The Ultimate Bucket List Of Unique Starbucks Locations Around The World

Wherever the next stamp on your passport will come from, there's a good chance a Starbucks awaits you. The coffee giant has staked its flag in 80 countries and every U.S. state, per Insider. And while many locations look identical or run of the mill, the brand's map is speckled with coffeehouses that are quirky, historical, elite, and beautiful. If you aren't lucky enough to live near one of the most unique Starbucks around the world, be sure to tab an afternoon for visiting these landmarks on your next vacation.

Our ultimate bucket list of Starbucks locations across the globe spans nearly every continent, with several to choose from if you're staying stateside on your next holiday. With enough traveling, you could visit the first Starbucks, the largest Starbucks, a Starbucks made of shipping containers, and a Starbucks in a castle — but those are just a few of many. Keep in mind that menus and hours of operation will vary by location. Get your luggage ready, because we're traversing the globe via Starbucks.

The New York Roastery is at the top of our Big Apple bucket list as one of the best Starbucks spots in NYC. If you've ever wanted to see the art and science of coffee roasting come to life, this 9th Ave. location is the place to go. They'll guide you through every step on a coffee bean's journey from out of the soil directly into your cup, followed by a tasting of coffee flights prepared by the prestigious Starbucks Reserve Master Baristas. This location is bright and industrial, combining earthy woods and brilliant copper. It features four unique studios and bars to sip on your favorite brews, and tells the story of coffee through a celebration of the beloved beverage's artistic creation.

All Starbucks fans should visit the humble storefront that ignited a coffee empire four decades ago. You might've thought Starbucks would anoint its O.G. location with dazzling lights, ornate signage, and all the bells and whistles it could think of. But no — we've got plenty of Starbucks locations on this list that'll hypnotize you with their ritzy chandeliers and gorgeous interior design. Starbucks chooses to celebrate its origin location with nostalgia and fondness. 

The small Starbucks at 1912 Pike Place is modestly adorned with the same 45-year-old sign, fixtures, counters, and flooring that Starbucks' founders chose before throwing the first location's doors open to the busy cobblestone streets of Seattle. Just look at the simple windows and the advertisements for cappuccino, caffe, latte, and espresso. If you hadn't seen the Starbucks logos, you might wander in here expecting ripped vinyl booths and a matronly waitress holding a carafe of Maxwell House's finest — except there's no wandering into 1912 Pike Place, since its customers are often queued out the doors and down the blocks in a crowd that the store manager cheekily refers to as "The Line."

It's a Barbie world, and the bubblegum-pink Starbucks in Grant Turk, Turks and Caicos is living in it. This charming little location features an intimate al fresco dining area and warm, tropical interior design just a stone's throw from the Grand Turk Cruise Port shore. This cafe showcases a hand-painted mural of the Starbucks Siren inspired by the hues of coral and ocean waters. Its characteristic pink color is an ode to traditional Caribbean architecture — which Haute Residence describes as "lively, eclectic, and intriguing" thanks to the melding of many cultures — including African, French, Dutch, and Spanish — that have called the Caribbean islands home.

The mighty Nile River has been supporting life for many thousands of years. According to National Geographic, ancient Egyptians began relying on the Nile for farming, drinking water, and transportation 5,000 years ago. In fact, 95% of Egypt's population remains dependent on the river, residing no more than a few miles away from its banks. It's on the Nile's shores that you'll find the Egyptian capital city of Cairo and the Nile City Boat, a floating entertainment hub that provides restaurants of many cuisines, stunning views of the city, and (of course) a Starbucks. If you ever visit Egypt, order a hot cup of Pike Place at the Starbucks on the Nile and watch the lights illuminate the Cairo tower.

Live out your "To the Lighthouse" fantasy by visiting the lighthouse Starbucks on Peace Portal Dr. in Blaine, Washington. According to Visit Bellingham Whatcom County, the 4-year-old location isn't a historic structure and was built specifically for the combination Starbucks/Blaine Welcome Center, but was architecturally designed to resemble a 19th-century lighthouse that once safeguarded the sailers of Semiahmoo Bay. Visit this Starbucks right near the U.S.-Canada border for an indoor spiral staircase, outdoor patio and fireplace, and of course the 48-foot lighthouse tower that overlooks Blaine Harbor. It's unclear from online descriptions and reviews if customers are allowed to ascend the staircase to the lighthouse, but the shoreside view from the patio sounds pretty great, too.

Starbucks often opts to implement locations in preexisting structures rather than new development. Such is the case of the Turkish factory that once produced olive oil and soap, but now churns out caramel macchiatos and pumpkin spice lattes. This location and its unique history can be found in the coastal town of Ayvalik, in western Turkey. From this Starbucks' breezy patio you can sip your coffee to the soothing sounds of the Aegean Sea. The former factory's architecture and layout also lend to an unusual interior design that celebrates the original structure with modern touches.

