For long-term travelers like me, finding out beautiful hidden spots in a destination abroad by chance is more rewarding than checking touristic places by ranking on other websites.. When it comes to exploring undiscovered corners of a foreign city, I have always been fascinated by street art, and the idea of enjoying public art at an affordable price. It is becoming more popular as it spreads widely across the world with fans and artists increasing rapidly year after year. As soon as you get to the see the actual mural on massive walls, instead of Instagram shots, the little details of images and colors painted along with their meaning are thrilling to figure out. Here are some of the cities filled with stunning street art, culture, and a large community of artists.
Bologna - Italy
Lying just north of Florence, Italy, Bologna is not only an important point of connections between different cities in the country but also a hotspot for street art. Plenty of street art is spread throughout the city. The local community has also created a map for you to explore the city’s street art scene. The most famous artist from the region,Blu, is known worldwide for his active political views within the city’s historic urban landscape that is presented through his work of massive murals all over the city. Unfortunately, the artist,whose identity and gender remains unknown, has recently removed his work in protest at the exhibition Street Art: Banksy & Co: L’Arte allo Stato Urbano (The Urban State of Art). However, there is still plenty to see and be moved by in the region, as art is abundant in Bologna - not just in various museums but publicly.
Lisbon in Portugal
Portugal’s capital and coastal city is known for having plenty of splendid views encompassing the old city’s pastel-coloured buildings, lots of culture, and soulful Fado music. All sorts of solo travelers, groups, and families will easily be fond of exploring the small, but impressive city, including the cutting-edge street art culture. In Lisbon’s open-air museums, which is the street, you will find some of the world’s greatest street art supported by the Urban Art Gallery project and ran by the City Hall. Some of the most international artists in Lisbon are Momo, Blu, Sam3, Os Gemeos, and Vhils. Simply wander around R.de Santa Marta street, stopping by the tiny corners every now and then for a photograph. If you are more of a lazy travel guru, or excited to check all the important places off your checklist, join the Lisbon Street Art Tour organized by the local experts.
Porto also located in Portugal
Remaining a lesser known, yet still popular destination in Portugal, other than the capital Lisbon, Porto is also a fascinating destination for its stunning architecture, the romantic Douro River separating Porto and the Vila Nova de Gaia Wine Port, and especially the stunning street art spread all over the city. Porto is like a small street gallery that exhibits modern artwork that blends in harmoniously with the old colourful houses, which are typical for Porto. The most well known street artist with an amazing talent spotted about 7 years ago at the young age of 16 he started to draw abstract shapes, inspired by ancient cultures like the Egyptians and Celts. It’s not difficult to find his work on the narrow street corners of Porto’s downtown as his unique geometric shapes, lines, and circles are easily recognizable, especially his works of the Virgin Mary.
Thessaloniki in Greece
The capital city of Macedonia in Greece is not only a travel hotspot due to its vibrant nightlife, but also the abundance of street art that blends well with the ancient Roman architecture all over the city. As you walk from the Upper Town area, passing by the Roman Forum (Roman Agora), along Egnatia street, all the way to the famous meeting point Kamara, or Arch of Galerius, there are dozens of street art pieces to spot on your own. Local art enthusiasts even organize the annual Thessaloniki Street Art festival to show and familiarize the public with this type of art - a form of urban environment. More than 300 international artists from Greece and around the world have participated in the festival so far. The upcoming festival, in 2016, will burst and bring together not only the exhibitions of 47 artists but also music concerts, dance shows, live action graffiti, skate, bmx, and inline shows as well as contests, special gifts, and competitions.
Bucharest in Romania
Lying in the Balkan Peninsula, Romania remains a less popular but more affordable destination in Europe. The former communist capita, Romania, is nowadays a spot-on commuting point for travelers to the Balkans from Eastern Europe, and home to the second largest parliament in Europe. The city is full of iconic communist-style architecture, mixed with street art galleries that make up the nowadays alternative, modern Bucharest. It is a city of strong contrasts: a relatively young city with old mentalities, and generations with influences from the West and East but belonging to neither. There are several art museums around including the Pop-up Urban Lifestyle Centre - the first street-art museum in Bucharest. For a guided tour, check out the street art and urban culture tour.
A new form of tourism
Street art sightseeing tours, graffiti excursions, or mural journeying could probably become the new trend of tourism for low-budget travelers. It is not expensive nowadays to join street art tours organized by locals travel experts. Or you can even simply guide yourself through the city’s outdoor gallery for free with maps you can find and download online.
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