City Tattoos Inspiration for Travelers

(Moscow View by @mrtnv_)

What other tribute could be better than imprinting what you love and like on your body? A tattoo could be the ultimate souvenir from your favorite city trip or a way to make your city a permanent part of you.

In this article, we’ve selected some of the best, and also a few that deserve further questioning, tattoos that have been painted on many skins! If you’re planning on getting one yourself, we hope you will get inspired. Or warned :)

New York Skyline (by tattoofilter)

New York is always at heart. A simple, yet very recognizable New York skyline indeed. It’s a minimalistic tattoo but all the elements are there: you can certainly recognize the iconic Liberty Statue on the left.

Stockholm City Hall (by Pinterest)

Now this one is quite detailed, surely a beautiful portrayal of the City Hall in Stockholm. The snowball makes the City Hall look very small and barely recognizable.

Perhaps a true insider’s tattoo, which only true locals would recognize! The combination of the colors and black and grey makes this tattoo aesthetically pleasing to watch.

Milan (by Milan Tattoo Convention)

Milan; a cheeky combination of one of the towers in Milan and a fish. Maybe the most ‘local’ type of tattoo, but nonetheless a very detailed tribute to Milan.

Vancouver (by Tom Flanagan)

Wonder how many hours it took to capture Vancouver‘s beauty here. Isn’t the shoulder, namely the collarbone, a painful place to get a tattoo? What dedication!

And what detail, it captures most of the city’s characteristics don’t you think? Or do you think there’s something missing, something that’s Vancouver down to a T?

San Francisco (by Lianna Sabrina)

It’s a cute rendition of San Francisco, truly. This tattoo almost takes up half of her right side. She was truly persistent and the tattoo is very recognizable because of the famous bridge.

Amsterdam Buildings (by Pinterest)

Very creative design for Amsterdam! Despite being one of its main highlights, we don’t think we’ve ever seen the canal houses captured in this way. Maybe it’s one of the first tattoos without the actual canals.

Seattle (by Thomas Graham)

The love for Seattle is strong in these people. Not sure if the city thanks them for it, though. This tattoo is very detailed and looks very painful with all those dark shadows.

It’s a brilliant concept nonetheless. It looks like Seattle comes from inside his flesh as if to say Seattle is an intrinsic part of them. What a beautiful thought.

Tattoo of London (by Pinterest)

A nice setting of London on the ribs. I guess this one is more appropriate for people wanting a tattoo just for themselves, not for the sake of others. All I could think was, what a painful place to put a tattoo.

Of course, the rule “to each its own” always applies. However, placement is just as important as the capabilities of the artist, and the latter in this case is spot on. You can see Big Ben and the famous Ferris Wheel.

Tattoo of Paris (by Tattoofilter)

Not only does this person have a tattoo of Paris‘ main attraction, but she also has a bracelet of the Eiffel tower. She either really likes Paris, or she is from there.

Subway Metro Map (by Grist)

Now we talked about making your way around a city in a fun way, for example with these squeezable city maps. However, this one really takes the cake… Why? Just why? Imagine the city decides to add another subway line… How are you gonna add that one?

Oh, and if you’re thinking of getting inked yourself, our locals have you covered! A few really great ones: Three Kings and East Side Ink in New York, Ink & Wheels in Lisbon and Vila Ironbrush in Tirana.