Don't end your Costa Rica visit without exploring the Hacienda Alsacia coffee farm. Starbucks purchased the coffee farm in 2013, and it continues to operate as a working coffee farm, as well as a research and development center for the brand. Hacienda Alsacia, nestled in the foothills of the Poás Volcano and easily accessible from the capital city of San Jose, is open to the public and a place where Starbucks fans can learn from first-hand experts all about the agriculture of coffee and how it drives the Costa Rican economy. Visitors can tour a coffee plant nursery, wet mill, drying patio, and roaster, enjoy a brew from the on-site café, and take home a deeper understanding of the wheels that keep the coffee industry turning.

The almost-90-year-old gas station on Highland and Willoughby doesn't dish out petrol anymore, but Starbucks preserved just about everything else in the 1935 structure when it converted it into a coffee drive-through back in 2015. According to Curbed Los Angeles, the Highland Gilmore gas station is one of the last of its kind and, despite being a Los Angeles historic landmark as of 1992, had fallen into disrepair until the siren coffee brand vowed to bring it back to glory. Starbucks remodeled the petite 800-square-foot interior but also restored the original aluminum exterior and wood accents. Just know that parking and seating at this tiny 'Bucks is a bit of a lottery with just eight parking spots, Curbed reports.

As magnificent as the Mile it calls home, the Starbucks Reserve Roastery at 646 N. Michigan Ave. in Chicago is the biggest Starbucks location in the world, sprawling across five stories and over 35,000 square feet, according to Choose Chicago. This mammoth Starbucks has it all: its fifth floor roof terrace with gorgeous views of Michigan Avenue, barrel-aged coffee, nitrogen-infused gelato, an authentic Italian bakery, real-time coffee roasting, rare beans, and a centerpiece cask containing freshly-roasted beans that cascade down many stories. The Chicago roastery is lively and sleek, like an emporium meets a Michelin star restaurant — but for coffee.

In the lively South Korean capital city of Seoul, you'll find perhaps one of the most breathtaking Starbucks locations out there. This glass-domed work of art is located in Famille Park, on the third floor of the Famille Station Mall next to Express Bus Terminal, according to Middle Class. This location was dreamed up as the coffee chain's celebration of 15 years of business in Korea. You can gaze up at the unique geometric dome ceiling, meander through the potted coffee trees, and admire the artistic fixture of birds suspended midair. Seoul's Famille Park Starbucks also offers Reserve roasts to create a truly elite Starbucks experience.

Have you ever wanted to sip an Americano in the vault of a historic bank building? If you ever visit Amsterdam, the capital city of the Netherlands, you can do just that at the Starbucks of The Bank Rembrandtplein. This location was the largest in Europe at the time of its opening in 2012. While the Milan Roastery now holds that title (via Insider), the intricate Starbucks logo art on the ceiling, coffee theater with views of real-time baristas at work, cozy and mindful coffee sipping spaces, and historical significance make The Bank Starbucks a worthy visit regardless. The interior design is a celebration of Dutch culture, including gingerbread molds, bicycle parts, and a mural of the 17th-century coffee trade.

Next time you pass through the City of Music, be sure to check out how Starbucks honors and celebrates the soul of New Orleans at their Canal St. and St. Charles Ave. location in the historic French Quarter. According to Starbucks, the location was designed with a 20th-century Louisianan merchant and his apothecary in mind. It features locally-sculpted wrought iron chandeliers, floor-to-ceiling shelves, vintage furniture, and the pictured light fixture made of old brass instruments. Take some time to sit at the apothecary Starbucks' community table, sip on a Reserve coffee, and share a conversation with other patrons that may be locals or fellow wayward travelers.

Now boarding the caffeination express! If your travels ever take you to Zurich, Switzerland, be sure to hitch a ride on the Starbucks train. In 2013, the coffee brand partnered with Swiss public transportation to offer the first location mobile via train. The train's interior is sleek, contemporary, and functional — a "warm and welcoming color palette inspired by the shades and tints associated with coffee," Starbucks says. You can either take your java at the train's standing bar or sit to admire the Swiss-watch-inspired dials incorporated into the tables. The train cafe was an immense challenge to design, Starbucks states, when taking into account the limited space and constant movement. It is one of the smallest espresso bars the brand has ever designed.

You don't have to visit far-flung destinations to find a one-of-a-kind Starbucks. In fact, one of the coolest  — and coziest — locations is right here in the states. The Starbucks cafe in Ketchum, Idaho is meant to replicate the vibes of a ski lounge: rustic wood accents and fixtures (including the towering log fixture that adorns the building pictured), warm and cozy lighting, and roaring stone fireplaces. It's the perfect place to hunker down with a good book and a mocha while the snow comes down. Connected to this Starbucks is the Sun Valley Visitor Center, so you might as well plan a whole ski trip out to Idaho next winter and give this lodge-like Starbucks a visit. 

