By Ryan Kyle
Valencia has always been a city that wears its personality loudly. The cathedral bells and Roman ruins might be the perfect postcard, but scratch beneath the surface, and you’ll find many stories painted onto its walls. And at the heart of it all, is a masked figure that has become as much a symbol of the city as paella.
Street art in Valencia: David de Limón’s ninjas
Meet David de Limón’s ninja.
For the past few years, Valencian artist, David de Limón, has been adding these playful masked characters across the city, leaving behind bold black-and-white figures on shutters, lampposts and doorways. As the years rolled on, the ninjas multiplied. Locals embraced them, visitors got hooked on finding them, and what began as an underground project turned into one of Valencia’s most recognisable street art installations.
For David, the ninja became a way to explore freedom and self-expression, a reflection of Valencia itself – a city balancing tradition with rebellion and history with constant reinvention.
Where to find Valencia’s street art
And here’s where it gets addictive. If you start your day in Ciutat Vella or El Carmen, it won’t be long before you spot your first ninja. Once you do, you’re in. Suddenly every alley is an invitation, every corner a discovery. On my own wanderings I clocked around twenty ninjas in a single day and still felt like the city was holding out on me.
There’s no map or route, which means the hunt pulls you into hidden squares where locals play cards, cafés serve icy horchata, and tapas bars that feel deliciously off-radar. It’s less of a walking tour and more of a treasure hunt layered into the city itself. Don’t worry if you aren’t based in El Carmen or Ciutat Vella though – you’ll find the ninjas hiding across the city.
I’ve been to the city seven times in the last few years and every time I visit, I’ll pick a new spot to go ninja hunting.
The ninjas also sharpen your eye for Valencia’s wider street art scene. Once you start noticing them, you can’t unsee the bigger murals towering over old stone walls, or the splashes of colour sprawled across shutters. The city becomes a living gallery, each street an exhibition.
Which is exactly what the new show at the Centre del Carme Cultura Contemporània captures. Running from 9 July to 26 October 2025, PRINCIPIOS celebrates ten of the artists who’ve defined Valencia’s street art, from Deih and Dulk to Julieta XLF, Hyuro, PichiAvo, and of course David de Limón himself.
Step inside and you’ll find archive photos of their early interventions, personal objects, original works, and large-scale pieces created just for the exhibition. It’s part history lesson, part riot of colour, and all of it free.
Just wander in, Tuesday to Sunday between 10 am and 8 pm. No booking required.
Why Valencia’s street art matters
What makes it so special is the way it joins the dots. You spend your morning chasing ninjas through the streets, then in the afternoon you walk into PRINCIPIOS and see how those playful figures belong to a much bigger story.
Valencia’s street art isn’t just decoration. It’s identity. It’s rebellion. It’s international now, but still rooted in the streets that gave it life.
So, if you’re in Valencia, don’t bother with a rigid itinerary. Go hunting ninjas. Let yourself be dragged down side streets, stumble into squares, sip vermouth at a bar you never planned on finding. Then slide into the CCCC to see how the city’s walls have written themselves into history.
It’s Valencia laid bare – cheeky, colourful, and unforgettable.
This piece was written by Ryan at Irish Travel Addict Blog. All images and videos are provided by Ryan Kyle.
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Ninja Hunting video: https://www.tiktok.com/@irishtraveladdict/video/7502137173676690710
PRINCIPIOS video: https://www.tiktok.com/@irishtraveladdict/video/7534782886818483478
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