ATHENS | Anyone who loves street art needs to visit Athens, one of the street art capitals of the world. Walk through the centre of town, and the many local neighbourhoods that extend beyond the city, and you’ll find a wealth of colourful creations.
Street art in Athens is varied in scope, and has strong ties to the local community and the people of the city. There are large murals painted by local and international artists, commissioned by the government, creative agencies and organisations. There’s also smaller scale murals, painted guerrilla-style across the city, and lots of tagging.
The city has been through a lot in recent years, from the highs of the 2004 Olympic Games, to the lows of the GFC-induced austerity period of the 2010s. They city has bounced back, and today is a vibrant, creative hub for Greeks and creatives from all over the world.
Athens’ street art reflects this energy and history. It’s beautiful and colourful, gritty and raw, hopeful and confronting. Artists aren’t afraid to speak their mind in Athens. Greece has a strong protest heritage, and you’ll find lots of murals speaking truth to power, covering topical issues of the day. Through the city’s street art, you will learn about the city and its people.
In this Athens street art guide, I’ll tell you about some of my favourite areas to visit for Athens’ best street art.
Anafiotika
This historic, quiet residential neighbourhood, located near the Acropolis, is where you’ll find lots of smaller-scale murals. Wander through the maze-like narrow streets, passing by humble stone houses, and you’ll find numerous low-key murals painted by local artists, and a surprisingly high number of French artists.
Exarchia
This bohemian neighbourhood is known for its anarchist, counterculture streak. There’s a long history of resistance to power in this part of Athens, and a strong sense of community. Exarchia is home to many students, politically active individuals, and intellectuals. The neighbourhood’s alternative, independent stores and bars reflect this, as do its many murals.
Gazi
Cantered around a former gasworks which was transformed into creative hub, Technopolis, Gazi is a small neighbourhood filled with contemporary art spaces, Greek tavernas, and global eateries, and a lot of bars and clubs that stay open well into the early hours of the morning. As you would expect in an area like this, there’s a lot of street art of be found.
Kerameikos
Directly north-east of Gazi, you’ll find the neighbourhood of Kerameikos. It’s centred on the archaeological site of what was ancient Athens’ largest cemetery. The wider neighbourhood isn’t particularly known for street art, but you’ll find some around the area that borders Gazi, extending up to the archaeological site.
Kypseli
Kypseli is a quiet neighbourhood, with low rents that’s led to an influx of artists and creatives in recent years. With this, has come an quirky mix of independent cafes, bars, eateries, and boutiques. It’s also led to many murals being painted in the neighbourhood. When you visit Kypseli Market, be sure to look out for the giant guitar playing rooster mural. It was painted by Bali-born, Athens-based arist, WD.
Metaxourgheio
Metaxourgheio is a very interesting neighbourhood to explore. A former industrial area, it transformed into a theatre district during the interwar period, with a bohemian streak. Today it’s a very artsy area, filled with theatres, galleries, and studios. You’ll find all of these, alongside grungy bars, and trendy new eateries.
The neighbourhood is also filled with brothels, and it’s not uncommon to see people shooting up with drugs in alleyways. Keep your wits about you as you explore the area, be aware of your surroundings, and you’ll have a great time discovering the area’s plentiful murals.
Neos Kosmos
This blue collar residential neighbourhood has historically been quite low key, but since the arrival of the Onassis Cultural Centre (Stegi) in 2010, the area’s become a bit of an artistic hub. Several small galleries and artistic space opened in subsequent years, and in 2020, the impressive National Museum of Contemporary Art Αthens (ΕΜΣΤ), opened.
You’ll find quite a bit of street art in the neighbourhood, including inside Athens’ first and only urban art gallery, Delirium Athens.
Omonoia
Another neighbourhood with a bit of a sketchy side but plenty of street art is Omonoia. It’s one of those neighbourhoods where one street seems perfectly safe and busy, and then a street away things are quite and there’s drug use out in the open. The area is starting to transform, with several great eateries, bars, and independent shops like bookstores and record stores, opening up.
Be aware of your surroundings while exploring, and you’ll be rewarded with some impressive murals. The large “Praying Hands” mural on the side of the Vienna Hotel, painted by Manolis Anastasakos and brothers Dimitris, Babis and Thanassis Cretsis, is particularly impressive.
Psiri
Psiri is a neighbourhood that’s experience contrasting fortunes over the years. A one-time working class part of Athens, the area saw declines and manufacturing moved out of the city centre. For a while, it was one of the sketchier parts of the city, but was cleaned up quite a bit leading up to the 2004 Olympics.
Today, Psiri is one of Athens’ most vibrant neighbourhoods, filled with historic and modern buildings, and winding back streets. It’s known for its small, independent boutiques, bars, and eateries, and street art. There’s a real mix of street art in this neighbourhood, from small to large tags and murals, all filled with colour.
Be sure to visit the mural “Loukanikos”, by Billy Gee, Alex Marinex, and N_Grams. Loukanikos was a Greek riot dog that participated in almost every anti-austerity protest in Athens. Initially a stray, he was taken care of by protesters and, later on, a man named Achilleas. Loukanikos was known for his fearlessness, appearing at the front lines of protests, and barking at authorities.
In 2011 Time magazine listed Loukanikos as one of its personalities of the year. He passed away in 2014, at the age of 10, due to health complications arising from the ingestion of tear gas while at the front lines of protests. Originally painted in 2014, the mural was touched up by the original artists, and given a new lease of life, in 2024.
Piraeus
If you are catching a ferry from Athens, you’ll find yourself in Piraeus neighbourhood. It’s home to Europe’s largest port, and was once a city in its own right. Be sure to take some time before or after your ferry trip to wander around the neighbourhood, as there are plenty of murals. In particular keep an eye out for murals by INO, who lives in the area.
Vyronas
Another former city which now forms part of greater Athens is Vyronas. You’ll find lots of recent murals here, many of which have been painted as part of the Vyronas Street Art Festival, which has been held each year since 2001. The inaugural festival celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821, with murals focusing on the theme of philhellenism and the Greek struggle for freedom. Subsequent year’s themes have included local schools, and community.
Identified artists featured in the image gallery include:
- 101 Crew
- Alex Martinez
- Babis Cretsis
- Billy Gee
- Dimitris Cretsis
- George Dimoulas
- The Krah
- Manolis Anastasakos
- Michael Roy aka Bird Cap
- Nikolaos Kafasis
- Otto Schade aka Osch
- P*NM
- Rimon Guimarães
- STMS
- Thanassis Cretsis
- WD (Wild Drawing)
- Yiakou
Happy discoveries on your street art walk through Athens. What are your favourites places for street art in Athens? Are there any street art neighbourhoods beyond these hotspots that you love?