What are the most beautiful places in the world? Every year someone asks the question. Every year people disagree.
After all, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Nevertheless, every year some of the same places are mentioned. Without further ado, here are the 25 most beautiful places in the world this year.
The 25 Most Beautiful Places In The World
1. The Maroon Bells, USA
The Maroon Bells are a pair of 14,000-foot peaks nestled in a glacial valley in the Elk Mountains less than 10 miles out of Aspen, Colorado. Reflected in the clear waters of Maroon Lake, it’s debatable when you should go to see them since there are advantages to visiting them every season.
2. The Grand Canyon, USA
Regular readers know The Grand Canyon in Arizona is one mile deep and 18 miles wide. This gorgeous gorge of layered, colored rock was carved from the earth by the mighty Colorado River over a period of over 5,000 years. Some of the rock here is reported to be more than 1.8 billion years old.
3. The Blue Ridge Mountains, USA
The Blue Ridge Mountains are found in the eastern US and are a part of the awesome Appalachian Mountains. They stretch from Pennsylvania to Georgia. They are named as such because from a distance they appear to be blue. The trees there let off a specific gas named isoprene which causes the appearance.
4. Oia, Greece
Ensconced on a clifftop on the isle of Santorini, the quiet, laid-back village of Oia offers travelers an incredible view of the popular Palea volcano, Nea Kameni, and even the nearby island of Thirassia. More specifically, Pretty Oia is less than 11 kilometers from Fira. It features blue-domed churches, stone houses, taverns, and colorful galleries.
5. Plitvice Lakes, Croatia
Plitvice Lakes is sometimes referred to as “living, moving water” amidst an ancient forest between the capital Zagreb and the coastal city of Zadar. Here you will discover 16 different lakes all joined by waterfalls, both man-made and natural bridges, and a total of 300 square kilometers inhabited by bears, birds, boars, and wolves.
6. The Amalfi Coast, Italy
Travel to the rugged coast in Campania, It is here, at the edge of Sorrentine Peninsula, where you’ll find almost 50 kilometers of coast that includes ancient vineyards, small golden beaches in small, secluded coves, fragrant orange groves, pastel-painted, sun-washed homes, quaint tavernas, and sheer, striking cliffs rushing down into azure waters.
7. The Great Barrier Reef, Australia
The Great Barrier Reef is so large it can actually be seen from space. Situated off Queensland’s coast, this ecosystem is 2,300 kilometers long and includes distinct reef systems, individual coral cays, and hundreds of islands, complete with white-sand beaches. It’s home to numerous types of coral, and sea creatures.
8. Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Travel to Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia. See the ancient forests, bottomless lakes, deep rivers, great glaciers, majestic mountains, narrow fjords, and endless attractive golden pampas blanketed in wildflowers. Here you’ll find such wildlife as guanacos and pumas too. Be sure to see Grey Glacier and French Valley too.
9. Garden of the Gods, Colorado, USA
The public park known as Garden of the Gods is but a brief drive out of Colorado Springs. It is highlighted by a number of different bridges, oddly-balanced rock formations, red sandstone spires, and 15 miles of hiking trails. It is also a really great place for rock climbing!
10. Moraine Lake, Canada
Majestic Moraine Lake is nestled in the verdant Valley of the Ten Peaks in the famous Canadian Rockies. This lake is surrounded by ancient rock piles, massive mountains, and rushing waterfalls. It is glacier-fed. As the nearby glaciers melt, sediment from the glacier increases, and the color of the lake water changes.
11. Lake Bled, Slovenia
Lovely Lake Bled encircles beautiful Bled Island. It includes a number of different structures, including the prominent Church of Mary the Queen. The church was erected in the late 1600s. It features Gothic frescos and Baroque detailing. Veteran visitors say once you see it, you will feel as if you stepped into a magical fantasy world.
12. Mauna Kea Beach, USA
Hawaii’s Mauna Kea Beach is arguably one of the most beautiful beaches on the great “Big Island.” This beach is both wide and long and is perfect for romantic walks. It’s a great place to go wading, swimming, and snorkeling as well since the beach slopes slowly into the ocean.
