Warsaw Street Art Tour
Title: Pope John Paul II
Artist: Unknown
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Street Art In Warsaw, Poland
If you’re a regular reader of my blog you know how much I love street art. I’ve photographed street art in Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Diego, New York, and Athens. So of course, on my most recent trip, I had to photograph the street art in Warsaw, Poland. Sadly, because I was in Europe, my trusty sidekick Maddie the Frenchie had to stay home. Sorry, Maddie, no tours for you.
The first thing I noticed upon my arrival in Warsaw was there didn’t seem to be much in the way of street art and murals in the main part of the city. Given my passion for street art, I needed to find these Warsaw hidden gems. If you consult a good Poland travel guide, you’ll see that most of Warsaw’s attractions are in and around Old Town. Looks like I would have to cross the Vistula River into the Warsaw Praga District to find what I was after.
In order to see more than just the usual Warsaw neighborhoods visited by the majority of tourists, I signed up for a street art tour across the Vistula River. Crossing the Vistula is something most tourists visiting Warsaw do not do unless they’re visiting the Warsaw Zoo. But I was on a quest!
Title: Unknown
Artist: Unknown
Praga District in Warsaw
Most of the street art in Warsaw is located in the Praga District. Just across the Vistula River from the main part of Warsaw, the Praga District is also known as the “dark side of Warsaw.” Unlike Old Town and the rest of Warsaw, the Praga District was largely spared in the Second World War. Today Praga is home to much of the Warsaw nightlife, Warsaw nightclubs, and Warsaw bars. The area is also known for its large hipster population and having some of the best street art Warsaw has to offer. As we drove through the streets we kept our eyes peeled for amazing murals and our guide was all too happy to pull over so we could get a better view and capture some of the best Instagram spots in Warsaw.
The annual Street Art Doping Festival takes place in Praga, attracting some of the most famous street artists in the world like, Cyrcle, Daleast, Phlegm, Dome, London Police, SatOne, Bo 130, Will Barras, Czarnobyl, BToy, Pixel Pancho, Evol, M-City, Chazme 718, Sepe, Etam Crew, Otecki, Tone, and Monstfur. This is one of the major European street art festivals like the Mostar Street Art Festival in Bosnia.
You may be wondering, given its connotation as the dark side, is Praga Warsaw safe? Yes. Despite its connotation as Warsaw’s dark side, the area has seen a tremendous amount of gentrification. It’s now one of the most vibrant districts of Warsaw. It’s also a great place to see some of the older architecture that survived the bombings during the war. While you’re checking out Praga Warsaw street art, be sure to check out some of the older architecture.
Title: Unknown
Artist: Martyna Wójcik - Śmierska
The Best Tour To See Warsaw Street Art
While I couldn’t find a proper Warsaw Street Art tour, I was able to find a tour of Praga promising to feature street art prominently. This 2.5-hour tour of the dark side of Warsaw featured not only urban art but delicious hot chocolate. And really, what more could one ask for? Click the link to book your tour tickets. For the low price of about $32 US, our guide took us through the Praga District, Warsaw to search for some of the best street art Poland has to offer.
Our tour included not only street art, but some of the more unusual things to do in Warsaw. We stopped by some fantastic Warsaw Instagram spots as we discovered some of the top things to see in Praga Warsaw. Our trip included a stop at chocolatier E. Wedel, a stop at a Warsaw street market, and a visit to a vodka factory and a Polish vodka museum. Our local travel guides drove us through the streets of Warsaw in a Nysa van which in and of itself was an awesome experience as these old communist-era vans are never seen in the United States.
I highly recommend this tour. While you may be tempted to stick to Old Town and the more famous attractions and museums, there’s a lot going on across the river.
Let’s Get To The Street Art!
I’ve tried to include the name and artist of as many pieces as possible. Sadly, some of the works below are uncredited. If you happen to know the artist, please slip it in the comments below.
Title: Unknown:
Artist: Unknown
Title: Mechanical Centaur
Artist: Pixel Poncho
Created by Italian artist Pixel Pancho in 2012, this piece shows a mechanical centaur killing a mechanical deer.
Title: Goose
Artist: Diego Miedo
The mural was painted in 2012 just before the European Football Championships. Diego was assisted by local school students who helped design and create the mural.
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Artist: Unknown
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Title: Warsaw Fight Club
Artist; Conor Harrington
As part of the Street Art Doping Festival 2015 in Praga, the mural “Warsaw Fight Club” was created. The mural caused considerable controversy from the beginning. Some accused artist, Conor Harrington, of maintaining the stereotypical image of the Praga District as a dangerous district, others accused him of promoting violence.
Title: Unkown
Artist: This piece is sponsored by McDonald’s as part of a 2012 advertising campaign.
Title: Unknown
Artist: Unknown
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Artist: Invader
Title: Playground
Artist: Ernest Zacharevic
Created during the Street Art Doping Festival, by Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic. The mural depicts the world through children's eyes.
Title: Education System
Artist: Michał 'Sepe' Wręga
Created in 2016 by Polish artist Michał 'Sepe' Wręga as part of the Street Art Doping Festival.
Enjoy Warsaw Street Art On Your Own
I highly recommend taking a tour of Warsaw street art. Though it’s possible to find many pieces on your own, it’s best done with a guide since the art is spread all over the Praga district and can be hard to find if you don’t know what you’re looking for.
If you’re wondering, is Warsaw worth visiting? The answer is a resounding YES! In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more of my Warsaw journies.
