Toronto Graffiti Alley Street Art Walking Tour with an Expert
Description
This original Tour Guys walking tour has introduced Graffiti Alley and graffiti culture to thousands of people since we started running this tour in 2011. On this walk you'll learn graffiti slang and terminology, understand the history of graffiti, and discover that there's more to graffiti than just writing on the wall. This is one of our most popular public tours, and it has been featured in travel publications, and on travel television shows featuring what's cool in Toronto. Tips are appreciated by the guide!
Tour Options
Itinerary
This is our meeting spot! MEC (Mountain Equipment Company) is a large, well-known, 2 storey store in the area and should be easy to find. Meet your guide beside the store near the bike racks.
Most of the tour is centred around Queen Street West and the alleys on either side!
Learn about the history of graffiti and the main types found throughout the world. While strolling and viewing the graffiti your guide will discuss the many sides of the graffiti issue and viewpoints of property owners, the police, the City of Toronto, the general public, and the graffiti artists themselves. This tour encourages debate and discussion – it’s more than just looking at painted walls. Even “haters” will agree that much of the art on this tour is incredible! You'll also hear about some of the more notable graffiti writers in Toronto and some of the street artists that mingle with the graffiti purists, sometimes competing for the same space.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- This tour leaves on time. If you are late, the guide cannot wait.
Reviews(60)
We had an amazing experience touring Graffiti Alley in Toronto. Our guide [i forgot her name :(] was awesome. She was very knowledgeable and a clear graffiti enthusiast which made the tour all the more fun. Not only did my family learn more about the Alley, but the history of graffiti and the city.
Awesome! Your guide was either Jennifer or Jackie, but both love talking about what's behind the paint, and the culture around graffiti. Thanks for joining the tour!
Knowledgeable, articulate, and friendly Jackie gave us a very informative and interesting tour of the Street Art and Graffiti in the Queen West of Toronto. Lovely.
Thank you. We are glad you enjoyed your time with Jackie. She has a wonderful way of making Toronto’s street art scene accessible, whether you are a longtime graffiti fan or seeing it through fresh eyes for the first time. Queen West is full of stories hiding in plain sight, and we are happy to hear Jackie helped bring them to life. Thanks for joining us.
Jennifer was very knowledgeable about the art and the artists. She was able to explain the significance of images that we would have missed on our own. Well worth the cost.
Thank you for joining us. We are glad you enjoyed the tour with Jennifer. Street art often reveals more the longer you look at it, and Jennifer does a great job helping guests spot things others miss. We are happy to hear you found it worthwhile and appreciate you spending part of your day with us.
Our tour guide, Jennifer, was extremely knowledgeable about the graffiti artists and their art, giving us an amazing overview of social, political, and historical perspectives of the work. Without this insight, many of the nuances would have been missed. I highly recommend this experience for anyone interested in learning more about the graffiti culture!
Thank you for joining us. We are so glad you enjoyed your tour with Jennifer. Graffiti is about much more than paint on a wall, and Jennifer does a fantastic job uncovering the social, political, historical, and artistic stories behind the work. We are happy to hear those insights helped you see the neighbourhood through a different lens. Thanks for the recommendation, and we hope to welcome you back on another tour soon.
We had a group tour with Jennifer from 'Tour Guys' as part of a group trip to Toronto and highly recommend it! The meet-up point was easy to find, and only a short walk from Graffiti Alley. Jennifer knew about the different artists, their styles and subject matter, and gave a really engaging and entertaining walk through the alley. We even saw one of the artists at work! Took about 1.5hrs in the alley, with the time flying by as we learnt so much about the history of graffiti, the city and the artists themselves. As a group we agreed this was a real highlight of our Toronto trip!
Thank you for joining us. We are thrilled to hear the tour was a highlight of your Toronto trip. Jennifer has a real passion for the art, the artists, and the stories behind the walls, and it is wonderful to hear that came through for your group. Spotting an artist at work is a bonus that not every tour gets to experience. Graffiti Alley is constantly changing, which means there is always something new to discover. Thanks for spending part of your visit with us, and we are glad the time flew by for all the right reasons.
Best tour with knoweldgeable guide. I guess her name was Jackie. Learned a lot about graffiti and murals. Really enjoyed. Everything was good except for some garbages and p***. You should be careful not to step on it
We are so glad you enjoyed the tour and learned more about Toronto’s graffiti and mural scene. Jackie will be happy to know you appreciated her knowledge and stories. Thanks also for the heads-up about the street conditions — the art is in real city alleys, and we always remind guests to watch their step.
Had Jackie as a guide and she was very insightful, friendly & welcoming. Was very interesting to learn about the different types of graffiti and also other topics we talked about. She was great!
We are so glad you enjoyed your tour with Jackie. She is a warm and engaging guide who loves sharing her knowledge of Toronto’s graffiti and street culture. It sounds like you had some great conversations along the way. Thanks for joining us and sharing your experience.
Jaqueline was wonderful guide! Funny, sharp, knowledgeable and considerate. So much interesting info about graffiti, Toronto's graffiti artists and their history. Even though I live in the area and thought I 'know it all' I learned so much! We had a thoroughly wonderful 1.5 hour start to our day with our out of town relatives. I would definitely recommend the tour!
We are thrilled you enjoyed your tour with Jackie. She has a real talent for making Toronto’s graffiti culture come alive, even for locals who think they have seen it all. It is great to hear the tour was such a fun start to your day with visiting family. Thank you for recommending us and sharing your experience.
It was a very informative and enjoyable walk with our tour guide Jackie. She was very knowledgeable about the history, the graffiti in Toronto, as well as all the famous graffiti artist and all the history of it. I know we learned a lot today. Well worth doing!
We are so glad you enjoyed your walk with Jackie. She is fantastic at bringing both Toronto’s history and its graffiti culture to life, and we are happy to hear you learned a lot along the way. Thank you for recommending the tour!
It was interesting to learn about the street art culture in Toronto and see the different styles artists and community members bring to the neighborhood. I wish there was time to see more! Jackie was knowledgeable about the designs and artists and the role it has played in the neighborhood.
We are so glad you enjoyed exploring Toronto’s street art with Jackie. There is always more to see, and not just graffiti. Our tours cover everything from history to food to hidden gems across the city, so we hope you will join us again for another walk.
