The Destination You Need to Visit Based on Your Favorite Architectural Style

Many people often have a preferred or favorite style of architecture, often one that they find fits their personality or their ideal of what architecture should be. That's why we're giving you a personalized travel recommendation based upon your favorite architectural style! From Baroque to Beaux-Arts, we've got recommendations for some of the most popular and recognizable architectural styles in the world. Curious to see which destination we recommend for your favorite style?

If you dream in Dark Academia, Gothic architecture is likely your go-to favorite architectural style. Gothic architecture is most recognizable in European cathedrals of the Middle Ages, when skilled craftsmen carved ghoulish gargoyles and sanctified saints from hard stone. It's a grandiose, highly decorative style, and today can be found dotted across Europe where Christianity bloomed.

While you'll find no lack of strikingly Gothic cities to enjoy, including Paris, Laon and London, our recommendation for our Gothic admirers is Prague. Nicknamed "the city of a hundred spires," it's well-known as the best-preserved Gothic city in Europe, with attractions like St. Vitus Church and the Church of Our Lady Before Týn marking the top of the must-see list for visitors.

The period known as the Renaissance didn't just birth new ideas and lead to more innovation: it also led to new architectural styles. The earliest is Renaissance architecture, which began in the 1400s in Italy and spread across Europe into the mid-1500s and is categorized for its repeating forms and symmetry, as well as its connection to Roman and Greek architecture.

Our top recommendation for lovers of Renaissance architecture is also the destination where art lovers flock to see Michelangelo's "David," among other Renaissance masterpieces: Florence. The decorative and lavish Renaissance style is on full display in this city, where the orange domed roof of the Duomo towers over the city like a charitable matron.

Considered the gaudier cousin of Renaissance architecture is Baroque architecture, a style that directly followed its cousin, gaining fame in Italy and later the rest of Europe in the 1600s. Today, travelers can find Baroque architecture all across Europe, recognizable for its high decoration, lavish gold accents, bright colors and decorative stonework, often marble.

While Paris, Copenhagen and other destinations have their own Baroque buildings to explore, we recommend Vienna, Austria, which has a large imperial history and Catholic religious culture that allowed the lavish style to flourish unlike anywhere else in the world. There, you'll find attractions like the St. Charles Church, its many palaces, the Old Vienna City Hall and even the Imperial Stables built in the Baroque style.

The late fifteenth century through to the early seventeenth century in England is a period of political and architectural history known as the Tudor period. Thought of as the end of the medieval architecture of England and Wales, the addition of some Renaissance features in architecture and the period in which Shakespeare gained his everlasting fame, this style is most notable for its steep roof gables, wood-and-plaster facades and plenty of brickwork. The interiors of such buildings also showed an addition of Renaissance styles with carved plasterwork that decorate walls and ceilings. Today, one of the easiest places to see Tudor architecture is London, England, which is home to The Globe Theatre, among other various sites that were important during the period.

Colonial architecture, typified around the world as the main style of architecture built during various empires' colonial reigns over places such as North America, the Caribbean and South America (though, of course it can be found pretty much anywhere that was once a European colony). Many of these buildings were built during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, though the dates range depending upon the destination in question. No matter the destination, Colonial style often blends European construction methods and styles that were common for the period, with some local flair.

That's why we suggest checking out the UNESCO World Heritage city of Cartagena, Colombia. Its historic area is home to some of the most colorful Spanish Colonial buildings in the world (think: Disney's Encanto), and since it's a historic port city, cruisers can access the area with ease for a day trip. Brightly painted buildings, differently colored balconies, cobblestone streets and tropical flowers truly create a wonderful city for architecture lovers to explore.

Victorian architecture is an umbrella term for several different types of architecture that began under the reign of England's Queen Victoria during the 1830s to the early 1900s. Among these are most notably Queen Anne, Gothic Revival, Italianate and Romanesque Revival. Another development from the United Kingdom, these styles have also spread to places such as the United States, New Zealand and other countries.

Today, our recommendation in the U.K. is London, home to Victorian marvels like Westminster, Royal Albert Hall and St. Pancras, not to mention the large wealth of Victorian-era homes and other buildings that are still around today. But closer to home, we recommend Old Louisville. Louisville, Kentucky's historic neighborhood is home to the largest number of restored Victorian homes in the United States. Travelers will wander the neighborhood's 48 city blocks and might just be convinced they've stepped into the past.

