A photo essay of the Mission’s incredible street art

If visiting San Francisco, take time out to discover the wide variety of street art murals in the Mission neighborhood.

Having been to San Fran several times without ever touching this neighborhood, it was at the top of our list last time we visited. We gave ourselves an entire afternoon and ended up wandering aimlessly around the Mission neighborhood, checking out murals along the way. Besides the murals, the neighborhood has a wonderful array of shops and restaurants to buy local trinkets, homemade bath and body products, and old LPs. We ended up eating at two different taquerias and doing a little window shopping at the local stores. Plan for at least three to four hours so you don’t feel rushed!

Clarion Alley and Balmy Alley have two of the largest displays of street art, but you can find murals spread all over the district, tucked into other alleys and on sides of buildings and houses. The murals encompass many subjects from politics to pop culture references. We were overwhelmed by the amount and the variety! Here is a photo essay from some of our favorites, grouped by subject.