Pantone’s 2023 Color of the Year Is an Unsuspecting Traveler’s Dream — Here's Where You Can See It Around the World

05.08.2024 - 21:04 / travelandleisure.com

Pantone is just like us, in the sense that they, too, are setting their intentions for the year — one filled with strength and energy. The Color of the Year for 2023 is Viva Magenta, which the company describes as powerful and empowering. “Viva Magenta is brave and fearless, and a pulsating color whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration… [It] revels in pure joy, encouraging experimentation and self-expression without restraint.” A year surrounded by joy and self-expression sounds like a year well spent to us.

From left: nantonov/Getty Images, Courtesy of Pantone; Background: Manan Vatsyayana/Getty Images

Luckily, you can spot this shade throughout your travels, too. From opulent hotels in Dubai to salt pans off the coast of Portugal, here’s where you can find the 2023 Pantone Color of the Year around the world.

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Some of the most beautiful and famous flowers can be found at Keukenhof, also known as the Garden of Europe. Keukenhof is one of the largest flower gardens in the world, home to more than seven million blooms. It's located in Lisse, covering 32 hectares, and can be reached in about 30 minutes from The Hague, Haarlem, Leiden, and Amsterdam. Travel to the Netherlands in mid-April to see the tulips at their best. Tulip season runs from the end of March until mid-May, but the flowers are usually at their peak halfway through April. The pink tulip is a symbol for caring and good wishes, perfect for leading us into the new year. 

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The flight from Amsterdam to Santorini is less than four hours, meaning you can go from walking the rows of multicolored tulips to seeing blooming bougainvillea climbing the traditional white and blue houses around the Greek island in no time. Bougainvillea is one of Greece's most beloved flowers, and they bloom between early spring and late autumn. And nothing makes a magenta flower pop like having the Aegean Sea as your backdrop.

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Quang Phu Cau, on the outskirts of Hanoi, is known as one of the “incense villages.” Ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations — called Tet in Vietnam — you'll find hundreds of bright-pink incense sticks fanned out like bouquets along the streets and courtyards. The holiday's full name is Tet Nguyen Dan, which means “feast of the first morning.” At midnight on Jan. 31, or the last day of the old year (giao thua), families burn the pink-colored incense to invite deities and ancestors to gather. When the incense burning ends, everyone comes together to eat and wish each other a happy new year.The best time to visit and experience this cultural event is January, right before the Lunar New Year on Feb. 1. 

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