There’s no way you could ever come up with a definitive list of the world’s most beautiful places. However, if you ask around, some places come up a lot more frequently than others do.
The following are some of the places that people mention over and over again, not in any particular order.
The Scottish Highlands
Rugged mountains and crags, deep and dark lakes, and ancient castles dominate the spectacular Highlands of Scotland. To some eyes, it’s a barren, windswept landscape, but to many more, it’s a realm of unparalleled beauty.
The U.S. Pacific Coast
From the Canadian border well into Southern California, the Pacific Coast is a nearly unbroken stretch of rocky shorelines where waves ceaselessly pound cliffs and offshore formations called sea stacks. Some of the highlights include Rialto Beach in Washington, Cannon Beach in Oregon, and California’s Big Sur.
Nova Scotia
Latin for “New Scotland,” Canada’s Nova Scotia is a province with a landscape similar to Scotland’s yet with a character of its own. It has 5,400 lakes, rugged highlands, and some of the shores of the world-famous Bay of Fundy, which has the highest tidal range in the world.
Iceland
Long a remote home for the hardiest of Vikings, Iceland has become one of the most prized tourist destinations in the world. True to its name, it has huge glaciers, but it also has mountains, lakes, seacoast, and one of the world’s largest concentrations of geysers and other geothermal features.
Banff National Park
The Canadian Rockies are stunning throughout their entire range, and Banff in Alberta is the heart of it all. Admire the incredible colors of glacier-fed alpine lakes, gape at the towering, glacier-draped peaks, walk out onto the Athabasca Glacier, go on scenic hikes, and more.
The Swiss Alps
The Alps cover great expanses of Europe and are beautiful wherever they are, but the Swiss Alps seem to epitomize the range. They’re a year-round destination for hiking, mountain climbing, skiing, and other outdoor adventures.
Yellowstone
Yellowstone is a U.S. National Park in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, but it’s also a region with a sprawling, interconnected ecosystem. The park itself has the world’s largest concentration of geothermal features, and it’s also known as the American Serengeti for its abundance of wildlife, including bison, wolves, and grizzly bears.
Glacier National Park (Montana)
The colors of the mountains and lakes in this park are otherworldly, especially at sunrise and sunset. Wildlife such as grizzly bears, mountain goats, and bighorn sheep delight visitors. Although there are glaciers here, the park’s name refers to the fact that the geology here is the result of glaciation.
Norway
In addition to having some of the best standards of living in the world, Norway has some of its most beautiful scenery. The fjords are perhaps the most famous, but there are also spectacular mountains and glaciers, and it’s one of the best places in the world to view the Northern Lights.
Hawaii
Active volcanoes, black-sand beaches, coral reefs, gigantic tropical wildflowers, and gorgeous waterfalls are among the many sights that make Hawaii unique and one of the world’s most beautiful places. It’s also great for whale watching and seeing sea turtles.
Yosemite Valley
All of California’s Yosemite National Park is scenic, but John Muir’s “Incomparable Valley” is the highlight. Ancient glaciers carved out this U-shaped valley, and now it’s dominated by sheer rock faces like El Capitan and Half Dome, and by some of the tallest waterfalls in America.
Zion National Park
The entirety of Southern Utah is like nowhere else on Earth, and Zion is one of its crown jewels. In the Yosemite Valley of Utah, Zion Canyon is a narrow cut through towering red, yellow, and white sandstone cliffs. It’s also a prime destination for people who enjoy exploring slot canyons, extremely narrow canyons shaped by floods.
The Serengeti
Mostly in Tanzania, the Serengeti is an African expanse famous for its huge herds of wildlife, including predators such as lions and cheetahs. Dominating it all is Mount Glacier-clad Kilimanjaro, the highest point on the continent.
Patagonia
Down at the southern tip of South America, Patagonia has some of the world’s worst weather, but it also has some of its best scenery. The granite peaks here aren’t nearly as high as they are in other parts of the Andes, but their jaggedness awes all who see them.
Paris
Most entries on this list are natural places, but Paris is one of the few human-built exceptions. The City of Lights is renowned for some of the world’s most famous architecture and, as the nickname suggests, is most beautiful at night.
