Have you been searching for a colorful vacation to take off on?
You have come to the right place!
For those of you that have been regular readers of Avenly Lane, you know that I am a sucker for a good list post. I am constantly on the hunt for new locations to add to my bucket list, and developing a list post is the perfect way to discover these hidden gems.
I am sorry, but this post does not contain industrial soot stained cities; instead it showcases some of the most vibrant looking cities in the world. I can’t confirm, but have to believe that the coloration of these cities is a microcosm to their personality and character.
20 Most Colorful Cities in the World
Which one is your favorite? Have you guys been to any of these places?
One of the first on the list is Inssbruck, Austria is my favorite. My husband says he would rather die than live in a pastel home, but I haven’t given up hope yet.
Guanajuato, Mexico
I’ll be honest. We just returned from visiting Mexico City and I could not believe how colorful the towns were along the highway! Guanajuato might not be located in Mexico City but it is just as colorful.
Burano Island, Italy
Burano, Venice, Italy is one of the more famous spots on this post but is too good to leave off! It’s built around a network of canals that are filled with fishermen’s homes painted in every shade imaginable.
If you’re able to steal yourself away from just one more photo in front of the water – go take a look at the famous lace exhibits in Museo del Merletto and try to straighten out their 17th century leaning bell tower.
Gdansk, Poland
Located along the Baltic coast this city is a true stunner. I mean, look at those colors!
Innsbruck, Austria
Ilulissat, Greenland
Cobh, County Cork, Ireland
Manarola, Cinque Terre, Italy
St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
Stortorget place in Gamla Stan, Stockholm
Girona, Catalonia, Spain
Girona, Spain is a city in Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region. It’s burnt orange buildings that line the Onyar river will draw you in. Take some walking tours around their famous architecture, the best views of the area come from the Old Quarter’s Medieval walls.
Nyhavn, Copenhagen, Denmark
Procida, Italy
Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Italy
Reitdiephaven, Groningen, Holland
The lively tinted homes of Reitdiephaven, Netherlands will draw you in. This housing development is built on the edge of Groninegn, nestled on a marina. You can take a boat trip from the Central Station to view all of it’s tranquil charm.
If you’re curious about the Netherlands, check out the top 10 things we recommend you do in the Netherlands here!
Nuuk, Greenland
Curacao, Willemstad
Warsaw, Poland
Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Mosaic Park, Barcelona, Spain COLORFUL CITIES
Awesome – although Riomaggiore from Cinque Terre is pretty colourful too :)
You are so right!! I had to hold myself back from incuding ALL of the Cinque Terre towns. They are all so colorful and beautiful!
Cobh is not a city it’s a town that is on an island called Great Island I know this because my mother is from Cobh
I love this post, I think the blue city in India is my favorite! Thanks for sharing Claire.
Jodhpur City in India is amazing! Thanks for reading Sara.
Love love love these photos.
I would add Valparaiso, Chile & Cuba in general. So beautiful!
Thank you so much Nicky! Those places are definitely very colorful as well. There are just so many to choose from. :)
These pictures are so beautiful and very eye- Catching. Hope I get a chance to visit any of these places soon. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much Makayla! Good luck with your travels.
Those are very beautiful! Thank you for sharing :)
Thank you so much!
I have been in Poland, I think it’s Wroclaw also has a colorful town. Keep travel well :-)
Yes! Wroclaw is super colorful!!
Curious – are these all your photos? They are wonderful!
Thanks Bruce! Some of these towns are still on my bucket list so I haven’t been to all of them…yet! I used stock photos for those ones.
As somebody from a small town in Germany… I think that the life in a small town is very much about knowing everybody around and being part of the whole thing…
Sure, all these small towns are beautiful but if I had to choose a small town to life in Europe, I would probably go back to my home town. It’s not only beautiful (we are surrounded by nature, have our own castle), we also have a lot to be proud of (good economy, successful in sports). I still know everybody living there, from my former classmates and family friends over the restaurant owners and waiters to the different businesses around.
I think it’s really hard to get to know a place like this and should not be taken for granted. It’s not only about you getting too know everybody, it’s about acceptance as well.
Keep the magic in these places, admire them but don’t live there. Living is a whole different thing than staying for holidays (even if it is a pretty long stay). As soon as I accommodated myself in one of these towns, they would probably lose their fascination for me.
That’s so cool your’e home town has it’s own castle! What town did you grow up in? It’s so different than living in the states. I think you are totally right though, some of the best parts of living in a small town would be the community. Thanks for the comment Leon!
Yes, we do
Growing up though, you don’t really realize the value in it. Most cities have one or the other old building, all of them have their own, very long history (ours is I think 800 years old, we were the fortress of the state we belonged to. A lot of fighting, most of time we won but we’ve also been burned down a few times).
Most of people only realize how cool this is, when they get into contact with non-European, for me it was when my Chinese girlfriend first didn’t realize that all these buildings are really hundreds of years old and not only some cheap rebuilds.
My hometown is Blomberg, in the east of North-Rhinewestfalia. We’re getting more and more well-known for our companies and our successful handball team but I don’t think anybody outside Germany knows us :D
Such a colorful post! :) I would also add Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico – very charming city.
I think all of the city have a very friendly society. This all colorful cities described how much happiness of the population
We went to Ilulissat last year and I can tell you it really is striking and wonderfully colourful! Nice to see it in this collection, great selection.
I am lucky to say I loved Brano island in Italy. I felt it looked like a picture post card 😍
Okay, and now I NEED to visit Burano Island and ride in one of those gondolas. It’s utterly and completely necessary. Been browsing this site for forty-five minutes straight now. Thanks for the great travel destination recommendations!!