It comes as no surprise that the Barbie movie is effecting a pink craze in 2023. People are turning their own little worlds pink with pink clothes, pink makeup, pink furniture — whatever candified accessory they can get their hands on. Meanwhile, there are places in the wider world that were pink before it was cool: pink cities, pink lakes, pink-sand beaches; all of which would look completely inconspicuous in Barbieland. Choose any one of these pink places to visit, Pepto-Bismol and your pet Panther at the ready, and you’re all sorted for the trendiest, most plastic-fantastic vacation.
Toulouse, France
There’s something quite ethereal about Toulouse — Getty Images
Toulouse is quite literally la vie en rose. Known as France’s “Pink City”, its distinct architecture of — predominantly — pink terracotta bricks gives the skyline a warm, rosy hue, especially when the sunlight bathes the buildings during sunrise and sunset. Forget the hustle and bustle of Paris; this is quite clearly the dreamiest, most romantic spot in the country.
Pink Sands Beach, The Bahamas
Pink Sands Beach: pretty self-explanatory (‘pretty’ being the operative word) — Getty Images Apply for the job here! One of just a handful of its kind in the world, Pink Sands Beach is one of the best things to see in The Bahamas
— a sunny and charming vacation spot pretty much all year round. The baby pink sand on this Harbor Island beach — a result of tiny blush-colored marine organisms known as foraminifera, whose crushed shells blend with the white sand — is striking under the midday beams. Couple this with the bright cyan hue of the water, and it’s easy to conclude that the beach scenes in the movie could have been shot here. You might even spot a Ken, cockily bolting toward the ocean with his surfboard.
Lake Hillier, Australia
You see it from the air, salt water everywhere-ere — Getty Images No, nobody dropped a giant bath bomb; Lake Hillier in Western Australia
is naturally very pink. This is due to the presence of a certain algae that thrives in extremely salty waters — the lake’s saline concentration is about the same as that in the Dead Sea. As its location is pretty remote (on an uninhabited island just off the coast of what is a sparsely-populated part of the country anyway), the most common way to see the lake is by airplane, on a scenic flight
.
Torrevieja and Mata Salt Flats, Spain
Sunset comes, pink intensifies — Getty Images
Now for another pink lake — or rather, two lakes right next to each other — but this spot’s a lot easier to get to with it being near Alicante, a popular Spanish tourist destination. Head to the town of Torrevieja and take a walk around the flats. You might even spot some matching flamingoes on the water, feeding on small shrimp and that salty algae.
Takinoue Park, Japan
For about one month a year, Takinoue Park in Hokkaido — the northernmost Japanese prefecture — turns into a great big hilly sprawl of fuschia. Okay, they’re not actually fuschia flowers, but Shibazakura, a flower known in English as ‘pink moss’. They bloom when the weather gets just about warm enough in early May. This causes for the Takinoue Shibazakura Festival — people come from all over for the vibrant views (which you have the option to get from a helicopter, if you’ve got the money for it). Nature won’t provide you with a better Barbie backdrop for your selfies than this.
Petra, Jordan
Petra, often referred to as the “Rose City,” is an archeological marvel located in the heart of the desert in southern Jordan. A Unesco World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, this ancient remnant of civilization is carved into the region’s rose-red cliffs. (Although archaeologists have only excavated 15% of the site, so 85% of the city remains intact underground.) The pink passageways, tombs, temples, and amphitheaters give off an air of Barbieland, only if Barbieland were a thing 2,000 years ago. And the subtly-shifting colors of the rock, especially at sunrise and sunset, make the place even more magical.
Jaipur, India
The Hawa Mahal, Jaipur’s very pink palace — Getty Images
We’ll finish with a third “Pink City” — the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Jaipur came to be the hue it is after it was painted in 1876 to welcome the Prince of Wales, pink being the color of hospitality in Indian culture. As you enter Jaipur, you’re immediately greeted by the grand Hawa Mahal. With its incredibly intricate lattice windows, layered in the likeness of some sort of ostentatious gender-reveal cake, this is the most iconic pink building in the city. Never mind being fit for a prince; this is India’s answer to the ultimate Barbie Dreamhouse. Visit Kiwi.com Stories for more travel inspiration.
