Activities Brussels Activities
Activities and Local Information
This is an excellent area for families. Opportunities for recreation are plentiful, well organized and good value for money. There are a multitude of museums, zoos, Aquariums and animal parks. ‘Belgium 365’ is an excellent source of what to visit etc and can be obtained from your CLOs on the first Sunday of the month and the first Wednesday many museums are free, these include
The first Wednesday afternoon of the month
MIM - Musical Instruments Museum (from 1pm) Old Masters Museum (from 1pm) Modern Museum (selection) (from 1pm) Art & History Museum (from 1pm) Fin-de-Siècle Museum (from 1pm) War Heritage Institute - Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History (from 1pm) Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium (from 1pm) Museum of Natural Sciences - Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Science (from 1pm) ULB - Experimentarium Physics (from 2pm) BELvue museum (from 2pm, every Wednesday of the month)
The first Wednesday of the month
Villa Empain - Boghossian Foundation WIELS
The first Sunday of the month art et marges musée museum Anderlecht Old Béguinage Autrique House Bibliotheca Wittockiana - Bookbindings and Book Arts Museum Red Cloister Abbey Art Centre experience.brussels La Fonderie - Brussels Museum of Industry and Work Erasmus House Brussels Museum of the Mill and Food Spontaneous Art Museum Brussels City Museum Museum of Costume and Lace René Magritte Museum (strictly upon reservation via Facebook) ULB - Museum of Medicine Activities
The Brussels Card – ideal for visitors for discovering the fascinating capital of Europe. For 24/48/72 hours, the Brussels Card allows you to benefit from: free access to 41 museums of Brussels, including all highlights. For as long as your card is valid, you can visit the same museum as many times as you like. The Brussels Card gives you free access to all permanent collections of the museums and to most of the temporary exhibitions (except for the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium and the Art & History Museum where you pay the normal entrance fee if you want to visit the temporary exhibitions; at the Natural Sciences Museum you pay a supplement of 2,5€ for the exhibitions, at the Hall Gate a supplement of 3€ is due for the Bruegel exhibition from 18 October). discounts to tourist attractions, guided tours, shops, restaurants and bars. Free illustrated information guide (100 pages, in 3 languages), free city map and free museum map presenting all Brussels museums.
Buy online
Two optional advantages: Choose the combined formulae and enjoy also: unlimited travel on public transport: all STIB buses, trams and metro lines for 24, 48 or 72 hours. Only if you have a “Brussels Card + public transport”. unlimited access to Hop on Hop off buses for 24, 48 or 72 hours. Only if you have a “Brussels Card + Hop on Hop off”. Immediate access to the Atomium without standing in the ticket line. Only if you have a “Brussels Card + Atomium".
Musical
Gymboree Play & Music - At Gymboree, you and your child (0-5yrs) will build creativity, confidence and lifelong friendships. Gymboree programs are specially designed to help young children learn and develop as they play. They also run a children’s choir. Brussels Children’s Choir for 6+ years, held at Salle Lumen in Ixelles, 1050 Bruxelles, on Thursday evenings. For details contact [email protected] or 0486 849 564 Ding Dong Music Kodaly method, classes, 0-5 years with parents, 5-8 years without parents, plus flute and recorder lessons, held at the German Catholic church in Woluwe St Pierre 1150 Bruxelles (close to Montgomery roundabout) www.dingdongmusic.com
Dance (and Fitness)
Tree of Life Yoga – age 3 to adult, in Tervuren. www.treeoflifeyoga.be Dance Center Ducatillon – from age 4, ballet classes held at the Castle Club in Wezembeek Oppem. www.dancecenterducatillion.be Activities
Rock/Pop and Jazz stars often perform in Brussels.
