REVIEW · BRUSSELS
Brussels: 2 hours Private Walking Tour of the Comics Walls
Book on GetYourGuide →Operated by Cognosimo Tours · Bookable on GetYourGuide
Comics on brick never get old. I like the famous mural paintings and how the guide connects them to Belgian comics you actually recognize, like Tintin. One catch: it’s only 2 hours, so if you want a slow stroll with tons of detours, this one may feel a bit quick.
This is a private walking tour in English with a live guide, starting near Rue des Alexiens and ending at Rue des Six Jetons. You’ll walk through Brussels’s historical center too, using the comics murals as your “map” for neighborhoods, authors, and the local comics world.
In This Review
- Key things that make this comics walk worth your time
- Brussels comics walls: street art that actually teaches you something
- Where the tour starts near Rue des Alexiens (and why that matters)
- The mural lineup: Tintin, Yoko Tsuno, XIII, and the rest of the cast
- How the guide turns murals into stories about Brussels
- Wandering the historical center: the city shows up between murals
- Price and value: what $101 per person buys in real life
- Who this tour suits best (and who should think twice)
- What you’ll likely do from start to finish
- Should you book the Brussels comics walls private walking tour?
- FAQ
- How long is the private walking tour?
- What language is the live guide?
- Where do I meet the guide?
- Where does the tour end?
- What comics and mural paintings will we see?
- Is the guide included in the price?
- Can I cancel or pay later?
Key things that make this comics walk worth your time

- More than 10 comic series in street form, including Le Jeune Albert, Yoko Tsuno, L’élève Ducobu, Tintin, XIII, and Ric Hochet
- A guide-led pace that turns murals into real conversation, not a lecture
- Brussels as the comics capital angle, with the Franco-Belge/BD franco-belge background explained in plain terms
- Stops designed for looking first, then learning—some guides prompt you to interpret the panel before explaining
- A route that also leads you into the historical center so you’re seeing the city, not just art on walls
Brussels comics walls: street art that actually teaches you something

There’s street art, and then there’s Brussels comics street art. What makes this experience click is that you’re not looking at random graffiti. You’re reading murals that feel like panels from the Franco-Belge comics tradition—full of characters, clues, and a sense of storytelling you can track as you walk.
I especially like how the tour treats the murals as a gateway. You’re shown the famous works, yes, but you also get the “why” behind Belgium’s comics reputation: authors and publishing houses tied to the city helped fuel the movement many people call BD franco-belge. Once you have that context, the murals stop being just decoration. They start feeling like culture you can point to on a street corner.
The focus also stays practical. This tour is built around you seeing the art up close, learning what comic it belongs to, and picking up details about subjects and creators along the way. If you’re a comics fan, you’ll feel the references land. If you’re not, you’ll still enjoy the storytelling method: the city becomes the classroom.
You can also read our reviews of more walking tours in Brussels
Where the tour starts near Rue des Alexiens (and why that matters)

The start point is Rue des Alexiens 55, and you’ll meet your guide in front of La Fleur en papier doré. That specific meeting detail matters because this style of tour is all about flow—you don’t want to waste your first 10 minutes hunting for the right person.
Rue des Alexiens is a good warm-up choice. It gets you quickly into the world of Brussels street murals, where you’re already surrounded by the visual language of comics. The first mural you’ll see is in the same street, so you don’t spend the beginning of the tour “getting ready.” You start looking right away, and the guide can begin linking what you see to the comics tradition on the spot.
One more thing I appreciate: the tour is private. Even if you have questions or you want to slow down for photos, a guide can usually adjust the conversation. In the reviews, you can see that guides like David and Eric are comfortable steering the tour toward the group’s interests, rather than running the exact same script no matter what.
The mural lineup: Tintin, Yoko Tsuno, XIII, and the rest of the cast

The heart of this walk is the mural paintings—organized like a comics route through Brussels. You’ll learn about 10+ different comics, with named series you can recognize:
- Le Jeune Albert
- Yoko Tsuno
- L’élève Ducobu
- Tintin
- XIII
- Ric Hochet
- and more titles during the route
What I like about the way this is presented is the mix: you get big, international-name characters like Tintin, but you’re also shown how broad Belgian comics culture is. That breadth is useful, because it helps you understand Brussels wasn’t only famous for one franchise. It became known for a whole comics ecosystem—creators, editors, and style—showing up on real walls.
You’ll also get explanations tied to each work: what the author(s) and the subject(s) are about, plus what the murals reveal about Brussels. Some of the best tours like this don’t just list facts. They teach you how to look: for example, a guide may have you interpret the cartoon panel first, then explain the backstory and details afterward. That quick “you first, then me” approach can make the learning stick.
If you care about Tintin specifically, this tour gives that character extra attention. You’ll learn more about Tintin in a way that connects the mural to creators and the larger comics world, which is what turns a picture into context.
How the guide turns murals into stories about Brussels