As of 2019, there were 241 Starbucks locations in New York City (via Finances Online). So even though you've got a couple hundred options when visiting the Big Apple, be sure to swing by the location on Spring and Crosby in SoHo sometime — you might stand where big-screen stars like Carrie Bradshaw once stood for filming. This star-studded location was one of the brand's first in NYC, opening its doors to SoHo in 1995, per Starbucks. In 2021, the location underwent an extensive remodel to upgrade "an undersized engine and an out-of-date cafe experience," according to Starbucks Store Design. These contemporary concrete fixtures and brassy accents are quite different from the store's original classically '90s facade (via NYC Starbucks). 

The Starbucks in the Persian Court IBN Battuta Mall in Dubai is ethereal. Its vaulted dome ceiling is so intricately designed that you'll probably spend 10 minutes with your head tilted back before even getting to the Starbucks counter. There are countless things to catch your eye: the ornate chandelier over the cafe, the arched gateways, the mall's many luxury storefronts. IBN Battuta is the largest theme mall in the world, according to Travel Pro Show, and includes themes of India, Persia, Egypt, and China. Visiting IBN Battuta's Starbucks feels like traveling through time to an ancient Persian ballroom — except for the bright green Starbucks logo, of course.

Take the opportunity to reflect on a century of history during your next Chinese excursion. Riverside 66 — which features an incredible Greek-style face like carved marble and columns — wore many hats before joining the Starbucks family, including as a bank, a luxury tailor shop, and a mall. In 2019, Starbucks revealed the Riverside 66 Reserve outlet and flagship store in Tianjin, China, a city of 15 million that's about two hours from Beijing by car. This Starbucks was built in a 100-year-old Renaissance-style building to cherish its history while creating a modern Starbucks experience complete with coffee, tea, and cocktail bars. Starbucks reportedly took three years to carefully ensure that moving into the building wouldn't impact its preservation; even the installation of lighting and air conditioning was done without hammering a single nail into the original structure and columns.

It may not look like much, but don't be misled by the ho-hum exterior of this Starbucks. This location is known as Checkpoint Charlie, and it is a significant and cherished icon of history in its home city of Berlin. Starbucks purposefully maintained the characteristic grayish roughness of the building's exterior to honor that significance. Checkpoint Charlie was a point on the Berlin Wall where foreigners and ally diplomats were allowed to pass into communist East Berlin during the Cold War (via The History Channel). Once you're inside this unassuming building, you'll be stunned by an elegant Berlin coffeehouse-inspired Starbucks. 

Sitting among the greenery and sipping a cappuccino on a balmy night in Casablanca should absolutely be on your bucket list. Visiting the African coastal city where the iconic 1940s Hollywood masterpiece by the same name took place might only occur once in a lifetime, but when it does, be sure to stop by Villa Casablanca. This Starbucks in the Franklin Roosevelt Villa brings classic Moroccan influence to a clean, modern design. The seating at this Starbucks is compartmentalized into distinct rooms, each boasting its own distinct personality and celebrating the stories of both Morocco and coffee. The true centerpiece of this Starbucks is what's outside: A lounge and garden surround Villa Casablanca, so you can settle into your seat of choice and listen to the quiet bubbling of water fountains and rustling of tropical leaves.

In the island nation of Taiwan, Starbucks built a stunning cafe with recycled shipping containers. This incredibly unique Hualien City location, designed by prestigious Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, utilizes 29 decommissioned freight boxes to create over 3,400 square feet of space. According to Starbucks, Kuma designed this location with a traditional Chinese structure and the foliage of coffee trees in mind. Inside, sweeping views of the local mountains extend to one side, and on the other, Starbucks celebrates Hualien culture with murals and tributes to indigenous peoples. At least 45 shipping container locations currently exist in the U.S., Starbucks says.

Starbucks took espresso back to its roots when it built the Milano Reserve Roastery in 2018. This building, with its early 20th-century exterior, is Milan's historic Palazzo dell Poste, or Post Office Palace. This historic location in the heart of Cordusio Square originally served as a postal service hub and once hosted the Italian stock exchange, according to Floor Nature. This location serves not only Reserve coffee and artisanal cocktails, but also wood-fired pizzas and fresh pastries. Dedicate a whole day to this 7,000-plus-square-foot facility to explore every bar, the roaster and cask, and the patio.

