Guides & tips

Travel posters: your favorite places, framed

A good travel poster works a little like a window. Lemons from the Amalfi Coast, striped beach huts in Sorrento, a red cable car high above St. Moritz: one glance and you are back on that terrace, or already planning the next trip. It is the easiest kind of art to fall for, because the motif comes with a memory attached, or a promise. Here is how we would choose one, starting on the Mediterranean coast, and how to pair two destinations, turn a holiday into a wall and pick the size and frame that make it look like a souvenir with taste.

Portofino, pears and green leaves on lilac with pink lettering, in a black frame above a cream bouclé lounge chair — Portofino in lilac and pear green: the Riviera, minus the queue for the ferry.

Positano Shorline, a photo of turquoise waves and a wooden pier, in an oak frame above a light wooden dining table — Waves you can almost hear from the dining table.

In short

28posters in our travel collection, from Aspen to Bali
110+city posters, from Copenhagen to Los Angeles
13places in one illustrated series, from Sorrento to Kyoto
2sizes every travel poster comes in: 11.8x15.7 in and 19.7x27.6 in

Start with a place that means something

A really good travel poster is rarely about the most famous view. It is about yours. Before you choose, think about the place you would actually like to see every morning.

The place you fell for. The honeymoon, the first trip together, the summer you learned to dive. A poster keeps the feeling long after the tan has faded.

The one you keep going back to. The family’s summer town, the ski resort you return to every February. Hang it where you start the day, and the next trip is always on the horizon.

The trip you are still dreaming of. A wish list on the wall: Bali, Bangkok, the Greek islands. It works as a promise as much as a decoration.

Where your story starts. A hometown, or the city your grandparents came from. Some of the most personal posters are of places nobody else would think to frame.

The Mediterranean, all year round

The Mediterranean is where most dream trips begin, and it travels well to a northern winter. Lemons, sea blue and sun-faded pastels bring light to a room even in January.

Italy, coast to coast. Lemon groves and cliff-top villages around the Bay of Naples and the Amalfi Coast: Sorrento, Positano and Procida, the pastel island in the bay. Further north, Portofino on the Ligurian Riviera, and on the other side of the boot, Polignano a Mare, perched on the cliffs of Puglia.

The Côte d’Azur. Saint-Tropez in flowers, a summer night in Nice, and Antibes as the painter Henri-Edmond Cross saw it.

Spain and the islands. Marbella and Alicante in oranges and cherries, Mallorca in sun-faded pink, and Santorini with its white steps down to the sea.

Palms Paradise Inn, striped beach huts and blue loungers at Marina Grande in Sorrento, in an oak frame beside a cane sideboard — Beach huts at Marina Grande, Sorrento: summer 1974, by the look of it.

Marbella, oranges and green leaves on light blue with red lettering, in a white frame above a round marble table — Oranges from the Costa del Sol, for the breakfast table.

Santorini Road, a painted white path down to a deep blue sea, in an oak frame above a low beige lounge chair — White steps, very blue sea.

Illustrated, photographed or painted?

The place is the first choice. The second is how you want to see it.

The classic travel poster. Flat color, big lettering and one bold image, like the posters that once sold tickets for trains, ships and airplanes. Graphic, cheerful and our most retro choice. For more of that era, see our guide to vintage and retro wall art.

Photography. The closest thing to looking out of a window. A sunlit village street or the waves at Positano feel calm and real, and suit a bedroom or a dining area. Our photography guide has more on choosing a photo.

Painting. The Riviera as the painters saw it: Antibes in small, shimmering strokes of color, or the coast at Monaco by Claude Monet. Softer and timeless, and lovely in a home that mixes old and new. More in our guide to famous art prints.

Portofino Vintage, a smiling woman in white sunglasses on turquoise with large Portofino lettering, in a white frame leaning on a cane sideboard

Italian Village Pathway, a sunlit village street with orange facades and the lake beyond, in a black frame leaning against the wall beside books

Antibes by Henri-Edmond Cross, a painted Mediterranean landscape with cypresses, in a black frame above a cane cabinet and a bouclé chair

Beyond the Mediterranean

Cities you miss. Copenhagen, Paris, Stockholm, New York or Los Angeles: a city poster brings back a whole weekend, from the long walks to the late dinners. We have more than 110 city posters, illustrated and photographed.

Snow and mountains. Aspen, St. Moritz, Chamonix, Verbier and Mont Blanc. Ski posters are made for the darker half of the year: hang one in November and it keeps the mood until spring.

Further away. Bangkok at sunset, Halong Bay in Vietnam, the beaches of Bali and Hawaii. Warm colors and wide horizons for anyone who mostly travels in their head.

Los Angeles, a graphic poster with a palm tree, a classic car and a skater, in a white frame above a wooden chair beside a bed

Aspen Skiers, two laughing skiers on a white slope under yellow Aspen lettering, in a white frame leaning on a cane sideboard

Hawaii Tropical Paradise, pink flamingos in blue water under red retro lettering, in a black frame above a dark desk

Where to next?

