The best cities for street art – chosen by travel bloggers, part 3
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New Year seems like the best day to plan some new adventures! I asked couple of fellow travel bloggers what are their favorite street art cities and they told me their choices. Some answers surprised me, some cities are already in my plans for this year, some are on my wishlist. If you are a fan of street art as much as I am you might consider these places as your possible travel destinations for 2015. And if you’re looking for more inspirations for urban adventure check part one and two of best cities for street art posts!
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I was pleasantly surprised on my visit to Bristol, in the west of England, to find that the city’s biggest plus is its street art. You can barely walk 100 metres through the city centre without stumbling across an interesting lane way full of art or a whole side of a building covered in one giant mural. And because this is where famous street artist Banksy hails from, you’re guaranteed to be impressed with the quality.
London, UK by Aga and Maciek from I Saw Pictures
London is home to some amazing street art. My favourite location is Brick Lane, Shoreditch where one can find all kinds of graffiti & art installations. There are even street art tours organised!
If you are in Malaysia, Penang is not only and excellent place to try a huge variety of street food but also an amazing array of street art. The pictures are mainly tradition style showing life in colonial Penang. There is a map available though the Tourism Office also online. To walk the area will take you a day giving you the chance to sample local food along the way.
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina by Kami from Kami Everywhere
Sarajevo’s street art scene is dominated by a French artist widely known as Monsieur Chat. He started to create his artworks in Sarajevo in 2005 and, after numerous visits, his street art creations are clearly visible around city center. His creations are simple – represent a yellow cat – but the meaning differs depending on the place he’s currently in. The cat below is surrounded by roses which are symbol of the war and Sarajevo’s siege (1992-1995). After the siege Sarajevians started to fill the holes made by mortar shells’ explosions with red paint what resembled roses.
Jogja, the heart of Java island is a place where many artists live. Its’s bustling with culture and art, both traditional and modern. You will find murals here at every corner. Some of them are really unique, including i.e. characters of traditional Javanese theatre.
Santa Barbara, USA by Penny from Adventures of a Carry-on
I love Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone for colorful street are that reflects California’s beach culture and Spanish/Mexican heritage. It’s also become a great are for wine tasting and dining and best of all you can walk from one tasting room to the next.
Valencia, Spain by Ania from HitchHikers Handbook blog
Valencia, the third largest city in Spain, is a great place to visit and not just to marvel at street art, but also to take a look at its beautiful Gothic cathedral, walk through the UNESCO listed Silk Exchange market, take some photos of the futuristic City of Arts and Sciences complex and stroll around the city’s stunning medieval winding streets. Urban art, however, is something that cannot go unnoticed in Valencia and beautiful graffiti pieces wonderfully contrast with typically Spanish Gothic and Modernist architecture.
Boise, USA by Josh and Liz from Peanuts or Pretzels
During a recent trip to Boise, Idaho, were were surprised to come across a colorful alley in the downtown area. Taking a walk down this “Graffiti Alley” in Boise you will find colorful and creative murals that stretch from building to building (such as this one). While the entire city center is bustling around it, this quiet alley seems to be hidden from the crowds. It’s really cool to see that the city has embraced street art in Graffiti Alley, and we hope that they continue to add to the collection of artwork in the future.
I particularly like this graffiti located in Barrio Cofico (where I lived for a while) because of it’s location. You can see this huge art from four corners of the park and its colours are so full of life it’s hard to not notice it. On the lower part of the graffiti, you can see a very poetic Spanish phrase which says, “A los que resisten por su raiz, su tierra y cultivan la valoracion de todas las especies” which literally translates to “Those who resist his roots, his land and cultivate the valuation of all species.” I believe street artists in South America are genuine and true to their art though the majority of what I’ve seen relates to the political issues of the country. This is their way of expressing their thoughts.
Beirut, Lebanon by Anwar from Beyond My Front Door
Beirut has an incredible diverse amount of street art, in several old and new neighborhoods. I was astounded by all the artwork I saw around messages of peace, and beauty, and friendship. I think after so many years of conflict it is one of the ways of trying to deal with those issues.
Have you been to any of these cities? Which piece do you like the more? What’s the best street art destination to you?
If you want to read more about the street art and my great finds around the world check out more posts about it!
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Ja ostatnio odkryłam troche streetartu w Albanii, więc pewnie naskrobię jakiś wpis na ten temat po powrocie do kraju.
Generalnie po Twoim zestawieniu stwierdzam, że naprawdę streetart to dobra rzecz, bo zmienia często szaro-bure przestrzenie miejskie, w kolorowe i optymistyczne miejsca. Dobrze, że taka idea istnieje :)
Dla mnie często sztuka uliczna wyraża faktycznie lepiej niż 1000 słów, w odróżnieniu od tzw dzieł sztuki, zrozumieć które można tylko po przeczytaniu opisu i instrukcji.
koniecznie napisz coś, bom bardzo ciekawa!! a street art świetna sprawa! Sama do niedawna nie zwracałam aż tak wielkiej uwagi, ale jeden, drugi, trzeci mega mural i sie rozkochałam! Tyle dobrego może sztuka ulicy dla miast zrobić!
