Brussels Comic Strip Walk: Routes, Map and Family Shortcut

Brussels Comic Strip Walk at a Glance

The trail is free and open air, so you can start whenever it is light. The City of Brussels says the route now has over 80 murals. Some older guides count only 50, because they skip the Laeken walls and newer additions. Use the 80+ figure as the current official count, and expect the list to change as walls are added, moved or restored.

• Full route: about 13 km, or 8 miles, between the first and last mural in the classic circuit.
• Non-stop walking time: 2.5 to 3 hours.
• Realistic day with café and museum stops: 5 to 8 hours.
• Cost: free, with no ticket and no opening hours.
• Best starting areas: near Grand Place or in the Marolles.

Choosing Your Brussels Comic Book Route

Do not try to see everything in one afternoon. The 80+ murals are spread across the Pentagon, the canal area and Laeken. A better plan is to pick one loop and add a second only if your legs and light hold out. One route guide splits the classic circuit into four sections. Its estimates are 40 minutes for 15 Marolles murals over 2.5 km. The centre has 14 murals over 2.5 km in about 34 minutes. Dansaert and Sainte-Catherine have 13 murals over 3 km in about 34 minutes. The outskirts have 8 murals over 5 km in about an hour.

• Short on time: do the Express loop around Rue de l'Étuve and Rue du Marché au Charbon.
• Want local streets: pick the Authentic loop through the Marolles.
• Prefer newer, artist-led walls: head north to Sainte-Catherine and Dansaert.
• Want the whole trail: split it over two days, or use a bike.

Short Family-Friendly Brussels Comic Strip Walk

For children and strollers, stay inside the Pentagon and keep it to about 45 minutes. Start with Tintin on Rue de l'Étuve, a short walk from Grand Place. Then head to Olivier Rameau on Rue du Chêne. Next, walk on to Le Jeune Albert on Rue des Alexiens. Finish on Rue du Marché au Charbon, where Le Passage, Broussaille and Victor Sackville sit close together. Broussaille was the first wall of the trail, inaugurated in July 1991. Children can play a spotting game with Tintin, Captain Haddock and Snowy. Stop for a snack after the fourth mural rather than at the start, so everyone has something to look forward to. Skip the steeper Marolles streets if you are pushing a stroller. Also skip the Laeken extension, which needs public transport.

• Stop 1: Tintin, Rue de l'Étuve.
• Stop 2: Olivier Rameau, Rue du Chêne.
• Stop 3: Le Jeune Albert, Rue des Alexiens.
• Stop 4: Ric Hochet, Rue du Bon Secours.
• Stop 5: Le Passage, Broussaille and Victor Sackville, Rue du Marché au Charbon.

Maps, Access and Street Crossings

Use the City of Brussels page for the official list and map. It links to an open-data version if you prefer your own mapping app. Check it before you go, because walls are restored, moved or added. For example, one guide notes that Blake & Mortimer has changed walls and now sits on Rue du Temple. Cross at marked crossings on big roads such as Boulevard du Midi, where Le Chat is painted. Streets around Rue Haute and Rue des Capucins in the Marolles have uneven pavements and slopes, so allow extra time with small children. Several Marolles tunnel murals near Brussels-Midi are easy to miss. Keep your phone map open as you walk. For Laeken, plan your tram or metro leg on the STIB-MIVB network site. For the mural list itself, the City of Brussels website is the place to start.

Best Murals on the Brussels Comic Strip Walk

Some stops are worth a detour even if you skip the rest. Photography works best in daylight, so check each wall's orientation as you arrive rather than assuming a time of day.

• Tintin, Rue de l'Étuve: a scene from The Calculus Affair, with Tintin, Captain Haddock and Snowy.
• Le Chat, Boulevard du Midi: Philippe Geluck's character, painted in 1993.
• Spirou, Rue Notre-Dame de Grâces: tied to the Spirou magazine launched in 1938.
• Lucky Luke and Asterix, Rue de la Buanderie: two large walls on one street.
• Corto Maltese, Quai des Péniches: listed at about 850 m², the largest on the trail.
• Smurfs and Gaston Lagaffe: look for them on the official list, as locations can shift.

The 2021 Mural Recontextualization and QR Codes

In 2021, the City of Brussels began recontextualizing certain murals, especially the oldest ones. Texts were drafted with the Brussels Studies Institute, the ACME comic research group and the Belgian Comic Strip Center. Discussions ran between 2021 and 2022 and involved academics, industry stakeholders and students from ULB and VUB. Visitors reach the texts through QR codes. The aim is to contextualize the murals without justifying them, and to invite critical reflection. If you see a code near a wall, scan it. It adds history that a quick photo will not give you.

Comic Stops Beyond the Murals

A comic strip walk pairs naturally with museum time. Many museums, galleries, flea markets and specialised shops in Brussels are devoted to comics. The Belgian Comic Strip Center is the obvious indoor stop, and the building is known for its Art Nouveau warehouse architecture. The Moof Museum is another option if you want 3D figurines. Check current opening days and ticket prices on each official site. Many museums close on Mondays, so a Monday morning is better spent outdoors. Comic shops near Grand Place are useful for a souvenir album, and many staff can point you to a missing mural.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The biggest error is trying to do all 80+ walls in one go. The second is ignoring the tunnels, which hold newer pieces such as Le Petit Gilet and La Voie Lactée. The third is forgetting Laeken. Walls such as Titeuf and Natacha need a metro or tram ride, as the official list places them in Laeken. Also avoid relying on one old blog post. Lists differ, and the official map is the safer reference.

Pair the Walk With Nearby Brussels Stops

The Marolles section works well as a half-day. Read our guide to the Marolles streets and flea-market area before you go. Afterwards, consider a gueuze at Cantillon brewery. If the murals leave you wanting more architecture, try an Art Nouveau walking tour. For the wider city plan, see our lesser-known Brussels itinerary.

Cycling the Full Comic Strip Trail

A bike makes more sense than walking if you want to link the central murals with the canal and Laeken in one outing. The full Comic Strip Trail covers about 13 km, and its outer sections add long, less scenic connections between walls. A bicycle cuts that transit time while keeping the route flexible.

Use walking for the compact Pentagon loops. Cobblestones, pedestrian streets and frequent stops make cycling there slower than it sounds. Switch to a bike when you continue north toward Quai des Péniches, Laeken, or other outer murals.

• Choose a bike for the full trail, especially if you have only one day.
• Park and walk for dense central stops around Grand Place and Rue de l'Étuve.
• Check Pro Velo’s current guided-tour schedule if you prefer a planned route.

Keep the official mural map open, because some walls sit on side streets where bike access is awkward. Bring a lock and allow time to park before photographing each mural. For families, the central walking shortcut remains easier than managing bikes around crowded pavements.

For related deep-dives, see our Brussels Covered Shopping Galleries: Saint-Hubert, Passage du Nord and More and Saint-Gilles Brussels: Art Nouveau Walking Route & Local Guide guides.