
If you’re trying to fill out your Brussels itinerary, it’s also worth checking Fever and GetYourGuide because you can usually find loads of attractions, tours and experiences on both.
I use both when planning our trips because sometimes you’ll find things you wouldn’t necessarily have thought to search for.
I also have a GetYourGuide discount code.
You need to download the GetYourGuide app first and then use:
The discount code works through the app, so I’ll add my app download link here.
You can also check Fever for Brussels activities and experiences before you go, especially if you’re looking for something a little different from the usual sightseeing.
Is Brussels Worth Visiting for a Day From London?
For us, definitely.
It is a long day, especially when you’re travelling with kids, but travelling directly from central London to Brussels makes it so much easier than flying.
On this trip we managed to do Harry Potter: The Exhibition, go inside the Atomium, explore central Brussels, see Manneken Pis, find the giant Smurf, get waffles at Maison Dandoy, browse chocolate shops, find an entire museum about chips and even squeeze in a playground before heading home.
And because we’ve already visited Brussels twice before, we didn’t feel like we needed to cram absolutely everything into this trip.
If you’re planning your own visit, have a look at my November 2024 Brussels day trip and our April 2025 Brussels stay too because we did different things on both of those visits.
One Brussels Midi Warning Before You Go
I also need to give you one less glamorous Brussels tip.
If you are somebody who regularly needs the toilet, keep this in mind before getting on the Eurostar back to London.
The toilets in the Eurostar part of Brussels Midi were absolutely FILTHY when we travelled.
Honestly, it looked like a scene from Saw.
Obviously, it could have just been particularly bad on the day we visited, but I would definitely carry antibacterial gel, wipes and just pray for the best.
You’ve been warned.
Our Kiddo Adventures Brussels Group Trip
This trip was also a little different because several families from the Kiddo Adventures community joined us.
When I found the cheap Eurostar tickets, I shared them in my private Facebook group, Kiddo Adventures Days Out, and simply told people they were welcome to book the same trains.
There wasn’t a strict itinerary where everyone had to spend every second together.
Some people joined us for certain activities, some did their own thing and met up later, and some stayed overnight rather than travelling back to London.
That is exactly how I want these trips to work.
Everyone can choose what works for their own family while still having other people around to explore with.
It was a very tiring day, but we had such a good time.
Want to Join Our Next Group Trip?
I’ll definitely organise another one.
If you want to join one of our future trips, you need to be in my private Facebook group, Kiddo Adventures Days Out.
That is where I share the dates, travel details and cheap fares when I find them.
And as this Brussels trip proved, sometimes those prices really don’t stay cheap for long.
So if randomly heading to another country for the day with a group of other families sounds like your kind of thing, make sure you’re in the group.
Who knows where we’ll end up next.
