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.
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.
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.
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.
The street art in Brussels is super eclectic. The most famous ones to look out for are the comic book strip murals. I’ve written this detailed guide that is dedicated specifically to these murals and includes where you can find them in the city.
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.
You will also find some murals by really international street artists like ROA.
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.
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.
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:
29 responses
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.
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!
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 🙂
I was surprised too Justine! Trying to find it all is a great way to see the city!
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.
I would love to have a meal on the red bus too! That seems pretty cool..
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! 😀
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.
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!
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.
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!
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…
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.
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!
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!
You captured some pretty cool shots of the street art. I would have never thought that there is so much street art in Brussels!
And there’s much more to discover Marta! I was very surprised too.
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.
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.
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 🙂
If I had a bucket list, Brussels would be on the top of it after reading this. 🙂
Oh, my objective is complete Mike! But surely you wouldn’t pick Brussels over an expedition to Antarctica… would you?? 🙂
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…
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!
Lots of them like to keep their identity concealed don’t they?… I think it makes it a little more fun and exciting that way 😀
Heading off to Brussels tomorrow and really looking forward to discovering some of the cities Street Art. The stack of animals you have features is by Belgian artist ROA whose work can also be seen here in the UK.
ROA in London:
http://www.hookedblog.co.uk/2013/05/roa-new-mural-in-east-london.html
Do you know the address of the art on the last picture? 🙂
I have the same question as Anaïs 🙂 do you have the location of the last picture?