A Street Art Guide to Brussels, Belgium

Where to find Street Art in Brussels

After hearing from a few friends that Brussels was not much more than a dull and boring city, my expectations before going were unsurprisingly not very high.

However, low expectations can often be the secret to having a good time. As the old cliché goes, ‘the only way is up’ and that was certainly true for Brussels.

I found myself wondering what the hell they were talking about. Brussels is not boring, nor is it dull. You just need to know where to to go, and something that surprised me was the abundance of colourful street art which I’ll focus on a bit later.

Reasons for visiting Brussels

Admittedly, I didn’t know much about the city before visiting. I’d seen pictures of the Main Square and it looked architecturally beautiful, and another photo of the Atomium that looked cool, but that was about it.

Neither of things wowed me enough to warrant a visit anytime soon, but then I stumbled across the Brussels flower carpet festival that takes place every two years in the main square. The photos looked spectacular and I really wanted to see it for myself in person.

Flower Carpet in Brussels

Ever since I clapped eyes on a photograph of the flower carpet with its brightly coloured petals and exotic patterns I had become fixated on seeing it.

I never buy flowers for myself or try to make things look pretty so I surprised myself by how much I wanted to see it. Ok, admittedly, sometimes I like making daisy chains, but I much prefer seeing flowers in the wild as opposed to cut, pruned and then plonked in a vase.

I think I was attracted to the scale and beauty of the colours and patterns, and the fact that it only happens every two years appealed to the part of me seeks out lesser known activities. 

Atomium, Brussels
Daisy chains and the Atomium

If the Flower Carpet had been in Paris then I would have gone to Paris, and likewise for anywhere else. Basically it didn’t matter where I was going, I just wanted to see it and was eager to travel anywhere to make it happen.

However, I’m really happy it was in Brussels. If it wasn’t I might never had bothered going and I would have missed out on exploring a truly great city.

Street art in Brussels

In the end, the thing I surprisingly enjoyed the most about the city was the street art.

Don’t get me wrong, the flower carpet was cool to see, and certainly a spectacle, but it was very busy and kind of a novelty. Once you’ve made your way through the crowds to see it, you naturally want to retreat back to somewhere more spacious.

That’s when exploring the streets of Brussels makes perfect sense.

Street art Brussels

Go to the places where fewer people go, head down the alleys, stroll through the side streets. Say hello to a stranger. Do whatever the monkeys you have to do to make yourself feel like you’re getting to know the city.

Maybe it’s eating Vegan food on a big red bus? I did that, and not only did it delight my taste buds, it was a great way to keep dry when the heaven’s opened for a little while.

Vegan Routes, Brussels

Vegan food Brussels

The street art in Brussels is super eclectic. The most famous ones to spot are the comic book strip murals which you can read about here.

Finding street art and wall murals in Brussels, Belgium

There are over 50 comic strip murals to find so that should keep you busy for a few days! I love the one depicting the Adventures of TinTin because it reminds me of my childhood.

Tin tin street art, Brussels

Comic strip art Brussels

Street art murals in Brussels

Comic strip wall murals, Brussels

You will also find some murals by really international street artists like ROA.

ROA Street art, Brussels, pigs
Who doesn’t love pigs? This mural was created by ROA.

Then you have others which are making a social commentary, perhaps the essence of what street art is intended for. I stumbled across an alley which had a row of stencils depicting pieces advocating sexual and gender equality.
Street art, Brussels, Belgium

soroptimists brussels
I even spotted this little Soroptimist tag!

Perhaps my best tip for street art searching is simply to walk everywhere – to go down streets you might not usually bother going down. 

Street art in Brussels
Update: After a bit of detective work, Kami from Kami & the Rest of the World found out this boy is by French street artist Jef Aerosol.

Brussels really is a city you want to get to know. If you don’t make an effort with it then you might end up calling it dull and boring. But you’d be wrong.

Exploring Belgium?

