Brussels Street Art Guide: Best Comic Murals & Graffiti Walls (2026)

Brussels has spent 30+ years turning its blank walls into a city-wide art gallery. The official Brussels Comic Strip Route — started in 1991 by the city council and the Belgian Comic Strip Center — now features 60+ giant murals depicting Tintin, the Smurfs, Lucky Luke, and dozens of other Belgian comic characters. Add to that contemporary work by Bonom, Créons and other Belgian and international street artists, and Brussels makes a rewarding city for street-art walking. This Brussels street art guide for 2026 covers the best murals, walking routes, and how to plan a self-guided street art tour.

Why Walk the Brussels Street Art Guide?

Most of Brussels’s street art can be seen on outdoor walks, though some works sit inside metro stations. The Brussels street art guide essentials cluster on two layers: the official Comic Strip Route (60+ legally commissioned giant comic-character murals across the City of Brussels) and the broader contemporary street art scene (graffiti, stencils, paste-ups by artists like Bonom, Roa, and Créons). The comic-strip itinerary through the historic centre alone is a 5-kilometre self-guided walk of about three hours.

For comics fans, the Brussels street art guide is essential. For casual visitors, the walking trail rewards exactly the kind of slow exploration that makes Brussels memorable.

The Brussels Comic Strip Route

Started in 1991 as a City of Brussels initiative with the Belgian Comic Strip Center. 60+ official murals across the city. The Brussels street art guide for the Comic Strip Route covers:

1. Tintin Murals (Multiple Locations)

Brussels celebrates its most famous comic export — Tintin — with multiple giant murals. The most iconic shows Tintin and Snowy descending a Brussels fire escape on Rue de l’Etuve.

2. Lucky Luke (Rue de la Buanderie)

Morris’s cowboy character on his trademark white horse Jolly Jumper.

3. The Smurfs (Putterie)

Peyo’s beloved blue creatures appearing in their forest setting.

4. Gaston Lagaffe (Multiple Locations)

Franquin’s office-bumbling Gaston in several Brussels murals.

5. Marsupilami (Multiple Locations)

The yellow spotted creature Franquin created.

6. Asterix (Rue de la Buanderie)

The French Gaul Asterix appears with Obelix on a mural on Rue de la Buanderie.

7. Spirou et Fantasio (Multiple Locations)

The original Belgian comic adventure heroes.

8. Boule et Bill (Rue du Chevreuil)

The boy-and-dog French-Belgian comic.

Contemporary Brussels Street Art

Beyond the official Comic Strip Route, Brussels has a thriving contemporary street art scene:

Bonom

The most internationally recognised Belgian street artist. Known for large-scale animal murals across Brussels, particularly in the Pentagon and Schaerbeek.

Roa

Ghent-based street artist whose massive black-and-white animal murals appear across Brussels and Flanders.

Créons

Belgian street art collective specialising in figurative and surrealist murals.

Kool Koor

American-Belgian graffiti pioneer with several Brussels works.

International Visiting Artists

Brussels hosts regular international street-art festivals featuring artists from across Europe and beyond.

Brussels Street Art Guide: Recommended Walking Route

Start: Belgian Comic Strip Centre (Rue des Sables 20)

1. The Comic Strip Centre Tintin Mural: A large Tintin mural, right outside the museum.

2. Walk south to Rue de l’Etuve (Tintin and Snowy mural).

3. Past Manneken Pis to Rue du Marché au Charbon (Brokers mural by Cromheecke).

4. Continue to Rue de la Buanderie (Lucky Luke).

5. Continue to the Putterie (Smurfs).

6. End in the Marolles neighbourhood — multiple murals plus the Jeu de Balle flea market.

Total walking distance: about 5 km and three hours, the length of the official historic-centre comic-strip itinerary. Pick up the official Comic Strip Route map at any tourist office.

Brussels Street Art Guide: Practical Tips

Start at the Comic Strip Centre. Get the official map; visit the museum first for context. See our Belgian Comic Strip Centre Brussels.

Wear comfortable shoes. Cobblestones throughout the Pentagon. Plan for about three hours of walking.

Go on weekday afternoons. Quieter streets; better photography.

Bring a camera. The Brussels street art guide rewards photographers.

Combine with food. Many murals are near friteries, chocolate shops, and waffle stands. See our best frites in Brussels.

Take a guided tour for context. Several Brussels operators offer guided street-art tours for €15-€40 per person.

Brussels Street Art Guide: Quick Reference

Sample Half-Day Brussels Street Art Walking Route

Brussels street art is concentrated in three pockets: the central Comic Strip Route, the Marolles district, and the canal zone around Molenbeek. This three-hour loop combines the first two and gives a strong introduction without wearing out your legs.

