THE BEST MURALS IN LA
Whether it’s your first time in Los Angeles, your tenth, or you’re a native Angeleno to the core, we welcome you with open arms to our beautiful city. While we love getting guests out of their cars and into the sunshine on our exciting, original Los Angeles Tours to experience the breathtaking natural beauty of Los Angeles, we also love to celebrate the visual art that bedazzles our sparkling city of stars. Below is a list of the top murals to check out in LA.
Los Angeles is a hub for artists and creative souls, and historically has always been a Mecca for art of all forms. While you likely picture Lights! Camera! Action! and Hollywood movies when you think about LA, Los Angeles is also a global center for visual arts, claiming dozens of top tier museums and art installations. However, you don’t even need to go to a museum or indoors to be inspired by the creative pulse of the city. Instead, ignore that song that claims “No One Walks in LA,” and head outdoors. You’ll be amazed by the abundance of iconic street art and murals in LA. The murals in LA represent the cultural pulse of the city and the dynamic souls that call Los Angeles their home. Ranging from purely aesthetic to politically charged, the street murals in Los Angeles are far and away a highlight of experiencing Los Angeles in an up close and personal way. Check out our roundup of our top favorite murals in Los Angeles below. And a bonus tip: if you’re looking to experience the city in the MOST up close, personal, and intimate way, book any of our Los Angeles Tours here!
The Best Murals in LA
Paul Smith Pink Wall – Melrose
c. Paul Smith
8221 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046
The first stop for any soon-to-be Insta Celeb is the Paul Smith Pink Wall in Hollywood! The Number One Instagrammable Wall on a number of surveys, this hot pink pop of color is a must see as you explore the hip shops of Melrose Ave. The wall has actually been painted bright pink since the Paul Smith store’s opening in 2005- way before we all filtered and cropped our lives into picture-perfect oblivion. If you go, be prepared to wait in a line- at press time, there are almost 130k posts on Instagram tagging the #pinkwall. This instagram hotspot is no joke, however; no professional cameras allowed (hello, selfie sticks!) and there’s a security guard on duty at all times to enforce the rules. Book a celebrity stylist shopping spree with us, and we’ll have you looking like an #influencer in no time.
Angel Wings Project by Colette Miller + Goddess Sign – Various Locations across LA
c. Discover LA
https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/angelwingsproject/
It wouldn’t be the City of Angels without copious Angel Wings for the social media savvy among us! Artist Colette Miller’s 2012 project is referred to as “one of Instagram’s best known backdrops,” with multiple Angel Wings murals soaring across walls all over Los Angeles. You can find them in Hollywood, Venice, and Downtown LA, with the original location gracing 801 East 4th Place in the Arts District. Get your wings with us on a downtown walking tour!
Jim Morrison – Venice
c. Matt Deuce – Instagram
Painted in 1991 by Rip Cronk, this Venice mural immortalizes the Lizard King of Los Angeles himself, Jim Morrison. If you want to check it out in person, you can head to 1811 Ocean Front Walk in Venice (or take our LA in a Day Bike Tour to see it as part of a day-long, scenic LA tour!)
Trejo’s Coffee and Donuts – Santa Monica Blvd
c. Trejo’s Donuts (Instagram)
If you’re driving down Santa Monica Boulevard (yes, the same one from the Sheryl Crow song!) and you happen to spot a familiar face on a hot pink building, you may be wondering what action star/character actor Danny Trejo’s doing there. In addition to establishing a legendary, lucrative Hollywood career, Danny Trejo has created a myriad of successful businesses across Los Angeles and also become one of the top philanthropists in Hollywood, creating programs and donating to causes across the city. You can spot his face across many buildings/Trejo establishments in Los Angeles. Additionally, prior to Trejo purchasing the building, the donut shop was the location for the 2015 film “Tangerine,” Sean Baker’s masterpiece shot entirely on an iPhone. Catch it on Netflix!
James Goldcrown “Love” Wall- Venice and Santa Monica
We’ve all heard the unofficial anthem for the city – “I Love LA!” What better way to illustrate that than with a big wall full of hearts? James Goldcrown’s career took him from art school, to fashion design, to global photography and street art. His Love Walls pop up all over the world, but you can catch a few hearts both in Venice and in the Toms Headquarters in Santa Monica! After lunch on your LA in a Day Bike tour, take a minute to share the love in Venice.