13. Niagara Falls, United States, and Canada
Iconic Niagara Falls is a trio of huge waterfalls between the US and Canada on the mighty Niagara River between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. These falls formed during the end of the last ice age when the Great Lakes’ water burst through the Niagara Escarpment as it traveled to the ocean.
14. Yellowstone National Park, USA
Famous Yellowstone National Park is the world’s oldest national park. It spans an area of 3,500 square miles. It includes land in the states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The park features forests, canyons, gushing geysers, hot springs, rushing alpine rivers, snow-capped mountains, teeming wildlife, and even a simmering volcano.
15. Arches National Park, USA
Located just outside the city of Moab in the state of Utah, this is one of America’s most popular national parks. It stretches across an area of 120 square miles and features over 2,000 arches formed by erosion. Regular readers know it’s a great place to visit in the winter too.
16. Joshua Tree National Park, USA
Readers may know this park in California was not only on other “best of” lists for its beauty, and hiking trails, but it also can be a great palace to see in the winter. Arguably made world-famous due to the 1987 U2 album of the same name, this park is the USA’s 11th most-visited park.
17. Appenzell, Switzerland
This is the country’s most traditional region. Traditional culture is celebrated in this charming, rural area where time seems to have stopped. This cow-dotted village of verdant hills is watched over by Mount Säntis which is 8,200 feet high. It includes a busy, flowered village square, horse-drawn carriages, and lavishly carved, emblem-painted chalets.
18. Blue Lagoon, Iceland
Nestled between Keflavik International Airport and Reykjavik, the Blue Lagoon is a rare, man-made geothermal spa in the midst of a stark lava field on the Reykjanes Peninsula. It’s fueled by the water from the neighboring geothermal power plant of Svartsengi. The quiet, milky-white water of this place makes it a strange sight.
19. Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Beautiful Bora Bora is a group of islands in famous French Polynesia. No stranger to previously-published “best of” lists, this outstanding also remains a hot honeymoon destination. The best time to visit is from June through August. Be sure to book your stay in one of their well-known private overwater bungalows.
20. Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
Maori legend has it that the 14 famous fjords forming this national park were actually created by an infamous giant stonemason called Tu Te Rakiwhanoa, who used huge adzes to slice out the valleys here. Located at the South Island’s southwestern end, it occupies more than 1.2 million hectares.
21. Geiranger Fjord, Norway
Geiranger is reputed to be the most beautiful fjord in all of Norway. Created by mighty glaciers, it is roughly 15 kilometers in length and, at its widest point, 1.5 kilometers in width. Since its coast is uninhabitable and its sides are composed of nearly vertical mountainsides, the best way to enjoy this place is via ferry.
22. Victoria Falls, Zambia, And Zimbabwe
The locals call Victoria Falls Mosi-oa-Tunya, in English, “the Smoke that Thunders.” Located in Africa on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia on the Zambezi River. As the water rushes over the cliff into the gorgeous gorge 100 meters below, it can actually be heard up to 40 kilometers away.
23. Sossusvlei, Namibia
Sossusvlei is situated in the striking Namibian Namib-Naukluft National Park where the sand dunes halt the flow of the Tsauchab River less than 60 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean in the vast Namib Desert. The name roughly translates to mean “dead-end marsh.” This clay and salt pan is surrounded by huge scarlet dunes.
24. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
Travel high into the awesome in southwestern Bolivia’s Andes. Here, 11,995 feet above sea level, you’ll find the world’s largest salt flat, Salar de Uyuni. This dried-up, prehistoric lake spans an area of more than 4,086 square miles. Today, it’s an otherworldly landscape of white salt and odd rock formations.
25. Krabi, Thailand
Travel to the rockin’ resort town of Krabi on southern Thailand’s attractive Andaman Coast. This lovely locale is surrounded by beautiful beaches and is largely the product of numerous limestone karsts jutting out of a mighty dense mangrove forest. Highlights here include Tiger Cave Temple, and the memorable local landmark Khao Kanab Nam.