A Short Guide to the Street Art in Lisbon

Lisbon is well-known for its expansive and varied street art scene, but this wasn’t always the case.

Like with the tile-trend, street art dates back to the earthquake of 1755 which shattered the majority of the city. Before then, buildings were traditionally painted in a neutral white but, after the earthquake, richer areas began introducing patterned tiles to the exteriors of their homes to liven up a city that had, in essence, been ruined. Poorer areas, or those that could not afford or did not have access to tiles, began covering their houses with paintings – or street art. This has continued right up until the present day, except it is no longer limited to poorer areas. In fact, you can see street art in most areas throughout the city.

During my time in Lisbon, I explored many of the regions of the city, and therefore got to see a large amount of the street art. However, as there is no specific ‘guide’ as such to it and it is such a temporary art-form, it’s difficult to provide a comprehensive review. I’ll give it a stab, though.

Picoas

You can see large-scale murals in the areas surrounding Picoas metro station to the north of the city. In an attempt to jazz up abandoned buildings in the area, famous street artists like Blu and Os Gemeos were given the opportunity to create huge visual stories on the sides of boarded up apartment blocks. Now, you can catch a glimpse of a larger-than-life sneaky burglar, strange bird-like creatures, and a scarily big crocodile all on the same street – how many places can you go to and say that?

Piece by Lucy Mclauchlan

The street art in this area was brought about by the Crono Project a few years ago, which aimed to regenerate the quickly disintegrating business district. Since then, numerous artworks have popped up on the streets of this area, giving it a new lease of life and attracting tourists to visit – and spend their money – there.

By Sam3

Piece on left by Gêmeos and piece on the right by BLU

Bairro Alto

Bairro Alto is Lisbon’s hippest area, featuring an abundance of cool underground bars, clubs, and pubs. It has an edgy vibe, with a soundtrack of traditional Fado music mixed with the pumping beats of modern music. Wander through the steep, narrow streets and you’ll stumble across art in all forms to your left and right.

Alfama

Alfama, the oldest part of the city, sits high on a hill to the east, looking out across the Tagus and the rest of Lisbon. Despite being the only part of the city that wasn’t affected by the earthquake, the twisting streets are still home to the colourful brushstrokes of many a street artist. Near the Sao Jorge castle there seems to be a particularly large amount of street art, particularly amongst the ruins just down the hill from it.

As well as your typical painterly style of street art, there are also some beautiful images made from tiles around Alfama – keep an eye out especially around old shops and restaurants, as many of these decorate their exterior with experimental tile designs.

These are the three main areas that sport a large quantity of street art. Wander anywhere around these and you are bound to come across many artistic offerings, but Lisbon’s street art isn’t strictly limited to these areas by any means. Like I said earlier, just take a walk through the streets and I bet you’ll be surprised by how much you see. I was surprised to come across street art in Cascais, a nearby beach resort that has managed to retain the typical white building tradition.

Do you like exploring a place’s street art? Where has been the best place you’ve seen street art?

Finally… Musement, a site offering museum tickets, art tours, and cultural activities has kindly let Wanderarti readers get €5 off purchases up until the 31st July. Just use the code WANDERARTI and you can get discounted offers all over Europe!