1. Start: Brussels Central Station (10:00) – Walk to Rue de l’Etuve, home of Hergé’s Tintin mural at number 37.
2. Tintin and Captain Haddock, Rue de l’Etuve 37 (10:15) – Painted in 2005. Best photographed before 11:00 before crowds arrive.
3. Broussaille, Rue du Marche au Charbon 39 (10:30) – The first official Brussels comic mural, first inaugurated in July 1991, depicting a couple walking arm-in-arm. The neighbouring rainbow crosswalk makes a good photo composition.
4. Marolles district via Rue Haute (11:15) – Wander the side streets towards Place du Jeu de Balle and keep an eye on the walls. Bonom, a Belgian artist known for large animal murals, is one of the names to look for.
5. Recyclart and Chapelle station underpass (12:00) – Spontaneous graffiti covers the walls around the old Bruxelles-Chapelle station.
6. Finish: Place du Jeu de Balle (13:00) – The famous flea market runs until 14:00 on weekdays and 15:00 at weekends, so there is still time to browse before lunch in the surrounding streets.

If you have more time, head west to the canal zone around Molenbeek, the third of the city’s street-art pockets, and walk the quays at your own pace.

Best Photo Spots in the Brussels Street Art Scene

Light matters for street art photography in Brussels. Murals on south-facing walls (most of the Comic Strip Route) work best mid-morning; west-facing walls in the canal zone glow at sunset. Here are five spots that consistently produce frame-worthy shots.

• Le Passage by François Schuiten (Rue du Marché au Charbon) – Best photographed from the opposite corner with a 24mm lens equivalent.
• Lucky Luke (Rue de la Buanderie) – The cowboy faces west; shoot between 17:00 and 19:00 in summer for warm light.
• Place Saint-Gery rooftops – Climb to the top floor of Halles Saint-Gery for a free view over surrounding rooftop murals.
• nhow Brussels Bloom (Rue Royale 250) – The hotel’s 305 rooms and suites are designed to resemble an art gallery. The Rue du Damier facade rotates exhibitions every two years.
• Brusselicious cow sculptures and pavement art near Place de la Bourse – Constantly refreshed temporary installations during summer festivals.

Etiquette, Permissions and Combining With Nearby Sights

Brussels treats street art as part of the cultural fabric, and the City runs its own comic-strip mural route, the Parcours BD. That means most large works are legal and intended for the public eye, but a few common-sense rules apply on any Brussels street art guide walk.

• Photograph the art, not the residents – Many murals are on the walls of occupied apartment buildings. Keep cameras pointed up, not into ground-floor windows.
• Tagging and stickering need the owner’s permission, and graffiti can bring an administrative sanction from the City. Fines start at €250.
• Drone photography requires permits from the Brussels region and is forbidden over the canal zone without prior approval.
• Tip your guide if you join a free walking tour – €10-€15 per person is standard for Brussels Street Art Tours, which run daily at 11:00 from Place Sainte-Catherine.
• Respect changing work – many pieces are temporary by design. The artist Bonom in particular paints over his own work; what you see today may be gone in six months.

Combine the central comic murals with a stop at the Belgian Comic Strip Center (Rue des Sables 20, adults €14), where the ticket covers both the permanent and temporary exhibitions. After lunch, extend toward the Sablon for a contrasting morning of antiques and chocolate, or use our walking in Brussels guide to plan onward routes. If street art has hooked you, plan a future visit around the annual Propaganza festival in September, which fills entire warehouse walls with new pieces. For a complementary cultural day, our 2-day Brussels itinerary dedicates a half-day specifically to murals and contemporary art.

Related Brussels Guides

Keep planning with these companion guides:

• Magritte Museum Brussels — Visitor Guide & Tickets
• Royal Museums Fine Arts Brussels — Bruegel & Rubens Guide
• Atomium Brussels Guide — Tickets, Mini-Europe Combo & Visit

Useful Resources

• Brussels Comic Strip Route — official site with downloadable map.
• visit.brussels Street Art — official guide.
• Belgian Comic Strip Centre — start your tour here.

Final Thoughts

The Brussels street art guide rewards walkers and photographers alike. Whether you complete the 60+ comic strip murals on the official route, hunt for Bonom’s contemporary animals, or simply photograph the Tintin and Snowy fire-escape mural, you’ll find Brussels offers one of Europe’s best urban art experiences. For more, see our Belgian Comic Strip Centre Brussels and Brussels museums guide.

Photo Credits

• Street art at the Neerpede Hall of Fame: KunstwerkenHallofFame by Bil Jet, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.