Rome
If any European city can rival Paris in cultural, architectural, and historical significance, it’s Rome. Although it’s very touristy now, the Colosseum still inspires admiration and humility as you walk through the centuries of history there.
Wadi Rum
Also called the Valley of the Moon, Wadi Rum is a valley in the desert of southern Jordan. Fantastic granite and sandstone rock formations, along with narrow canyons, typify the area. It’s been a setting for numerous movies, maybe most notably Lawrence of Arabia.
New Zealand
Remote and uncrowded, New Zealand is often cited as the most beautiful country in the world. Were you awed by those snow-capped mountains and other wild landscapes in the Lord of the Rings films? That was New Zealand, not CGI.
Alaska
The Last Frontier is so huge that it could easily be its nation, and it contains a vast array of impressive scenery. Among the most famous are Denali, North America’s highest mountain; Glacier Bay National Park; and Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, where in summer massive brown bears catch leaping salmon in their jaws.
Kyoto
Many Japanese cities are notable for their architectural beauty. Kyoto is often credited as being the most beautiful of them all.
The Dolomites
A subrange of the Alps, the Italian Dolomites are among the world’s most impressive mountains. Their craggy peaks have been seen in countless films, and they attract mountain climbers from all over the world.
Arches National Park
Utah’s other desert crown jewel is this park found just outside the town of Moab. Arches features towering sandstone cliffs and spires as well as petrified dunes, but it’s best known for its namesake features. There are more natural arches here than at any other location in the world.
The Great Barrier Reef
You’ll have to go beneath the surface to experience this natural wonder, but you won’t regret it. One of the planet’s hotspots of biodiversity, this gigantic reef is visible from outer space and is home to countless species of marine life.
The Cordillera Blanca
Part of the Andes and located in Peru, the name of these mountains means “White Range” in Spanish. Beyond being beautiful, this range has more ice than any other mountain range in the tropics does.
The Himalayas
If high mountains and gigantic glaciers call to you, then this range that’s home to Mt. Everest, the highest point on the planet, maybe your Heaven on Earth. Although the Himalayas stretch across 5 countries, most visitation is in Nepal and China.
British Columbia
High mountains and proximity to the Pacific Ocean have turned British Columbia into a showcase of both alpine splendor and coastal rainforests. Just about the entire Canadian province is the stuff of postcards, but make sure you check out highlights such as Squamish, the Bugaboos, and Whistler, one of the world’s best ski areas.
Siberia
When you think of Siberia, you might think of a vast, frozen wasteland where the Soviets liked to run prison camps. That did happen, but in reality, Siberia is a massive, mostly undeveloped wilderness of mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes.
Antarctica
There’s no quick or inexpensive way to get to this frozen continent, but the relative few who make the journey return home amazed forever. More than just a giant sheet of ice, Antarctica has mountains, starkly beautiful barren beaches, and thriving wildlife all along its edges.
Baffin Island
Most of this island off the northeastern coast of Canada is above the Arctic Circle. On the island, you’ll find stark beauty highlighted by imposing granite peaks. The iconic peak is Mount Thor, which features the world’s greatest vertical drop at 4,100’.
Your Own Front Porch
Sometimes, simple is best. Just enjoy the view outside your front door or put back or anywhere else on your property that makes you relax and smile.
15 Must-Dos on Your Next Trip to Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border makes a lot of lists of the most beautiful places in America. There’s also a lot to do there, with a wide range of outdoor recreation, great dining, resorts, nightlife, and more. If it’s your first time going or if you’re going back, consider adding some of the following places to your itinerary.
15 Must-Dos on Your Next Trip to Lake Tahoe
The World’s 5 Friendliest and 5 Unfriendliest Cities
Some cities welcome visitors and want them to be there. Other cities are rude to visitors and would just as soon see you leave. It can be jarring to be in an unfriendly city, though some of the world’s most enticing cities rank high on the rudeness scale.
When you visit a friendly city, it’s much easier to soak in the culture and meet the locals. Rough Guides readers voted on the cities for their level of friendliness. According to Rough Guides, these are the world’s friendliest and unfriendliest cities.
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