Top 10 Most Beautiful Views in the World
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VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton
WRITTEN BY: Nick Roffey
Thanks to Getty Images for the pictures and videos!
These spectacular panoramas are a feast for hungry eyes. Welcome to MojoTravels, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 most beautiful views in the world. For this list, we're looking at viewpoints with the most gorgeous, panoramic vistas of landscapes and city skylines.
These spectacular panoramas are a feast for hungry eyes. Welcome to MojoTravels, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 most beautiful views in the world. For this list, we're looking at viewpoints with the most gorgeous, panoramic vistas of landscapes and city skylines.
Top 10 Most Beautiful Views in the World
These spectacular panoramas are a feast for hungry eyes. Welcome to MojoTravels, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 most beautiful views in the world. For this list, we're looking at viewpoints with the most gorgeous, panoramic vistas of landscapes and city skylines.
#10: Namche Bazaar, Nepal
Nestled high up in the Himalayas, the trading village Namche Bazaar forms a crescent that looks out over craggy mountain slopes and the magnificent peak of Kongde Ri. The journey there is an adventure in itself, from the flight to nearby Lukla’s infamously short and steep mountain runway, to the hike uphill to Namche past herds of descending yak. Often called “the gateway to the Himalayas”, Namche Bazaar also boasts magnificent glimpses of Everest from just above the town, along the first steps of the trail to Everest Base Camp.
#9: Oia, Santorini
For postcard-perfect views, the Greek Islands have plenty from choose from, from the lookout over Shipwreck Bay on Zakynthos, to the roadside viewpoints of pastel-colored Assos on Kefalonia. But few rival the stunning vistas from Oia, Santorini. Each evening at Sunset Serenade, visitors gaze out over blue domes and drowned Santorini caldera, as the sun sinks into the inky Aegean. In high season, the point can get pretty crowded; but as the whitewashed houses catch the amber glow, and the ocean turns a deep purple, it’s easy to see why.
#8: Pulpit Rock, Norway
Norway’s natural rock formation Preikestolen, or “Pulpit Rock”, inspires both profound awe . . . and extreme vertigo. The dramatic viewpoint was formed thousands of years ago when a glacier carved out the 26-mile long fjord it overlooks. Water froze in cracks inside the mountain and broke off blocks from the side, leaving the sheer cliff face and flat top of Preikestolen. The result is a breathtaking, mesmerising view over Lysefjord in southwestern Norway from 1,982 feet up. It’s a steep two hour hike up, only safe in summer months, but the dizzying view is worth the sweat.
#7: SKY Observation Deck, United Arab Emirates
The silver spire of the Burj Khalifa soars over Dubai, an unbelievable 2,722 feet high. While it isn’t the highest observation deck in the world - a title that belongs instead to Shanghai Tower’s - the Burj Khalifa’s SKY level on the 148th floor offers jaw-dropping bird’s eye views over the city, desert, and coastline. There are brighter, and arguably more iconic skyline views out there, but nothing that makes you feel as though you’re looking down from the clouds like the Burj Khalifa.
#6: Val di Funes, Italy
It's hard to find a bad view of the Dolomites in the Italian Alps. But there’s something especially peaceful and majestic about the sight of the bare rock peaks towering over the green pastures and sleepy hamlets of Italy’s Funes Valley. While there are a number of picturesque vantage points around the valley, our pick is this roadside wooden bench on a low rise just north-east of the village Saint Magdalena, looking out over farmsteads and the local church, with the ancient Odle massif dwarfing the landscape and houses below.
#5: Meteora Lookout, Greece
The monasteries of Meteora in central Greece perch precariously atop otherworldly sandstone pillars. Built between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, their remote locations afforded protection from political unrest and foreign invaders. At the southwest corner of the valley, this viewpoint on a boulder by the winding road between the Monastery of the Holy Trinity and the Monastery of Rousanou offers a long view of the valley toward the town of Kastraki. Just a quarter mile up the road northeast, another lookout provides a closer perspective of the Rousanou, where nuns still live today.
