A chocolate day in Bruges with kids, made rather than bought
A day of making chocolate, tasting pralines and running it off in a playground, with a workshop from age 7.
- Example start 09:30, finish about 18:00
- 7 stops, about 45 minutes of walking
- Youngest workshop age 7, with a parent
- One advance booking, the workshop
The short answer: For children of 7 and over, book the first slot of Choco-Story's workshop. It suits children who like to make things, because they temper real chocolate and take their bark and drawings home, and the museum visit is on the same ticket, so the morning is settled in one booking. Follow with lunch, a three-shop praline trail, an hour on 't Zand and a playground. Under 7, the workshop does not admit children, so start with the museum visit instead and keep the rest.
- Ways in
- 2
- Youngest age
- 7
- Workshop length
- 2½ h
- Walking
- 45 min
the workshop from 7, or the museum at any age
Choco-Story, with a paying adult
including the museum visit
in total, over the whole day
Workshop or museum: which fits your children
Ages, lengths and conditions are Choco-Story's own. Choose your children's age and the itinerary below follows it.
How old are your children?
Under 7: the museum, not the workshop. Choco-Story's workshop room is for 7 and over, so start with the museum visit and its tasting at 10:00 and follow the rest of the day as written. Nothing needs booking.
7 to 11: the workshop, with a parent. Book the first workshop slot. A paying adult takes part beside each child under 12, and the museum visit is on the same ticket.
12 and over: the workshop on their own. From 12 no adult has to take part. Drop the playground and give the time to 't Zand.
Your choice sets the itinerary below. The age limits are Choco-Story's own. Times are examples. A dotted time is a booked slot that the rest of the day bends around.
Choco-Story workshop
Wijnzakstraat, 7 minutes from Oude Burg 14. Taught in English, with help in Dutch and French.
- Age
- From 7
- a paying adult takes part with each child under 12
- Time
- 2½ hours
- including the museum visit and tasting
- Children make
- Bark and drawings
- in real chocolate, all taken home
- Booking
- Book ahead
- take the first slot of the day
The museum on its own
The same building on Wijnzakstraat.
- Age
- Any age
- under-7s included
- Time
- 1½ hours
- about; ends with a tasting
- Children make
- Nothing
- the praline trail is the hands-on part
- Booking
- No booking
- nothing to reserve
Our pick: from 7, book the workshop, because the museum is included and a parent joins in. For siblings on both sides of 7, one adult books the workshop with the older child while the other takes the younger round the museum, then everyone meets for lunch.
For both: no allergen list is published, so ask when booking. Prams are allowed but not recommended on the trail, and there are four steps at the entrance.
Hands-on first, sugar in the middle, legs at the end
The workshop goes first because children concentrate best before lunch and because it is the only fixed slot. The afternoon then runs west from the museum to 't Zand through the shops, and finishes in a park so the sugar has somewhere to go. Drop the 't Zand stop to shorten the day by about ninety minutes.
Start Oude Burg 14, three minutes from the Markt
-
Breakfast and a first hot chocolate near the Markt
Start at a café on the Markt or Steenstraat and order the hot chocolate now rather than later: it marks the start of a themed day and buys you a calm half hour before a long session.
Times, tickets and details
- Leave by
- 09:50 for the workshop
- Booking
- None
-
Photo: Catatine, CC BY-SA 4.0 Choco-Story workshop, then the museum tasting Booked slot
Children from 7, each with a paying adult beside them, make bark with toppings and chocolate drawings to take home, then walk the museum from bean to bar with a tasting at the end.
Times, tickets and details
Under-7s cannot enter the room; a second adult takes them round the museum or to the playground. Book on Choco-Story.
- Age
- From 7
- Adults
- A paying adult takes part with each under-12
- Length
- 2½ hours including the museum
- Out by
- About 12:30
- Languages
- English, with help in Dutch, French and English
- Booking
- Ahead; take the first slot
-
Chance
Under 7?
Skip the workshop and start with the Choco-Story museum at 10:00. The visit takes about an hour and a half and ends with a tasting, so lunch comes a little earlier and the trail gains time. Nothing needs booking.
-
Lunch: frites on the Markt or a table north of it
Choose the two frites stands by the Belfry if the children are hungry now; choose a brasserie on Sint-Jakobsstraat or the Eiermarkt for a table, a toilet and a quieter street.
Times, tickets and details
Keep it to about an hour so the shops get their attention rather than their boredom.
- Allow
- About 1 hour
- Booking
- None
-
Photo: Marc Ryckaert, CC BY-SA 4.0 Praline trail: one chocolate at each of three shops
Walk west through three chocolate shops and let each child choose exactly one praline per shop, with the task of saying why.
Times, tickets and details
The limit is ours, not the shops', and it keeps the trail a game rather than a sugar rush. Wollestraat, Katelijnestraat and Steenstraat each have several chocolate shops, so choose whichever look good on the day; ending on Steenstraat leaves you pointing at 't Zand.
