EUROPE FOR KIDS
Make the most of a trip through the Low Countries
After years of saving up points and diligently poring over the requisite guidebooks, my immediate thought after booking our highly anticipated vacation was: Oh no, I’ve just booked a two-week vacation in Europe with my young children. What ARE we going to do?
These are the same children who go limp when I ask them to walk a quarter-block. The ones who throw me a suspicious look whenever I tell them we’re trying something new for dinner.
There would have to be sacrifices: goodbye plans to spend afternoons in art museums and wandering aimlessly through high-fashion shops. And waiting in line for anything would have to be kept at a minimum.
With my two girls in tow, here’s how we … well, not conquered, but managed to survive and even enjoy, multiple cities throughout the Netherlands and Belgium in two quick weeks.
I fought the urge to visit the tourist “must-dos.” Sure, Amsterdam’s Anne Frank House is worldfamous, but listening to my eightyear-old moan and whine while standing in line for upward of three hours would have been torture. I figured she (and, therefore, all of us) would be much happier instead on a canal cruise.
Our relaxed and lounge-worthy canal tour gave us an easy way to see a huge chunk of the city in about an hour. Gliding along Amsterdam’s canal ring — recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2010 — also allows a view of the city’s most popular sites, including the Anne Frank House.
Delft and Bruges, quaint Dutch and Belgian cities not far by train from Amsterdam, are also filled with picturesque canals and make great canal-cruising destinations.
Of the three cruises we took, the one in Bruges might have been the most fun and exciting. Unlike the other canal cruises, this one was completely uncovered and motored along at an impressive speed, navigating us through the city’s beautiful and centuries-old architecture.
I fought the urge to visit the tourist ‘must-dos.’ Sure, Amsterdam’s Anne Frank House is world-famous, but listening to my eight-year-old moan and whine while standing in line for upward of three hours would have been torture. — Sheliza Mitha
Back on land, one of the girls’ favourite activities became what we casually dubbed “urban hiking” — also known as climbing old towers.
In Delft, this meant mounting the 376 steps to the top of Nieuwe Kerk tower — the second highest in Holland — in one of Delft’s main squares. Once at the top, the tower affords breathtaking views stretching as far as Rotterdam and The Hague on a clear day.
In Bruges, our kid-approved urban-hiking adventure took us to the iconic Belfry Tower — arguably the city’s most famous landmark. Situated in Markt Square in the heart of the city, climbing the tower’s 366 stone steps presents an up-close view of the massive church bell as well as rewarding views of Bruges and the Belgian countryside.
All that climbing works up quite an appetite so fortunately, Europe’s Low Countries present a variety of kid-friendly food options. We enjoyed simple yet tasty picnics of bread, cheese (Gouda, of course), fresh fruit, and those oh-so-tasty stroopwafels in the city’s parks.
The city of Bruges might as well be made of chocolate — there are chocolatiers on nearly every block.
The Chocolate Line was a particularly special find, and boasted more flavours than one could imagine possible in chocolate: saffron and mild curry, marzipan with pistachio, almond praliné and crispy bacon with quinoa. The chocolate shops kept us energized and motivated to keep exploring the city, which dates back to the ninth century.
Much of our time in Brussels was also spent sampling the local fare — Belgian waffles. Along with being the capital of the European Union, it seems Brussels is also the undisputed capital of modest yet aromatic waffle stands.
For inexpensive meals, Brussels has plenty of food trucks throughout the city, serving everything from crepes to sandwiches and Belgian fries (of course) to Vietnamese, Thai and Italian fare.
It’s also worth visiting many of the cafés in Brussels offering authentic Belgian fries, which the girls heartily enjoyed as I sat across from them savouring a rich Belgian ale after a day of sightseeing and eating waffles.
While Amsterdam is home to more than 35 attractions and museums, I allowed myself only one: the Van Gogh Museum.
My 14-year-old and I were convinced this would be the best kidfriendly option, both for the lack of lines and Van Gogh’s colourful and vibrant paintings. Plus, children get in free (admission is about $25 for adults).
To kick up the kid appeal, get the children’s multimedia guide, free with the rental of an adult multimedia guide for roughly $7.
Museums were not on our list for Bruges, but the Historium caters to children — and mine pleaded with me to go.
The history of medieval Bruges is revealed through some dynamic multimedia — including cinematic sets with dramatic music, special effects and a fictional storyline based on Flemish artist Jan Van Eyck’s painting of Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele.
The highlight of the Historium visit, however, was the virtual reality experience where, for just a few fleeting minutes, guests are transported into medieval Bruges and become part of the scene, floating on rafters and sitting on cranes suspended in the air.
Plus, there’s always the prize of a hearty Belgian beer at the end for grown-ups at the Historium’s pub (children allowed) boasting a patio that overlooks the captivating Disney-like town square.
In Brussels, it was the Belgian Comic Strip Center that was on the girls’ must-see list.
We spend an entire day among fun props, interactive games and a screening room of famous Belgian cartoons. We also saw early storylines for popular comic strips and cartoons and some history and background on The Smurfs, as well as Asterix.
The Brussels City Card (day and multi-day passes available; approximately $55 for a 72-hour pass) provides free admission to this museum.
We skipped the cultured art museums I pictured when I first started saving those points, so many years ago, but it’s a lot more interactive and maybe, just maybe more fun.
WHERE TO STAY
We focused on accommodations that included breakfast — saving money and the hassle of sourcing a meal each morning.
In Amsterdam, we found a welcome respite from the city’s bustle at the Hotel V Fizeaustraat (roughly $250 per night) with its unique industrial-meets-Amazon decor. It’s got great service and a gourmet, made-to-order breakfast.
As the birthplace of artist Johannes Vermeer, we (naturally) stayed at the centrally located Johannes Vermeer Hotel (approximately $175 per night) in Delft.
This hotel is a throwback to the olden days with actual keys, no elevator and a Murphy bed that handily pulls from the wall. It is only a few minutes’ walk from Delft’s two main city centres: Markt Square and the Beestenmarkt.
Our accommodations in Bruges at the four-star Academie Hotel (approximately $175 per night) placed us in between the train station and the city square — each about a 10-minute walk.
The Vintage Hotel (roughly $140 per night) in Brussels was a family favourite for its playful, quirky decor and our room that boasted two separate ( yet connected) floors. Featuring retro chic at nearly every turn, it offered a fun twist on the “Vintage” name with its mustard yellow rotary phone (circa 1960s, perhaps), psychedelic swirls on the walls, (new) shag carpeting, and colourful old movie posters of French director Jacques Tati.