A mural can be beautiful and still feel flat if you don’t know what you’re looking at. This is where the guide quality shows. The reviews highlight two things again and again: the tours are informative and entertaining, and the guides adapt to the group.
David is mentioned as doing a super job—informative, fun, and well paced. Eric is described as not limiting the experience to murals alone. Instead, you get side notes and anecdotes that fill in the “street level” understanding of Brussels: how the city’s customs and identity connect to the comics tradition.
What that means for you is simple. You won’t just walk past walls with characters. You’ll talk about authors, subjects, and why Brussels became such a comics hub. And because it’s a private tour, your guide can steer the discussion toward what you actually care about—whether that’s Belgian comics, specific titles you recognize, or just how Brussels got that reputation.
I’d also call out the value of real conversation. One review describes how the guide asked the group to interpret the cartoon first before explaining. That’s a smart way to keep things lively and help you notice details you’d otherwise miss. It also means the tour can feel different depending on your interests, instead of reading like an autopilot slideshow.
Wandering the historical center: the city shows up between murals

The tour doesn’t keep you trapped in one narrow art zone. You also wander the historical center of Brussels, working your way through streets that feel connected to the city’s European-capital identity. The murals give you landmarks, and the guide uses those moments to weave in neighborhood context.
This matters because Brussels isn’t just comics. It’s a layered city with different areas and a history that shows up in the street layout and architecture. When a guide ties comics locations to the surrounding streets, you end up with more than a list of titles—you get a stronger mental map of central Brussels.
For practical reasons, walking the historical center also helps you break up mural stops. Murals can be intense visually, especially when you’re taking photos and tracking characters. Having a “city segment” between artworks keeps your legs moving and your attention fresh, so the story doesn’t blur together by the end.
Just keep expectations grounded: this is still a walking tour with multiple stops. You’ll likely spend most of the time reading walls, listening to the guide, and occasionally stepping back for photos. If you want a long photo session at each mural, you might feel that the pace is tighter than you’d like.
You can also read our reviews of more private tours in Brussels
Price and value: what $101 per person buys in real life

At $101 per person for a 2-hour private walking tour, you’re paying for three things: a live English guide, the themed route, and the fact that it can be tailored to your group.
Is it expensive? It’s not cheap. But for Brussels, it can be strong value if you want a guide to do the heavy lifting—explaining the comics, connecting creators to place, and keeping the walk interesting. A comics mural can be “seen” on your own, sure. But understanding the Franco-Belge context, plus the specifics of what each mural represents, is usually where a guided tour earns its keep.
The “private” part is especially relevant here. When guides like David and Eric adapt the tour to interests, that’s not just nice service—it changes what you get out of the time you’re spending in the city. Instead of following a fixed script, you’re more likely to get conversation and clarification when something clicks for you.
Also, the duration matters. Two hours is long enough to cover a lot of murals and still leave you energy for the rest of your day. If you’re in Brussels for a short visit, this can be a smart use of limited time.
Who this tour suits best (and who should think twice)

This is a great match if you:
- know or care about Belgian comics titles and want to see them on actual walls
- want a quick, fun way to learn why Brussels has that comics reputation
- enjoy street art when there’s a story behind it
- like guided conversation and a route that keeps moving
It may be less satisfying if you:
- only want big museum-style exhibits and aren’t interested in comics as street storytelling
- hate walking on city sidewalks for any length of time
- need slow pacing with long stops for photos at every mural
Because the tour is private, you can often tune the experience through your questions. But the overall format still assumes you want to keep walking and looking as the guide explains.
What you’ll likely do from start to finish

You’ll begin at Rue des Alexiens 55, meet your guide in front of La Fleur en papier doré, then immediately start with the first mural in that street. From there, the route works like a guided “comic reading” session outdoors: stop, look, identify the series, learn the creator and subject details, then move on to the next mural.
Along the way, the guide covers key titles such as Tintin, Yoko Tsuno, and XIII, plus others like L’élève Ducobu and Ric Hochet. You’ll also pick up the bigger comics framework: Brussels as a comics capital and the Franco-Belge/BD franco-belge movement tied to authors and editing houses.
After that run of murals, you shift into the historical center walking rhythm. This gives your brain a reset between artworks and helps you understand how central Brussels fits into the comics story. The tour wraps up at Rue des Six Jetons, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgique.
Should you book the Brussels comics walls private walking tour?

I’d book it if you want a guided Brussels experience where the theme is actually visible on the streets. The best part isn’t just that the murals are famous—it’s that the guide uses them to explain Brussels’s comics identity in a way that feels human and conversational.
Skip it if you’re not into comics or you’re looking for a slow, open-ended stroll. Since it’s a 2-hour private route, it’s built for momentum: you’ll cover a lot of murals, and there won’t be unlimited time at each wall.
If you’re choosing between doing this on your own versus with a guide, I lean toward booking. You’re paying for context, names, and story connections—and that’s what turns street art into something you remember.
FAQ
How long is the private walking tour?
The tour lasts 2 hours.
What language is the live guide?
The live tour guide is English.
Where do I meet the guide?
You’ll meet your guide at Rue des Alexiens 55, and you should wait in front of La Fleur en papier doré.
Where does the tour end?
The tour finishes at Rue des Six Jetons, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgique.
What comics and mural paintings will we see?
You’ll discover famous Brussels mural paintings featuring Belgian comics. The tour includes titles such as Yoko Tsuno, Tintin, XIII, Le Jeune Albert, L’élève Ducobu, Ric Hochet, and more (over 10 comics in total).
Is the guide included in the price?
Yes, the guide is included.
Can I cancel or pay later?
There is free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. You can also reserve now and pay later.


































