Review: Athens street art tour with kids

How do you brighten a drizzly grey day in Athens during your family city break? By taking a street art tour of Athens with kids, of course.

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The rain isn’t essential, obviously, and if you’re travelling outside February (when we were visiting), you’ll almost certainly get to enjoy the artwork against a cloudless blue sky in the Greek capital.

And whatever the weather, our street art tour of Athens with Alternative Athens also gave us a chance to get to see a different side of the city – it’s easy to think Athens is all ancient temples, historic sites and picturesque pedestrianised corners like Plaka, but there’s plenty to discover beyond the well-known tourist sights.

Needless to say, even when you’re looking at the more modern side of the city and discovering more about the street art scene, you won’t avoid historic Athens entirely.

Our street art tour started near Thissio metro station, a spray can’s throw from a statue of Theseus himself, one of the city’s biggest heroes, with the Temple of Hephaestus in the background.

And one of our first stops looked out over the remains of Kerameikos, the potters’ quarter at the edge of the old walled city of Athens – and in more recent history, the city’s Holocaust Memorial.

But it’s the street art which ties the walk together, leading you through Gazi – site of Athens’ former gasworks – and Metaxourgio the old silk-workers’ quarter, to Psiri, passing some of the city’s industrial heritage like Athens’ oldest bus station (the Old Depot is now used for pop-up events, and one of the artworks).

Along the way, we found art inspired by history, politics and life in Athens today, as our guide Nikos explained some of the meanings behind the artworks and introduced us to specific artists and their style.

As is often the way with street art, much of it appears in some of the edgier and more run-down areas of Athens; walking round with a local, I never felt unsafe, but as a woman alone with a child, I’m not sure how comfortable I’d have felt exploring all of them solo, even following a self-guided street art tour.

Plus we would have missed all the background about the various artworks, learning to distinguish specific street artists’ styles and signatures, hearing about the various different street art styles, the history of street art and even the real life events behind some of the pieces.

It’s a great tour even if you don’t know a great deal about street art too, and Nikos managed the tricky balance of making it accessible for my 11-year-old without dumbing things down, starting with the basics of how today’s urban art grew out of graffiti, as well as the significance of some of the places we were walking through.

Because while some of the works are fairly self-explanatory – Zeus in bull form with Europa, for example, which needs little background if you know your myths (or took the Alternative Athens Young Heroes Mythology tour), some need some more introduction.

Check out my review of the Alternative Athens Young Heroes family mythology tour of the Acropolis with kids

One work by INO in Gazi, for example, referenced the area’s coal burning, gas producing history, with its different styles and INO’s trademark black, grey, white and sky blue colours.

Another looked at the dangers of technology, conjuring up a picture of what computer viruses and AI might mean for humanity.

Elsewhere we spotted Einstein with Constantin Carathéodory, a Greek mathematician whose politics meant his work never got the appreciation it deserved.

There was more recent politics too: a figure raised up by the achievements of Athens’ glorious past but weighed down by some of the problems of the present, including the economy.

And elsewhere, Riot Dog Loukanikos, who became a famous (and furry) face of the riots in the 2008, as the financial crisis pushed the country into a severe recession.

Some were less symbolic: smiling cats, colourful commissions, a Keith Haring-style blue and white pattern which resolved into birds, dogs and flowers if you looked more closely.

One of our favourites was a bigger mural which seemed to celebrate an individual girl and her courage at taking control of her life, the bright colours on the wall continuing across the lamppost in front.

And to finish, a huge interactive work in Psiri, with tiny mirrors worked in among the faces, ready to catch the glints of sunlight – even if our own experience of it was limited by those rainclouds!

Mixed all together, it’s a fascinating tour. While you might not cover a huge amount of ground physically, in a few hours we’d travelled via ancient Greece to modern Athens, had a crash course in Greek street art styles, and see a very different side to the city.

Whether your children are budding artists themselves or simply looking for a chance from ancient sites, this street art tour of Athens with kids makes a great addition to a family city break.

For more things to do in Athens with kids, check out my top picks, as well as my guide to Greece with kids

Street Art tour of Athens review: need to know

The Alternative Athens street art tour costs from 49 Euros per person, although you can also arrange private tours as well as private street art tours for families including a graffiti workshops.

You can also book Alternative Athens tours via Get Your Guide, including the three-hour street art tour, with free cancellation and pay later options.

The standard tour runs daily at 10am.

What age is the street art tour of Athens best for

The tour is better for older tweens and teens: while there’s no age restriction, and you could visit with younger kids who love art, you’re taking in a lot of information, often about fairly adult subjects.

And while we never felt unsafe during the tour, you are walking through some of the less salubrious parts of central Athens, so bear in mind that you might need to start explaining what a lapdancing club is to observant younger participants!

How long does the street art tour of Athens last?

The standard daily street art tour lasts for three hours, although private tours may be more flexible if you have less time.

The tour + workshop option also lasts for three hours, so you’ll spend slightly less time exploring to give chance to create your own artwork.

What do you need to take on a street art tour of Athens

Don’t forget a camera or phone – it’s impossible to come away without having taken a single photo.

Otherwise, you’ll need comfortable shoes and it’s a good plan to carry some water, especially if you’re taking the tour during the hotter months, although we did stop briefly along the way for a drink.

Disclaimer: My street art tour of Athens with kids was free for the purposes of review – all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links – any purchases you make are unaffected but I may receive a small commission

Images copyright MummyTravels

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