The last time when I visited here on a day trip to Brussels, I had time only to visit the Atomium of the 4 Brussels attractions located next to each other in Heysel, in north Brussels. That was the last thing for the day and I literally ran from Koekelburg Basilica to the metro station and from there to Atomium, to reach it just 15 mins before the last entry time! I made it!
This time, I managed to visit 2 of Atomium's neighboring Brussels attractions, Design Museum Brussels (prev. ADAM) and Mini-Europe!
The article has been updated in 2023. Some photos belong to 2017 when I was pregnant with my daughter. The same child from inside my uterus is there prancing around Mini-Europe in 2023!
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Working/Interactive miniatures at Mini-Europe
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OCEADE - WATER PARKS IN BRUSSELS
Apart from Atomium, ADAM and Mini-Europe, one more place to see here is Oceade! However, if you’ve been following my other blog, Fashion Panache, you may know that I’m pregnant right now (as of 2017). So water rides in an amusement park is a big no-no for me! So over to my experience at Mini-Europe and Atomium Design and Art Museum!
Update 2018 - This is now permanently closed and has been acquired by Walibi group. Most of the equipment and rides have been moved to Aqualibi in Wavre, close to Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, in the south of Brussels.
MINI-EUROPE BRUSSELS - BEST THINGS TO DO IN BRUSSELS
Even from atop the Atomium, the view of Mini-Europe is stunning! As soon as you enter, it is really crazy with so many mini monuments in front of you. However, if you follow the passage, it’s easy to decipher what is what and with the guidebook, it’s indeed a cakewalk! No, not really... I’m exaggerating. With a whopping 350 miniature models, everything meticulously re-created in a 1:25 ratio, it takes half a day easily to see it all and energy just dips as you keep walking!!! So yeah, carry a waffle in your hand…All links below direct to my visits to the 'real' places depicted as miniatures in Mini-Europe. Click the links to read all the more about the same places & monuments!
MINI-EUROPE BRUSSELS - MINIATURE MONUMENTS OF SCANDINAVIA & BALTIC STATES
The park begins with Denmark. No, not Copenhagen but with Trelleborg! It depicts the Vikings' camp of 1000 CE with its circular fortress and wooden longhouses! But the best part is the enactment with miniature humans and ships and barrels!!! Then we proceed with Copenhagen’s Exchange and Nyhavn. Next, we move to Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania etc.
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Christmas Truce at St.Yvon Trenches
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MINI-EUROPE BRUSSELS - MINIATURE MONUMENTS OF BELGIUM & THE NETHERLANDS
The major next portion was dedicated to, of course, Belgium! It began with Curtius House in Liege, complete with a canal in front of it and Veves Castle! Can you find the arguing car drivers on Liege's road? Next was the early Gothic architecture of the Cathedral of Our Lady in Dinant, complete with the stained glass details and arches in the architecture! There’s also a stunning parade in front of it with a musical band, floaters, etc! There’s also a cable car that takes you to the Citadel!!! Then was the Brussels Grand Place depicting……….. you’re right if you guessed the 2016 Flower Carpet! Below are the real flower carpet of 2016 and the miniature and yours truly posing in front of both! Update 2022: The flower carpet has now changed to the brand-new 2022 version, as in the first picture of the article.
Also read: Brussels Flower Carpet 2018
This was followed by several landmarks from the Netherlands including Amsterdam, Veere, Kinderdijk, etc. The Kinderdijk is a working/interactive model where steering a wheel will make the windmill turn around!
Next was Antwerp followed by Leuven and Ghent! A week after I went here to Mini Europe and photographed miniature Leuven, the next weekend I was at Leuven, photographing the real thing!!!
MINI-EUROPE BRUSSELS - MINIATURE MONUMENTS FIRST WORLD WAR SITES - COMMON WEALTH WAR GRAVES & MORE
Very close to the Bruges Belfry area is the area for remembrance. There's a huge poppy flower and behind it are various cemeteries of war graves of the First World War. Brooding soldier (Vancouver corner) and Langemark German cemetery are in the miniature form here.