Twelve destinations to start from, region by region. Every one of them comes in both 11.8x15.7 in and 19.7x27.6 in, and you will find the rest in our travel posters.

Along the Italian coast

Lemons from Sorrento, white houses on the cliffs of Puglia and the pastel harbor of Procida.

Sorrento

Polignano a Mare

Procida Island

Riviera, Spain and the islands

A summer night in Nice, Mallorca in sun-faded pink and a Santorini terrace above the sea.

A Summer Night In Nice No.1

Visit Mallorca

Santorini Seaside Villa

Snow and mountains

A red cable car, a peak at sunset and an alpine lake as still as glass.

St. Moritz

Mont Blanc

Lago di Braies

Further away

Bangkok at dusk, a bright bird from South America and Marrakech under the palms.

Travel To Thailand

South America

Marrakech Mosque

Two places, one wall

Two destinations side by side tell more of a story than one. A few ways to pair them:

Two stops on the same trip. Sorrento and Positano, or Nice and Antibes. Together they read like a travel diary.

Summer and winter. A beach poster and a ski poster in the same frames: the year in two pictures.

Yours and mine. Where each of you comes from, or where you met and where you live now. A lovely gift for a couple, too.

One series, two places. Sorrento, Marbella, Portofino and Saint-Tropez come from the same illustrated series, so any two of them make a calm, matching pair.

Keep the frames and sizes alike, leave 2–3 in between them and let them share at least one color. Our guide to poster pairs has more, and for three or more, see our gallery wall ideas.

Restaurant in Venice, a café on a terracotta street, in an oak frame beside two small framed market prints above a round table — Venice and two small market prints: a trip told in three frames.

Chamonix, snowy peaks above a small village, in a black frame beside a framed mountain photograph above a wooden armchair — Chamonix beside a mountain photo: one view, two ways of seeing it.

Turn a holiday into a wall

A travel poster becomes personal the moment the trip itself moves in around it.

Bring the souvenirs. A ceramic bowl from the market, a stack of postcards, a shell from the beach: set them out on the sideboard or shelf below the poster.

Add a photo of your own. Lean the poster on a shelf with a small framed snapshot in front. It is the most personal combination there is.

Match the room to the mood. Lemons and markets in the kitchen, a calm sea in the bedroom, a city by the front door.

Swap with the seasons. Keep the frame and change the place: the coast in summer, the mountains in winter. Here is how to swap the print and keep the frame.

Saint Tropez, purple, yellow and orange flowers under the words Saint-Tropez Côte d’Azur, lying unframed on a wooden tray beside a lily pond — Saint-Tropez, still smelling of summer and waiting for its frame.

Sizes and frames for travel posters

11.8x15.7 in or 19.7x27.6 in. Every travel poster in our collection comes in both. 19.7x27.6 in is our most popular size and holds its own above a sofa or a sideboard; 11.8x15.7 in is perfect for pairs, ledges and smaller walls.
Go bigger for a statement. Some motifs, such as Sorrento, Portofino and Marbella, also come in 27.6x39.4 in, a size that can carry a wall on its own.
Oak for sunshine. Warm wood suits Mediterranean colors and illustrated posters.
White for the coast, black for the city. White lets sea and sky breathe; black sharpens photographs and bold lettering.
Pick a color from the poster. A blue or yellow frame taken from the motif makes a happy poster even happier. There are more ideas in our guide to colored frames.
Plan the wall. Our poster size guide and hanging guide cover heights and spacing.

How do I choose a travel poster?

Start with a place that means something to you: where you met, a place you keep going back to, or the trip you are dreaming of. Then choose the style, illustrated, photographed or painted, that suits your room.

What size should a travel poster be?

19.7x27.6 in is our most popular size and works above most furniture; 11.8x15.7 in suits pairs, picture ledges and smaller walls. Every travel poster in our collection comes in both.

Can I hang two different travel posters together?

Yes. Choose two places that belong together, such as two stops on the same trip or a summer and a winter destination, and give them the same frame and size. Our guide to poster pairs shows how.

Which frame suits a travel poster?

Oak for warm Mediterranean colors, white for sea and sky, and black for city photography and bold lettering. A colored frame picked from the motif adds a playful touch.

Do you have vintage travel posters?

Yes. Our travel collection includes vintage-style posters with flat color and big lettering, from Aspen and St. Moritz to Mallorca, Bali and Bangkok.

Where should I hang a travel poster?

Where you will see it every day: above the sofa or the dining table, by the front door or opposite the bed. Kitchens love lemons and markets; bedrooms suit a calm sea.

Travel posters come in 8.3x11.8 in to 27.6x39.4 in

Posters8.3x11.8 11.8x15.7 15.7x19.7 19.7x27.6 27.6x39.4

Frames8.3x11.8 11.8x15.7 15.7x19.7 19.7x27.6 27.6x39.4

Travel posters