If you’re doing a longer trip around Belgium, but sure to look at some of these post for more inspiration and recommendations:

How to Visit Ghent, Bruges & Antwerp by Train

Beer & a Bit of Culture: Exploring Ghent in 48 Hours

Have you seen the street art in Brussels?

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Hi, I'm Shing

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29 Responses

  1. I am artistically challenged so I’m always impressed by street art. After seeing the political murals in Belfast I noticed that there was a lot of other less serious street art to admire. The only other time I took a stroll to see street art was in Berlin and it was so eclectic that I’m sure I missed the meaning of a few.

    1. Hi Shaun! I would love to see the political murals in Belfast, they are so impressive. I think street art which is politically motivated or has a message to say is always the most effective kind, it is for me at least.

      Berlin is the crème de la crème where street art is concerned!

  2. I’m such a big fan of street art, but I never would have thought of Brussels as a place to find it. Some of that work is really amazing. And I love the one with the pigs too 🙂

    1. Brussels isn’t only a city of street Art but also of comic strip and Fresco. Brussels has more than 80 paintings and we find every year new one.

    1. Haha having something to eat on a red, double-decker bus that’s synonymous with Britain was quite a novelty! The food was affordable, tasty and healthy – that combination can be quite hard to find sometimes! 😀

  3. How could have we possibly missed the red bus and its vegan food? Not only it looks a nice and cool place to check out but has vegan food.. next time I guess.
    We liked the comic murals too, very different and unusual compared to the kind of street art we are used to.

    1. Vegan Routes would be perfect for you Franca! I loved it, not only great food but great views! Agreed, the comic murals are really special and unique!

  4. For some weird reason I like the staircase. If you ever get to Seville, go down toward the river from the bus station and look right. If it’s still there a building has some great artwork on – quite high up.

    1. Hi Ted, I’ve just done a google image search on street art in Seville and seen some super examples! Thank you so much for the recommendation and putting Seville on my radar!

  5. I absolutely loved the art and that wrap looks delicious and ginormous! “Do whatever the monkeys you have to do…” LOL I had never heard that saying before! 🙂 Oh thank you dear I needed a smile and a laugh today and as always your writing is the perfect medicine for smiles, introspection or amazing escapes 🙂 Ironically, a close buddy of mine were talking about how shy or not shy I am. He’s known me for years and knows a lot about me. If there is any “opening” to attempt a dialogue with a stranger I can do that. But, otherwise I can only muster a hello and a wave at best. Going down alleyways, huh? You lead the way and I will follow right behind 🙂 Great post, Shing…

    1. Happy I put a smile on your face Mike 🙂

      Ok, I’ll lead the way, if there’s anything creepy it’ll get me first and you can run and call for help.

  6. I recently saw the little boy with the newspaper in Rio de Janeiro, must be some international thing, I have to find out! 🙂

    I love ROA’s animals! But I don’t think I’ve seen pigs before, so cool! 🙂 thanks for sharing!

    1. Did you? That’s really interesting! I just tried google searching for the street artist but to no avail, let me know if you come up with anything Kami!

  7. I’ve been to Brussels and it somehow hasn’t turned out to be one of my best trips…
    Lack of time has hindered me from discovering this side of the city. I love street art.

    My favourite countries for spotting street art are Portugal and Spain.

  8. Good stuff and there’s more that goes way beyond this. Like holes in the ground, done with chalk, that’ll have you stopping dead in your tracks (hongkiat.com/blog/absolutely-stunning-3d-street-art-paintings).
    You get it around London and other cities, but you have to keep your ear to the ground and get there before the next rainfall.

    1. Hi Guy! Yes, I there’s loads more street art to add to what I outlined in this post, which gives me more reasons to return to Brussels!

      The 3-D art is awesome, I’ve seen a couple in London – definitely a summer thing 🙂

      1. Well, for a traditional place I’d have to go with Brussels, but, considering the natural art of Antarctica would surely trump the man made street art of Belgium, then Antarctica it would be, i.e. if I could handle the grueling journey to get there…

  9. That’s some very cool street art you’ve captured.

    I love street art and always wonder: who does it and when does it get done? It’s a mystery!

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