Tintin's rocket
The famous red-and-white rocket and Hergé's rare originals.
Ramón — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Pierre Goiffon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Otter — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Szilas — CC BY 4.0
The Comics Art Museum is the temple of Belgian comics — for Belgium is the land of Tintin, the Smurfs and Lucky Luke, and counts as Europe's capital of the "ninth art". The museum is an Art Nouveau masterpiece in itself: the former Waucquez warehouses designed by Victor Horta in 1906, with their glass-lit hall and curving iron staircase — rescued from demolition to house this museum. The first floor explains how comics are made from idea to print, then you climb into the history of Belgian comics: Hergé and Tintin (with the famous moon rocket), Peyo and the Smurfs, Morris and Lucky Luke, Franquin and Gaston — rare original drawings and temporary shows on contemporary artists. A huge library and a distinctive shop. In the city centre near Central Station, open daily — among Brussels' most enjoyable museums for families and anyone who grew up on Tintin. And Brussels itself is an open gallery: more than 60 comic murals on the city's façades, followed on the "Comic Strip Route".
The famous red-and-white rocket and Hergé's rare originals.
A glass hall and iron staircase — Art Nouveau rescued from demolition.
60+ comic murals on Brussels' façades — free.
Rue des Sables 20, 1000 Brussels
National Bank of Belgium MuseumA museum about money and its history run by Belgium's central bank, in a former 3 minutes walk4.5
Cathedral of St Michael and St GudulaThe Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula is Belgium's national church and Bruss5 minutes walk4.6
Galeries Royales Saint-HubertThe Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert are among Europe's first covered shopping arca7 minutes walk4.6
Le Botanique (Old Botanical Garden)Le Botanique is Brussels' old botanical garden (1826), whose elegant neoclassica7 minutes walk4.5
Belgian Museum of FreemasonryA museum on the history of freemasonry in Belgium and Europe, in a working mason8 minutes walk4.2Families and children first (the rocket and the Smurfs enchant them), and anyone who grew up on Tintin or Lucky Luke — pure nostalgia. The building itself draws architecture lovers. For the comics-indifferent: an hour suffices, and the building compensates. Among Brussels' best choices in rain and on Mondays when other museums close.