Where To Find The Best Street Art Murals In London For Beautiful Social Media Posts
London is full of artistic settings, from Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, where you can watch the bard's words come to life, to the British Museum, Rick Steves' favorite London museum and home to artifacts and art from around the world. But not all of this capital city's art is found in galleries. You can find much of it, literally, in the streets.
If you're looking to show off your street art cred or just want some bright colors to liven up your social media feed, you can wander London and wait to be surprised by some unexpected art. Or you can go directly to these spots where you're almost guaranteed to find a celebration of colorful creativity. (One thing to note: Not all works of art are necessarily sanctioned by the powers that be, so what's there one day may not be there the next.) Also, this isn't anywhere close to an exhaustive list of all of London's urban art. To get even more insight on the street art scene here, a number of organizations run walking tours that will give you more in-depth insight to the artwork and artists.
One place you're definitely going to find a collection of vibrant street art is the Leake Street Arches, the largest expanse of legal graffiti/street art anywhere in London. Beneath Waterloo Station, the art here changes frequently. You can even become an artist here yourself — they run graffiti workshops that will let you leave your own mark on these Instagram-worthy walls.
The London neighborhoods famous for their street murals
Shoreditch, particularly around Brick Lane, is a go-to London neighborhood for street art. It's hard to pinpoint any one particular mural to seek out here as there are so many good ones and they can and do change, but some longtime standouts include "A Couple Holding Hands in the Street" on Princelet Street by Stik and "Crane" on Hanbury Street by ROA, a Belgium artist. Also check out Chance Street, near the Shoreditch High Street Station, which has some massive murals by more well-known street artists.
Camden, in central London, is another popular urban art destination. Hawley Mews off Chalk Farm Road often has impressive pieces as does Castlehaven Road. Even if you don't know the artists here, you might recognize some of their inspiration — the walls of Camden often have a number of different art pieces inspired by Amy Winehouse, the British singer who loved the neighborhood. Another musician inspired mural is the one of David Bowie down in Brixton.
London's largest mural is at The Megaro Hotel near King's Cross Station. The exterior of the 5-story Georgian style hotel was painted in 2012 by members of "Agents of Change," a street art collective.
Banksy is one of London's most renowned street artists
Any discussion of street art in London pretty much has to include Banksy; he is one of the most (in)famous England-based street artists. Or rather, Banksy's art is famous; the artist himself has remained a mystery. His work is typified by edgy stylistic stenciling and slogans that typically provide social and/or political commentary, and a number of his famous paintings can be found in London. One of his works from 2011 is the "Falling Shopper" aka "Shop Till You Drop." Found high on a wall on a Bruton Lane building in London's elegant Mayfair neighborhood, it's seen by many as a critique of consumerism.
A more colorful Banksy piece from 2024 can be found on the Christie Court building in the Finsbury Park neighborhood of north London. It incorporates a bare tree next to the building — Banksy's work often includes nearby environmental features — and the mural is composed of green paint that mimics leaves along with a figure holding a pressure hose.
If all this talk of art has inspired your next vacation, you should also know the best time to visit London. And once you've gotten an up close view of London's street art, get a unique view of the London skyline from Alexandra Palace.