Exploring Street Art in Athens – Complete Guide
Greece is famous for its archaeological remains, culture, food, beaches, and people. To us, it is the nicest country in Europe. That’s why we moved to Athens.
We love discovering street art and doing other unusual things in Athens. The city is an open air museum. Take a leisurely walk around Athens and you will see graffiti and murals everywhere.
That’s one of the reasons why we love Athens so much. Locals are always questioning and thinking. The result is a vibrant city where art takes center stage.
Brief History of Street Art in Athens
Athens has some of the most impressive graffiti and murals in Europe. Though most people identify the city’s street art with the financial crisis of 2012, it’s been there long before.
The word graffiti comes from Greek: it means to write. Our Greek friends of certain age trace the first graffiti to the 1990s. There was a crisis then too.
Today’s graffiti can be found all around the city. Not all are political. Some question the very essence of life. Most are beautiful and very Greek.
Where to Find the Best Graffiti and Murals in Athens
Psirri (Psyri)
Apocalypse Now
Corner of Miaouli and Agias Eleousis Streets
Psirri is one of the coolest areas of central Athens. The eclectic neighborhood begins in Monastiraki square and ends before Omonia square. We walk there all the time.
INO is one of the country’s most celebrated artists. He studied art in Athens School of Fine Arts. His work can be seen all over the world, including Dubai, New York, and Ukraine.
Apocalypse Now is his greatest piece in the city. The massive masked woman on the side of a building has eyes that convey a sense of doom.
Smiling Faces
Platia Iroon
Platia Iroon is in the center of Psirri, two blocks from Monastiraki square. We eat there all the time. Delicious tavernas face the square.
Look up from your souvlaki or cocktail and admire the massive three faces smiling from a tall building. They look full of joy and hope.
Quite a contrast from the anguish and angry eyes of Apocalypse Now. Our favorite ice cream parlor in Athens is here too: Il Arte del Gellato.
All Dogs Go to Heaven (Loukanikos)
Corner of Riga Palamidou and Sarri Streets
This area is famous for its theaters. There are two incredible performing art centers here: Theather IVI and the Old Printer of Empros Newspaper.
During the 2012 protests people would gather here. Not only people, but dogs too. The most famous one was Loukanikos. He became a symbol of resistance.
You will see his face on this corner. The inscription in Greek reads: We ate tear gas together. And to the left in English: All Dogs go to Heaven.
Gazi & Kerameikos
The Last Supper
Pireos Street, across Techonopolis
Gazi used to be an industrial neighborhood. Today, it’s where we locals come to party. It’s also the LGBT center of Athens. We love it!
The Technopolis Cultural Center, a former gas plant, is here. Look at a wall on Pireos street and you will see one of INO’s most iconic works: The Last Supper.
Nine people eat money around the empty chair of Jesus. Hands from beneath try to reach the table. The Acropolis behind. Isn’t it incredible?
Make Love, Not War
Voutadon Street (next to 48)
Gazi square is the epicenter of the neighborhood. People of all ages and backgrounds come here to socialize. It’s a short walk from our home. There are all types of bars and restaurants.
A massive heart shaped graffiti covers a tall building. A couple embracers while a tank cracks the wall. Locals call it Make Love, Not War.
The 3D effect is pretty cool. The couple looks very much in love. We love the contrast. It’s by local artists Billy Gee.
Can’t Say I’m Having a Bad Time
Corner of Megalou Alexandrou and Mikinon Streets
This area (Kerameikos) is a bit rough around the ages. That’s why we go there all the time. You’ll mingle with locals, migrants, and tourists.
I’ts fun and authentic. Besides, there’s graffiti everywhere. Our favorite is an eerie one that covers a building on Alexandrou Street. It’s been there for over a decade.
Local artist Vasilis Margosian painted the face of a tense man in a box. Tubes and concrete blocks surround them. Greek irony at its best!
Metaxourgio
Hands (Praying For Us)
Corner of Pireos and Menandrou Streets
Metaxourgio is the epicenter of migrant life in Athens. We have friends that live there, so we visit all the time. The area is safe and fascinating.
Pavlos Tsakonas painted Hands in 2011. Since then, it’s become one of the city’s most iconic graffiti. Everyone going to Omonia Square can’t help but notice it.
He reinterpreted Albrecht Dürer’s 16th Century painting. Tsakonas hands though come down from the sky. The brilliant graffiti is thought provoking.
So Many Books, So Little Time
Corner of Megalou Alexandrou and Kolwonou Streets
Everyone in Athens knows Metaxourgio is the red district. That’s why the So Many Books, So Little Time is the perfect graffiti for this area.
Athens is the perfect city to read. Be it in a café, on a terrace under a vine, in a park, the beach, and Metaxourgio.
One of us is an avid reader, and this one is his favorite graffiti in the city. Local artist Simple G designs are beautiful, elegant, and very Athenian.
Knowledge Speaks, Wisdom Listens
Corner of Paleologou and Samou Streets
We discovered this one on our way to Volos. The train station is nearby. Wild Drawings is a much loved local artist. However, his is Indonesian, from Bali.
That’s how diverse and cool our city is! He is brilliant and achieves a fantastic effect. It’s like the graffiti is looking at you, and not the other way around.
This one is of an owl, within what looks like old scripture. The eyes are incredible! The title is from the one and only Jimi Hendrix.
Other Areas
BLU in Navarinou Park
Park Navarinou in Exarcheia
This plot was supposed to be a parking lot. However, neighbors took over and established a community managed park. It’s in Exarcheia.
The neighborhood was at the center of the protests that took over the city more than a decade ago. It’s still the home of free thinkers, and graffiti.
Italian artist BLU painted the massive graffiti that presides over the park. Look out for the little men under the giant poppies.
She Who Protects
Corner of Panepistimiou and Themistokleous Streets
Though this one is meters from Omonia square, most people miss it all together. It’s relatively new, from 2022. It’s also very modern.
Local artist Aristeidis Lappas painted Athena the city’s goddess with multicultural elements and colors. She represents modern day Athens, a multicultural, open, fascinating city.
She’s wearing her armor and carries a spear. She protects everyone! The Onassis Cultural Center is behind this wonderful piece of art.
No Signal
Kriezotou Street
This stunning graffiti is next to one of the city’s best art galleries: The Ghika Gallery of the Benaki Museum. It’s in fancy Kolonaki, near the Grand Bretagne Hotel.
Panos Sklavenitis painted the giant mural on the side of a building in 2020. It’s hard to describe. It looks like a dial, or a TV empty screen.
In any case, the message is clear: No Signal. Now, what you make of it, is entirely your own idea.
