18 Black and White Places Around the World You Shouldn't Skip

While Copenhagen is known for its paintbox assortment of colorful houses, the city’s most dramatic landmark might be the modernist Royal Danish Library that gleams along the waterfront. Better known as the Black Diamond, this architectural gem houses thousands of books, along with a concert hall, exhibition spaces, a café, and garden. The library is an included stop on many tours of Copenhagen, but it’s worth circling back on your own so you can explore its basement-level National Museum of Photography.

Nearly four centuries after its construction in glimmering Rajasthan marble, the Taj Mahal retains the power to astonish. A memorial to a favorite wife of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, today the Taj Mahal is among northern India’s most iconic sites—and the world’s most beautiful buildings. Sunrise and sunset at the Taj Mahal are especially spectacular, but a fast train between New Delhi and Agra means it’s easier than ever to visit on a day trip from New Delhi.

Jet black sand soaks up sunshine at Punalu’u Beach on the Big Island of Hawaii, its hue the result of volcanic basalt that explodes when it reaches the water’s edge. Big Island tours are a great way to check out the beach alongside other natural highlights, whether you’re exploring with a guide or doing a self-guided drive. Watch for the green sea turtles that like to bask along the shore here—humans aren’t the only ones that flock to black places.

A constellation of tiny, whitewashed villages called “pueblos blancos” crowns the hilly landscape of Andalucia, where vineyards and olive groves meet deep gorges and rocky summits. While the most famous white villages include the hilltop Zahara de la Sierra and pretty Grazalema, there are 19 villages in all. Many tours of the white villages depart from nearby Seville, with stops to sample olive oil, spot native vultures, and wander the cobblestone streets of village centers.

Sheathed in a chic maze of abstract charcoal squiggles, the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (Le Mucem) commands a place of honor on the Marseille harbor. Inside are collections that range from anthropology to art, with a focus on peoples all across the Mediterranean region. Many tours of Marseille feature the extraordinary museum, which opened in 2013 when the city stepped into the spotlight as a European Capital of Culture.

The world’s largest salt flat gleams pure white under Bolivia’s high-altitude sunshine, a surreal expanse that covers more than 4,050 square miles (10,489 square kilometers). Its pristine surface makes for fun perspective photography, but Uyuni is also home to colorful flamingos, a train cemetery, archaeological sites, and communities that produce salt using traditional methods. While a day-long tour is enough to visit the most accessible sites, booking 2- and 3-day adventures puts remote lagoons and unique wildlife sites within reach.

With its high-contrast backdrop of snowy peaks, the 18th-century black church of Budir adds visual drama to the landscape of Iceland’s wild west coast. It’s among the country’s most photographed places, and a popular spot for Icelandic weddings. If you’re not getting married, you can still visit the black church on a tour of the Snaefellsness Peninsula from Reykjavik, doubling down on the color scheme by stopping at Djupalonssandur Beach, whose black swath of volcanic sand curves around a wave-swept bay.

There’s a reason they call Antarctica the Great White Continent: it’s covered in snowy summits, deep crevasses, and a polar cap that’s the single largest ice sheet on Earth. Getting there requires long flights or multi-day sea voyages, but that intrepid journey gains travelers access to one of the world’s last great wilderness areas. Whether you’re spotting gentoo penguins at Port Lockroy or cruising the stormy Drake Passage, Antarctica is an awe-inspiring final frontier.

Amid the rainbow hues of Yellowstone National Park’s thermal pools, Black Sand Basin adds a pleasing study in contrast. (The basin’s hydrothermal features, including Emerald Pool and Rainbow Pool, hint at the timeless appeal of a good color scheme.) The black sand itself is the result of volcanic glass, crushed to a fine powder over time. As one of the highlights of Yellowstone National Park, Black Sand Basin is an included stop on many guided tours there, often combined with a multicolored array of other geysers, hot pools, and springs.

Ivory sand meets turquoise water at Playa Norte (North Beach) on Isla Mujeres, a strand of palm-lined white sand offering a laid-back alternative to nearby Cancun. If you’re not staying overnight at Isla Mujeres, you can reach the scenic island on a day-trip from Cancun, with options that include sailing catamarans, party cruises, and snorkeling trips that take in the vibrant marine life of surrounding coral reefs. Once you’re there, there’s plenty of room to relax at Playa Norte, which features sun beds, restaurants, and bars.

Set high along Norway’s deepest and longest fjord, the UNESCO-listed Urnes Stave Church looks like something from a fairytale. It’s not actually painted black: like other Norwegian stave churches, the 12th-century landmark is coated in tar that protects and darkens the wood. The resulting hue adds a brooding touch to the surrounding landscape—look closer and you’ll find intricate decorations that evoke Norwegian mythology.

There’s room for some 40,000 people to worship at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, whose white marble architecture is adorned with mother-of-pearl engravings. Among the world’s largest mosques, this is also a featured stop on many tours of Abu Dhabi; due to the building’s sheer scale, it’s well worth visiting the mosque with a guide who can point out the many intricate design elements. (You don’t want to miss those gold-plated Swarovski chandeliers, or the amethyst-and-jasper-embedded columns.)

The longest of Santorini’s black-sand beaches, Perivolos Beach is a lush swatch of sable-dark sand at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Beach bars featuring DJs turn the scenic spot into a nearly round-the-clock party, while an international crowd looks on from ranks of umbrella-shaded sun loungers. It’s no surprise that Perivolos Beach is an included stop on many sightseeing tours of Santorini, often combined with stops at whitewashed villages, wineries, and archaeological sites.

It took nearly 600 years to build the Milan Duomo, whose pale-white Gothic architecture has a commanding presence in the heart of Milan. Eggshell-colored gargoyles and spires give the landmark the over-the-top look of a fantasy wedding cake, and views from the rooftop arches stretch across the city skyline. As one of Milan’s most famous buildings, the Duomo is an included stop on many city tours; if you’re seeking wraparound views, opt for a rooftop tour that lets you skip potentially long ticket lines.

The Faroe Island’s largest farm is also home to one of the oldest inhabited wooden houses in the world. (Or maybe the oldest–no one knows for sure.) The gorgeously black-painted structure features bright-red window casings and is also a museum where visitors can learn about traditional Faroese life. Sheep, horses, and cattle can be spotted on the surrounding farm, which commands spectacular views across often-stormy Atlantic waters toward the islands of Hestur and Sandoy.

Glass embedded in the white plaster of the White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) catches the sunlight, transforming the snowy Chiang Rai landmark into a glittering spectacle, while a nearby reflecting pool doubles the impact. Though the White Temple echoes the style of traditional Buddhist architecture, a closer look reveals unusual contemporary artwork. Look inside to find images of Keanu Reeves, Hello Kitty, Elvis, and other pop culture figures. Since the White Temple is one of the region’s most famous sites, it’s an included stop on many tours of Chiang Rai.

Lava tubes, lava fields, and mountain peaks are all a rich black in this national park on the Big Island of Hawaii. While Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is an included stop on many tours of the Big Island, you could easily spend an entire day (or several) exploring the national park in greater depth. Whether you’re stargazing or trekking, this destination has dozens of shades of black to choose from—and the active volcanoes of Mauna Loa and Kilauea keep making fresh batches of black volcanic rock.

Each winter, designers craft the Quebec City Ice Hotel (Hôtel de Glace) anew using solid blocks of white-blue ice. It’s the only ice hotel in North America, and one where visitors can sleep on ice beds, peruse icy sculptures, mingle in an ice bar, and even sip drinks from cups crafted entirely from ice. Tours of the ice hotel are popular Quebec City activities, and they also make a great day trip from Montreal.