We often get the question whether we know any good tips for a city trip with kids. Cities and kids are apparently as irreconcilable as water and fire. Yet it does not have to be that way. Often, you just have to get a good sense of what the city has to offer and how you can deal with this in a child-friendly way. Below is an example of a top weekend away in your own country: Hasselt and surroundings!
With two teenage daughters you cannot escape fashionitis: the ingrained urge of girls to make themselves beautiful and especially to go shopping. Mother Nature seems to have programmed this gene consistently in them. It doesn’t help that they are fans of the programme ‘Shopping Queens’ on Five. Jani, thank you for your innocent brainwashing of our daughters. In spite of the city marketing of Leuven, this time we were playing city over Hasselt. Hasselt has it‘ is what it says on the flags when you enter the city. What Hasselt has, we would discover that weekend.
Hasselt fashion city
Here, Hasselt is a true paradise for the better shopping queen-to-be. True to the formula, we gave our kids a small amount that they were free to spend on putting together their dream outfit. Apart from the necessary fun that comes with it, you also teach the kids how to handle money. I wonder how creative they would be during their shopping trip and how much would remain at the end ? Hasselt has something for everyone: from nice boutiques to the bigger chains. But you certainly won’t return with empty shopping bags.
City of Taste
With the nice warm weather we had at the time, we enjoyed the city centre and the many pavement cafes that the city has to offer, including on the green square. For a well-deserved ice cream, we went to ‘Ice of Flavour‘, the best ice cream bar in town, where you can choose from many delicious and original flavours such as ‘coffee time’ or ‘coconut lunch’.
In the evening we had made reservations at the ‘Goei Goesting’. To call ‘De Goei Goesting’ a brasserie is to do it an injustice. For the people of Hasselt this is a well-known address and the building immediately attracts attention because of its smart interior and design. No pompous gastronomy here, but very tasty, honest Flemish cuisine. Smiling faces with the kids were also our share. Ready to crawl under the wool for another exciting day.
Through Tuscany in Limburg
The next day 2 Italian thoroughbreds were impatiently awaiting our arrival. To explore the vast surroundings with the kids, we opted for a Vespa afternoon. Before we mounted our steed of steel, we first fortified the inner man with a top brunch at Maison Blanche.
Under a bright sunshine we left just outside Hasselt for a top tour through Haspengouw. Haspengouw is probably one of the most beautiful regions in Belgium to explore with a Vespa. The blossoms had become buds, but the natural beauty was no less. One afternoon of cruising and 80 kilometres on the counter later, we hung our helmets on the hook. It was a wonderful weekend and the sleeping kids on the back seat proved us right!
Practical:
Lunch & Dinner:
De Goei Goesting: Address: Zuivelmarkt 18, 3500 Hasselt
Reservation: https://www.degoeigoesting.be/#contact-reservaties
Brunch:
Brunch address: Maison Blanche Address: Maastrichterstraat 82, 3500 Hasselt
Vespa routes:
Vespa route through Haspengouw starting in Hasselt:Address: Sasput-Voogdijstraat 79A, 3500 HasseltTelephone: 011 18 91 89
Website: http://www.vesparoute. com
or vfrom Sint-Truiden as starting point: Address: Ambachtslaan 3226, 3800 Sint-Truiden
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