#4: The 12 Apostles Viewing Platform, Australia
The rugged Great Ocean Road on Australia’s southeastern coastline offers some of the best views in the country. The centrepiece of the 150 mile stretch is without doubt the row of windswept limestone stacks standing in the sea just outside of scenic beachtown Port Campbell, best viewed from the timber boardwalk and viewing platform that lead from the Visitor Facility. Once part of the mainland, the pillars were carved out by the crashing waves of the Southern Ocean, which cut arches into the rock that eventually collapsed - leaving these tall and lonely figures strung out by the shore.
#3: Moraine Lake Rockpile Trail, Canada
It’s one of the most glorious views in the Rockies. While emerald Lake Louise receives more visitors, there’s something superbly picturesque about Moraine Lake, from the vivid, Gatorade-blue waters, to the staggered snow-lined mountains arranged just so in the background. Located in the Valley of the Ten Peaks in Canada’s Banff National Park, the lake is fed by glacial meltwater, which carries a fine flour of ground down rock particles - giving the water its trademark teal color. For classic views of the lake, visitors ascend the Rockpile Trail, past curious ground squirrels to the perfect lookout on the edge of the moraine.
#2: Corcovado Mountain, Brazil
The statue of Christ on Corcovado Mountain, his arms outstretched as he watches over the urban sprawl of Rio de Janeiro, has become emblematic of the city. The platform around the statue also offers the best views of Guanabara Bay - looking out onto Botafogo Beach and Sugarloaf Mountain, and beyond that the bay’s western shore. For views back onto the city, Sugarloaf Mountain, accessible by cable car, provides unparalleled, panoramic vistas. But there’s something about standing at the feet of the iconic Cristo Redentor, with the barrios, beaches and bay laid out below, that seem somehow to sum up the city.
Before we reveal the identity of our top pick, here are some honorable mentions:
Hunts Mesa, USA
El Peñón de Guatapé, Colombia
Victoria Peak, Hong Kong
#1: Desert View Drive, USA
The colors, the towering layered buttes, the sheer immensity . . . The Grand Canyon is a geological wonder millions of years in the making. The south rim’s Desert View Drive is actually a series of viewpoints, but each shows off different aspects of the canyon, from the unobstructed, 7,400 foot high perspective offered at Grandview Point, to the tantalizing glimpses of the serpentine Colorado River at Yavapai. It’s a breathtaking spectacle guaranteed to make you feel small, but also to inspire wonder and awe at the timeless might of mother nature.
These spectacular panoramas are a feast for hungry eyes. Welcome to MojoTravels, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 most beautiful views in the world. For this list, we're looking at viewpoints with the most gorgeous, panoramic vistas of landscapes and city skylines.
#10: Namche Bazaar, Nepal
Nestled high up in the Himalayas, the trading village Namche Bazaar forms a crescent that looks out over craggy mountain slopes and the magnificent peak of Kongde Ri. The journey there is an adventure in itself, from the flight to nearby Lukla’s infamously short and steep mountain runway, to the hike uphill to Namche past herds of descending yak. Often called “the gateway to the Himalayas”, Namche Bazaar also boasts magnificent glimpses of Everest from just above the town, along the first steps of the trail to Everest Base Camp.
#9: Oia, Santorini
For postcard-perfect views, the Greek Islands have plenty from choose from, from the lookout over Shipwreck Bay on Zakynthos, to the roadside viewpoints of pastel-colored Assos on Kefalonia. But few rival the stunning vistas from Oia, Santorini. Each evening at Sunset Serenade, visitors gaze out over blue domes and drowned Santorini caldera, as the sun sinks into the inky Aegean. In high season, the point can get pretty crowded; but as the whitewashed houses catch the amber glow, and the ocean turns a deep purple, it’s easy to see why.
#8: Pulpit Rock, Norway
Norway’s natural rock formation Preikestolen, or “Pulpit Rock”, inspires both profound awe . . . and extreme vertigo. The dramatic viewpoint was formed thousands of years ago when a glacier carved out the 26-mile long fjord it overlooks. Water froze in cracks inside the mountain and broke off blocks from the side, leaving the sheer cliff face and flat top of Preikestolen. The result is a breathtaking, mesmerising view over Lysefjord in southwestern Norway from 1,982 feet up. It’s a steep two hour hike up, only safe in summer months, but the dizzying view is worth the sweat.
