Belgium street art
Belgium street art

Destination

A stroll through street art

Get reacquainted with Belgium’s most vibrant streets this summer with a walking tour of these graffiti hotspots.

Pavement pounding comes with serious cultural cachet in Brussels, where a vibrant street art scene has transformed the city into a free open-air gallery. From a larger-than-life cast of Belgium’s favourite comic book heroes to gritty urban graffiti, there’s visual virtuosity to admire at every turn. Wander as you will and let happenstance lead the way or follow a self-guided tour on the smartphone-friendly Parcours Street Art website.

Head to the centre of town for a half-hour stroll around the Grand-Place area to encounter pieces such as ‘Light My Fire’ by Estonian street artist Edward von Longus (Place d’Espagne), and the ‘Balkan Trafik!’ mural by Rikardo Druškić on the Rue du Marché aux Peaux. Place d’Espagne is also the home of Le M.U.R. Brussels, a monthly changing artwork by top urban artists such as Solo Cink, Arnaud Kool, and Defo 84, a master of aerosol painting.

Up for a longer hike? Make some inroads on your 10K daily steps on the ‘Parcours Marolles’ to discover ENCQ’s super-sized portrait of teenage eco warrior Greta Thunberg (Cité du Sureau 20) or ‘Mannekin Peace’, a street art update on a Brussels icon by the HMI collective of hip-hop artists (Rue du Chêne-Impasse du Val des Roses).

Trails dedicated to individual artists focus on talents such as Isaac Cordal, whose miniature sculptures are hidden in plain sight around the city, and OakOak, a French artist who uses street furniture for his ingenious interventions. Keep your eyes peeled for his loved-up zebra crossing on the Rue Saint-Andre or ‘L’éléphant au ballon’ on Porte du Rivage, Quai a la Chaux x Quai du Commerce. You’ll never see a manhole cover in the same way again.

Over in Antwerp – known as the street art capital of Belgium – connoisseurs of the genre are spoiled for choice. Download the Street Art app onto your smartphone to access a selection of self-guided tours and details of hundreds of art works.

Berchem, Antwerp’s street art district, makes a great starting point for a voyage of discovery. Street Art Antwerp offers an 11.1km self-guided walk around the area with highlights including ‘Mother Nature’ created by Linkstone and ‘Lookout’ by Artoon.

If time is tight, make a bee line for Berchem Station, a street art hotspot whose colourful creations include ‘Welcome Wall’ by Joachim and murals of Antwerp icons by the Flemish artist Cazn on the walls of platform 6 and 7. The tunnel under the station is an artwork in its own right, with a mural menagerie painted by Smok – his true to life animal portraits include a handsome red fox that has its own selfie hashtag.

Finally, don’t skip ‘Baroque Electrifies’ – this themed 2.5km, two-hour guided walk shines a spotlight on Antwerp’s Baroque artistic and architectural heritage. As well as historical landmarks, the walk also takes in several specially commissioned murals inspired by the original Baroque movement, and translated into street-smart street art.

  • Getting here

    Find your perfect route to the Village.

    GET DIRECTIONS
  • Hotels and Local treasures

    Enjoy the perfect combination of outdoor luxury shopping, fine dining and leisure options.

    Find out more >

Become a member

Enjoy exclusive offers, invitations to secret shopping events, special access to our Private Sale and unmissable extras from your favourite boutiques.

Looking for more inspiration?

Read on for our latest in style, travel, culture and cuisine.