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It’s never easy to whittle down the world’s wonder and beauty into a neat list. But with so many incredible places to visit, we wanted to highlight some of the most spectacularly beautiful.
From ancient (and not-so-ancient) cities to paradise islands, magnificent mountain ranges, and Martian landscapes, here are 23 of the most beautiful places on Earth.
And, to plan your next trip, check out our holiday itinerary helper, or find thousands of travel deals using the button below.
Note: It’s always worth checking the latest FCDO travel advice on GOV.UK before planning your trip.
1. Cappadocia, Turkey
Like a fantasy landscape, Cappadocia’s surreal ‘fairy chimneys’ are now an iconic and internationally recognisable sight. This golden landscape is out of this world, and exploring it via a hot air balloon is a truly unforgettable adventure.
Even from the ground, the scores of brightly coloured hot air balloons floating dreamily over the towering rock formations are like a dream. From the air, it’s simply breathtaking.
2. Amalfi Coast, Italy
A 34-mile stretch of stunning Italian coastline in Campania, southwest of Italy, the Amalfi Coast is a glamorous, lemon-scented Mediterranean paradise.
From the multicoloured higgledy-piggledy cliffside villages to sun-soaked beaches and incredible views, it’s no wonder the coast has featured heavily in Hollywood movies and regularly appears on road trip bucket lists. The Amalfi Coast has quintessential Italian beauty, with a laid-back Italian lifestyle to match.
3. Plitvice Lakes, Croatia
Plitvice Lakes is a stunning national park in central Croatia. It’s an Eden of vibrant native forests and magnificent rivers, lakes, and waterfalls, which are famous for their beautiful, bright hue caused by a particular algae that flourishes here.
A top tip – as beautiful as it is here in summer, if you get the chance, go to see it in the snow. It’s breathtaking!
4. Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Also known as the Four Kings, Raja Ampat is a tropical oasis set in the centre of the Coral Triangle – an area of incredible underwater beauty, home to some 500 species of reef-building corals.
From the surface, the islands are stunning: four large and over 1,500 small ones, jutting high out of the azure waters at the intersection of the Indian and Pacific oceans. Underwater, they’re something else. Widely considered one of the greatest places on Earth to dive or snorkel, the marine life here is surreal and indescribably beautiful.
5. Lofoten Islands, Norway
Norway’s beautiful Lofoten archipelago, up in the Arctic Circle, is a bucket-list destination for those who love untamed nature, untouched beaches, and dramatic peaks and cliffs. From orcas and eagles to Vikings and trolls, the islands have sights and stories in spades.
In summer, the Lofoten Islands are bathed in the golden light of the midnight sun. And, in winter, they’re the perfect place from which to witness the natural sorcery of the Aurora Borealis.
6. Machu Picchu, Peru
High in the Andes, a mind-blowing archaeological site is as fascinating and captivating as it is beautiful. Machu Picchu is an Incan citadel, built in the 1400s and surrounded by jagged, mist-covered peaks as far as the eye can see.
The ruins include temples, terraces, and palaces, and are a testament to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the Inca people. Whether you fancy hiking in the footsteps of the Incas for four days to get there, or simply take a train and bus, this is an unmissable site (and one of the best sunrises you’ll ever witness).
7. Venice, Italy
As far as cities go, Venice is about as beautiful as one can be. It’s a place of opulence and drama, art and theatre, where every detail seems lovingly planned to be as beautiful as possible.
From gondolas gliding through canals to grand palazzos and magnificent arch bridges, a visit to the Floating City is something you’ll never forget.
8. Iceland
It’s tricky to choose any one particular beauty spot in Iceland, such is the country’s incredible beauty. And since the island is so navigable that you can easily see all of its most outstanding sights in a week or two, we’re including the whole country.
From the steamy, dreamy beauty of the blue lagoon and the ice caves of Vatnajökull National Park to the basalt columns of Reynisfjara or the thundering waterfalls in Seljalandsfoss, Iceland is non-stop natural beauty.
9. Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Japan
On the west side of Kyoto, in a village called Sagano, you’ll find a glorious green grove of towering bamboo through which a winding pathway will guide you. There’s an incredibly ethereal and serene feel to this place; walking through the bright green bamboo corridors is otherworldly.
Bright, sunny days are best to visit, with dappled light shimmering through the stalks as they gently sway in the breeze.
10. The Maldives
The Maldives are a series of low-lying coral atoll islands that sit atop an ancient underwater volcanic mountain range, creating pristine beaches and bright blue lagoons that are ideal for swimming, snorkelling, and diving.
The marine life here is incredible, with lots of whale sharks, turtles, dolphins, manta rays, and even hammerhead sharks passing through. But if all you want to do is bask in the sunshine on some white sands, you couldn’t choose a better place to do just that.
11. Jungfraujoch, Swiss Alps
Often referred to as the ‘Top of Europe’, Jungfraujoch is unadulterated Alpine bliss.
High up in the beautiful Grindelwald region of Switzerland, Jungfraujoch is home to Europe’s highest railway station. And whether you’re here for winter sports and white peaks or glorious summer days and glacial waters, the breathtaking beauty will bowl you over.
12. The Amazon Rainforest, Brazil
One of the most important and beautiful ecosystems on Earth, the Amazon Rainforest is often referred to as ‘the Lungs of the Earth’ because of its sheer size – it’s home to some 400 billion trees.