Micheltorena Stairs – Silver Lake
c. GALUXSEE
Micheltorina Stairs – Sunset Boulevard
Cruise down Sunset Blvd in the hip, east side haunt of Silver Lake, and try not to “stare” too hard at the world’s most Instagrammed and Pinned flight of stairs! The Micheltorena Stairs on 3400 Sunset Blvd were painted in secret by artist Corinne Carrey, in an effort to brighten up the neighborhood. The stairs take you up towards Larissa Drive, and contain 177 brightly colored steps. Put your best foot forward, and join us on your next Los Angeles Walking Tour.
“Made in LA” – Melrose
Made in LA – Melrose and Laurel
As you pedal down Melrose Avenue on our Hollywood Bike Tour, chances are, you’ll want to grab a picture at the “Made in LA” wall at the Cisco Home Store. This mural has existed since 2013, and it’ll give you some serious street cred for your followers.
WRDSMTH murals – DTLA, Arts District
c. Colette Miller – Instagram
“You are a Goddess Living in a City of Angels.” We’ll tell you that a million times! Prolific LA Artist WRDSMTH collaborated with Colette Miller (remember her?) to fuse text and graphics for this project sponsored by the Bloc. If you needed some motivational words alongside your angel wings, check out this beauty in the Arts District. Check out murals and more with us on our many LA museum tours!
Hollywood Sign- Griffith Park
Okay- this one isn’t quite what comes to mind when you think of a traditional mural, but what is a better, bigger, gigantic advertisement for the hopes, dreams, blood, sweat, and tears that encompasses living in Los Angeles than – you guessed it – THE Hollywood Sign?! Dominating the Hollywood Hills and the LA skyline, the Hollywood Sign is the world’s most famous sign and a sweeping beacon welcoming visitors, locals, and dreamers from all over the world. You can check out the Hollywood Sign on any of our iconic Hollywood Sign Hikes, including our Official Hollywood Sign Hike, our Hollywood Tour, and our guided Hollywood Hills Hike.
Rock Paper Scissors Building – Santa Monica
c. HypeBeast
Rock Paper Scissors Entertainment
Head westward to one the most colorful post production studios in town! The vibrant, fiery hued walls outside of Rock Paper Scissors Entertainment in Santa Monica will certainly bring the heat on your Instagram feed. Originally commissioned by Sylvester Stallone nearly a quarter century ago, the graffiti artist known as RISK united beauty, deconstruction, and bold colors on the brick facade. If you’re taking a Santa Monica Bike Tour, take a few minutes, stop, smell the roses, and grab a quick picture here.
Love Wall – Culver City
c. Pine and Sea
Artist Curtis Kulig wanted to spread love the Culver City way in 2015 with his heart filled “Red Love Wall.” A New York based artist, Kulig, a street artist and photographer, was on a mission to “paint the town with love.” Paint the town with us on a VIP private group tour of LA! You can feel the love on the wall of Smashbox Studios in Culver City- chances are, if you take a picture, you’ll see red!
Polka Dot Wall – Arts District
c. LA Mag
Polka Dot Wall at Mateo Street
This dotty wall is courtesy of the brainchild behind LA’s ” The Most Famous Artist,” a.k.a. Matty Mo. Dotting the walls of DTLA’s Arts District, this rainbow collection of colorful spots is sure to brighten any influencer-to-be’s feed. You can find it on Mateo Street when you tour the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles.
EightyTwo Vyal Wall of Eyes – Arts District
c. Bikes and Hikes LAEightyTwo
Artist and LA Native Vyal drew his inspiration for these psychedelic, trippy, multi-hued murals outside of Arts District hotspot EightyTwo Bar from Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and…monsters. Before you grab a drink inside and situate yourself in front of one of the bar’s 50+ vintage pinball and arcade machines, make sure to channel your inner art freak out front. Explore more of the Arts District in our many Los Angeles Sightseeing Tours!
Bikes and Hikes LA Mural – 8500 Santa Monica Blvd
Finally, LA’s best mural and hidden gem is a loud, proud salute to one of our favorite activities you can do in the City of Angels- riding a bike! Our favorite mural in the whole city is the cheeky mural painted on the side of Bikes and Hikes LA, encouraging the viewer to- well, cut back on gas and carbon emissions. Purely for the sake of the environment, and nothing else. While you’re at it, book a Los Angeles Tour or rent a bike with us-it’ll be the highlight of your trip to LA.
Los Angeles is a Mecca for art of all kinds, be it motion pictures, performance arts, music, dance, fashion, and visual arts. There’s something for everyone in this town, and at Bikes and Hikes LA Tours, we’re so excited to be your go-to, one-stop shop for exploring, seeing, and experiencing all that LA has to offer- one memorable Los Angeles Tour after another. Book your Los Angeles Tour today to view all of these murals and more!
