The 15 Best Cities in the World for Street Art

Street art started around the 1970s and 1980s. The story of street art originates with graffiti being done illegally as a political protest. Grafitti is typically a name or a drawing with less detail than street art. Over the last decade, street art has made cities look vibrant. This creative medium is a jaw-dropping skill with the level of detail painted. It is no surprise that it is becoming increasingly popular in cities worldwide, making cities transform into outside galleries. The artwork is accessible by all, making it a must-see if visiting the following destinations. Spotting street art in different cities is a fantastic way to explore new destinations during your travels. So here is a list of the top street art cities to tour worldwide!

1. Berlin 

Berlin is known for its murals having political meaning. It has one of the most globally known murals, the ‘Fraternal Kiss’ on the Berlin Wall. This area is also known as the East Side Gallery. This city holds so much history and culture, and is fantastic to visit for the artwork and so much more! 

2. Mexico City 

Mexico City is a brightly coloured adventure! If you explore the areas of Mexico City such as Juárez, Roma, and Condesa, you’ll find some trendy creations. The beautiful street art fills this stunning city around every corner!

3. Melbourne

Street Art cities are all across the world - even down under! Melbourne has a creative flare when it comes to artwork for the streets. Hosier Lane is renowned for its street art. It is also known as ‘practice alley’ for the sheer amount of art that’s been tested on these walls. It is simply impressive!

4. New York 

New York is a fantastic street art city as it has some of the most famous pieces of work. In the streets of Manhattan, you can wander and discover stunning pieces on the sides of apartments. Walk to the Upper East Side of New York to see one of Banksy's art pieces ‘Hammer Boy’. This street art city is iconic, so look at our New York to San Francisco Adventure and explore the artwork yourself! 

5. Chicago 

Now, over to another city in the USA - Chicago! It is home to artists such as Hebru Brantley and Jeff Zimmerman. Chicago is a canvas for murals with street art featuring on bridges, train stations and parking garages. Pilsen is the neighbourhood hub for vibrant street art with large expressional pieces! Some of the murals in Chicago are as big as 40,000 square feet, making the artwork quick to find. 

6. Paris 

Fancy walking around the Parisian streets admiring the artwork and tucking into a croissant? What better city than Paris to admire the murals and other iconic landmarks? Visit the districts Belleville and Oberkampf to see amazing artistic stories. To explore more of Paris and other street art cities, check out our Europe by Train group tour!

7. Penang 

Street Art can be discovered in places you wouldn’t expect, like Malaysia! Georgetown (Penang) has some excellent pieces of street art that create 3D pieces like in the images above. These pieces are interactive, so go ahead and take a photo! Seeing the street art in Penang is one of the most popular things to do while visiting! You'll experience a street art tour of Georgetown on our Highlights of Malaysia & Singapore group trip.

8. Amsterdam 

Amsterdam is the perfect street art city to visit. With the Dutch culture favouring the transportation of cycling, it would be fitting to tour the city’s street art by bike. Amsterdam is continually growing with the new murals being designed and painted. 

9. Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is home to one of the longest murals in the world! It is 2,000 square meters and was designed and painted by the artist El Regreso de Quinquela, in the neighbourhood of Barracas. This city offers many ultra-large murals and beautifully coloured houses as the laws around street art have relaxed as the artist only needs permission from the building’s owner. You simply won’t know where to look!

10. Athens 

Athens is an open-air gallery for everyone to explore. The street art scene developed in Athens from 2008 to 2018 during the economic issues in Greece. Artists took to the streets to design expressional pieces to vocalise their issues. Touring the street art in Athens can give you a different experience of the city, as you see it from the artist's perspective. Search through the neighbourhoods of Syntagma, Psiri and Plaka to find these fantastic pieces! 

11. Lisbon 

Lisbon is a beautiful city with murals about their history, pop culture and imaginative abstracts. See if you can spot Bordalo’s artwork. He often uses rubbish to texturise his street art about scavengers. So tackle the hills and see the street art on the stunning buildings.

12. Sydney 

Heading back to Australia, street art cities stretch out to Sydney! The walls of this city are decorated with colour everywhere. Soak up the sun whilst exploring this amazing city. Head down to Bondi's graffiti wall to admire these fantastic pieces! 

13. Cape Town

In Cape Town, Woodstock is an area filled with many industrial buildings. These factories were closed in the 1990s, and as a result of this, the area became deserted. During 2010, this area of Cape Town became a canvas for artists to practice street art. Many murals are depictions of South African animals and other incredible designs. 

14. Los Angeles

Los Angeles is a street art city with the perfect weather to walk around and see these murals. There are many districts to see these different designs. Walk towards The Arts District for the ultimate surrounding experience of street art! This neighbourhood gained its name for being the hub of artists in the 1970s, and many artists still live there now. Who knows which celebrities you could spot along the way?

15. London

Last but not least - London. This street art is the home of the most famous street artists like Banksy. Almost every borough has street art to offer. Head over to Brick Lane or Shoreditch to check out the best murals. 

 

These are the top 15 street art cities to visit! These designs are all impressive wherever worldwide they are, with each place offering something different! Each place holds individual political reasonings for street art to start appearing, giving these destinations unique characteristics. So, what street art cities do you think you’ll visit next? Check out our group trips to see the top street art cities to visit!