The World’s Most Beautiful Sights

The World’s Most Beautiful Sights: Where to Find the Must-See Attractions in Cities Across the Globe

The world is full of breath-taking sights, from man-made landmarks that really catch the eye to natural parks full of local wildlife, but which sights around the world do visitors find the most beautiful? We analysed over 452,000 TripAdvisor reviews to see where travellers had reviewed sights as ‘beautiful’ most often. With this data, we’re able to reveal which you should head to if you want to find the most beautiful sights on your travels.

central park new york

Where are the most beautiful sights around the world?

The Big Apple is home to the most beautiful sight in the world, with Central Park reviews including the word ‘beautiful’ an impressive 22,880 times. The park itself is full of captivating sights, including the boating lake, cherry blossom trees, a skating rink and a castle, so it’s not surprising to see thousands of reviews claiming it to be the most beautiful sight. The Fountains of Bellagio are another American sight that made the top three, with16,750 ‘beautiful’ mentions.

Three Italian destinations rank in the top 20 most beautiful sights, so if you’re after a country with some of the most must-see attractions, then Italy could be the destination for you. Topping the Italian list is Rome’s Trevi Fountain, which ranks as the second most beautiful sight in the world, receiving over 18,000 reviews. The other Italian city making the top 20 is Milan, with the Duomo di Milano receiving 5,997 ‘beautiful’ reviews.

Barcelona's Basilica de la Sagrada Familia is the fourth most captivating sight in the world, with 16,158 beautiful mentions and it’s easy to see why. Whilst the incredible attraction might be unfinished, the Catholic church is still extremely eye-catching and packed with so many breath-taking features. Rounding off the top five is Paris’ Cathédrale Notre-Dame, with an impressive 12,930 reviews mentioning its beauty. One of the main tourist attractions and located right on the river, its towering presence is certainly a magnificent attraction.

Top 20 Most Beautiful Sights Around The World 

Rank

City

Country

Population

Sight

Sight Mentions

1

New York City

USA

8,804,190

Central Park

22,880

2

Rome

Italy

2,783,809

Trevi Fountain

18,283

3

Las Vegas

USA

641,930

Fountains of Bellagio

16,750

4

Barcelona

Spain

1,664,182

Basilica de la Sagrada Familia

16,158

5

Paris

France

2,175,601

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

12,930

6

Prague

Czech

1,335,084

Charles Bridge

10,870

7

Cape Town

South Africa

3,430,992

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

9,924

8

Abu Dhabi

UAE

1,202,756

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center

8,831

9

Vancouver

Canada

697,266

Stanley Park

8,797

10

Seattle

USA

737,015

Chihuly Garden and Glass

8,742

11

Dubai

UAE

2,919,278

The Dubai Fountain

7,269

12

Vienna

Austria

1,920,949

Schönbrunn Palace

7,005

13

Madrid

Spain

3,334,730

Parque del Retiro

6,788

14

Christchurch

New Zealand

380,600

Christchurch Botanic Gardens

6,704

15

San Francisco

USA

873,965

Golden Gate Bridge

6,580

16

San Antonio

USA

1,434,625

San Antonio River Walk

6,028

17

Milan

Italy

1,397,715

Duomo di Milano

5,997

18

Seville

Spain

691,395

Plaza de Espana

5,916

19

Sydney

Australia

4,966,806

Sydney Harbour

5,519

20

Brussels

Belgium

186,916

Grand Place

5,505

 

edinburgh castle

What are the most beautiful sights in the UK?

You don’t have to travel far and wide to find some of the world’s most exquisite sights, as the UK is home to plenty! From beaches with golden sands to historical castles and cathedrals, there’s plenty to see.

Edinburgh is home to the UK’s most beautiful sight, with Edinburgh Castle topping the list with over 5,000 mentions of the attraction being beautiful. The historic Scottish castle is built upon a hill, offering up impressive views across the city. As one of the main attractions in Edinburgh millions of visitor's flock there each year to attend events such as the captivating Military Tattoo which pulls in impressive numbers alone.

London’s most pleasing sight is Westminster Abbey, with the royal church being labelled beautiful 4,045 times by visitors. The church has seen it all, from historic coronations to royal weddings, including that of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011. With so much history and its striking architectural features, it’s no wonder it’s caught the eye of so many visitors proclaiming it to be beautiful.

