A short distance from the city, in Laeken, lies Bruparck, home to the world famous Atomium, a huge model of nine atoms which was built for the 1958 World Fair. The Atomium gives visitors a splendid view across the city and neighbouring surroundings. The nine spheres are interlinked by escalators and there is a museum inside one of them. Brupark is a fun day out for all of the family; it’s a great place to relax and picnic or for more lively members to enjoy the giant water-slide and rides at the water park Océade. Everyone will enjoy visiting the park’s Mini-Europe, a collection of 300 intricate models of famous European landmarks like London’s Big Ben and Italy’s impressive Vesuvius volcano. The park also hosts Belgium’s first IMAX cinema, Kinepolis, where you can experience a climb up the world’s tallest mountains or a sail down some of the most extreme rapids. The park is well equipped with cafes, restaurants and boutiques and a fantastic play area as well as a vintage merry-go-round.

If you prefer a more sedate day trip, then head for Laeken’s Royal Greenhouses, built in 1874 by Belgium’s King Leopold II. The greenhouses contain one of the world’s largest and paramount privately owned botanical collections. There are 16 enormous interlinked greenhouses plus a dining hall, a theatre and various reception areas. The greenhouses are open to the public for three weeks starting from the end of April. The greenhouses are amazing in themselves, built solely from metal and glass, which was a major innovation at the time of their construction. Additionally the collection of plants within each greenhouse represents a unique assortment of rare plants and flowers, including many rare exotic species in particular the royal collection of camellias. Many of the plants including the tall palms in the first greenhouse ever constructed, the Winter Garden, actually date back to the time of King Leopold II.

Most key Belgian cities are only an hour’s train ride from the capital and they each host their own unique pleasures. Antwerp, a busy harbour city renowned for its diamond industry is home to a beautiful cathedral adorned with paintings by native artist Rubens. You can also soak up the atmosphere of this famous painter at his birthplace, which is now a museum devoted to his life and his work or at the Royal Museum of Ancient Art.  The city of Ghent, a 45 minute train ride away is home to the Castle of the Counts, which recalls past battles from the Hundred Years War between France and England. Ghent’s old town is amazing and contains some wonderful architecture like the 15th-century Polyptych by Jan van Eyck in St Baafs Cathedral or the towers of St Bavo Cathedral, or the Belfry in St Nicolas church. Another key city worth visiting is Bruges, a romantic destination with an array of Medieval bridges spanning its canals; it’s a great place for a boat trip. Notable landmarks are the Town Hall, the 12th-Century Memling Museum, the Groeninghe Museum, the Chapel of the Holy Blood and the belfry within the Gruuthuse.