A guide with plenty of colour: the best of street art in Cascais

As a way of raising awareness about the importance of biodiversity and habitat protection, the Portuguese artist Bordalo II has used recycled materials to sculpt animals from all over the world on walls. In Alameda Duquesa de Palmela, in Cascais, on one of the railway line walls, this massive whale resides.

Mário Belém, a local artist and one of the organisers of the Muraliza festival (alongside Lara Seixo Rodrigues), covered an abandoned house in the centre of Cascais with this piece, created during the event's first edition in 2014. It is located on Rua Nova da Alfarrobeira (now part of Rua Amarela) and was one of the first murals created as part of this initiative, which has brought colour to the town and its surroundings over the years.

With a studio based in the municipality of Cascais, Add Fuel became known for his reinterpretation of traditional Portuguese tile work in his urban art. This piece, located in Praça da Gaivota, in Bairro da Torre, was created in 2016 as part of the Muraliza festival and depicts a traditional fisherwoman from Cascais.

In 2015, the Porto-based artist Frederico Draw went to the centre of Cascais as part of the Muraliza festival to create this piece, which evokes the town's history – such as when "Cascaes" was written with an "e" – and its native fishermen. It is located on Rua Latino Coelho.

One of the pioneers of graffiti in Portugal and in the municipality of Cascais, YouthOne, a member of the legendary PRM Crew and a musician in the band Mundo Complexo, painted this mural on Rua das Caravelas, in Bairro da Torre.

Another of the most prominent artists in the genre, Tamara Alves, painted this artwork in Bairro da Torre, Cascais. It is located on Travessa Robalo.

Also as part of Muraliza, one of the oldest writers in the municipality, Exas, painted this long piece depicting the town of Cascais and the sea. It has been on display at Travessa dos Navegantes since 2014.

It was near the Feira de Carcavelos that visual artist Jacqueline de Montaigne painted this figure on the gable of a building. Known for her portraits, the artist grew up between Scotland and Saudi Arabia, coming from a Portuguese family with Danish roots. After travelling the world, she chose Portugal, and specifically Cascais, as the place to live and set up her studio.

In 2018, some of the most prominent urban artists celebrated 30 years of graffiti in Portugal with a series of pieces at Praça Dr. Manuel Rebello de Andrade, a kind of hall of fame in Carcavelos. This mural is by Mosaik, but nearby you can find works by Nomen, Miguel RAM, Utopia, Styler, Gonçalo Mar, and Mário Belém.

The connection to the oceans, so characteristic of Cascais and evident in the street names of Bairro da Torre, is reflected in this piece by Kruella D’Enfer, created in 2016 for the Muraliza festival. It is located on Rua Estrela do Mar.

Over the years, Bairro da Torre in Cascais has become an open-air urban art gallery, thanks to the Infinito festival. Many building facades are adorned with huge murals. This piece, on Travessa do Sargo, was created by the Dutch duo Telmo Miel.

As part of Muraliza in 2016, artist Paula Bonet painted a female face with long black hair on a structure in Bairro da Torre, located on Rua Estrela do Mar.

Brazilian artist Shay Petricevich Costoya also left her mark in Bairro da Torre, specifically on Rua Estrela do Mar, with a piece illustrating two kids playing football, a common activity in the streets there.

British artist Jimmy C also made his mark in Bairro da Torre as part of Infinito in 2018, immortalising this piece on Rua Salmonetes.

This is another piece created as part of Muraliza in 2016. Gonçalo Mar, another well-known name in Portugal's street art scene, created this work on Rua Estrela do Mar.

This is another piece by Mário Belém that brightens the streets of Cascais. It surrounds a water reservoir on Rua de Cantabria, in Carcavelos, the artist’s residential area. The piece reflects local life, capturing a sense of closeness and community.

Add Fuel worked his magic once again in 2024, this time in collaboration with Halfstudio, featuring Mariana Branco and Emanuel Barreira. The piece can be seen in Bairro da Torre, the urban art capital of Cascais.

The mural art project Medianeras, based in Spain, passed through Bairro da Torre, specifically Rua Amendoeiras, to create this piece representing gender fluidity. It was completed in 2020 as part of the Infinito festival.

Skran left this piece, portraying a woman from a tribe in Ethiopia, in Bairro da Torre in 2018.

For nearly 20 years, the Colectivo Rua has made a name for itself in the field of street art. This group, formed by Contra, Draw, Fedor, Ivan, Oker, Mash, Mesk, Podre, TheCaver, Third, and Virus, left their mark in Bairro da Torre, on Rua das Caravelas, in 2018, thanks to the Infinito festival.

This piece by Mário Belém is located at the local school, facing those who pass by Rua Maria Auxiliadora. It was created as part of the Infinito festival in 2022.

One of the most popular rappers in the country, Dillaz, was honoured in his neighbourhood, Madorna, in São Domingos de Rana, with this piece by Styler, created as part of the Infinito festival in 2021. It is located at Praceta Francisca Lindoso.

For the past few years, this "One Strange Rock" has been installed in the gardens of the Museu do Mar, part of the Bairro dos Museus in Cascais, after being displayed at Praia de Carcavelos. Created by Bordalo II, the piece was inspired by a National Geographic series about Planet Earth, using trash collected by fishermen from Cascais. Built with around 300 kilos of materials, the artwork raises awareness about the importance of protecting the oceans.