I have never been a huge fan of street art, although it always used to catch my attention. It did as well in Penang and really, Georgetown was the one that I fell in love when it comes to street art! Just loved all the ideas that someone has put onto wall!
no one considered it cool enough :( I was there in 2012 and too bad I wasn’t that interested in the street art back then – now I’d love to return just to explore the street art scene of Reykjavik!
That’s a pity the one from Yogyakarta I photographed for you it’s not there anymore :( Few days ago I’ve noticed it’s replaced with some other one. Good that at least here there’s some evidence it existed! ;)
Love these shots! I recently discovered the neighborhood of Ehrenfeld in Cologne which has some amazing works of streetart. My friend Alexia lives in that area and was a fantastic guide. Saw some amazing things (I have a blof up about it). I’d love to visit more of these cities and see the streetart, it’s something I really gotten into!
I’m really into street art too, as you can see in here :) I’ve never heard about this neighborhood in Cologne, will have to check it out next time I’m in the city! So what is your favourite street art city so far? :)
Interesting! I never would have thought Boise, Idaho, would be cool, but it’s been about 12 years since I last visited. Happy to hear that the cities do change! ;-)
hi! I would like to know where I can see the last mural which is located in Beirut. I would love to see it from the true and photograph it and, perhaps, to know who is the author .. you can help me? Marta
chciałabym dołożyć swój poznań, ale jeszcze za malutcy jesteśmy ;) dołożę lizbonę, zwłaszcza jako dużo małych form: murale też, ale głównie jakies wlepki, szablony, plakaty.
o, to tym bardziej się na Lizbonę w marcu nie mogę doczekać :) a Poznań też chyba daje radę street artowo, muszę się tam do Was kiedyś wybrac perełek poszukać :)
hm, własnie powiedziałabym że nie daje rady – jeszcze. daje radę pod wieloma względami, ale murali i mniejszych form mamy niewiele, nie robiłabym gwoździa programu ze street artu :)
ale przy okazji czemu nie ;) jak już się pogoda zacna zrobi i te Wasze kontenery się znów pojawią to na bank przyjeżdżam pozwiedzać co fajniejsze miejscówki, wtedy po rady się zgłoszę! a Płock streetartowo jak stoi? jeden fajny mural pamiętam
Very cool choices! Street art is definitely one of my favorite reasons for some urban exploring. I now want to go on endless walks in all these cities!
42 Comments
FrandalF
02/01/2015 at 02:59Great list, but I think it’s missing our city of Valparaiso I’m Chile… It’s a great spot for street art too.
Happy 2015!!!
kami
07/01/2015 at 18:22yes, I heard so! Guess I need to plan a trip to Chile to find out about it :) Happy 2015 to you too! :)
balkanyrudej
02/01/2015 at 08:34Ja ostatnio odkryłam troche streetartu w Albanii, więc pewnie naskrobię jakiś wpis na ten temat po powrocie do kraju.
Generalnie po Twoim zestawieniu stwierdzam, że naprawdę streetart to dobra rzecz, bo zmienia często szaro-bure przestrzenie miejskie, w kolorowe i optymistyczne miejsca. Dobrze, że taka idea istnieje :)
Tatiana
04/01/2015 at 14:55Dla mnie często sztuka uliczna wyraża faktycznie lepiej niż 1000 słów, w odróżnieniu od tzw dzieł sztuki, zrozumieć które można tylko po przeczytaniu opisu i instrukcji.
kami
07/01/2015 at 19:34o, to, to! zgadzam się w zupełności!
kami
07/01/2015 at 18:23koniecznie napisz coś, bom bardzo ciekawa!! a street art świetna sprawa! Sama do niedawna nie zwracałam aż tak wielkiej uwagi, ale jeden, drugi, trzeci mega mural i sie rozkochałam! Tyle dobrego może sztuka ulicy dla miast zrobić!
Marcin | Wojażer
02/01/2015 at 09:02I have never been a huge fan of street art, although it always used to catch my attention. It did as well in Penang and really, Georgetown was the one that I fell in love when it comes to street art! Just loved all the ideas that someone has put onto wall!
kami
07/01/2015 at 18:54Street art can be so creative and when used in the right way it just changes the face of the city! Any good street art spots in Kraków?
