The World’s Most Colourful Cities: How places use colour to build identity

By Berlew – Nottingham Design Studio

As summer approaches and holiday planning kicks off, destinations across the world are competing for attention. But beyond beaches and landmarks, one key factor often draws tourists before they’ve even booked their flights: colour. 

At Berlew, a Nottingham creative studio obsessed with visual identity, we believe that colour isn’t just an aesthetic choice – it’s a statement. Cities have long understood the power of their own palette, using it to craft distinctive brands that live in the minds of travellers, photographers and culture lovers around the world. In our latest global analysis, we explored the cities that have elevated colour into an art form, where the buildings themselves are as much of a tourist attraction as the food, history, or scenery. The result? A list of the 20 most colourful cities in the world, judged on the variety, vibrancy and richness of their hues.

Here are the results:

All 125 colour palettes compiled into an interactive table for you to easily find and use your favourite city’s colour palette.

Top 20 standout city colour palettes

1. Burano, Italy: The Rainbow Village

Palette Highlights:

• Deep red – #A62D1F
• Hot pint – #F544A3
• Golden yellow – #F7AA1C
• Sky blue – #84D2EB
• Pastel peach – #FADDCB
• Forest green – #2B4D3D

Burano, an island close to Venice, is arguably Europe’s ultimate colour story, with no two houses being painted the same. The Venetian island’s vibrant facades are regulated by local government, ensuring its signature patchwork of reds, blues, yellows and oranges remain balanced yet bold. This high saturation across a broad spectrum creates maximum chromatic diversity, securing its place at the top.

2. Chefchaouen, Morocco: 50 Shades of Blue

Palette Highlights:

• Santorini Blue Dome — #2C6BA0
• Bright Sky Blue — #81B9E0
• Pure White Walls — #FFFFFF
• Stone Beige Pathways — #D7CAB3
• Ocean Deep Blue — #184463
• Terracotta Roof Accents — #BF6B3D

Chefchaouen leverages monochromatic consistency, its near-exclusive focus on shades of blue creates instant brand recognition. Blue reflects both spiritual tradition and heat regulation but has become central to its global identity. This restricted palette creates a hyper-coherent aesthetic rarely seen elsewhere.

3. Guatapé, Colombia: South America’s Mosaic

Palette Highlights:

• Bright Orange — #F35A1D
• Vibrant Yellow— #F5D012
• Deep Blue— #063B7D
• Sky Blue — #2AA0C3
• Forest Green — #0E5324
• Lilac Purple — #C4ABD8

Guatapé’s saturated primary colours scream energy and joy. Its facades are decorated with painted reliefs (zócalos), and the use of opposing hues creates high visual contrast. This deliberate juxtaposition of warm and cool tones results in exceptionally high chromatic dynamic range.

4. Willemstad, Curaçao: Caribbean Colour Theory

Palette Highlights:

• Navy Blue — #00286F
• Soft Pink — #F5BDC4
• Pale Yellow — #F7E08C
• Golden Yellow — #F2C035
• Mint Green — #A0D3C1
• Burnt Orange — #C25C1D

Willemstad combines colonial Dutch architecture with Caribbean vibrancy. The bold tropical palette is both welcoming and sophisticated – a controlled exuberance perfectly aligned with its island identity and tourism branding.

5. Havana, Cuba: Pastel Nostalgia

Palette Highlights:

• #F4E2B0 – Pale yellow 
• #F6D5D6 – Light pastel pink
• #2CA6B0 – Bright turquoise blue
• #f7e7bbff – Soft pastel yellow
• #A2D7E1 – Light aqua blue
• #A34C2C – Reddish-brown

Havana’s pastel, slightly faded palette feels cinematic – old-world glamour meets Caribbean sun. Its consistent muted tones balance colour with historic patina, offering highly photographable streets that feel both timeless and vibrant.

6. Cinque Terre, Italy: Coastal Harmony

Palette Highlights:

• #40E0D0 – Turquoise 
• #87CEEB – Sky blue 
• #FA8072 – Coral 
• #DAA520 – Warm yellow 
• #556B2F – Olive green
• #FFFEF7 – Cream

Cinque Terre’s coastal cliffs are alive with warm, earthy tones, mirroring both the natural landscape and Italian culture. Its analogous colour strategy creates harmony rather than contrast, establishing an iconic Riviera aesthetic.

7. Buenos Aires (La Boca), Argentina: Street Theatre of Colour

Palette Highlights:

•  #00BFFF – Sky blue 
• #FA8072 – Salmon pink
• #40E0D0 – Turquoise
• #FF8C00 – Warm orange 
• #800080 – Deep purple
• #F5F5DC – Off-white

La Boca’s informal, repurposed materials and bold colours reflect its working-class history and cultural vibrancy. The city uses highly saturated primaries and secondaries, creating an instantly memorable street scene that brands Buenos Aires globally.

8. Jodhpur, India: The Blue City

Palette Highlights:

• #1E3A8A – Deep royal blue 
• #3B82F6 – Medium blue 
• #93C5FD – Light blue 
• #FFFFFF – White 
• #A3845A – Warm brown 
• #22C55E – Green

Jodhpur’s endless blue walls symbolise spirituality and cooling. While its palette is narrow, the high frequency of hue repetition generates incredible visual impact across the cityscape.