- Streets
- Wollestraat, then Katelijnestraat, then Steenstraat
- Allergens
- Ask before a child picks; nuts and alcohol are common
- Per child
- Three pralines
-
Chance
Monday or Tuesday?
The Concertgebouw Circuit is closed, so the bells are off. Swap in Historium on the Markt, a walk-through of medieval Bruges whose VR add-on starts at 6, which is on the way back to the park. The workshop, shops and park run every day.
-
Photo: DELAHJ, CC BY 4.0 't Zand: the Concertgebouw bells Optional
The Concertgebouw Circuit's children's route climbs to a roof terrace with bells to ring.
Times, tickets and details
Details on the Concertgebouw site.
- Concertgebouw Circuit
- Wednesday to Sunday
- Skip it
- Saves about 90 minutes
-
Chance
Raining?
Rain affects only the playground. Replace it with Sea Dreams at Boudewijn Seapark, an indoor soft-play with slides and a toddler zone that opens on its own schedule from September to Easter; it is outside the centre, so allow a bus or taxi ride each way and check the official site for days. Or finish an hour earlier with the hot chocolate.
-
Photo: Marc Ryckaert, CC BY-SA 4.0 Playground at Koningin Astridpark
Walk back towards the centre to Koningin Astridpark, a large playground with a pond, a fountain and benches, where the afternoon's chocolate gets run off.
Times, tickets and details
It is free, needs no booking and sits on the way home.
- Cost
- Free
- Booking
- None
-
A hot chocolate to finish, then home
Stop at a café or chocolate shop on the way home that serves hot chocolate with a seat; several on Katelijnestraat and Mariastraat do, and it gives the day a matching end.
Times, tickets and details
Then walk home with the praline bags.
- Allow
- About 30 minutes
- Home
- About 5 minutes to Oude Burg 14
Practical notes
- Allergies
- Choco-Story publishes no allergen list for its workshop, so ask when you book and again on arrival; the chocolate contains milk and the toppings may include nuts. In the shops, ask before a child picks, because pralines often contain nuts, milk and sometimes alcohol. Do not assume a nut-free option exists until the venue confirms it.
- Pacing the sugar
- One praline per shop is the rule that makes the trail work, and the workshop bag goes home unopened. Expect three chocolates and two hot chocolates per child over the day; cut the second hot chocolate if that is too much.
- Buggies and toilets
- The shops are small, so park the buggy by the door. Choco-Story allows prams but advises against taking them round the museum trail, and has four steps at its entrance. Changing tables are confirmed at Historium on the Markt; the city maps public toilets on brugge.be.
- Arriving from the station
- Bruges station is about twenty minutes on foot from the Markt, or a short ride on a city bus; join at breakfast. Only the workshop needs booking, and its price is on Choco-Story's site. For guests, there is a supermarket a few doors from the suite for milk and fruit.
Sleep in a suite painted like a sweet shop
Oude Burg 14 is seven minutes from Choco-Story and two from the Belfry, so the morning workshop is an easy walk. Four of our suites sleep three or four.
See the family suitesQuestions about this day
From what age can children make chocolate in Bruges?
From 7 at Choco-Story's workshop, which does not admit younger children to the room. Under 7, the hands-on part of the day is the praline trail, and the Choco-Story museum visit with its tasting is open to all ages.
Does a parent have to take part in the workshop?
At Choco-Story, yes: a child under 12 joins with at least one paying adult, who makes chocolate too.
What can a younger sibling do during the workshop?
Visit the Choco-Story museum with the second adult, about an hour and a half with a tasting at the end, then wait in the café or walk to Astridpark's playground, ten minutes away. Everyone meets for lunch at 12:30 and the rest of the day is open to any age.
Can we do a chocolate day without a workshop?
Yes. Visit the Choco-Story museum on its own, then follow the praline trail, 't Zand and the playground as described. The day starts an hour later and nothing needs booking. This is the version for children under 7 and for families who would rather not commit to a two-and-a-half-hour session.
Does this day work for a 13-year-old?
Yes, with swaps. Choco-Story's workshop takes teenagers too, and from 12 no adult has to take part; drop the playground and give the time to 't Zand. If the teenager is travelling with adults rather than younger siblings, the friends' day may suit better.
How far is the walking?
About 45 minutes on foot over the whole day, in stretches of five to fifteen minutes between stops. The longest is 't Zand to Astridpark at about fifteen minutes; skip 't Zand and the day shrinks to about half an hour of walking.
Other days from the same door
Switch guides if one of these fits your group better.
Families, sightseeingOne day in Bruges with kidsChoose this for a broader day: Historium, a canal boat, the swans and the windmills, with a toddler-friendly core route.
CouplesA romantic day in BrugesFor two adults: an active version with the Belfry and bikes, or a slow one with a boat and a long lunch.
Friends and older teensBruges with a group of friendsChoose this for a group of four to ten: a walking tour, a bike loop, beers and who books what.
Seven minutes from the workshop, two from the Belfry
Four family suites sleeping three or four, with a fridge for the praline bags. Book direct for €10 off, free cancellation up to 72 hours before arrival.