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The world’s most colorful cities and towns

USA TODAY
Trinidad, Cuba: With its cobblestone streets, vintage American cars, and historic buildings painted every shade of blue, yellow, pink and green, this colorful city offers endless fodder for your Instagram feed.
Trinidad, Cuba: With its cobblestone streets, vintage American cars, and historic buildings painted every shade of blue, yellow, pink and green, this colorful city offers endless fodder for your Instagram feed.
Miroslav Kachamakov, Getty Images/iStockphoto
Relax on the Plaza Mayor with a cup of coffee or an ice cream cone and watch the world go by.
Relax on the Plaza Mayor with a cup of coffee or an ice cream cone and watch the world go by.
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Burano, Italy: Just a 45-minute vaporetto ride from Venice, Burano is also built around a network of canals, but it’s got a completely different vibe from its famous neighbor.
Burano, Italy: Just a 45-minute vaporetto ride from Venice, Burano is also built around a network of canals, but it’s got a completely different vibe from its famous neighbor.
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Smaller, quieter and infinitely more colorful, the fishing village of Burano is known for its traditional lace-making industry and for its buildings painted in every shade of the rainbow.
Smaller, quieter and infinitely more colorful, the fishing village of Burano is known for its traditional lace-making industry and for its buildings painted in every shade of the rainbow.
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Singapore: Singapore makes this list for its bustling Little India district, where temples, markets, shopfronts and street art offer a melange of colors.
Singapore: Singapore makes this list for its bustling Little India district, where temples, markets, shopfronts and street art offer a melange of colors.
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Don’t miss the House of Tan Teng Niah, a former Chinese villa that’s been painted in dozens of eye-popping hues.
Don’t miss the House of Tan Teng Niah, a former Chinese villa that’s been painted in dozens of eye-popping hues.
Thyegn, Getty Images/iStockphoto
Cape Town, South Africa: Cape Town’s rainbow-colored Bo-Kaap neighborhood wasn’t always such a kaleidoscope of color. The buildings here were originally used as rental homes for slaves, who weren’t allowed to change the white exteriors of the houses.
Cape Town, South Africa: Cape Town’s rainbow-colored Bo-Kaap neighborhood wasn’t always such a kaleidoscope of color. The buildings here were originally used as rental homes for slaves, who weren’t allowed to change the white exteriors of the houses.
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Later, when slaves were given the freedom to buy their homes, they celebrated their liberty by painting their houses the vibrant colors visitors can see today.
Later, when slaves were given the freedom to buy their homes, they celebrated their liberty by painting their houses the vibrant colors visitors can see today.
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Willemstad, Curacao: The brightly painted Dutch colonial-style buildings of this Caribbean capital have earned a spot on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Willemstad, Curacao: The brightly painted Dutch colonial-style buildings of this Caribbean capital have earned a spot on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
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Visitors should spend some time exploring Punda, the city’s historic heart, with its plentiful shops and galleries.
Visitors should spend some time exploring Punda, the city’s historic heart, with its plentiful shops and galleries.
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Ilulissat, Greenland: Set against the subdued color palette of the Arctic — white ice, gray rocks, brown tundra grasses — Ilulissat’s vividly painted houses bring a spot of cheer to this remote outpost.
Ilulissat, Greenland: Set against the subdued color palette of the Arctic — white ice, gray rocks, brown tundra grasses — Ilulissat’s vividly painted houses bring a spot of cheer to this remote outpost.
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According to Greenlandic tradition, the color of a building indicates its purpose: yellow for hospitals, blue for fish factories, red for commercial properties, and so on. These days, however, you’ll see a wider, more whimsical range of colors in Greenlandic towns like Ilulissat.
According to Greenlandic tradition, the color of a building indicates its purpose: yellow for hospitals, blue for fish factories, red for commercial properties, and so on. These days, however, you’ll see a wider, more whimsical range of colors in Greenlandic towns like Ilulissat.
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Guanajuato, Mexico: Mexico has no shortage of colorful cities, but Guanajuato is one of the most charming.
Guanajuato, Mexico: Mexico has no shortage of colorful cities, but Guanajuato is one of the most charming.
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The hills around the city center are blanketed with houses in every shade, while the historic center features cobblestone streets and a striking basilica painted in bright yellow and red.
The hills around the city center are blanketed with houses in every shade, while the historic center features cobblestone streets and a striking basilica painted in bright yellow and red.
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Menton, France: Menton may be less flashy than French Riviera neighbors like St. Tropez and Monaco, but its laid-back vibe and colorful waterfront — with pastel-painted buildings overlooking a sun-splashed sandy beach — make it undeniably appealing to travelers.
Menton, France: Menton may be less flashy than French Riviera neighbors like St. Tropez and Monaco, but its laid-back vibe and colorful waterfront — with pastel-painted buildings overlooking a sun-splashed sandy beach — make it undeniably appealing to travelers.
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Cartagena, Colombia: Surrounded by sturdy stone walls, the historical center of Cartagena is a feast for the eyes.
Cartagena, Colombia: Surrounded by sturdy stone walls, the historical center of Cartagena is a feast for the eyes.
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Pink and purple blooms spill out of flowerboxes on wooden balconies, colorful churches loom over sprawling plazas, and the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea glimmer in the distance.
Pink and purple blooms spill out of flowerboxes on wooden balconies, colorful churches loom over sprawling plazas, and the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea glimmer in the distance.
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St. John’s, Canada: Maroon and sunshine yellow, lavender and lime green, navy blue and burnt orange — you’ll find townhouses in just about every hue as you walk around in downtown St. John’s, Newfoundland.
St. John’s, Canada: Maroon and sunshine yellow, lavender and lime green, navy blue and burnt orange — you’ll find townhouses in just about every hue as you walk around in downtown St. John’s, Newfoundland.
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Some locals believe the buildings were painted this way so fishermen could find their way back home on a foggy day.
Some locals believe the buildings were painted this way so fishermen could find their way back home on a foggy day.
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Kampung Pelangi, Indonesia: Known as the Rainbow Village, Kampung Pelangi is a recent entrant onto the list of the world’s most colorful cities.
Kampung Pelangi, Indonesia: Known as the Rainbow Village, Kampung Pelangi is a recent entrant onto the list of the world’s most colorful cities.
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In April 2017, the town council decided to spend 300 million Indonesian rupiah (a little more than $20,000 USD) to paint all 232 houses in the village with at least three different colors each, as part of an attempt to draw more tourists. Other colorful towns in Indonesia that have undertaken similar revamps include Kampung Warna-Warni, Kampung Tridi, and Kampung Kali Code.
In April 2017, the town council decided to spend 300 million Indonesian rupiah (a little more than $20,000 USD) to paint all 232 houses in the village with at least three different colors each, as part of an attempt to draw more tourists. Other colorful towns in Indonesia that have undertaken similar revamps include Kampung Warna-Warni, Kampung Tridi, and Kampung Kali Code.
Getty Images/iStockphoto
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