Beaux-Arts is an architectural style originating from France and was used primarily between the 1830s and 1900. The style focuses on drawing from Renaissance, French and Italian Baroque decorative themes and placing them onto modern, clean shapes. A highly symmetrical style, it can often be seen in government buildings of the era, with grandiose columns, sculptural decorations depicting mythologies, arched windows and flat roofs with a decorative dome. The style can be seen across Europe and North America, but our recommendation for lovers of this style is where it originated: Paris. Examples of buildings in this style are the National School of Fine Arts, the Palais Garnier and the Grand Palais, though the list goes on...

Art Nouveau is a creative architectural style that originated in Belgium and France in the 1890s and was popularized throughout Europe and America by the time of the First World War. Typical of Art Nouveau is a fascination with curving lines and features inspired by the natural world, with natural motifs instead of mythological figures, curving lines instead of the later geometric patterns that define the Art Deco movement. Decorative elements include stained glass, wrought iron and mosaics both inside and outside.

While nearly everyone connects this style with Barcelona's fantastical buildings designed by Antoni Gaudí, our recommendation for lovers of this style is Riga, Latvia. This incredible city is home to the largest concentration of Art Nouveau buildings in Europe, with one-third of its buildings being in this fascinating style.

The Art Deco style originated in France in the 1910s and quickly spread to America and Great Britain across later decades. While it was a short movement, it's made its mark on nearly every major American city from Detroit to New York, and people remain captivated by this fascinating style. Some of the most iconic New York attractions, like the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center and the Chrysler building were built in this style. The style is often simple in exterior design, yet utilizes an ornate, geometrical design for ornamentation both inside and outside, from the windows to the floors. It wasn't a revival of a former style, creating a truly unique style that encapsulates the time period in which it was popularized.

Today, our travel recommendation is actually Napier, New Zealand. Self-named the "Art Deco Capital of the World," the city was rebuilt in the style following a 1931 earthquake, with some 140 buildings styled in this unique style, with Maori influence.

Most commonly recognized in post-war communist nations, Brutalism actually originated in the 1950s in the U.K. It focuses more on minimalism, choosing to make the decorative aspects of a building more in its construction than in decorative accents. The use of unchanged building materials, such as concrete, brick and glass are typical with this style, with angles and geometry being the main focal points. The style was influenced by utilitarian philosophy, and today, travelers find these monoliths completely fascinating. Serbia's capital of Belgrade is known for having one of the world's largest collections of Brutalist-styled buildings in the world, and that's why it's our recommendation for lovers of this unique modern style.

Following the end of the Second World War, a new style began to be popular across Europe and the U.S., with architects like Frank Lloyd Wright gaining international fame, though it was a democratic northern Europe which first pioneered this style. Mid-century modern architecture takes inspiration from nature and organic forms, but unlike Art Nouveau, the style tends to focus more upon minimalism and cleaner lines, with more open floor plans. Flat planed roofs, large windows, changes in interior elevation and a connection with the outdoors (such as using natural materials that showcase their natural beauty, like stained wood).

This style remains incredibly popular for homeowners across North America. But where can you visit to immerse yourself in this unique style? In the U.S., the destination with the most mid-century houses and buildings is without a doubt, Palm Springs, California. This city, located not far from Death Valley, had its heyday in the 1950s and '60s, drawing several architects to this destination, which has left an indelible mark that mid-century lovers adore today.

Fans of the newer Industrial style that has taken root as large warehouses and other industrial buildings are converted into apartments, hotels, entertainment centers and more love features like exposed brick, lofty ceilings, exposed pipe or metal accents. Buildings focus upon a minimalist style and often feature natural light from large windows or from skylights. This style is taking root across the world, but especially so in cities in which industries like mass manufacture or shipping were once the mainstays of their economies.

Cities like Manchester in England, Hamburg in Germany or Detroit in Michigan offer some great opportunities to explore these historic buildings that have been redesigned to breathe new life into these buildings, but our formal recommendation is Hamburg, Germany. Why? Well, it's home to the largest number of Industrial-era warehouses in the world, and it's so special that it has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We are now living in an age when our architecture is increasingly being considered with its relationship with the natural world, and some of our best buildings are designed with features like green roofs, energy efficient or energy-creation capabilities and a focus on sustainable materials. Post-modern architecture began in the 1970s as a reaction against simplistic modern designs, often creating something totally unique.

Our recommendation to see some incredible modern architecture is the design-famous city of Aarhus, Denmark. While its history dates back to the Viking Age, it's currently home to a large collection of world-famous architect firms which have left an indelible mark on the city. New developments include the nature-inspired Isbjerget (Iceberg) apartment complex, set along its waterfront, or the ship-like Dokk1 public library, also set along the water. Any lover of architecture should visit this destination, which is like an exploration through many of the styles we've mentioned here.