Advertising is patchy so check Bulletin, xpats.com or angloinfo regularly for advance information. Best ticket booking offices are: FNAC, City 2 Brussels 02/275 11.11 www.fnac.be , Sherpa, Av du Port 86c Brussels 0900/00.991 www.sherpa.be or Tickets on Line at www.ticketmaster.com
Theatre
Theatre in English for 6-18 years, held at Nekkersdal Flemish Community Centre in Laeken 1020 Bruxelles and also at ISF School Waterloo, also LAMDA exams here. www.englishyouththeatre.be Theatre Club for 7-11 years and 12-18 years, held on Saturday mornings at de Kam Community Centre in WezembeekOppem. For further details, [email protected] Art Turtlewings, for all ages, at their own studio in Schaerbeck, 1030 Brussels: www.turtlewings.be Art-en-Ciel from age three, multi lingual. www.art-en-ciel.be Sport Brussels Sports Association – Football, basketball, baseball, lacrosse. Various locations, ages 4 to 12 years, depending on the sport. www.bsasports.org Swimming and tennis are available at the NATO Staff Centre, and also at the Castle Club, Wezembeek Oppem. Riding lessons at two locations: Het Gulden Spoor in Moorsel www.stalguldensporen.be and at The Lord Newcastle Stables in Hoeillart www.lordnewcastlestables.com Youth Movements Scouting – from Beavers (age 6 and up) through to age 16. Various locations including British School of Brussels (BSB). www.1stbrussels.be Girl Guiding – from Rainbows (age 5) and up, again, at BSB and other locations [email protected] Activities
Markets
Monday Uccle: Place St Job, 07.00hrs - 13.00hrs Tuesday Stockel: Place H Dumon 08.00hrs -13.00hrs Sterrebeek Kerkdries 08.00hrs—13.00hrs.
Wednesday: Brussels: Chausse D'Anvers 07.00hrs - 13.00 Evere: Rue Ed Deksoop 08.00 - noon. Ixelles: Place du Chatelain 14.00hrs -19.00hrs. Woluwe St Pierre: Place St Alix 08.00 - 13.00hrs
Thursday: Evere: Ave Vermelyn 08.00hrs - noon. Ixelles: Chausee de Boondael. 14.00hrs -19.00. La Hulpe: Rue des Combattants 08.00hrs - 13.00hrs. Woluwe St Pierre. Place des Maeurs 08.00hrs - 13.00hrs. Overijse: 08.00hrs – 13.00hrs Kortenburg: 08.00hrs – 13.00hrs
Friday: Stokkel: Place Dumont 08.00hrs -13.00hrs. Hoeilaart: 08.00hrs – 13.00hrs. Tervuren: 08.00hrs – 13.00hrs
Saturday: Brussels: Place Emile Bocksael 07.00hrs- 14.00hrs. Stokkel: 08.00hrs - 14.00hrs.
Sunday: Jette: Place Cardinal Mercier 07.00 hrs -13.00hrs. Brussels: Gare du Midi 07.00hrs – 12.30hrs
Daily: Brussels: Place St Catherine 07.00hrs - 17.00 hrs Ixelles: Place Flagey: 8.00hrs - 12.00hrs except Mondays.
