Think of McDonald’s and burgers, fries and milkshakes probably spring to mind – closely followed by a pair of golden arches and a red and yellow colour scheme. Stunning architecture and decor? Not so much. However, there are some McDonald’s restaurants around the world that are far removed from your standard fast food joint. Here, we take a look at some of the most beautiful around the world.

Set inside a 19th-century mansion, Gore House, this Maine branch of McDonald’s has a powder-blue exterior with a subtle sign above the door and another on the front lawn. It’s one of few McDonald’s locations without a golden arch in sight. The fast food restaurant opened in 1984 and, due to protests from locals, agreed to keep the mansion’s original features. The interior was modernised in recent years, but diners can still enjoy the original fireplaces and other features.

In the charming city of Bergen, you’ll find a McDonald’s set inside a traditional timber building, perfectly blending in with the rest of the area. There are no golden arches here, with just a simple sign above the door making sure nothing detracts from the structure's simple beauty. Step inside, however, and it’s like any other McDonald’s you’ve been to.

Inside Budapest’s railway station you’ll find a stunning McDonald’s with beautiful vaulted ceilings and decor reminiscent of a fine dining restaurant. The 1920s Art Deco–style room is furnished with leather booths, where customers can enjoy their burger and fries while soaking up the fabulous surroundings.

Roswell is known as ‘the alien capital of the world’ after a UFO allegedly crash landed in fields outside of the town in 1947. With its sleek design and holographic lighting, this spaceship-shaped McDonald’s pays homage to the legend, and really does look out of this world. It's McDonald's, but not as we know it.

Designed to fit in with Sedona’s surrounding landscape thanks to strict city council standards, this is the only McDonald’s to have a turquoise logo as officials thought the standard yellow clashed with the red rocks of the town. The building also complements surrounding local architecture and is far removed from the traditional yellow and red McDonald’s restaurants we’re used to.

Fans of modern architecture will love this striking, glass-domed McDonald’s in Batumi, Georgia. Designed by Georgian architect Giorgi Khmaladze, the futuristic building is surrounded by water, which provides a calming outlook for those dining inside.

Before its redesign was unveiled in 2015, the McDonald's on busy thoroughfare Coolsingel was voted the city's ugliest building. Now, most people consider it a triumph. Its glass structure makes it feel part of the area, and showcases the striking, bright white, sweeping staircase. This modern McDonald’s also has a gold perforated façade featuring the faces of people captured in a crowd on Coolsingel, and it even glows at night.

Porto’s 1930s-built Imperial Café is now home to a McDonald’s but retains its beautiful features, including Art Deco–style stained glass windows, crystal chandeliers, mirrors and ornate ceilings. You enter the burger bar through its stunning original archway, which is overlooked by a majestic statue of an eagle.

This Alpine-style restaurant, surrounded by stunning snow-capped mountains, certainly doesn’t look like your typical McDonald’s. Initially a temporary pop-up during the 2014 Winter Olympics, the restaurant is now a permanent fixture in the fashionable ski resort, and manages to blend in beautifully with its posh neighbours.

Formerly a bank, this beautiful building now houses a McDonald’s. The impressive original doors are still in place, topped with a restaurant sign in gold letters, but sadly they are no longer in use. While customers can soak up the impressive surroundings, they have to enter the fast food restaurant by the side entrance.

This charming white mansion, with pale green shutters, was built in 1795. McDonald’s bought the building in 1985, and was initially going to knock it down and build one of its standard restaurants. However, they faced a backlash from the town, and instead agreed to preserve the pretty building's exterior with the fast food restaurant tucked inside.

Another mansion, this time in Penang. Surrounded by modern buildings, Birch House, dating back to 1908, certainly stands out. The gorgeous George Town building was almost demolished in the early 2000s, but thankfully it’s still standing in pride of place, housing a 24-hour McDonald’s.

The Lisbon branch of McDonald’s is certainly pretty in pink, standing out as a focal point in the city’s Belém area. As well as the pastel exterior, the wrought-iron Juliet balconies, filled with flowers and plants, add to this burger restaurant’s charm.

Art Deco fans will appreciate the Melbourne branch of McDonald’s, set in the former United Kingdom Hotel in Victoria. Designed in the late 1930s, the building certainly stands out from your usual burger joints. There’s also a retro dining room, adding to the restaurant’s quirkiness.

While it may not be traditionally beautiful, architecture fans will be keen to check out the oldest operating McDonald’s, complete with its original (and absolutely huge) golden arches. Opened in 1953, the restaurant showcases the building style of the time and is now a popular tourist attraction.

This log cabin restaurant blends into the local area nicely, and looks particularly pretty in the snow. As well as the charming outside, the inside is a little bit different too. You can admire/gawp at unique touches such as a wood-carved bear and a wall-mounted moose head while waiting for your Big Mac and fries.

If you amble along Rue Saint-Lazare in Paris, you’ll come across this wonderfully quaint branch of McDonald's, complete with its intricately carved wooden exterior. It’s certainly a talking point in an area known for its fine dining and designer shops, and is also a UNESCO Heritage Site.

Housed in a super-fancy building, the Independence branch of McDonald’s boasts white pillars and huge windows. Inside, diners can expect gold chandeliers and a beautiful striking staircase. For obvious reasons, the two-storey building is known locally as the 'McMansion'.

Asheville is a dynamic city in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, so it seems only right that it deserves an attractive McDonald's. This one looks just like a pretty ski lodge, especially when it’s lit up at night. The interior is just as striking, with chandeliers, a fireplace and a self-playing baby grand piano. More than you'd expect when popping in for a cheeseburger.

The Bray branch of McDonald’s is housed in Bray Town Hall, built in 1881. It's a wonderful example of Tudor Revival–style architecture, while the interior has lofty, beamed ceilings and wooden accents throughout. The fast food franchise took over the ground floor in 1997, while council meetings are still held on the first floor – handy when it gets to lunchtime.

The beautiful McDonald’s in Madrid boasts many original features, which create a real wow-factor (and which many might find even more appealing and appetising than the menu). As well as a winding staircase, there’s marble flooring and pillars, and chandeliers dripping from the ceiling.

Found in the Plaza Theatre, the Sydney McDonald’s branch was a 2,000-seat cinema in the 1930s before the fast food chain took over in 1977. The outside of the restaurant is nothing special, but inside you’ll find stunning features including gold balustrades and large, dripping chandeliers that lend more than a little sparkle.

Set in a former observatory, this astronomy tower branch of McDonald’s is certainly eye-catching. It opened as a burger bar in 1999 and definitely doesn't look like your run of the mill McDonald's from the outside.

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