Most structures are built with neutral colors to create a sleek, modern, and cohesive look. When we see buildings decorated with vibrant colors, they quickly catch our eyes because they’re fun and different from the norm. While most people think of cities as places with giant silver skyscrapers and gray concrete buildings, some are covered in a kaleidoscope of beautiful bright hues.
The most colorful cities in the world include lots of brightly-colored buildings. In some cases, even the streets and decorations are full of color. They look like something out of a fairy tale, so if you love to travel, these are fantastic locations to add to your bucket list.
1. Kampung Pelangi, Semarang, Indonesia
Kampung Pelangi is often referred to as “The Rainbow Village in Indonesia,” and it lives up to its title. The nickname was created because Kampung Pelangi means “place with the colors of the iris” in the native language.
This city is in the center of the island of Java. The walls and roofs of every building in this area are painted with bold rainbow stripes and shapes. Next to many of the buildings, there are also colorful fences, flags, and other decorations to match.
The neighborhood used to be run down and overlooked, but the colors brought new life to the area. Residents came together to turn their neighborhood into a work of art as a way to prove how little effort it takes to change a neighborhood when everyone works together. It may be a small village, but it’s an awesome place to stop by if you want to get some beautifully-colored photos. Taking in the vibrant decorations is magical.
2. Cinque Terre, Italy
Cinque Terre is a gorgeous village located right along the water, which is usually bright blue. As if the landscape wasn’t gorgeous enough, the area is filled with vibrantly-colored houses. Even from a boat, you can clearly see that the homes are colors like bright red, blue, yellow, orange, and pink.
The colorful homes in Cinque Terre have been a trend for a long time. It’s believed that the houses were colored this way so fishermen could easily spot their homes while out on the water. While being able to find their homes could make it easier for them to return home after a fishing trip, some people believe they wanted to locate their houses to make sure their wives were still home.
In addition to getting some gorgeous photos, Cinque Terre is also a great place to visit if you love outdoor adventures, such as hiking and boating.
3. Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, South Africa
Bo-Kaap is an adorable neighborhood in Cape Town, South Africa, lined with colorful homes in bold colors like green, pink, and orange. These houses were once built and leased to slaves, but while they were leased, they had to be white. When slaves were later able to buy houses instead of lease them, they painted them bold colors as a symbol of their freedom.
Many of the families in Bo-Kaap have lived there for generations. Thus, this neighborhood is filled with cultural history, and the Bo-Kaap Museum is a great place for visitors to stop in and learn about this unique location. Many tourists recommend visiting this colorful town with a tour guide so you can stay in the safe areas and learn more about the history.
4. Burano, Venice, Italy
Burano is another colorful area of Italy. It’s known for its beautiful canal, which is lined with houses of many different bold colors. Like Cinque Terre, this Italian area has colored houses, likely because of fishermen. Rather than trying to distinguish their homes from a distance, these fishermen painted their houses distinct colors so they could be located even in dense fog.
However, people have different stories about these colorful homes. Some say that the colors made it easier to distinguish families with the same last name. So, two families of the same name that weren’t related would choose very different house colors. Some people also believe that they ended up as vibrant colors because they had to be repainted with whatever colors were available when high tides and excess moisture damaged the exterior.
A great way to admire the beautiful hues of these homes is to take a canal tour. Seeing all the colorful homes in a row along the water is truly breathtaking.
5. La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina
This neighborhood in Buenos Aires is filled with vibrant colors and patterns scattered across the buildings. It’s believed that when people started traveling to La Boca to live there, they couldn’t afford popular paint colors. So, they painted the structures with whatever colors they could find, which included patches of bold colors like yellow, orange, and blue.
While those colors weren’t anything fancy back then, people adore the vibrant colors today. Many newer buildings in La Boca have since been painted vibrantly to match the original homes. Some of the streets and sidewalks are also colorful. So, anywhere you look in La Boca, you’ll see incredible colors that are sure to brighten your day.
Plenty of tours in La Boca will allow you to see all the colorful sights while learning more about the history. Plus, there are many shops and restaurants explicitly geared toward tourists.
