a travel blog by renata green
If I can, you can do it, too
Somehow Portugal also seems to be one of the countries overpowered by centralism. Everyone is flocking to the capital Lisbon, which is groaning under the masses of tourists and has to be careful to remain livable for the locals.
Hence, while others are stressed out, Porto pours herself a glass of amber-colored port wine and relaxes as she gazes down the Douro River.
Instead of overwhelming her visitors with innumerable presumably must-see landmarks, Porto invites her guests to take a relaxed stroll down picturesque streets and alleys and offers them a creamy Galão in one of the many charming cafés. The city impresses with cool street art and delights the eye with gorgeous church façades covered in exquisite Azulejos and what is probably the most famous bookstore in the world.
By now, you’ve probably noticed: Porto is one of my favorite cities in Europe and I’m excited to show you the best the city on the Atlantic coast has to offer – also if, just like me, you travel solo.
This is the third and last part of the murals I saw during my recent trip to Lisbon. Already in some of my past posts on urban art, I took you to some rather inhospitable neighborhoods. Whether the 13th Arrondissement of Paris, Copenhagen’s Nordvest neighborhood, or the satellite town of San Pablo in the northeast of Seville – hardly any sightseer makes his way to these places on the outskirts of Europe’s glittering metropoles.
And in Lisbon, too, you have to leave the picturesque historic old town and roam through high-rise developments like Moscavide to see some of the best street art the city has to offer.
For years, when I travel, I have made sure to find out whether there is any street art worth seeing at my destination. And in fact, it’s very rare that I don’t find what I’m looking for. During my stay in Lisbon I not only found what I was looking for, I felt like I was overwhelmed by a tsunami of outstanding street art. Now, for cities like London and Bristol, I have divided my street art posts by area into two parts. But when it comes to Lisbon, it is actually the first time that I have to present the murals of a city into three parts so that the posts don’t become endlessly long.
Bravo, Lisbon, you’ve really made it to the top of the street art hotspots!
Drum roll, after I’ve introduced the most impressive murals in the very center of the city, here comes the best that the suburb of Marvila has to offer in terms of street art in Lisbon.
Each time I write a post on the supposedly best street art in some place, I’m a bit hesitant. Can I rightfully claim to present the best pieces? Most of the time, I haven’t seen each and every mural a city has to offer. And even if I show a broad selection – who’s to judge what’s best, anyway?
Now, when it comes to Lisbon, I find my claim to introduce you to the best street art particularly preposterous as this city is just bursting with urban art. There are murals by the greatest of the greatest street artists everywhere. Also, the art festivals that flood Lisbon’s walls with dozens of new artworks every year don’t make the choice any easier. Yet, not only did I travel around the hotspots in the city center, I also made my way to the housing projects in Lisbon’s suburbs which are embellished by international superstars such as KOBRA, Shepard Fairey, and GLEO.
I tried hard to see as many murals as possible so that I could rightfully assert: In this post, I’m introducing the best pieces of street art Lisbon has to offer!
Some of the worldwide most recognized muralists like Mr. Dheo and Daniel Eime are based in Porto, the vibrant Northern Portuguese city on the river Douro. Hence, it’s no wonder the façades and walls of Porto serve as canvases for some of the best street art.
Nîmes is indisputably the most Italian city in France. Consequently, it is rather famous for old structures like the amazing Maison Carrée. In 2023, UNESCO even put this remarkable building on its list of World Heritage Sites. Most rightly so.
However, it’s a shame that far too few visitors are cherishing Nîmes’ wild side and contemporary art. Especially since you don’t even need to visit a museum as you’ll find the best art in Nîmes right on the street, on the houses, and walls of the Gambetta and Richelieu districts.
Nevertheless, you should definitely reserve half a day for hunting for street art, no matter what you call the hunting grounds.
This Way to the Whole Story ->Yes, there is so much to see and enjoy in Marseille, the oldest and second-largest city in all of France. And in addition, you absolutely should make time to explore the city’s best street art which is conveniently mainly located in some of the charming neighborhoods of Marseille, anyway. This way, you catch two birds with one stone. Come to think of it, this is a pretty disturbing metaphor, don’t you think?
Brussels is famous for many things: The European Parliament, the Atomium, beer, waffles, and comic books. Belgium’s capital celebrates the latter even in a beautiful street art project called Parcours Bande Dessinée. I’ve introduced many of the walls decorated by beloved comic book characters in my former post The Best Murals Along Brussels’ Comic Book Route.
But how about other murals that are not comic-themed?
What a question!
In Belgium, you’ll find grand street art even in the smaller cities.
So of course there are amazing powerful murals all around the country’s capital – and in this post, I’m telling you where to find the best street art Brussels has in store.
In a wonderful urban art project, namely a Comic Book Route, Brussels unites the best of its iconic arts, namely comic books and murals.
In this post, I’ll take you on a special scavenger hunt along the fantastic Parcours Bande Dessinée through the exciting capital of Belgium. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes as many of Brussels’ picturesque streets and alleyways are made of cobblestones. But most importantly, keep your eyes peeled so you don’t miss any of the works of art with which Brussels pays homage to its countless comic artists.
I was on the very early morning flight to Brussels which was actually my final destination. That’s why I was completely relaxed when they said we couldn’t take off because of fog. The only thing that annoyed me was the idea that I could have slept a good hour longer. Other than that, I didn’t care too much.
However, things looked completely different around me: passengers were nervously shifting back and forth in their seats, checking their phones, and pestering the stewardesses about what their connecting flights looked like.
This was how I discovered that I was pretty much the only one who didn’t have a connecting flight to Madrid or Nice, Kigali or Abuja. Hmm, Brussels seemed to be an important hub for international air traffic, interesting. Hence, I should definitely add it to my 24 hours in… series. No sooner said than done!
Of course, I hope that your layover is planned and not because of air traffic disruptions.
Whatever the reason for your extended layover might be, with this post, I have you covered.
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