Graffitis in Rotterdam

I’ve lived in Rotterdam for years, and I’m still amazed at how quickly its streets change. I’m not just talking about the new buildings that seem to pop up every month, but the walls too. Here, urban art doesn’t hide: it looks at you, talks to you, and sometimes even makes you smile when you least expect it.

Rotterdam has always been a city of contrasts: modern, industrial, a bit cold at first glance. But just a short walk reveals another side—more spontaneous, more human. Its graffiti is like an open window into the collective imagination: from huge murals decorating the city center to tiny tags tucked away in alleyways and neighborhood tunnels.

An open-air museum, with no tickets or schedules

The best thing about urban art in Rotterdam is that there’s no entry fee and no timetable. The whole city is a gallery. One day a wall is empty, and the next it bursts with color. Sometimes it disappears again, as if nothing ever happened. But that’s part of the charm: nothing is permanent, everything is renewed.

I remember perfectly the first time I stumbled upon a massive mural in a quiet neighborhood, near a supermarket I pass almost every day. It was an explosion of color on a gray façade. I stood there for a long time, trying to figure out who decided to breathe life into such an ordinary corner. I never found out, but ever since, I’ve looked at walls differently.

Rotterdam and its neighborhoods full of stories

Each neighborhood has its own style. In Delfshaven, murals coexist with historic buildings and canals, creating a beautiful contrast between old and new.

In Katendrecht, the old sailors’ district, graffiti tells another story: the rebirth of a place that once had a bad reputation and now overflows with creativity.

And in the Centrum, among offices and skyscrapers, giant murals break the monotony of concrete and remind us that even in the heart of the most modern areas, there’s room for imagination.

The artists who paint without a name

One of the things I love most about graffiti in Rotterdam is its anonymity. It’s not about fame—it’s about expression. I’ve seen artists working at dawn, headphones on, completely focused.

Some let you take photos, but they don’t want to show their faces. And I get it: here, the work matters more than the signature.

That mix of freedom and respect really defines the local street culture.

Proyectos como Rewriters010 help give visibility to legal murals and organize routes to discover them, but the city still leaves space for the spontaneous, the ephemeral, and the anonymous.

Rotterdam, a city that breathes color

In the end, exploring graffiti in Rotterdam is understanding something essential: this city isn’t built only from steel, water, and concrete. It’s also built from color, rebellion, and emotion.

Every mural is a short story, a shout, or a smile left on a wall by someone who wanted to say something without words. And the best part? You never see it all.

It’s rare that a day goes by without a new piece appearing and another disappearing. That’s Rotterdam: ever-changing, alive, unpredictable.

When you stop in front of a mural on any street and think, “this is also Rotterdam”, you understand the city a little better.

On this link you can see a map with all the works in Rotterdam and their creators.