A city with color is a city with life. The vibrancy of buildings attribute the mood to the overall city. A bland landscape can pop if the surrounding area is vibrant. Here are 15 cities that are some of the most colorful in the world.
Cinque Terre, Italy
This rugged portion of the coast on the Italian Riviera is home to many colorful homes. Colors of homes aren’t just for aesthetic’s sake. It is said that the variation in color was for the fishermen who worked just offshore. They wanted to be able to see their homes from the ocean to make sure their wives were doing their wifely duties. Talk about control freaks…
Cape Town, South Africa
The Muizenberg suburb was once a rural, undeveloped area. But, in recent years it has grown to be a major tourist attraction. If you’re lucky, if you consider it that, you’ll catch a great white or two off the coast during certain times of the years. These colorful dwellings pictured above are changing houses for beach guests.
Gamla Stan, Stockholm
North German architecture is is an obvious influence in the Old Town’s construction. The town of Gamla Stan dates back to the 13th century. One can still feel like they traveled back in time once they stand on the cobbled streets and medieval alleyways. It is also home of the Den gyldene freden restaurant which is the oldest existing restaurant with an unaltered interior.
Pattaya, Thailand
Expatriates and tourists are drawn to the beach resort of Pattaya. Sure, it could be the beautiful water and the great climate. But, it may be the nightlife that draws a majority of them there. There are several massage parlors, hourly hotels and gogo bars that host borderline illegal activity. Pattaya has been trying to clean up its image to be a more family-friendly destination.
Caminito, Buenos Aires
‘Caminito’ means “little walkway” or “little path” in Spanish. What makes this little path popular is that it is a street museum. The alley is lined with colorful houses and artists often sell there works along the way. The area gained cultural significance after the music for the famous tango, “Caminito”, was inspired by it.
Wroclaw, Poland
Salt Market Square (picture above) is a medieval market square in Wroclaw, Poland. It has two of the largest town halls in Poland and is one of the largest markets in Europe. Even as the portions of the square were demolished or destroyed in World War II, a restoration project brought it back to the way it looked in the late 18th century.
Provence Village of Menton, Provence-Alpes Cote d’Azur, France
Provence-Alpes Cote d’Azur (PACA) is one of 27 of France’s regions. It is popularly known for hosting the French Riviera which includes the cities of Nice and Cannes. The variation in landscape is easy to notice as it ranges from mountainous regions of the Alps to the coastlines of Nice.
Naples, Italy
Naples is the third largest Italian municipality. It is known to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The city has seen economic growth since the second World War thanks to the port of Naples. The port is one of the Mediterranean’s largest and busiest.
Isla Mujeres, Mexico
Just off the coast of Isla Mujeres is the Cancun underwater museum. Thus, making the western coast of this seaside city a popular destination for snorkeling and scuba diving. The abundance of sea turtles helps with that as well. In fact, a facility was built on the southern end of the island to help with the rehabilitation and breeding of them.
Brighton Beach, Melbourne, Australia
Brighton is home to some of the wealthiest citizen in Australia. But, the main reason tourists come to the area is for the bathing boxes on Dendy Street Beach. All 82 of them to be exact. Every box retains its Victorian era architecture with timber frames and corrugated iron roofs. They sell around $200,000 and don’t even include electricity of water. Sounds reasonable to me.
Amorgos Island, Greece
Amorgos is the easternmost island of the Greek Cyclades group. It was one of the first places the Ionians passed through on their way to the Greek mainland. There is a lot of history woven into the interestingly built houses. The island’s main landmark is the Panagia Hozoviotissa monastery. It is still active and houses three practicing monks.
Nuuk, Greenland
The capital and largest city of Greenland just so happens to be the most colorful as well. Nuuk was once a major fishing community but declined in the 1980s. Now it is a trade and shipping economy. Seafood is sold by the mass amounts in fish markets throughout the city.
Berlin, Germany
The fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 was a huge moment in history. Ever since then, Berlin has become a mecca for art and music. It is also popular among expatriates and tech start-ups. The cost of living is low which draws in hopeful business owners
Paradise Island, Bahamas
This island in the Bahamas was once known as Hog Island. It is better known for its tourist attractions such as the Atlantis resort. The resort includes an amusement and water park, walk-in aquariums and casinos. Two bridges that cross that Nassau harbor lead into the island of New Providence
Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England
The fishing and service industries are what drives this North Sea coastal town. Limestone cliffs envelope the harbor. Since 2005, a large digital and creative renaissance has been happening and is contributing to the economy as much as the aforementioned industries. Much like Cape Town and Brighton, the coasts house bathing boxes for tourism.
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