#7: SKY Observation Deck, United Arab Emirates
The silver spire of the Burj Khalifa soars over Dubai, an unbelievable 2,722 feet high. While it isn’t the highest observation deck in the world - a title that belongs instead to Shanghai Tower’s - the Burj Khalifa’s SKY level on the 148th floor offers jaw-dropping bird’s eye views over the city, desert, and coastline. There are brighter, and arguably more iconic skyline views out there, but nothing that makes you feel as though you’re looking down from the clouds like the Burj Khalifa.
#6: Val di Funes, Italy
It's hard to find a bad view of the Dolomites in the Italian Alps. But there’s something especially peaceful and majestic about the sight of the bare rock peaks towering over the green pastures and sleepy hamlets of Italy’s Funes Valley. While there are a number of picturesque vantage points around the valley, our pick is this roadside wooden bench on a low rise just north-east of the village Saint Magdalena, looking out over farmsteads and the local church, with the ancient Odle massif dwarfing the landscape and houses below.
#5: Meteora Lookout, Greece
The monasteries of Meteora in central Greece perch precariously atop otherworldly sandstone pillars. Built between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, their remote locations afforded protection from political unrest and foreign invaders. At the southwest corner of the valley, this viewpoint on a boulder by the winding road between the Monastery of the Holy Trinity and the Monastery of Rousanou offers a long view of the valley toward the town of Kastraki. Just a quarter mile up the road northeast, another lookout provides a closer perspective of the Rousanou, where nuns still live today.
#4: The 12 Apostles Viewing Platform, Australia
The rugged Great Ocean Road on Australia’s southeastern coastline offers some of the best views in the country. The centrepiece of the 150 mile stretch is without doubt the row of windswept limestone stacks standing in the sea just outside of scenic beachtown Port Campbell, best viewed from the timber boardwalk and viewing platform that lead from the Visitor Facility. Once part of the mainland, the pillars were carved out by the crashing waves of the Southern Ocean, which cut arches into the rock that eventually collapsed - leaving these tall and lonely figures strung out by the shore.
#3: Moraine Lake Rockpile Trail, Canada
It’s one of the most glorious views in the Rockies. While emerald Lake Louise receives more visitors, there’s something superbly picturesque about Moraine Lake, from the vivid, Gatorade-blue waters, to the staggered snow-lined mountains arranged just so in the background. Located in the Valley of the Ten Peaks in Canada’s Banff National Park, the lake is fed by glacial meltwater, which carries a fine flour of ground down rock particles - giving the water its trademark teal color. For classic views of the lake, visitors ascend the Rockpile Trail, past curious ground squirrels to the perfect lookout on the edge of the moraine.
#2: Corcovado Mountain, Brazil
The statue of Christ on Corcovado Mountain, his arms outstretched as he watches over the urban sprawl of Rio de Janeiro, has become emblematic of the city. The platform around the statue also offers the best views of Guanabara Bay - looking out onto Botafogo Beach and Sugarloaf Mountain, and beyond that the bay’s western shore. For views back onto the city, Sugarloaf Mountain, accessible by cable car, provides unparalleled, panoramic vistas. But there’s something about standing at the feet of the iconic Cristo Redentor, with the barrios, beaches and bay laid out below, that seem somehow to sum up the city.
Before we reveal the identity of our top pick, here are some honorable mentions:
Hunts Mesa, USA
El Peñón de Guatapé, Colombia
Victoria Peak, Hong Kong
#1: Desert View Drive, USA
The colors, the towering layered buttes, the sheer immensity . . . The Grand Canyon is a geological wonder millions of years in the making. The south rim’s Desert View Drive is actually a series of viewpoints, but each shows off different aspects of the canyon, from the unobstructed, 7,400 foot high perspective offered at Grandview Point, to the tantalizing glimpses of the serpentine Colorado River at Yavapai. It’s a breathtaking spectacle guaranteed to make you feel small, but also to inspire wonder and awe at the timeless might of mother nature.
