Wherever I go, I look for street art, and my kids are obsessed, too. But in France, I had the opportunity to be on the other end of murals: Two friends and I painted graffiti in Paris. This is definitely one of the most off-the-beaten-track things to do in Paris!

I had never painted a mural before. I’m not an artist. The most illegal thing I’d ever done was drinking underage in college. Yet there I found myself, in front of a graffiti wall with a can of spray paint in my hand.

Here’s the thing: Painting graffiti in Paris—at least in this one spot—is free for anyone to do! It was the most unusual thing I did in Paris, and you can do it, too. Below, I share where to paint graffiti in Paris, where to buy the spray paint, and how to make the leap—even if you’ve never done anything like this before.

How to paint graffiti in Paris

Bear with me a second: I’ll get to the details of precisely how and where to paint graffiti in Paris.

First, though, a tad bit about the experience:

Finding inspiration on a creativity retreat

When I went to Paris, I didn’t go with the determination and dream to create my own street art. But a friend forwarded me a link to an AirBnB Experience of creating street art, and I was intrigued.

After all, the Paris trip was part of a workshop I was leading on creativity for a group on women I know. The foundation of the workshop was tapping into our creativity in a new space, finding inspiration, and challenging ourselves to push beyond our comfort zones.

Painting graffiti in Paris would definitely be pushing beyond my comfort zone.

So of course I signed up for the experience!

Unfortunately, our guide had to cancel. But instead of giving up on our plans to paint our own graffiti in Paris, two friends and I decided to channel the spirit of street art—to go our own way.

We decided to paint graffiti in Paris on our own, no guide needed.

Painting graffiti in the Parc de Bercy, Paris

My two friends, Kristen and Victoria, and I met at the Do-It-Yourself-Shop, a wonderful Parisian mix between IKEA and Home Depot. There, we bought spray paint and all the supplies we’d need to paint our own graffiti. Then we walked to the Parc de Bercy, where we’d planned to meet our street art guide.

We wandered the park, trying to figure out where, exactly, we were allowed to spray paint the walls. I was nervous: I didn’t want to start painting a place where it wasn’t allowed and end up in jail in Paris. I also didn’t want to inadvertently paint over a gang’s tag and end up on the wrong side of someone’s turf rivalry.

After some wandering, though, we bumped into another street art instructor, who gave us the lowdown:

There is a wall against the skate park in Parc de Bercy where people are allowed to graffiti as much as they like. The wall is constantly changing as people paint over what was there. Every day, there is something new, and everyone is free to paint.

We’d found our spot!

We hadn’t sketched out our ideas for street art beforehand, but I knew what I wanted to do.

For the creativity workshop I led, I created prompts for each day of the retreat. One of the prompts was to create a self-portrait. I had intentionally left it open-ended so people could photograph, paint, sketch, collage or write about themselves.

I chose to graffiti my self-portrait.

So I picked a spot on the wall near Kristen and Victoria and got to painting. I didn’t want to be super-literal and had chosen my spray paint colors accordingly.

As I worked on my graffiti in Paris, I became totally immersed. I didn’t pay attention to the kids walking by with their skate boards, the people snapping pictures of us as they strolled through the park, or the parkour team that was practicing vaulting over benches and bike racks. I settled into a flow state.

That said, painting my own mural was fun! I used to draw and sketch a bunch, though I haven’t tapped into my artistic side as much as an adult—especially since having kids. So working on a huge scale with spray paint, no less, was totally different in a good way!

The creativity workshop in Paris was all about finding inspiration and giving yourself the permission to make something all your own. I definitely did that as I painted graffiti in Paris.

Here’s how to paint graffiti in Paris—you can do it, too!

If I guess right, you probably want to paint your own graffiti on your next trip to Paris! Here’s how to do it.

Buying supplies for painting graffiti

The Do-It-Yourself-Store has a huge selection of spray paint and everything else you’ll need. Here’s what to buy.

1. Spray paint. For spray paint, buy 3-4 colors, keeping in mind you’ll want an accent and/or outline color. I used black sparingly and focused on pink, teal and gold. If you paint graffiti in Paris with friends, you can share accent colors.
2. Latex gloves. Your fingers and hands will get painty. If you don’t want to end up with multicolored skin, buy a pack of disposable gloves.
3. Plastic drop cloth. You’ll want to keep your stuff covered so you don’t end up with spray paint on your jacket or bag.

Where to paint graffiti in Paris

The wall on the skate park in Parc de Bercy was the perfect spot for newbies like me to paint graffiti in Paris: It’s fairly commonplace for random people to come spray paint a mural, I gather, so people didn’t seem that surprised by our presence.

This spot is easy to find, once you know what you’re looking for. Get to the Parc de Bercy, which is right next to a major train station in Paris. Then walk to the skate park, which is toward the River Seine. Google Maps recognizes “Skatepark de Bercy” so you can always save the location and follow your phone!

If you’re looking at the entrance of the skate park, the graffiti wall that’s free to paint is on your left.

Put paint to wall: It’s time to make street art!

Now you’re prepped. You’re in the right place. You have your supplies. It’s time to make street art in Paris!

There’s no way to start except to make your first mark. So shake that can of spray paint and do it!

Since the scale of making graffiti is completely different than sketching on a piece of paper, I recommend adding some guiding marks at the beginning. For example, I was going to paint a face. To make sure I didn’t paint it totally lopsided, I sprayed just a tiny bit where I’d draw the chin, top of the head, ears, and corners of the eyes. That way I was “aiming” for something while I painted my lines.

If you’re feeling self-conscious, know that your back will be to everyone else: You’re facing a wall, so you can ignore anyone who might be walking by. Pretend they’re not there. After a while, you’ll forget about them anyway.

This is about you painting street art in graffiti in Paris—definitely an experience that’s off the beaten tourist track!

The unusual thing to do in Paris you’ll never, ever forget

Most people who go to Paris tick off the usual tourist attractions: Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe. Those destinations are amazing; after all, I recently wrote all about the touristy things in Paris that are entirely worthwhile.

But when you visit a city as amazing as Paris, you also want to see a side of the city others might not see. No, scratch that. You want to live a side of the city others don’t experience.

Painting graffiti in Paris is exactly that.

When you get home from France, people will ask about your trip. You’ll tell them about eating macarons and wandering down the River Seine. They’ll ooh and ahh. But when you tell them you painted graffiti in Paris? They’ll demand to know all about it—right now!

So if you’re looking for unusual things to do in Paris, spend a few euros on spray paint and head to the Parc de Bercy. My mural won’t be there anymore, but use the idea of it as inspiration. You can leave your mark on Paris, too.

PS – If you’re heading to Paris, you’ll want to check out my other posts on the City of Lights. Read the 5 Things that will Ruin your Trip to Paris as well as the Touristy Things to do in Paris that are 100% Worth It!