9. San Juan, Puerto Rico: Colonial Meets Tropics

Palette Highlights:

• #4A90E2 – Bright blue 
• #20B2AA – Teal 
• #A4A261 – Warm orange 
• #FFFFFF – White
• #FF1493 – Hot pink 
• #555555 – Charcoal

San Juan balances colonial architecture with tropical flair. The combination of earth tones and ocean blues reflects both history and geography, delivering instant visual appeal in travel photography.

10. Istanbul (Balat), Turkey: A Cultural Crossroads of Colour

Palette Highlights:

• #B8D4F0 – Soft blue
• #4DD0E1 – Turquoise
• #F5E6D3 – Warm beige
• #E8A598 – Terracotta 
• #B0BEC5 – Light gray
• #4A7C59 – Forest green

Balat’s layered, mixed palette reflects Istanbul’s rich cultural intersections. The earth-to-sea spectrum gives this neighbourhood high chromatic richness while preserving the city’s historical aesthetic.

11. Copenhagen (Nyhavn), Denmark: Scandinavian Simplicity with a Pop

Palette Highlights:

• #CC5500 – Burnt orange
• #ADD8E6 – Powder blue 
• #FFD700 – Golden yellow 
• #B0C4DE – Cloudy blue 
• #FFFACD – Cream 
• #2F4F4F – Dark blue

Copenhagen’s facades use a restrained primary palette, which is highly recognisable in global travel campaigns. The muted pastel bases allow brighter yellows and blues to pop for perfect seasonal Instagram moments.

12. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Urban Jungle Vibrancy

Palette Highlights:

• #87CEEB – Light blue
• #8A7CA8 – Lavender
• #F4C430 – Golden yellow
• #F5DEB3 – Warm beige
• #228B22 – Forest green
• #E9967A – Orange-pink

Rio thrives on warm-cool contrasts, reflecting its rhythm and natural setting. The colourful favelas, vibrant street art, and tropical nature merge into one of the world’s most vibrant urban palettes.

13-20. The Remaining Global Standouts

We won’t deep-dive every city here, but across our full analysis, we found the below also appear in the top 20:

• Guayaquil, Ecuador: Earthy neutrals with rich texture contrast.
  
• Cape Town (Bo-Kaap), South Africa: Vibrant blocks of primaries.
  
• Port-au-Prince, Haiti: Unique tropical greens & bright reds.
  
• Naples, Italy: Mediterranean pastels with pops of crimson.
  
• Mumbai, India: Earthy tones reflecting heat, heritage, and rapid urban growth.
  
• Barcelona, Spain: Gaudí’s multi-tonal explosions, combining mosaics, terracotta and rich Mediterranean blues.
  
• San Francisco, USA: The famous Painted Ladies mix Victorian pastels with fog-muted cool blues and greys.
  
• Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: The city is full to the brim of colourful shop fronts, markets and lanterns.

Why this matters: Colour as city branding

In an era where destination marketing lives on visual platforms, colour becomes strategic, and synonymous with brand identity. Cities that embrace cohesive palettes create instant brand recall – from Burano’s kaleidoscope colours to Chefchaouen’s tranquil blues. These destinations understand that colour isn’t just aesthetic; it’s psychological currency in the attention economy.

Consider how Santorini’s iconic white and blue architecture has become synonymous with Greek island luxury, or how the vibrant pink walls of Jaipur earned it the nickname “Pink City” and transformed it into an Instagram phenomenon. These aren’t accidents of geography – they’re masterclasses in visual branding that transcend traditional marketing boundaries.

The science behind this visual magnetism is rooted in human psychology. Specific colours trigger emotional responses and memory formation, creating neural pathways that link hues to experiences. When travellers see those distinctive blues of Morocco or the terracotta warmth of Tuscany, they’re not just seeing colours – they’re accessing a library of sensory memories and aspirational desires.

At Berlew, as a Nottingham design studio, we see this principle apply not just to cities but to brands, campaigns, and experiences. Cohesive colour strategy builds emotional resonance, drives recognition, and creates the kind of summer-inspiration images that dominate travel feeds worldwide. Whether we’re crafting brand identities or designing digital experiences, we harness the same psychological triggers that make certain destinations irresistibly photogenic.

This approach extends beyond tourism into hospitality, retail, and lifestyle brands. Companies that understand colour as a strategic tool – rather than mere decoration – create environments and touchpoints that feel cohesive, memorable, and shareworthy. In our hyperconnected world, every brand interaction is a potential piece of content, and colour consistency ensures that content tells a unified story across every platform and touchpoint.

Methodology 

Berlew’s ranking was developed through a comprehensive visual analysis of 125 cities worldwide, aiming to capture an authentic representation of what tourists and residents experience on the ground. For each city, five high-resolution images were selected from public sources, focusing on typical cityscapes and urban environments. Using Adobe Colour extraction tools, the five most dominant colours (in hex code) were identified from each image, creating 625 unique colour palettes across all cities.

From these palettes, a dual-metric ranking system was applied:

1. Chromatic Diversity -measuring the variety and range of hues encountered by typical visitors.
   
2. Vibrancy Intensity – evaluating the saturation and brightness levels to assess overall visual impact.

Higher scores were assigned to cities exhibiting a wider spectrum of bold, vivid colours. The combination of these metrics produced a definitive index of the world’s 20 most colourful cities.

Data correct as of June 2025.