Right at the back is the miniature replica of St.Yvon trenches with the trenches of Allies and Axis and the strip of no man's land between them. The miniature sculptures of Axis and Allied soldiers are here playing football and chatting together, depicting the Christmas Truce!
Apart from these, there is the French cemetery of Saint Charles de Potyze, the Belgian Houthulst, and 4 Commonwealth War Graves Cemeteries including Aeroplane Cemetery and St Symphorien Cemetery, all here in miniature. (If you're an Indian reading this - No, there are no Indian War Graves of WWI in these cemeteries).
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Kyiv Independence Monument Ukraine
MINI-EUROPE BRUSSELS - MINIATURE MONUMENTS OF THE UK
Next was the UK, beginning with Big Ben, Cutty Sark, and Westminster Abbey, followed by a couple of sites in Ireland, and then began England with Longleat House, The Royal Cresent of Bath, a ferry across the English Channel, and Dover Castle! The mere feeling of seeing the same sites again in a miniature size brought back beautiful memories of my visit to those very places!
Update 2020: After Brexit, there's a miniature Customs & Immigration border before getting into the UK miniature monuments. That's essentially a miniature Border Control to go from Mini-Europe to Mini-UK and to return!
MINI-EUROPE BRUSSELS - MINIATURE MONUMENTS OF FRANCE & WESTERN EUROPE
Next France began, obviously with Eiffel Tower in Paris, followed by Arc de Triomphe, and Montmartre hill (yeah, that's the real vs miniature Eiffel)! There was also a miniature railway track showing Thalys, the high-speed train (check it out in the video above). This was followed by Portugal, Spain, Malta, Germany (incl. Potra Nigra at Trier), etc.
MINI-EUROPE BRUSSELS - MINIATURE MONUMENTS OF ITALY, GREECE & CENTRAL EUROPE
The next stop was Italy, of course showing their prized possession, the Leaning Tower of Pisa!!! This was followed by a working miniature of Mt.Vesuvius in eruption, which destroyed Pompeii! This was followed by all other European countries incl Luxembourg, Czech, Slovak, Hungary, Croatia, etc. The walk inside Mini-Europe finally wraps up with Greece showing the stunning Athens Acropolis!!!
MINI-EUROPE BRUSSELS - MINIATURE MONUMENT OF UKRAINE
Update 2022: Now that Ukraine is a part of the European Union, Kyiv Independence Monument has also been depicted in miniature. The whole situation has been depicted here with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen & Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky shaking hands. There are also aid trucks from various Belgian companies incl. Bpost, Colruyt etc lined up.
There’s also a large café, well-maintained toilets here as well as some games for kids, testing their knowledge about the European countries! Btw, if you haven’t yet, click the links on the locations in this post, to read about my trip to those 'actual' locations! Hoping to see the rest in reality too!
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Miniature of Royal Cresent in Bath, England is now updated with a panel of Scientists, Poets & Humanitarians of the region
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DESIGN MUSEUM BRUSSELS (ADAM)
From here our next stop was Design Museum Brussels (prev. ADAM Atomium Design & Art Museum). Currently, an exhibition is going on here on plastics. The first thing that the place reminded me, was of the G.D.Naidu Museum collections!!! With phones of the 1950s and computers of the 1990s, it was one awesome visual treat! While I saw very early computers in the G D Naidu museum, here were the old ones that were made with the design aspect in mind! Also Read: Philips Museum, Eindhoven
The permanent collection has about 2000 articles on post-modernism to the pop-art era with so much plastic! Especially the furniture here was just stunning! There was a chair made of clear colorless plastic that looked like it was a draped fabric! The early assembled, stackable chairs were interesting too!
A particular chair that looks like a seated man was very intriguing! Office desks designed by Marice Calca were perfect examples of Art Nouveau sensibilities! With fluid designs made of plastic, totally functional! No wonder he has won several awards!
P.S.: Check out here to know what I wore!
