One of the best aspects of cruising is getting the opportunity to see the many colorful cruise destinations that cruise lines can take you to. Whether it’s a natural wonder like the Aurora Borealis, or the vibrant colors on display in a town like New Orleans, there are many destinations that will offer you an absolute feast of visual stimulus for your eyes to indulge in. From Puerto Rico to Norway, here’s our list of 9 of the most colorful cruise ports from across the globe.
Puerto Rico
Old San Juan is known for its classic cobblestones streets and vintage facades decked out in vibrant colors. If not for a movement to preserve the original 16th and 17th century architecture, these iconic buildings would have been lost forever and replaced with more modern buildings. Thankfully, the beauty of this city’s historic architecture is still intact and on full display. This colorful cruise destination is both an embarkation port and a popular stop on Caribbean cruises departing from cruise ports in Florida.
France
For our next colorful cruise destination, we have the colorful fields of Provence, France. Amidst the olive groves and vineyards that surround it, you will find the endless fields of lavender that inspired 140 paintings of Van Gogh’s paintings. You can take tours by foot, bike, or car to see the soothing fields that are known as the soul of Provence. Afterwards, indulge in food that is infused with lavender oil and honey to get the full experience. Many major cruise lines and some luxury lines will stop at this cruise port during Mediterranean voyages, so it’s never hard to find one that will take you here.
Australia
When it comes to colorful cruise destinations, it doesn’t get much more colorful than the only living thing that is visible from space, the Great Barrier Reef. But the best way to see this natural wonder isn’t from space; it’s by jumping in the water for a bit of snorkeling! There’s a smorgasbord of colors from the huge variety of coral to the vibrant wildlife that lives here. Many sailings depart from cruise ports all over Australia year round, so there are plenty of opportunities for you to get out there and see it for yourself.
Alaska
Alaska is one of the cruise ports that gets very popular in the summer, as people come from all over the world to see the caves of sapphire and crystal blue ice that are constantly being molded by flowing water. Adventurous tourists will often take a kayak across Mendenhall Lake or take a hike over the glacier for a guided tour of the caves. For this colorful cruise destination, cruises typically depart from Seattle and run from April to October (though June and July are the best times to go in our opinion).
Related: Alaska Cruise – Experience All Alaska Offers
Bermuda
Soft pink sand and clear turquoise water are what make Bermuda a colorful cruise destination that people come back to year after year. Beaches like Horseshoe Bay and Tobacco Bay attract people with their natural beauty year round, in part because of the temperate conditions of the sea where water gets as high as 85 degrees in summer and only drops into the 60s come winter. This is a very popular destination, with ships coming from cruise ports in Boston, New York, Norfolk, and Baltimore to visit this iconic destination.
Curaçao
This colorful cruise destination is known for the pastel-colored colonial houses that line St. Anna’s Bay and transport you back to the days of their construction. If you believe the legends, they used to be bright white until the governor complained that they gave him headaches and they were repainted to the vibrant rainbow you see today. While you’re visiting this cruise port, be sure to try the island’s signature ròm bèrdè (green rum) to get the full experience. If you’re looking to visit, Curaçao is a very popular stop for Caribbean cruises.
Norway
Of course we couldn’t do a list of colorful cruise destinations without mentioning the vibrant lights of the Aurora Borealis. There are many places across both sides of the globe to see these magnificent green, pink, and violet lights, but the Norwegian cities of Trondheim and Tromsø are world renowned by lovers of the Northern Lights as the best places to get a glimpse. You can see this captivating natural light show any winter, but it is supposed to be especially vivid in 2023. Most cruise lines visit Northern Europe cruise ports in the summer months, but there are some itineraries in the winter months available as well.
Canada & New England
As the weather starts to cool in New England and Canada, the leaves change to the quintessential Autumn palette that of gold, orange, and crimson red that we all know and love. Every year, people flock from all over the country to see the changing leaves, but some of the best views can be seen from the sea. Cruise ports in Boston, New York, Baltimore, and Quebec City offer itineraries during this time that will make for one of the most memorable colorful cruise destinations out there. If you’re lucky, you may even get to see whales burst through the surface while you are there!
New Orleans
Lastly, we have New Orleans, famous for its annual Mardi Gras celebration. From vibrantly decorated ironwork balconies to neon signs enticing patrons to eat and drink, this is a colorful cruise destination year round and always worth a visit. This is a popular embarkation cruise port for Carnival Cruises as well as select Norwegian and Disney cruises, not to mention the Mississippi River cruises provided by American Cruise Lines and Viking River Cruises. Enjoy the vibrant culture and lively nightlife as a bookend for your Caribbean cruise to make for a jam packed cruising experience!
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