New travel trends show us that the youngest generations are day by day more interested in alternative experiences than classic things to do. That’s why we selected for this article the best urban art tour for each continent.
Cooltourspain team members participated in the following activities:
- Discovering the best urban art in Rabat, Morocco.
- Street art tour in Madrid
- Guided visit focused in Melbourne’s urban art.
Madrid’s alternative urban art tour
Spain receives thousands of visitors every year. People come to visit us because of our traditions, food, culture and gastronomy, but there is many more to experience.
Madrid offers a range variety of things to do in town, including an urban art tour around the most multicultural and chic neighborhoods of Lavapiés and Malasaña.
Let’s pay attention to what kind of places would you visit in each of them:
Street art in Lavapies, the most multicultural district in town.
A street art tour in Madrid wouldn’t be complete if you don’t visit Lavapies.
It’s all about community, street art culture and restaurants from many different countries. These are the locations/spots that we wouldn’t miss if we were around the area:
- Esta es una Plaza, Madrid’s most beautiful urban garden (Calle Doctor Fourquet). A magic place for kids!
- Tabacalera, a self-sustained cultural center which was formerly used as a tobacco factory during the XIX century.
- La Quimera de Lavapiés, reggae music & underground raves.
Urban art in Malasaña area, the hipster community
Madrid’s second most important artistic district for us is Malasaña, an area affected by gentrification. Have you ever heard of that term?
Visiting the area could give you a panoramic view of how diverse our communities are. In this case, we may observe how the elder local citizens mix with expats coming from all over the world.
These are the locations/events you shouldn’t miss if you pass by:
- Pinta Malasaña street art festival (celebrated between May/June)
- Plaza dos de Mayo, Malasaña’s meeting point.
- Solar Antonio Grilo, representing a former squat.
Morocco’s street art capital, Rabat.
Rabat is well known in the touristic circuit because of its medina, souk and the Mohamed V mausoleum. Alternative travellers may be also interested in a Hammam experience (typical Moroccan spa) , but today we will talk to you about its urban art tour.
Despite what many travellers may think, Morocco is a completely safe country, and visiting its graffiti walls could be done either by public or private transport.
Have you ever met any of their friendly citizens?
Jidar, Toiles de Rue- urban art tour
The most important event celebrated in the political & administrative capital city is Jidar. This street art festival just celebrated its 5th edition last 2019, and new artists visit Rabat every year.
What is Jidar festival focusing on?
- The creation of a collaborative mural by local & renowned artists,
- Contemporary art’s celebration in the mausoleum exterior walls,
- Urban art master classes for local teenagers.
Street art artists from Morocco that you should follow on Instagram
Similarly to what happens with artists from all over the world, many Moroccan artists have based their work on iconographic designs and images, but the movement includes a diverse range of styles.
Some of the most famous street art artists that we could see in a Moroccan urban art tour are:
- ABID, a founding member of Placebo Studio, Casablanca. His works consists of calligraphy and realist creations. A professional artist who always goes beyond the graffiti style.
- Majid El Bahar, would you be familiar with the term ‘Fucklorism‘? That’s what MAJIC creates. There is no need to connect with folklore in order to make Moroccan art.
An urban art tour around Australia
Wandering through Australia’s southeast side, we would probably find one of the most skillful and beautifully developed creations ever seen!
What’s true is that Aussies are way more interested in learning about street art or participating in an urban art tour than many other worldwide alternative travellers.
Let’s check two of their well-known street art festivals:
Wall to wall street art festival
The festival creates an all encompassing ambience in the town of Benalla, which enriches the community. 2020 marks the Festival’s 6th year, with the town now boasting an impressive amount of over 50 murals.
The majority of murals are able to be viewed in an urban art tour that could take approximately 1-2 hours, making it one of the most densely populated outdoor street art galleries in Australia.
Can’t do tomorrow, Melbourne
Can’t do tomorrow defines itself as a micro-movement inside a macro-movement. An underground platform that grows, advances and develops with its own organic energy.
What type of artistic representations will you observe at CAN’T?
- painting, murals,
- photography, stencil,
- sculpture, video, illustration and
- epic immersive installations.
An ultimate experience to change the public space. Are you in?
Cooltourspain opinion about any urban art tour around the globe
We believe that any graffiti tour must be unique. How could we identify the guided visit uniqueness?
- The guide is an artist him/herself.
- The walking tour covers areas that you wouldn’t visit on your own.
- Guests reviews show how professional the activity looks like.
Taking these ideas into account should give you an idea of who should you book/hire for an urban art tour.
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