BRUSSELS PLANETARIUM (Update 2022)
Before Atyudarini was born, Planetarium wasn't very interesting to me, now that she's a young kid, the planetarium is a must visit and right here, very close to Atomium, Mini-Europe, and Design Museum is Brussels Planetarium as well.
While the permanent exhibition of Brussels Planetarium has nothing much except a display on the planets, a display on various objects of a space shuttle, and a central globe whose display can be controlled by the visitors on a touchscreen. There are a couple of touchscreen games like memory games, for kids, as well. The planetarium is not worth visiting except when you're going to watch a movie in the 360° dome! The movies shown in the dome are exceptional! There are about 6 movies meant for various age groups from 3yr old kids to adults. There is no common audio but only audio phones in which you can select the language. English is available in the language selection of all the movies.
Of course, there's a very irresistible shop with space-themed stuff as well as a coloring corner for young kids.
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HOW TO REACH MINI EUROPE, DESIGN MUSEUM BRUSSELS & BRUSSELS PLANETARIUM
Nearest metro/tram station: Heysel/Heizel
Both these sites are walkable from Heizel & Atomium.
MINI-EUROPE TICKETS (Updated in Mar 2023)
€19 for Mini Europe.
Mini Europe tickets have to be bought online via the official website of Mini-Europe with time-slot entry.
€24.00 for Mini Europe + Brussels Planetarium. This can be bought only at the ticket desk of the Planetarium.
€31.30 for Mini Europe + Atomium. This can be bought only at the ticket desk of Atomium.
However, combo tickets are temporarily unavailable when time-slot entries are in place.
MINI-EUROPE BRUSSELS OPENING HOURS (Updated in Mar 2023)
Mini-Europe Brussels Timings: All days 9:30AM to 5:00/6:00/8:00PM (in winter/spring & autumn/summer respectively)
Annual Closure: Approximately 2 months from mid-Jan to mid-Mar. Dates change every year.
Re-opening of Mini-Europe 2023: 11 Mar 2023
DESIGN MUSEUM BRUSSELS (ADAM) TICKETS (Updated in Mar 2023)
€10 for ADAM (Design Museum Brussels). Included in MuseumPASSmusees
Design Museum Brussels (ADAM) tickets have to be bought / timeslot reserved online on the official website of ADAM (Design Museum) Brussels.
DESIGN MUSEUM BRUSSELS (ADAM) OPENING HOURS (Updated in Mar 2023)
Design Museum Brussels (ADAM) Timings: 11:00AM to 7:00PM (Fri-Sun + Belgian school holidays)
BRUSSELS PLANETARIUM TICKETS
€24 for adults; €17.10 for children - Mini Europe + Planetarium. This can be bought only at the ticket desk of Brussels Planetarium.
BRUSSELS PLANETARIUM OPENING HOURS
Brussels Planetarium Timings: 10:00AM to 05:00PM every day.
Movie timings at Brussels Planetarium: via official website of Brussels Planetarium
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P.S: I was invited by ADAM & Mini Europe to experience them for review purposes, however, the opinions are my own and this post does not advertise the product/service.
P.S: The photographs of Atomium in the background, were clicked by me but the structure/architecture/image of Atomium are copyrighted to Atomium till the year 2075 CE and these are being used in this blog and related social media with prior permission.
Thank you for these detailed pictures!
ReplyDeleteI have visited the mini-Europe park twice. The first time when I was a teenager and the second time with a group of Japanese students. They loved it! The park is a great spot to see All Europe in one day! You can get a free booklet at the entrance explaining the models and with relevant facts about the countries.
Super cool pictures. I am yet to blog about this...
ReplyDeleteBrilliantly compiled post !
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough when I visited Brussels this is the only thing I didn't get time to do! If you go again I recommend the museums and Delirium Cafe. I will try and go back to do Mini Europe, it looks so sweet!
ReplyDeleteThats so funny !
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I visited when I went to Brussels was the Atomium as well.
Great to know, that the city has so much more to offer.
