For a long time now, art is no longer just to be seen in dusty museums. The most beautiful works of art can be found on the street these days. Special murals adorn blank walls and hip street art turns a dilapidated neighborhood into an art mecca. Some places really excel in this street art. We made an overview of our favorite street art destinations in Europe.
1. Lagos in the Algarve
If you visit the Algarve in the south of Portugal associates with beautiful beaches, then you are not alone. We thought we would mainly find extensive sandy beaches and those iconic orange rock cliffs. But it turned out in Lagos in the Algarve a true street art mecca to hide!
Of all the towns in the Algarve, Lagos hands down our favourite. It's a lot bigger than many other places, so there's more to do and see here. You wander endlessly through the maze of historic streets. Everywhere you see historic buildings, cobblestones on the street, small churches and therefore the most colorful street art.
The street art here was deliberately planned by the organization LAC (Laboratorio de Actividades Criativas† International artists are regularly brought to Lagos to enliven the city with new works of art. Fortunately, they mainly started working in the old center of the coastal town. You will undoubtedly encounter them when you walk through the town. Would you rather look them up yourself? You can pick up a street art map at the LAC headquarters.
Do you want to know more about this Portuguese destination? Read more about the best things to do in Lagos.
2. German Kassel
In the heart of Germany you will find Kassel, known for its gigantic city parks and palaces. For those who have had enough, a city trip to Kassel is definitely recommended if you like street art.
The somewhat gray neighborhood just above the center could use some color. The project ColorCubes had to take care of that and brought several artists to the city to show their arts. The result was a new open-air museum of art: more than 30 works of art were created in the district!
Because you wouldn't be so quick to visit this district – the Schillerviertel – if you're not specifically looking for the street art of Kassel, it's recommended to look online in advance for which works you want to look at. There is a free audio tour in German that conveniently leads you past the most beautiful works of art.
3. Historic Ghent as street art Walhalla
Compared to popular neighboring cities such as Bruges and Brussels, Ghent is not often visited as city trip† And when it does, it's because of the city's rich history. You will visit beautiful churches, the medieval Castle of the Counts and of course the famous work of art, the Ghent Altarpiece. But you are also in the right place for the coolest street art!
Also read: City trip to Bruges and Ghent in Belgium | Have a nice weekend away
Ghent's street art is spread across the city. From the historic center to the more distant suburbs. So it is almost impossible to view all the works, but if you want to give it a try, get the free card the tourist office near Castle Gravensteen.
If you want to visit most works of art in one fell swoop, you have to be in the old center in the Werrearenstraat† It's also been renamed Graffiti Alley and it's not hard to guess why. Graffiti is tolerated here, so locals come here with their spray cans to create colorful art. Prefer to see a standalone work of art? Then the street art version of the Ghent Altarpiece in the Jan van Stopenberghestraat is a good tip.
Would you like to know more about this great city trip destination in Belgium? Read more about the best things to do in Ghent.
4. Street art in Rauw Rotterdam
Our own home city of Rotterdam is known for being raw and modern. Such an image also includes the necessary street art and there is plenty to be found. As locals, we have often explored the most beautiful street art in Rotterdam, because you can find it spread all over the city. Fortunately, most graffiti art is located in the center, so you can easily visit it during a city trip.
You will find the highest concentration of street art in two places in the city: around the Schieblok near Central Station and around the Witte de Withstraat in the centre. The Witte de With is especially recommended for detecting street art, because in our opinion you will find the most beautiful works here.
For example, the work of Daan Botlek on a street corner in the Witte de With is special: the white men climb up the facade and if you stand on the steps in the wall, you become the bottom man. In the adjacent streets are beautiful works, for example the mosaic wall of the Scottish Church and a work of art by Lastplak with iconic buildings from Rotterdam. As a world traveler you should of course also see El Trotamundos – translated: world traveler. A world map is depicted on a horse's body, which takes up an entire wall.
#5 Surprising Wroclaw in Poland
The Polish Wroclaw often falls under more popular destinations such as the capital Warsaw and hip Krakow, and that certainly applies to the street art. Krakow has an entire neighborhood that is famous for its street art. But as far as we're concerned, Wroclaw beats its Polish competitors on all fronts.
Wroclaw is the most surprising street trip destination we visited last year. The city has a beautiful historic center, an island full of churches, one of the largest city squares in the world and therefore also beautiful street art.
Highly recommended is Nadrodze, a hidden place outside the center. You would really walk past it if you didn't know that you can find those impressive street art walls here. In a courtyard between large, busy streets you will find walls full of cheerful art. The ground floor of the otherwise dilapidated buildings is completely painted with beautiful scenes. Dogs, fish, local residents and more. There is no less than 1.200 m² of street art to admire at this special location. It's a bit hard to find, but use Google Maps to find over here to navigate.