6. Las Palmitas, Pachuca, Mexico
Las Palmitas is a one-of-a-kind neighborhood because the buildings are painted as one cohesive work of art. When admiring the structures from a distance, you can see colorful swirls and shapes that stretch from one building to the next. The design is meant to depict the wind because the neighborhood’s nickname is “la bella airosa,” which loosely translates to “the beautiful, breezy city.”
This area is a low-income neighborhood that people used to look down on, so a group of artists came up with the idea to paint the facades of the homes with vibrant colors to change the neighborhood’s image.
Before this change, people would go out of their way to avoid Las Palmitas. Now, people hang out there more frequently and visit to get photos of the colorful art. Even tourists love to stop by to take in the sights and experience some of the local businesses.
7. Guayaquil, Ecuador
Guayaquil is a location with lots of colorful houses sitting on top of a beautiful hill. The buildings display colors like red, blue, yellow, and pink. This is most prominent in the Barrio de las Penas, which is a residential area that was rebuilt in 1896 after a devastating fire. However, even after being restored, it was viewed as a not-so-nice neighborhood.
About a century later, a restoration project focused on giving this historic neighborhood new life. The homes were refurbished and repainted in vibrant hues, improving the neighborhood’s reputation and attracting visitors to the colorful buildings.
Now, Guayaquil is a popular destination for visitors. People love taking pictures with the colorfully painted homes in the background and exploring local trails and attractions.
8. Chefchaouen, Morocco
Chefchaouen might not be colorful in the sense of a rainbow, but it’s colored so uniquely that it’s a must-see location. This city is almost entirely blue, including buildings, decorations, and some streets.
There are many explanations for why Chefchaouen is blue. It’s most likely because the Jewish population that moved there in the 1930s ended up painting it this hue. Blue is the color they used to weave into prayer shawls because it symbolizes the sky and the heavens. The blue of the city was likely inspired by that. Some people claim that the unique color choice is meant to repel mosquitos, while others state that it represents the Mediterranean Sea.
While a blue city isn’t something you see often, Chefchaouen isn’t the only location that appears this way. Jodhpur, India, is another blue city, but its blue hue is meant to reflect the sun’s rays and protect people from extreme heat.
9. Balat, Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul has a unique neighborhood called Balat, with many tall, narrow, and vibrantly-colored houses. Specifically, the most colorful structures line Kiremit Street. Nearby, there are plenty of colorfully-painted decorations, including vibrant steps.
In Balat, the locals are creative and love fun colors, which explains why the space is decorated in such a unique, energetic way. While there are plenty of fun things to do in Istanbul, Balat isn’t exactly a huge tourist spot. It’s a neighborhood where people live, so it’s fun to walk around and get beautiful photos, but it’s not where you would spend a whole trip. Plus, anyone visiting Balat needs to remember to be respectful to the residents.
10. St. John’s, Canada
This city, located in Newfoundland and Labrador, is situated along the water with many tall, narrow houses on a hill. Each house is painted with an eye-catching color, making the city look beautiful when viewing it from a boat.
Like the Italian cities above, these houses were likely painted brightly so fishermen could easily locate their houses and return home. At the time the houses were painted, it was also common to paint someone’s house the same color as their boat. After all, if the paint was good enough to last on a boat, it must be a good house color, too.
St. John’s is full of many museums, historic sites, and parks. So, there’s lots to explore while you’re admiring the colorful houses.
11. Santorini, Greece
Santorini is uniquely colored compared to the average city. Many of the structures are white and blue, but there are also some pops of color, such as pink and yellow buildings. However, the city was once almost entirely white because the buildings had to be this color.
In 1938, residents were ordered to paint all buildings white because it was believed to stop the spread of the cholera outbreak. In 1967, all the structures had to be painted white and blue because the regime thought it would show off patriotism and nationalism. While not required anymore, many structures still have this style because it’s Santorini’s signature look. However, some buildings have popped up in bold colors to balance out the white structures.
Many people love Santorini because of its beautiful landscape and unique color schemes. It’s great for people who love hiking, exploring, and taking awesome pictures.
