Street Art in Valencia, Spain

Last Updated on July 22, 2022

As passionate street art fans, Valencia is something similar to our Mecca. The Spanish city is teeming with unique graffiti and murals, which makes for fascinating sightseeing throughout local neighborhoods!

If you are looking for street art in Valencia, read on to find out where the best murals and street art in Valencia are, and how to see them, including the best street art tours in Valencia (scroll down to the end of the article for a fantastic, easy-to-follow self-guided tour!).

Where to see street art in Valencia

Barrio El Carmen

Barrio Carmen in the historic center is a neighborhood filled with quirky bars, shops and restaurants, but that wasn’t always the case. For a long time, this was a neighborhood with abandoned buildings and lots of empty walls – basically begging street artists to paint them! Now, it is a very young neighborhood and a great place to enjoy a coffee in a trendy cafe or to shop for some souvenirs in one of the many shops. El Barrio is where you’ll find a lot of large murals.

Tip: Don’t miss Carrer De Moret, now nicknamed Calle de los Colores: The Street of Colors.

Not only walls are used as a canvas – doors, roller shutters of the shops – any flat surface really. The painted shutters of shops are something that I’ve noticed throughout Spain – and these are not easy to paint, because the surface is NOT flat!

La Xerea

La Xerea is a neighborhood in the city center, east of the cathedral, part of the Old Town. Even though it is centrally located, it feels very residential, is quieter than Barrio Carmen and is overall a really nice neighborhood for a stroll – not just because of the street art.

Ruzafa

Ruzafa is Valencia’s hipster neighborhood. As many gentrified neighborhoods all over the world, Ruzafa was transformed from a working class, mostly immigrant neighborhood to an artsy hangout that first attracted young creatives, hipsters and artists to an area that is now home to some of the coolest bars, restaurants and coffeeshops in Valencia. In addition to art on the walls, there are also some cool galleries showcasing contemporary art in Ruzafa.

Valencia street art tours

The best and easiest way to see street art in Valencia is of course to take a street art tour. With a tour, you won’t just look at the amazing murals, but you’ll also learn the story behind them. In addition, you’ll learn about the talented artists behind these murals – the commentary will make you appreciate the art much more than just snapping a quick photo of the pieces.

There are several options:

• Free Tour Valencia

Free Tour Valencia offers a street art tour in Barrio Carmen twice a week. Between April and September, the tour runs every Monday and Friday at 6pm. Between October and March, the tour runs every Monday and Friday at 4pm.

The duration of the tour is about 2.5 hours. You can sign up for the free tour on the Free Tour Valencia website (check out their other tours while you’re on the site!) and while it is promoted as a “free” tour, remember that the guides rely on tips to make a living. Don’t be stingy!

• Street Art Walking Tour with Tour Me Out

This street art tour is another free walking tour, which runs at a different time than the above mentioned Free Tour Valencia, and runs on three days per week: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 4pm. This street art walk also focuses on Barrio Carmen, but is only 90 mins long. You can sign up for this tour on the Tour Me Out website. This tour is also tip-based.

• Street Art Bike Tour

If you’re comfortable riding a bicycle, I recommend the 2-hour street art bike tour which costs around US$30. Using a bike allows you to cover more ground and you’ll be able to see further away murals. Valencia is the third-largest city in Spain, so exploring it by bike allows you to see much more of the city than the walking tours do, which focus only on the city center.

On this tour, you’ll get an introduction to some of Valencia’s best known street artists: Escif, dubbed “Valencia’s Banksy”; Julieta XLF, who is known for her colorful Japanese-inspired artworks; Arqui Costura, who is known for her beautiful cross-stitch flower art, and Argentinian artist Hyuro, who currently lives in Valencia.

• A self-guided street art walk

If you don’t have time to join one of the street art tours, you can follow this self-guided art walk, created by LoveValencia.com. This detailed street art walk is easy to follow and has lots of great information on the art you see along the way, as well as details about the artists. There are also some great recommendations for other cool things to check out nearby, while you’re on your street art stroll.

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