Seven colourful cities and towns from around the world

When you imagine your dream house, what colour would you paint it?

Perhaps you grew up watching Balamory and maybe even dreamed of living next door to Archie’s pink castle. Well, good news! There are plenty of real places around the world whose architecture isn’t afraid to be bold and beautiful, sporting all the colours you can imagine.

From one of biggest murals in the world to the happiest capital, we take a look at these seven rainbow cities and towns.

Pachuca de Soto, Mexico

High on a hill northeast of Mexico City, a mural spans not only several buildings, but several neighbourhoods.

A hill covered in colourful small houses, all very near each other. They have been painted in yellow, purple, blue and other bright hues. — Image caption,
This mural represents the winds of Pachuca de Soto, nicknamed The Windy Beauty

Graffiti group Germen Crew completed the massive mural as part of an outreach program in 2015 to promote peace and reduce crime in the area.

Pachuca de Soto earned the nickname La Bella Airosa (The Windy Beauty) and the waves of colour represent the winds of the hillside. There are 209 painted houses in total, and some even feature portraits of the local residents.

Chefchaouen, Morocco

Feeling blue? Research suggests looking at the colour can boost your mood – so you’d probably feel very happy wandering the streets of Chefchaouen, a city in northwest Morocco.

White and blue houses on a winding street, adorned with multi-coloured mosaics and tiles. — Image caption,
Chefchaouen is known as the Blue Pearl of Morocco

Originally founded in 1471 just before the Spanish conquest of Granada, its architecture reflects Andalusi influence, and the traditional blue and white painted houses has earned it the nickname the Blue Pearl of Morocco.

Guatapé, Colombia

Guatapé is a resort town in central Colombia famous for its colourful buildings.

A cobbled winding street with colourful houses on each side. — Image caption,
The rainbow baseboards are known as zocalos and are decorated with patterns and stories

The town features architecture typical of many of places in Colombia. Colourful locations such as Guatape inspired the creators of Disney's Encanto when designing the look of the film.

The other great attraction is a 65 million-year-old granite rock called la Piedra del Peñol, which can be climbed to appreciate the technicolour views all around.

New Orleans, USA

Another Disney dream, the New Orleans French Quarter has distinctive wrought-iron balconies covered in greenery.

Tall building decorated in wrought iron in the American city of New Orleans. An American flag is facing the windows. — Image caption,
New Orleans is home to not only colourful streets, but a famous colourful festival

But the colour doesn’t stop with the French colonial architecture: the city-parish is home to bright red trams, a picturesque green park, and three hues – gold, green and purple – associated with its most famous yearly event.

With traditions from Black-Creole culture, New Orleans hosts the colourful festival of Mardi Gras where kaleidoscopic costumes and floats are paraded through the streets.

Sighișoara, Romania

Heading into the hills of eastern Europe, a little old town in Romania bursts with colour.

Two medieval buildings facing each other, one is painted yellow and one red. A clocktower sits behind them. — Image caption,
This gothic city was allegedly the birthplace of Count Dracula

With narrow streets and shadowy hills, the pastel houses are cast in autumnal orange to pink, blue and green shadows.

The Citadel is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that gives a glimpse into Transylvanian Saxon architecture – and it’s also allegedly the birthplace of Vlad Tepes, AKA Dracula.

Copenhagen, Denmark

From literature landscapes to famous film spots, one that pops up a lot on screen is the canal waterside district of Copenhagen, Denmark.

A row of houses painted in different colours lining the harbour of Copenhagen. — Image caption,
The happiest city in the world boasts a vibrant harbour that a famous author called home

It’s home to Nyhavn harbour, a 17th-Century quay full of fairytale-esque townhouses in bright toy colours. Denmark’s capital is also famous for being the home of fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen, who lived along the waterside between 1845 and 1867.

Copenhagen is regularly voted one of the happiest cities in the world, possibly due to its emphasis on hygge – and the colours certainly reflect that!

Wrocław, Poland

Another colourful old town will send whimsigoth hearts singing: Wrocław in Poland. This creative hotspot has a market square famous for its multicoloured buildings, and, if you look closely, you might spot one of the 400+ gnomes hidden about the city.

Tall buildings painted in different pastel hues face a statue on a cobbled street in Wroclaw, Poland — Image caption,
Europe’s most colourful old town is home to over 400 bronze gnomes

When the city was controlled by the USSR in the 1980s, graffiti dwarfs and bronze gnomes started appearing as a signal of the underground Orange Alternative movement, protesting against oppressive and dangerous conditions with silliness and fun.

The little figurines look right at home in the sunset colours of the Old Town Square, which has vividly restored Gothic-Renaissance and Baroque architecture characteristic of Poland.

This article was published in January 2024