The national museum of the bande dessinée, in a Horta department store — two reasons to go, and the building is the one people underrate.
What it costs
Ticketed. The building — a 1906 Horta warehouse with a glass-roofed hall — is included, and is worth the price on its own if comics are not your thing.
Outside, the comic mural route through the city centre is completely free: dozens of painted gable walls, marked on a route you can walk in an afternoon.
When to go
Closed on Mondays. Quiet on weekday mornings. The murals are outdoors and available at any hour.
Getting there
Rue des Sables, a short uphill walk from the Grand-Place, or metro to Rogier and down.
If you only have an hour
Skip the ticket and walk the mural route instead: a dozen painted gable walls in the centre, free, and you will see more of the city doing it. Save the museum for the Horta building on a rainy day.
What people get wrong
Belgium’s claim here is not decoration. Tintin, the Smurfs, Lucky Luke and Spirou are all Belgian, and this is a country that treats comics as a national art form with a national museum to match. The murals began as a city programme in 1991 and are still being added to.
Nearby
Ticketing arrangements and opening patterns as published for 2026 and checked on 5 September 2026. These change without much warning — confirm with the site itself before you travel. More sights, and how they fit together, in Landmarks & Sights.