Britain’s biggest Cathedral, Liverpool Cathedral, ranks as the third most beautiful sight, with 2,250 reviews noting it as so. The Cathedral still runs regular services for locals and visitors to enjoy and offers group tours for those looking for a little more insight into the history of the building. With so many iconic sights within the city, it looks like visitors found the incredible venue the most pleasing on the eye.

Top 10 Most Beautiful British Sights

Rank

City

Country

Population

Sight

Sight Mentions

1

Edinburgh

Scotland

506,560

Edinburgh Castle

5,002

2

London

England

9,088,994

Westminster Abbey

4,045

3

Liverpool

England

589,774

Liverpool Cathedral

2,250

4

Glasgow

Scotland

632,330

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

2,091

5

Bournemouth

England

198,582

Bournemouth Beach

1,901

6

Manchester

England

567,334

The John Rylands Library

1,453

7

Belfast

N. Ireland

337,210

City Hall

1,440

8

Brighton

England

245,504

Royal Pavilion

1,386

9

Bristol

England

580,199

Clifton Suspension Bridge

1,071

10

Nottingham

England

320,536

Wollaton Hall and Park

1,012

 

las vegas

What are the most beautiful sights in the USA?

New York City’s Central Park was found to be the most beautiful American sight according to TripAdvisor, with a whopping 22,880 mentions of beautiful in the reviews. It’s no surprise this topped the list, with the park offering a boating lake, an ice-skating rink and pop-up events for visitors to enjoy. The park also shows off the change in seasons beautifully, with the trees turning vibrant autumnal hues in the fall, eye-catching shades of green in the summer, and pops of colour coming from the stunning cherry blossom trees in the spring.

The second most beautiful sight in the States are the Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas, with an impressive 16,750 reviews deeming them beautiful. The musical fountain show is performed in a man-made lake in front of the Bellagio resort on the Las Vegas strip and certainly pulls in a crowd eager to catch the water spectacle. Timed wonderfully, the fountains are an eye-catching sight, with the water shooting up as high as 460 feet in the air - a show stopping performance that’s set to stop you in your tracks.

Coming in as the third most eye-catching sight is the Chihuly Garden and Glass, a museum located in Seattle, Washington. This museum is dedicated to the glass works of the artist Dale Chihuly and includes eight galleries, a lush garden and the centrepiece glasshouse, so lots to take in and enjoy! The breath-taking pieces of glass art are certainly stunning so it’s clear to see why this would make it one of the USA’s most beautiful sights for tourists and locals alike.

California is home to three of the top ten most beautiful sights, with San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, San Diego’s Balboa Park and The Getty Centre in Los Angeles all featuring. The state itself is home to plenty of admirable natural sights, from national parks to coasts views, but it’s the impressive Golden Gate Bridge taking top spot with over 6,500 reviews claiming it to be the most beautiful sight in the West Coast state. The iconic bridge is instantly recognisable and attracts masses of tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of the structure in real life.

Top 10 Most Beautiful American Sights 

Rank

City

State

Population

Sight

Sight Mentions

1

New York City

New York

8,804,190

Central Park

22,880

2

Las Vegas

Nevada

641,930

Fountains of Bellagio

16,750

3

Seattle

Washington

737,015

Chihuly Garden and Glass

8,742

4

San Francisco

California

873,965

Golden Gate Bridge

6,580

5

San Antonio

Texas

1,434,625

San Antonio River Walk

6,028

6

Washington DC

District of Columbia

689,545

Lincoln Memorial

4,916

7

Chicago

Illinois

2,746,388

Millennium Park

4,813

8

San Diego

California

1,386,932

Balboa Park

4,203

9

Los Angeles

California

3,898,747

The Getty Centre

3,920

10

Boston

Massachusetts

675,647

Boston Public Garden

3,725

 

san francisco

Methodology:

We analysed TripAdvisor data for sights in over 267 cities around the world. Using the ‘Things to Do’ section of the TripAdvisor website, the sights in each location that had the largest number of mentions of ‘beautiful’ in their review were ranked as the most beautiful sights for the specific location (city).

Data correct as of June 2022.



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