if you’re arriving in lisbon through the airport, the first thing you’ll notice outside its taxi stand is the giant mural of dozens of eyes of the world.  i can’t even count how many we passed and i was unfortunately not prepared enough to have time to make a full round to see how many i could find.

we stayed in the martim moniz / baixa area and while we’ve heard it described as somewhat sketchy, we didn’t feel that way in the least.  you’d be hard pressed to find an alleyway that wasn’t lined with graffiti and maybe that sketches some people out.  the neighbourhood by the airport is another one that is jam packed with murals however i didn’t venture far enough out there.

f you make plans to head towards lxfactory, lisbon’s littler hipster village built over a compound of old newspaper printing factories, there’s so much to be found around every corner.  starting from the cais de sodre station where you catch the cascais metro line to alcantara-mar, warehouses are outfitted with a fresh layer of paint.  getting off at alcantara-mar spits you out into a small subway station that leaves no patch of concrete untouched.  every pillar has a different theme and colourful portuguese houses and trolleys line the walls.

 

and if you stroll towards lxfactory, you can’t miss these:

and the ones inside lxfactory:

lisbon also recently held an urban art festival where painters from many countries visited and took to the street and outfitted dozens of buildings.  it’s great to see a city that doesn’t simply approve of street art but gives artists the ability to showcase their talents.

lisbon has also taken the time to encourage artists to outfit their recycling bins to the artists’ own styles.  you’ll find these all over the city:

some other random pieces.  a very colourful city:

i regret that i didn’t make time for a graffiti tour as the guys running it have gotten outstanding reviews.  while the city isn’t that large, the areas are quite spread out and the snaking walkways make it very easy to miss stashing when you’re out and about hunting.