If you love travelling you know that there’s a lot of things that influence your opinion of a certain city. The general vibe of the place is probably the most important thing. You want to understand what it’s like to live here and what the people are like. The cultural element is definitely up there too, cause when you travel you want to explore new cultures. The architecture is inevitably something that will make a lasting impression and this is where we get to color. Because sure, some buildings can impress you with their height or size or they style they were built in, but a lot of the time just adding a bit of color can totally change the mood of the whole city and make it more fun and inviting. So let’s take a look at some of the world’s most colorful cities to travel to.
1. Chefchaouen, Morocco
The gorgeous city of Chefchaouen is situated in the Rif Mountains of Northwest Morocco and it’s known for the vivid blue color of its buildings. Even though it’s just one color, the blue wash on the buildings makes the city look different in different weather and time of day. The reason behind the blue color of the buildings is the large Jewish population that came her as refugees in the 30s. In Judaism blue is the color that symbolizes the heavens above and to this day it reminds people of Chefchaouen to keep their spirits high. As a bonus, the blue color tends to keep the mosquitos away cause they just think it’s water.
2. Burano, Italy
Burano is a small island in the province of Venice, Italy. These days the city gets quite a few tourists because of the colorful buildings and photo opportunities, but it’s still mainly a working class fisherman island. That’s actually where the tradition of painting the buildings different colors came from. Fishermen found it hard to see their buildings in the fog, so they chose to paint them bright colors to make the process of getting home easier. You might think the colors are chosen at random but nowadays there’s a strict color scheme is place and if a citizen of Burano wants to paint their building they have to submit a request to the government and wait for a reply that will tell which color you’re allowed to paint your house.
3. Ilulissat, Greenland
Ilulissat is a city in western Greenland that’s known for its Icefjord and the huge icebergs that you can see here. Considering most of Greenland is covered with ice and it’s icy and cold here year round it makes sense that the people of Ilulissat decided to paint their houses in vivid colors to make everything seem more cheerful. Back in the day there was a system where every color meant something. Yellow was reserved for hospitals, blue for fish factories and red for commercial buildings but these days it much more colorful and wacky.
4. Guanajuato, Mexico
Mexico in general is a very colorful place, but the city of Guanajuato is probably the most colorful and well known one. It’s also a UNESCO site so going there is like stepping back in time. All those cobblestone streets and colonial building and the colors are preserved and kept to look just like they did back in the old days. It’s a great location for a romantic getaway too.
5. Menton, France
Menton is a town on the French Riviera that is known for its colorful buildings. It’s much more laid back than St. Tropez or Monaco but what it lacks in flashiness it makes up for in chill vibe and beautiful waterfront. The buildings here are painted very warm and summery colors. Menton is a great place to go to for a summer vacation to just relax and be surrounded by beautiful and colorful things.
6. Cartagena, Columbia
Cartagena is a port city in Columbia and its known for the beautiful 16th century walled old town. It’s probably one of the most beautiful cities you’ll ever see. The old colorful colonial buildings in the old town, the towering tall churches, the cobblestone streets and the beautiful wooden balconies with gorgeous flower pots – it looks like a fairytale.
7. Gdansk, Poland
Gdansk is a gorgeous city on the Baltic coast of Poland. The architecture here will remind you a lot of Amsterdam but it’s smaller and more colorful. The main streets are absolutely stunning and the colorful buildings just add to the charm of this city. It’s a must visit for those who are craving some Amsterdam vibes but are on a budget, since this is just as pretty but way cheaper.
8. Nyhavn, Copenhagen, Denmark
Nyhavn is technically a district of Copenhagen. It’s the harbor with old buildings that date back to the 17th century that have been kept looking the same as they did back then. No only are the buildings here absolutely mesmerizing but the old ships in the harbor are quite a sight too. And the best part is that it’s only a small part of Copenhagen, which is a very beautiful city to explore.
