A new global ranking of the world’s most colourful cities has placed two Portuguese cities in the top three. Not bad for a country that’s often reduced to clichés about sunshine and seafood.
Portugal dominates the ranking of the world’s most colourful cities
The study by Irish travel insurance provider JustCover analysed 78 cities around the world using image-based colour data. It measured the number of distinct colours visible in carefully selected daylight photographs.
The result: Lisbon recorded more than 2.6 million unique colours, earning a perfect vibrancy score of 100.
Porto followed closely behind in third place, making Portugal the only country with two cities in the global top three. The top five reads like a tour of bold urban palettes:
- Lisbon, Portugal – 100/100
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – 94.5
- Porto, Portugal – 91.6
- Cartagena, Colombia – 91.4
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 89.1
Why Lisbon was named the world’s most colourful city
Colour in Lisbon is layered rather than loud. Walk through Alfama, the city’s oldest district, and you pass faded pinks, pale blues and mustard yellows sitting side by side, broken up by patterned azulejos that catch the light differently throughout the day.
In Bairro Alto, façades feel slightly bolder, especially as the evening light softens the stone, and many of the city’s non-touristy things to do in Lisbon unfold on these very streets.
The yellow Remodelado trams cut up steep streets. The tiled church fronts. Laundry strung between balconies. Terracotta rooftops rolling towards the Tagus. From Miradouro da Senhora do Monte, that sea of red roofs and pastel walls looks almost theatrical, particularly under the sharp Atlantic light.
Porto’s third-place finish proves it is more than a postcard
If Lisboa’s palette feels airy and sun-washed, Porto’s is denser. The Ribeira district along the Douro River is the image most people carry in their heads: tightly packed houses painted in ochre, rust, teal and faded lilac, stacked beneath terracotta roofs.
The river reflects the façades, doubling the effect. On the Vila Nova de Gaia side, the skyline shifts again, with wine lodges and church towers adding darker tones to the mix. It is this layering, roof against river against sky, that likely pushed Porto so high in the ranking.
What this means for Portugal’s global image
Rankings come and go, but this one aligns neatly with what many residents already sense. Portugal’s cities have managed to modernise without flattening their architectural personality. Strict renovation rules, a tradition of painted façades, and the widespread use of tiles all contribute to that visual complexity. It sits comfortably alongside headlines about Portugal being home to two of Europe’s cleanest cities, reinforcing the idea that urban quality here is more than skin deep.
Urban character tends to survive planning cycles and political shifts more stubbornly than lifestyle trends. A city that ranks highly for colour diversity is, in effect, a city with architectural layers. That perception is strengthened by Lisbon being one of the world’s safest cities and in the top 40 cities for quality of life. Safety, liveability and urban upkeep all feed into how a place feels on the ground.
Not everything here is perfect. Housing pressure remains real in both cities, and rising prices have complicated life for locals and newcomers. Still, walking through neighbourhoods where walls, tiles and rooftops create a constantly shifting canvas does change how everyday life feels.
Stay in the know about living in Portugal as a foreigner—get our weekly newsletter for the latest travel, legal, and lifestyle news.
For a taste of the high life, sign up for the monthly luxury market round-up.