Flea Markets
Daily: Brussels: Place du Jeu de Balle 07.00hrs – 14.00hrs Antique – Weekends only: Brussels: Place du Grand Sablon: Sat 10.00hrs - 18.00hrs Sun 10.00hrs - 14.00hrs
Sunday: Brussels: Grand Place 07.00hrs - 14.00hrs Tongeren: 07.00hrs – Midday (an hour outside Brussels on the E40) Activities
Sports and Fitness
Aspria / La Rasante - www.aspria.com/en/ The Castle Club - www.sports-valley.be/ Basic Fit - www.basic-fit.be Golf
Golf is popular but relatively expensive in Belgium. Players must have a Royal Belgian Golf Federation card to play at most clubs, with insurance cover and an official handicap. Many clubs however offer to train and qualify the novice through their professionals; notably La Bawette and Kampenhout. Duisburg Military Golf Club, Tervuren – This Belgian military facility has a fixed number of memberships available to NATO staff and their spouses. A short nine-hole course (Par 32) but mature and well laid-out, it offers a suitable challenge and training ground for all levels of player. (This is probably the cheapest source of your Belgian Federation Card.) The NATO Golf Club – This group arranges fixtures on average once a month in the season at various courses. Good value, but you have to be a member of a separate club to obtain your official card and handicap. Tennis – Tennis is available at NATO Sports Centre. It’s also available at both the Davis Club in Wezembeek-Oppem and Castle Club in WezembeekOppem. In Overijse there are regular groups playing at the Panorama Club 02 687 5533. Swimming – NATO Sports Centre, and most communes have a swimming pool. Clubs/Groups/Organisations
NATO International Club. This is a popular club with a really international feel. It produces a monthly newsletter with details of all its activities including: coffee mornings, art and craft activities, and English/French/Dutch conversation groups, cookery lessons, walking group, cinema visits and excursions/trips. To join (15 euros per annum), visit www.natointernationalclub.org and click on the tab “Join Us”.
British and Commonwealth Women’s Club of Brussels. This is a civilian club (founded 1963) open to all commonwealth expat women living in Belgium. There is an annual membership fee of €90 which provides access to a clubhouse in Woluwe St Pierre. There are regular trips and visits as well as special events held within the clubhouse, tel: 02 772 5313 or find us at www.bcwcb.org for further information. Activities
Welcome to Belgium. The ladies of ‘Welcome to Belgium’ organise some fascinating trips and visits to sometimes quite inaccessible places – private homes/gardens/collections – for the benefit of the large international community now resident here. They also organise French conversation groups all over Brussels and run excellent cookery classes. To receive information on all of these, telephone 02 673 5953 between 10 am and 12 noon, any weekday, or write to Prieure de Val Duchesse, Avenue Val Duchesse 1A, 1160 Bruxelles. Details of all events will then be regularly sent to you by post (free of charge).
BCT (Brussels Childbirth Trust) The Brussels Childbirth Trust, (BCT), is an organisation providing help and support to young families in Belgium. It was founded in 1978 in an effort to establish a group for English speakers that followed the example of the National Childbirth Trust in the UK. Now, more than 30 years later, the BCT is an independent organisation with close to 1200 members from over 60 nations. It offers a large range of services and activities to its members. It is an entirely voluntary organisation, run for its members by its members. Lisa Adams is the President, email: [email protected] Imagine, 77 Mechelsesteenweg (Chaussée de Malines), 1970 Wezembeek-Oppem. The Imagine building is situated about 50m back from the road, behind a Citroen and Suzuki car showroom. Parking is limited. Contact 02 215 33 77 or [email protected]
BLOC (Brussels Light Opera Company), for those who enjoy the performing arts either on the stage or from the auditorium, BLOC is Brussels’ largest English language musical theatre company. For more information go to www.blocbrussels.be. Membership costs €40 for performing members and €20 for nonperforming members.
Discover Belgium Walks. The programme for these varies, but these are largely urban walks that take in the history and culture of Brussels. For information and to obtain details of the programme, contact Andree Jacquet [email protected], or telephone her on 010 45 0933.
CHS Community Help Service. This service offers an anonymous 24hr English language emergency helpline (+32 (0) 2 647 67 80) and operates a mental health centre. Go to www.chsbelgium.org for more information.
NATO Staff Centre. Located at NATO Headquarters, it offers a range of facilities which can be used by you, your family and guests, once membership to the centre has been obtained by your spouse – NB only for those working at NATO. There is an annual membership fee and charges for various facilities. Sporting facilities include a swimming pool, fitness centre, badminton courts, squash courts and tennis courts. There is an excellent, very reasonably priced restaurant and bar, which offers a full “A La Carte” menu for lunch and dinner.