Aga
02/01/2015 at 09:17Amazing collection! Happy that we could contribute. It amazes me that there are so many places where street art is present!
kami
07/01/2015 at 18:55Thanks you for being part of this post! And you’re right, there’s more and more of street art everywhere! But I don’t mind that at all :)
Joanna
02/01/2015 at 09:28Ciekawe zestawienie, bardzo często zwiedzając miasta nie zwraca się uwagi na takie rzeczy, a może warto ….
kami
07/01/2015 at 18:56zdecydowanie warto! sztuka ulicy zmienia miasta na lepsze! tylko musi być z głową wykonana :)
FloatingMyBoat
02/01/2015 at 09:48I must admit some places are quite a surprise (e.g. Penang). I’d definitely add Berlin here as well.
kami
07/01/2015 at 18:58Berlin is amazing when it comes to street art! I did a separate post about the street art there: https://www.mywanderlust.pl/monday-with-pictures-street-art-in-berlin/
Hitch-Hikers Handbook
02/01/2015 at 14:13Lovely post, Kami! Thanks for featuring our piece, all these places look absolutely wonderful!
kami
07/01/2015 at 19:19Thank you for being part of this post! :)
Kuba
02/01/2015 at 14:44What about Reyjkiavik ? :)
kami
07/01/2015 at 19:28no one considered it cool enough :( I was there in 2012 and too bad I wasn’t that interested in the street art back then – now I’d love to return just to explore the street art scene of Reykjavik!
Emi
02/01/2015 at 17:53That’s a pity the one from Yogyakarta I photographed for you it’s not there anymore :( Few days ago I’ve noticed it’s replaced with some other one. Good that at least here there’s some evidence it existed! ;)
kami
07/01/2015 at 19:29exactly! at least it will live here, online! Is the new one any good?
Jen Seligmann
03/01/2015 at 01:47Thanks for the feature Kami. This is a great post and has given me lots of ideas for my future travels.
kami
07/01/2015 at 19:29Thank you for taking part in it Jen! So where do you plan to go next :) ?
Penny Sadler
03/01/2015 at 16:14Wow! So many beautiful and interesting submissions. Thanks for accepting mine! Happy New Year!
kami
07/01/2015 at 19:32thank you for being part of this post! Happy New Year Penny! :)
Asia
03/01/2015 at 17:49Hej, a gdzie Sao Paulo z całą dzielnicą w grafitti, Vila Madalena? Zapraszam na małą relację: https://btth.pl/sao-paulo-najwieksze-miasto-ameryki-pd/
kami
07/01/2015 at 19:33nie daliście to nie ma! (a poza tym było we wcześniejszej części:))
Esther
05/01/2015 at 13:15Love these shots! I recently discovered the neighborhood of Ehrenfeld in Cologne which has some amazing works of streetart. My friend Alexia lives in that area and was a fantastic guide. Saw some amazing things (I have a blof up about it). I’d love to visit more of these cities and see the streetart, it’s something I really gotten into!
kami
07/01/2015 at 19:36I’m really into street art too, as you can see in here :) I’ve never heard about this neighborhood in Cologne, will have to check it out next time I’m in the city! So what is your favourite street art city so far? :)
Martyna
06/01/2015 at 08:27I love street art in Penang, Malaysia. I’ve been there few times and loved wandering around, in small streets :)
kami
07/01/2015 at 19:41everyone keeps repeating that Penang is amazing – guess I should plan a trip there to find it out too!
Joy @MyTravelingJoys
11/01/2015 at 13:24Interesting! I never would have thought Boise, Idaho, would be cool, but it’s been about 12 years since I last visited. Happy to hear that the cities do change! ;-)
kami
23/01/2015 at 23:15I think it’s some kind of trend recently that cities all over the world let street art artists to give the city a new look. I love it!
marta
20/01/2015 at 11:17hi! I would like to know where I can see the last mural which is located in Beirut. I would love to see it from the true and photograph it and, perhaps, to know who is the author .. you can help me? Marta
kami
26/01/2015 at 22:40I will try to find it out for you and will get back to you as soon as I know the answer!
niesmigielska
30/01/2015 at 17:02chciałabym dołożyć swój poznań, ale jeszcze za malutcy jesteśmy ;) dołożę lizbonę, zwłaszcza jako dużo małych form: murale też, ale głównie jakies wlepki, szablony, plakaty.
kami
31/01/2015 at 21:22o, to tym bardziej się na Lizbonę w marcu nie mogę doczekać :) a Poznań też chyba daje radę street artowo, muszę się tam do Was kiedyś wybrac perełek poszukać :)
niesmigielska
02/02/2015 at 20:22hm, własnie powiedziałabym że nie daje rady – jeszcze. daje radę pod wieloma względami, ale murali i mniejszych form mamy niewiele, nie robiłabym gwoździa programu ze street artu :)
kami
08/02/2015 at 21:46ale przy okazji czemu nie ;) jak już się pogoda zacna zrobi i te Wasze kontenery się znów pojawią to na bank przyjeżdżam pozwiedzać co fajniejsze miejscówki, wtedy po rady się zgłoszę! a Płock streetartowo jak stoi? jeden fajny mural pamiętam
Murni
03/02/2015 at 11:53So cool! I love street art and they can definitely be an attraction and even a reason to visit a place. Love this!
kami
08/02/2015 at 22:33I’m glad you enjoyed the post! Cities with street art are always the best!
Nikita
03/02/2015 at 15:08Very cool choices! Street art is definitely one of my favorite reasons for some urban exploring. I now want to go on endless walks in all these cities!
kami
08/02/2015 at 22:36I understand you so perfectly well! In visited cities I usually enjoy street art the most!