From great murals to sticker art, Porto is full of wonderfully creative street art.
The street art in Lisbon has become world famous, but Porto’s scene is just as interesting and you’ll often find the same artists painting murals in both cities.
Since 2013, the city of Porto has moved toward embracing street art, instead of fighting it.
New rules allowed artists to paint certain walls with the official support of the city. It’s always great to see the value of urban art getting the recognition it deserves.
This trend of embracing street art can be found in quite a few cities in Europe. Great examples would be Zagreb and Glasgow.
Porto street art tours
When you visit Porto you can take a guided tour to see the best street art in the city.
Find out when the Porto street art tour is available:
You’ll get to see some of the city’s famous murals and some hidden gems with a professional guide.
On some days of the week you can also find a free street art tour in Porto.
If you prefer a self-guided tour, get an offline map including all the recommendations in this post.
A selection of wonderful street art in porto
To explore the most famous works of urban art in Porto, I invited travel bloggers to recommend some great artworks and also added some of my own favourites to the list.
Blue cobalt cat or perspéntico, 2017, by liqen on afonso martins alho street
The smallest street in Porto, Afonso Martins Alho Street is only 30 metres long and also quite narrow.
Still, it’s hosting the huge artwork by Galician artist Liqen named “Perspéntico”. You may want to add visiting this artwork to your self-guided walking tour of Porto.
The large mural depicts a cat carrying buildings on its back. It covers five storeys and the blue colour of the cat was chosen to match the colour of iconic Azulejo ceramics.
Taking advantage of the unusual placement and limited visibility of the wall, Liqen painted an image of an animal known for its cunningness and curiosity, inviting the viewer to put in a little extra effort in order to enjoy the entire work.
The artist has added subtle references to his painting, such as a computer cable in a cat’s mouth, and a skeleton of a tourist.
Address: R. Afonso Martins Alho 123 Porto, Portugal
By Anita Sane form The Sane Travel
Mira by daniel eime in rua nova da alfândega
Porto is the second biggest city in Portugal. The city is famous for street art. The vibrant artworks on the old buildings are serious works with hidden messages.
Mira or Look by Daniel Eima is one of Porto’s best street art murals. Situated in the square of Rua Nova da Alfândega in Miragaia Porto, the mural portrays the face of an elderly Portuguese woman from the neighborhood.
Like other murals by Eima, it also explains the simple lifestyle of Porto.
It is said that this mural is a portrait of famous Portuguese writer Agustina Bessa-Luís. Many of her favourite novels have been adapted to the large screen. Some of her famous works are A Sibila, O Susto, Dominga and A Ronda da Noite.
Daniel Eima is considered a master of Stencil art in Porto. Besides typical spray and static arts, his black and white brush paintings are refreshing.
His thorough research helped him yield a sophisticated stencil and dripping painting technique and create a masterpiece.
Daniel has integrated space decoration, solo and group exhibitions, and street art festivals.
Address: Largo de Artur Arcos, 4050-431 Porto, Portugal
By Ruma Dey Baidya from The Holiday Story
The trindade mural, 2014, by hazul and mr dheo
The 2014 Trindade mural is one of the most iconic pieces of street art in Porto. It awaits on the 250 m2 wall of the parking lot opposite the Trindade metro station.
This is a central part of the city and you are certain to utilize this metro station at some point during your time in Porto so you cannot miss this mural. It was created by two of the most notable artists on the Portugal street art scene: Hazul and Mr Dheo.
The two artists have extremely different creative styles. Yet somehow, the piece that they have created as a duo seamlessly blends together and just works.
Hazul’s contribution to the piece is a bold, colourful mishmash of geometric shapes. Meanwhile, Mr Dheo has created a portrait of a man holding a spray can in one hand and a miniature Clerigos Tower in the other.
The Clerigos Tower is one of Porto’s key landmarks. This pairing acts as a metaphor for Porto’s artistic transformation.
This piece was actually commissioned as part of a beautification initiative by the Porto council. After the city’s former government went on a mission to clean over and cover up street art, the new one took the opposite approach.
They recognized how street art could have a positive impact on the aesthetics of a city. So, they commissioned the creation of several pieces including the spectacular Trindade.
Address: 124, R. do Alferes Malheiro 121, Porto, Portugal
By Melissa Douglas from High Heels and a Backpack
The half rabbit by bordalo ii in gaia
You’ll find one of Porto’s most famous pieces of street art on the corner of Rua Guilherme Gomes Fernandes and Rua Dom Alfonso 111 in Vila Nova de Gaia.
Vila Nova de Gaia is home to the city’s famous port cellars and a fantastic place to visit, especially if you’re in Porto over the weekend.
Half Rabbit is a large and curious work by Portuguese artist Bordalo II. It is a beautiful 3D work and consists of recycled materials and found objects that were put together to make a rabbit.
Bordalo II assembled his Half Rabbit on the corner of a building, dissecting the rabbit in two halves. The recycled materials on the side have been painted, while the other half was left exposed. That’s why it’s called “Half Rabbit”.
The artists made this piece as a social commentary on mass production and consumption and their effect on nature. He hopes that Half Rabbit will raise social awareness of the garbage we produce and hopefully help us find a more sustainable life in harmony with nature.
Address: R. Guilherme Gomes Fernandes 42, 4400-266 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
By De Wet Moolman from Museum of Wander
Don quixote, 2014 by mesk, fedor & mots
The Don Quixote mural is famous for being the first legal mural in Porto.
It’s a huge, impressive portrait of the three main characters from the novel “D. Quixote de la Mancha”.
The artwork was created by three local artists Mesk, Fedor and Mots who teamed up to paint this magnificent mural, supported by the Circus Network (more about it below).
It’s located in the most artistic district in Porto (and one of my personal favourite places in the city), on Miguel Bombarda Street.
Address: Rua de Miguel Bombarda 77, 4050-381 Porto, Portugal
An.fi.tri.Ão, 2015 by frederico draw
This mural is very central, you can see it when you visit Porto’s most famous bridge, Dom Luís I.
The title of the artwork means “host” and the friendly old man in the mural looks like he’s welcoming you to his city.
I like the unique effect of the peeling paint on the side of the building, I think it adds some charm to this piece.
Address: Av. Vimara Peres 23, 4000-098 Porto, Portugal
Porto’s street art gallery: circus network
Circus Network is a gallery dedicated to urban art, with exhibitions by Portuguese and international artists, artist residencies, workshops and a print shop.
It is also a creative agency representing and promoting artists. and has supported the creation of some of Porto’s great murals.
It’s located in Portos’ art district (“Bairro das Artes”), which is well worth a visit.
It is one of the best places to visit in Porto if you’re into street art, illustration and design. You can find more lovely design shops and galleries in my Porto design guide.
Address: Rua do Rosário 54 4050-522 Porto, Portugal
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