Tourism trends are changing the way that cultural experiences are offered to the XXI century travellers, and thus we wanted our graffiti tour Madrid to be ready for these modifications.
How are we changing the game? Explore with us the best modern art in town through:
- Neighborhoods to discover
- Artists to have an eye on
- Services offered
Which areas are explored in the graffiti tour Madrid?
Cooltourspain’s services are focused on people who are interested in observing the Spanish capital in a different way, exploring areas that you may not see on your own.
We would like you to experience the real Madrid culture, its best contemporary art and spots/locations that we wouldn’t miss if we only had one day in town.
Let’s check them out!
– Lavapiés, multicultural district
Lavapiés, in recent history, has been considered as probably one of the most multi-ethnic places in town.
It’s in Embajadores district where you will immerse in a multicultural area full of street art and graffiti. These are the locations that we wouldn’t miss:
- Esta es una Plaza (Calle Doctor Fourquet, 24), Madrid’s most beautiful urban garden is a hidden gem worth to visit on sunny days after 11.00AM
- La Tabacalera de Lavapiés (Calle Embajadores, 53), a self-sustained community center where you will be able to participate at DIY workshops and buy some artisanal products.
- La casa Encendida (Ronda de Valencia, 2), cultural center with monthly exhibitions on visual and contemporary arts.
Most of our guests at the Lavapiés graffiti tour Madrid mention that it’s incredible how the street art community in the district is such alive!
– Malasaña, hipster, chic & bohemian area
Universidad district has always been a popular district where to live and hang around as a local (and expensive too!), but it’s been in the past decade where travellers have done the same.
People visiting our graffiti tour Madrid decide to explore this area because of its unique architecture and the combination of local businesses with modern bars and restaurants.
There are three main spots that we wouldn’t skip, and they are all located closely as the walking distances between each of them will not exceed the 10 minutes:
- Plaza del Dos de Mayo, an open air square with terraces where to enjoy Madrid’s afternoon lifestyle, or as we refer to it in Spanish “tardeo”.
- Madrid’s history museum, Muelle was one of the pioneers in the local graffiti scene, and it’s in here where you will be able to observe how Madrid was structured in the past centuries.
– San Bernardo, Noviciado & Plaza España
These metro stations are located close to Gran Via street, but people don’t usually go far beyond the limits.
We would recommend you to check, especially in the morning, the following spots:
- Mercado de Los Mostenses (Plaza Mostenses, 1), one of the capital’s oldest food markets. Now that the Chinese community has settled in here, you will find many stalls selling international gastronomic products.
- Solar Antonio Grilo (Calle Antonio Grilo, 8), urban garden completely taken over by street art, both at the interior and exterior walls.
- Arte al Cubo festival (Pasaje de los Cubos), post-graffiti event where local & national artists color the hallway next to Plaza de España square.
What are the different options for the graffiti tour Madrid?
It was in 2016 when Javier Garcia launched this cultural, social and educational project. Since then, more than 3,000 visitors have participated in our graffiti tour Madrid.
Which are the different options available this 2020?
– The #1 alternative walking tour Madrid
Our daily guided visits are offered to all audiences. We even organize FREE tours for local associations and non-profit projects in town.
The walking tours that we curate are regularly held at 11.00AM. The activity is led in English language, because the majority of our guests come from English speaking countries, but we do also have Spanish and French guides available.
We always suggest our guests to start with the Lavapiés guided visit, then continue exploring Malasaña area, but if you are running our of time and willing to discover the widest part in the least time possible, we would recommend you:
– Street art Madrid bike tour
An almost 3 hours graffiti tour Madrid in which you will discover the biggest walls and the most important street art festivals in town (Muros Tabacalera, Pinta Malasaña, Urvanity & Calle Lavapiés).
Guests will use modern bikes, but those of you who prefer not to pedal hard, we have e-bikes available as well! Doesn’t it sound interesting?
- Chueca
- Malasaña
- Embajadores
– Live experience, more than just a graffiti tour Madrid
Cooltourspain’s team members thought that offering a unique live experience to our guests could change the reviews that people leave in our Tripadvisor official page.
So it did! What a great impact that adding a small stencil graffiti during the guided visit had in our guests’ comments.
People greatly appreciate this present, as they think that participating in a point & look activity is great, but having the opportunity to get hands to work is way more engaging and fun, especially for those ones who have never used a spray can before.
Who are the experts in charge of the services?
Let us introduce you the local experts who will show you Madrid in a different way.
– Patricia, LGBTQ+ activist
Patri was born and raised in Venezuela and by the age of 12 she moved to Madrid. Years later, she graduated in History of Fine Arts at Complutense University.
This local activist loves to observe the graffiti and street art scene through history, and how female writers are actively participating in the underground movement.
It is her who interviews local & national artists for our website, offering our readers the opportunity to receive insider details about the emergent contemporary art industry.
Apart from that, Patri leads our graffiti tour Madrid from Monday to Friday at 11.00AM. Have you already met her?
– Gerardo, street art guide Madrid
The first time Gerardo contacted us, he sent us a whole stack of pictures that he has been photographing at the local street art scene since the late 2000s.
His wide knowledge on the topic, and his Instagram contacts allow him to speak with a clear idea of how the graffiti Madrid is like at the moment.
Gerardo is in charge of our Madrid bike tours, but due to a car accident he cycles on an ebike at all times.
– Javier, local graffiti tour Madrid entrepreneur
Last but not least, Javier is a key figure in our project. He quit his job in 2015 as an Elementary school teacher to fully dedicate his time to a passion, graffiti.
Mr. Garcia has received several awards and recognitions in the tourism field because of his idea to decentralize the touristic activities in the city.
He is currently working towards expanding his cultural project to other cities across the country, including Málaga and Barcelona.
Cooltourspain’s opinion about the graffiti tour Madrid
Our graffiti tour Madrid has observed as several other Hebrew companies in town has literally copied our service. They now offer free street art tours based on tips, something that we are totally against.
Please be careful on who you hire a service with.
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