← Marathon de Charleroi·Day trip

Brussels: Comic Strips and Art Nouveau After Charleroi

A day in the capital built around museums with lifts, a comic-strip centre in an Art Nouveau warehouse and a short walk between them.

DurationDay trip
TransitSNCB train from Charleroi-Central to Brussels-Central, about 50 to 60 minutes
DepartsCharleroi-Central

After the Marathon de Charleroi: Brussels

The Route: Charleroi → Brussels → Charleroi Logistics: SNCB train, about 50 to 60 minutes each way, with frequent services. Brussels-Central is a few minutes' walk from the Grand-Place. Marathon Month: April Duration: Day trip

Charleroi-Central ──(50-60 min, SNCB)──> Brussels-Central
        ^                                      │
        └────────(50-60 min, SNCB)─────────────┘

Charleroi gave the world a good share of its comic strips. Spirou, Lucky Luke and the Smurfs all passed through the Dupuis publishing house in the Charleroi region, which makes the Belgian Comic Strip Center in Brussels a fitting place to spend the day after a marathon in Charleroi. It sits in a former department store designed by Victor Horta, with a glass roof and iron columns, and it is the sort of building you can admire sitting down.

Buy a ticket at the station or in the SNCB app, and check the planner for departure times.

April in Brussels: highs of 12°C to 15°C, with sun and sudden showers. Cobbles are slippery when wet. Check museum opening days, because Monday closures are common.

Day Trip: Brussels

From Brussels-Central, the Comic Strip Center is about a 15-minute walk through level streets, or a short ride on the metro. Entry costs around €14, and prices vary, so use the figure as a guide only. The building has lifts and seating. Check the current opening days at the museum's website.

The Royal Museums of Fine Arts are near the Place Royale and have lifts throughout. They hold Flemish masters and the Magritte collection. The Musical Instruments Museum next door has a rooftop café with a flat terrace and a view of the lower city.

A short walk leads to the Grand-Place, with its gilded guildhalls, and the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, a glass-roofed arcade with chocolate shops. A cone of frites with mayonnaise from a stand near the Bourse is the usual lunch, or a plate of mussels in a brasserie off the main square.

The comic-strip murals are painted on building sides across the centre, and a free trail map is available from the tourist office. Following a short section of the trail is a gentle hour on flat ground.

Return to Charleroi in the late afternoon. Trains run frequently, but check the last service before you plan dinner in Brussels.

Getting to the airport

Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL) is reached from Charleroi-Central by a shuttle bus, which takes about 20 minutes. Check the current timetable. For Brussels Airport (BRU), take a direct train from Brussels-Central in about 20 minutes.