Want to enjoy a macchiato where luxury vehicles were once put on display? This Starbucks location in Seattle's historic Capitol Hill was first a Packard automotive company showroom for top-of-the-line vehicles (via Seattle.gov). Starbucks purchased the location in 2012 and tediously restored the terra cotta facade, brick masonry, and original concrete flooring, and the company implemented a mosaic art piece of its siren logo. The 15,000 square feet of space was put to use when it was transformed into an open-floor Reserve roastery, so patrons can watch Starbucks small batch, select coffees made from start to finish.

Set your sails to Bali, Indonesia to experience Starbucks' Dewata Coffee Sanctuary. Similar to Hacienda Alsacia, the Dewata Coffee Experience Center helps visitors understand the how, who, and where behind coffee production. The roots of the bean run deep in Indonesia; the nation was growing coffee even before most of Africa and Asia, according to Driven Coffee. At Dewata, you can tour the facility, nursery, and farm, learn the basics of latte art, listen to an expert explain how to pair coffee with food, or sip on coffee flights. The experience is powerful and immersive, and you'll hopefully leave with a greater appreciation for the journey of coffee than you've ever had before.

The Prague castle is a monument of history for the Czech Republic. The castle dates back to around 880, according to Prague Castle for Visitors. Its gothic clock tower and ornate dome are carefully-preserved artifacts of a different time that only live on through the careful preservation and reverence of structures like these. The interior is warm, inviting, and simple, with big archways and eclectic seating throughout. From Starbucks at Prague Castle's balcony, you can enjoy endless views of the Prague landscape — "some of the best views of Prague," visitors say (via TripAdvisor).

This gorgeous Starbucks location in Antigua, Guatemala is the perfect embodiment of tranquility and Latin American culture with its lovingly-restored traditional Guatemalan features, including this inner courtyard bursting with greenery. As the brand's 1,500th Latin American store, Antigua's Starbucks — a revitalized 1930s home — is located on a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the heart of the city. Guatemala has an intimate history with the growth of coffee and has sourced the crop to Starbucks for decades. To celebrate the relationship, the Antigua location features hand-painted murals of traditional coffee agriculture in Guatemala, depicting women harvesting coffee cherries as well as native flora and fauna. 

To many people, this one might still be a hidden gem — the stunning Starbucks Bluewaters Reserve on the lux Bluewaters Island in Dubai opened its doors just last December. Bluewaters Reserve exalts the soul of open water with its seafoam-colored interior and ceiling designed to look like a rippling current. A massive mural decorates a back wall, telling a tale of the Starbucks Siren gifting coffee in the Arabian Gulf. Bluewaters features a dedicated cold brew bar, where you'll discover innovative cold brew concoctions exclusive to the Dubai Reserve: Cold brew latte, cold brew cappuccino, sparkling cold brew ginger ale, and sparkling cold brew tonic to name a few. 

Why did the moose cross the road? To get to the Starbucks on the other side. If you've got a hankering to head to the Land of the Midnight Sun — the Fairbanks, Alaska nickname which comes from the 70-plus days of continuous sunrise it experiences every year, as Explore Fairbanks notes — be sure to drop a metaphorical pin at the northernmost Starbucks on the globe. You can beat the frostbite by cozying up inside among the largely moose-themed decor. This location's address is just a couple hundred miles south of the Arctic Circle, according to Starbucks, so it's safe to say chilling on a patio with an iced vanilla half-caff isn't an option. If you do find yourself in this tundra of zero-degree highs and plunging minus-50-degree lows, you best watch your back when outside. Moose are reported to lumber about in town — and they're enormous, none-too-bright creatures that won't hesitate to pound you into the pavement, according to a Fairbanks local. 

La vie really est belle at the Boulevard des Capucines Starbucks store in Paris. The company invested in major restorations to the location's historical fixtures. This store is situated in the center of Paris and was a courtyard in the 17th century. It was enclosed in the 1800s and adorned with artistic detail, including the breathtaking ceiling murals that Starbucks had restored to original glory. The luxurious gold, rich timber, and intricate details will immerse you into the Starbucks experience á la Paris. In contrast to the carefully-preserved seating area, the espresso bar is modern and sleek.

Waikiki Beach in Honolulu is a dazzling shore of cerulean-blue waters, golden shores, and impeccable sunsets. If you're ever lucky enough to find yourself here, head a few blocks inland to the Starbucks Reserve Coffee Bar inside the Waikiki Trade Center. Everywhere you turn you'll see art inspired by native flora, rolling ocean waves, and coffee. Wooden slats are cut in the outline of Hawaii in the store's centerpiece work of art. And another unique element is the living design of Starbucks Waikiki's interior landscape; tropical plants are incorporated into the very structure of the store. Starbucks' top-shelf Reserve beans and coffee-making mastery are one thing, but the odes to Hawaii and reverence for the archipelago's beauty are the real gems here.