3Júzcar, Spain
Júzcar is arguably the only colorful city in the world that, for no historical reason, has bathed all its homes in a gentle smurfy blue. But how did this “blue miracle” come about? Of course: through Hollywood. In 2011, Sony was looking for a city that could be suitable for the movie “the Smurfs in 3D” as Schlumpfhausen. They found Júzcar.
Then everything went by in an instant and twelve painters with around 4,000 liters of paint in their luggage turned Júzcar into a blue village. Sony promised to restore the village to its original state after the shoot. But the place decided to stay blue. One hoped to become such a tourist attraction – with success! So Júzcar achieved a real tourist boom shortly after the film. Out of 300 tourists annually, 80,000 visitors from all over the world came to admire the blue city right after the film was released.
Travel tip: An arrival during the week is recommended here, because at the weekend is still going on a lot. If you are arriving by car, it is recommended that you leave the vehicle in a parking lot in front of the entrance to the town because of the narrow and crowded streets.