Athens street art walk: Psyrri to Metaxourgeio

Some of the most exciting things to see in Athens are not in a museum. Painted shop shutters, huge murals on apartment blocks and layers of stencils and paste-ups have made the streets west of Monastiraki an open-air gallery. This self-guided walk takes you from Monastiraki through Psyrri to Metaxourgeio, with an optional extension to Exarchia for another day.

• Start: Monastiraki metro (Lines 1 and 3).
• Finish: Metaxourgeio metro (Line 2).
• Cost: Free.
• Good to know: Street art is temporary. Works get painted over, so treat this as a route, not a checklist.

Before you go: how to look at Athens street art

• Walk in the morning for the walls, in the evening for the shutters. Many Psyrri shops have commissioned artists to paint their steel shutters, so streets look different once the shops close.
• Look up. The largest murals cover whole sides of buildings and are easy to miss at street level.
• Be respectful. These are lived-in neighbourhoods. Don’t photograph people without asking, and avoid demonstrations.
• Expect change. A piece you saw online may be gone, and something new may be in its place.

1. Monastiraki: start at the station

Come out of Monastiraki metro and take a moment on the square before heading north-west. Many walls and shutters around the station and the flea market streets are painted too.

2. Into Psyrri: Sarri Street and Iroon Square

Cross Ermou Street into Psyrri. The official Athens guide notes how derelict buildings here have been revitalised with “extraordinary displays of street art”. Sarri Street is the quickest way to see a lot in a short time. Wander the side streets towards Iroon Square, where five narrow streets meet, and along Agion Anargyron. Psyrri is the most colourful and least political of the city’s street art areas, and much of its work is commissioned.

3. On to Metaxourgeio: big walls

From the western side of Psyrri, continue towards Metaxourgeio, named after a 19th-century silk factory. The scale changes here: expect large murals on building ends, alongside older neoclassical houses. Avdi Square is a good place to stop for a coffee before you end at Metaxourgeio metro. The walk crosses Pireos Street, which is busy, so use the pedestrian crossings.

If you would rather skip this stretch, take Line 2 to Metaxourgeio station and explore from there.

Optional extension: Exarchia (another day)

Exarchia, north of the centre near the National Archaeological Museum, has the city’s most politically charged street art. Look along Kallidromiou Street (home to a Saturday farmers’ market) and visit Navarinou Park, a former car park occupied by residents in 2009 and turned into the city’s first self-managed park, where a large mural by the Italian artist Blu tells its story. The official Athens guide notes that protests can sometimes flare up in Exarchia, so check the news before you go and avoid demonstrations. Metro works around Exarchia Square have also changed parts of the area.

Respectful street art etiquette

• Stay on public streets and squares, and don’t enter squats or private courtyards.
• Ask before photographing people, especially at gatherings or memorials.
• Support the scene where you can, for example by buying from local shops or galleries.

Questions

Keep exploring

Plaka, Monastiraki and Psyrri walk · All self-guided walks · Athens neighbourhood guides

Sources and further reading