Greetings
Amelie
wow the Gothic Cathedral and flower carpet are amazing! I've never been but have been wanting to for 15 years (since I was 23 and hoping to study abroad in Belgium fora year but it didn't happen)
ReplyDeleteI never knew mini-Europe existed! So much detail put into the figurines and models - I'd say it takes a lot of work to maintain!
ReplyDeleteNow my children would LOVE to visit all those places! I shall have to book a quick trip across to Belgium very soon!
ReplyDeleteWow Europe in 1 day and that too on foot, sounds unimaginable but this park has proved it. This Adam Museum showing Mini Europe must be wonderful and educational for children. I loved that Gothic Cathedral and Flower Carpet. I am also keen for ADAM as I love to see art and design museum. Beautiful post!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of this attraction in Brussels, but it does look fun! So much work must have gone into building this, I must remember the next time I'm back. I love those strange plastic chairs and sculptures too, very unique indeed!
ReplyDeleteThat is a really interesting museum. I've been to a similar one in The Netherlands and it was amazing. I would love to visit this one too.
ReplyDeleteI was in Brussels a few years ago and had no idea this Mini Europe was even there. It's a really chilled city, and your posts shows the fun side of it. Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteWow, I am floored at the details in these pictures, I had never heard of Mini Europe and it would be quite spectacular to visit and see.
ReplyDeleteWow this is such an interesting place to go! This is the first time that I've heard of it. I think it is so amazing how they have studied and incorporated all these details from notable tourist attractions and landmarks in Europe. :)
ReplyDeleteI have seen some shots of Mini Europe on TV and was intrigued by what I saw. I would love to go there one day
ReplyDeleteI have a Mexican Uncle (my daughters mothers Uncle) who visited Brussels. He visited the Mini Europe and when I told him I was visiting Brussels he kept on about the Mini Europe! I think it's his favourite place in Brussels and all of Europe. I didn't visit however and he was a little disappointed, I'll send him your link as I'm sure he will love this article! It looks quite detailed with all the important monuments of Europe, especially the Eiffel Tower and your comparison with the original!
ReplyDeleteThe mini Europe looks awesome and ADAM is very interesting!! When we visited Brussels, we didn’t make it to Atomium’s last entry time nor see the Mini Europe and ADAM! :( We really need to go back to Brussels to see these attractions.
ReplyDeleteMini Europe (Brussels) shows the major sights and places in Brussels which have a great historical significance. We've similar mini Philippines. We call it Nayon Pilipino (Filipino Community) which showcases all the tourism spots in our country.
ReplyDeleteThis is really an amazing place to visit! Cool and very attractive. Very nice idea to put major sights into one place.
ReplyDeleteMini Europe sounds like so much fun. I love that they have so much detail like the drivers arguing! That would be fun to find. I wished this was something I visited when I was in Brussel. Instead I too went to the atom.
ReplyDeleteI also read your post about the flower carpets and love that thy were featured in Mini Europe!
That's a super creative and unique collection you featured from there!
ReplyDeleteI love reading travel posts! It's good that you were able to take a photo by the Eiffel Tower with not many tourists around. And that Apple laptop that looks like a toy! I used to have one!
ReplyDeleteWow nice pictures. Mini Europe sounds like real fun. I remember Brussels as one of the prettiest places I have visited.
ReplyDeleteI love miniature museums. I had no idea they had one in Brussels! Loved the car accident scene. That plastic human chair in ADAM looks so crazy!
ReplyDeleteI've never been to a miniature museum before, so I loved reading this! So cool how they have little replicas of some of the big popular structures throughout Europe.
ReplyDeleteMini Europe is really fascinating.Seeing all the European landmarks in miniature version must indeed be a thrilling experience. Sights like the Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa, look so much like the original, as if by some magic they have been shrunk.
ReplyDeleteThis is very cool. The detail of this miniature town is really impressive. Looks like an interesting day out! Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteHaven't been to any place in Europe. Thanks for sharing this! It is a very huge place with Europe all at once. Keep it up! :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is such a lovely mini place.. I'd love to visit here one day.. Nice!
ReplyDelete