Travel the Rainbow: 8 Colorful Travel Destinations

There’s no such thing as “a tasteful shade of alabaster” in Nyhavn. This 17th-century waterfront canal district in Copenhagen, Denmark, is lined with chromatic cafes, bars and restaurants in an array of candy-coated rainbow colors.

One of the largest and longest-standing covered markets in the world, the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey, is a prismatic playground for the eyes, as well as a shopper’s heaven. Row upon row of jewelry displays, painted ceramics, carpets, spices, lamps and more weave a radiant tapestry of artisan wares.

The color-saturated streets of Little India, Singapore, break all the rules of color-coordination. The crayon-box color palette of the storefronts looks like what might result if you appointed an imaginative young child as city planner.

White-washed facades punctuated with surprising pops of color are signature Santorini, as are the bright blue roofs that sear like sapphires among the predominantly stark-white cityscape. Enjoy the view at dusk to catch the city in its beautiful “Blue Hour,” when the post-sunset sky deepens to match the hue of the domed blue roofs.

Let your eyes feast on a visual buffet of rich, vibrant hues, patterns and textures in the multitudinous markets of Marrakech, Morroco. Vibrant vendors saturate the streets, creating a veritable open-air art museum of hand-crafted goods in every color imaginable.

Vibrant fishing village Vernazza in the Cinque Terre region of Italy is made up in an enchanting array of warm corals, yellows, pinks, oranges and reds that provide a perfect complement to the searing blue sea surrounding it. It’s a must-visit on everyone’s travel bucket list.

If there’s one country in the world that embraces every shade, tint and tone on the color wheel, it’s India. From the textiles to the temples, India is imbued with so many rich hues, it’s like being inside a real-life cultural kaleidoscope. If you’ve ever wondered what it might look like if a rainbow exploded, visit during Holi, an ancient Hindu celebration also known as the “festival of colors.”

A small lake in the center of Bergen, Norway, Lille Lungegårdsvannet pristinely reflects the painterly color palette of the surrounding facades that embrace the shoreline in a brightly hued hug.