Among those trees and within its arterial river, you’ll find an incredible range of exotic and endangered animals, including jaguars, sloths, pink dolphins, macaws, spider monkeys, and beautiful – but highly venomous – poison dart frogs.
Note: It’s always worth checking the latest FCDO travel advice on GOV.UK before planning a trip to the Amazon.
13. Petra, Jordan
The ancient city of Petra is an incredible and humbling sight to see, with its temples and tombs painstakingly carved into rose-coloured rock. It’s not only the scale and beauty of the place but the thoughts of what it took to create it that will blow you away.
At one time, the capital of the Nabataean people, Petra, is now a wonderful testament to their incredible feats of engineering.
14. Sossusvlei, Namibia
The deep orange dunes, creamy salt pans, and skeletal acacia remains here in the Namib-Naukluft National Park are almost Martian in appearance. And the landscape is so vast and barren that it really does feel like stepping foot on another planet.
But sparse as the landscape is, it’s also incredibly beautiful. The contrast between rusty dunes, gleaming salt pans, and cobalt-blue sky creates some truly wonderful scenes.
15. Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
So beautiful that they’ve featured in many blockbuster films, the Cliffs of Moher on Ireland’s west coast are mystical, moody, and even a little ominous (they weren’t called the Cliffs of Insanity in The Princess Bride for nothing!).
A far cry from the white sands and turquoise seas that so often feature on lists like these, this stretch of coast has a wild and windswept beauty that’s in its own class. Just be sure to bring a raincoat.
16. Banff National Park, Canada
Turquoise glacial lakes, towering forests of Douglas fir and trembling aspen, imposing mountainscapes, and an abundance of wildlife; Banff is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. It might be most famous as a ski and snowboarding resort, but it’s worth visiting year-round.
In spring, you can witness everything burst back to life after a long, cold winter. In the height of summer, you can swim, paddle, and hike. And, in autumn, the whole landscape transforms into a stunning collage of warm rusts and oranges.
17. Victoria Falls, Zambia/Zimbabwe
Part of the Zambezi River that straddles the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls (or Mosi-oa-Tunya) is a vast sheet of powerful falling water spanning almost 2km. It creates a beautiful iridescent mist that can be seen from 20km away.
The falls themselves are spectacular, of course. But what takes them to the next level is the interaction between the sun and the water, with the spray and mist creating beautiful rainbows everywhere you look.
18. Torres del Paine, Argentina
Down in the southernmost part of Argentina, Patagonia’s awe-inspiring natural beauty covers some 260,000 square miles. Torres del Paine is one of its most stunning national parks.
Virgin forests, gargantuan blue glaciers, snow-capped granite peaks, gushing rivers, volcanoes, and more. This remote region is breathtaking for far more reasons than just its altitude!
19. Outer Hebrides, Scotland
A blend of rugged, ‘Scottish’ landscapes and Bahaman beaches, the Outer Hebrides are outstandingly beautiful and full of fascinating history, archaeology, and culture.
Spend a morning in the mountains, an afternoon on a white-sand beach, and an evening in a local pub listening to traditional music.
20. Coron, Philippines
In northern Palawan, an outrageously beautiful place, there exists the pinnacle of Philippine paradise. Coron is made up of Coron Island itself, as well as a part of Busunga Island and approximately 50 little off-bay islets surrounding the two.
This is a place of lush forests and blue lagoons, tropical fish, and white sands. The main islands have lots of high points from which you can enjoy magnificent views down over the crystal-clear waters and emerald-green islets.
21. The Serengeti, Tanzania
The wild beauty of this vast (and sometimes scary) African region, national park, and ecosystem is a moving thing to experience. You’ve probably seen images of elephants and giraffes under umbrella thorn trees, silhouetted by a flame-red sky at sunset.
You’ve likely watched hours of footage of the place, gently narrated by Sir David Attenborough. But to truly appreciate the sheer vastness and majesty of the Serengeti, it simply must be seen in person, from the back of a safari vehicle.
22. Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Formed by a now-extinct volcano and surrounded by an aquamarine, coral-fringed lagoon, Bora Bora (also called ‘The Pearl of the Pacific’) is a honeymoon heaven for good reason.
It’s about as remote and as ‘paradise’ as a remote paradise island can be, with little major development getting in the way of the blissful island vistas. To see it at its best, stay in one of the island’s iconic thatched overwater bungalows.
23. Antelope Canyon, Arizona, USA
Antelope Canyon is an incredible natural phenomenon and one of the world’s most beautiful hiking (and photography) destinations. Located on Navajo land, the canyon was formed over millennia by the erosion of the area’s golden sandstone due to powerful flash floods in the monsoon season.
The erosion deepened and smoothed the stone into fluid corridors of stone. These interplay with the bright shafts of the Arizona sun to create resplendent colourscapes of pinks, oranges, and reds.
Final thoughts…
Whether your dream destination is sun-drenched and tropical, ice-capped and hikeable, or even rock-carved and archaeological, our beautiful planet has every brand of beauty imaginable, and in spades.
We hope our list of the most beautiful places on Earth has given you some inspiration for where you might like to travel next.
If you’re looking to learn more about the beauty of our natural world, you might like our articles: 9 holiday destinations with unbelievable natural beauty or 9 beautiful blue destinations for a 2026 adventure.
Have you been to any – or many – of these stunning locations? Or somewhere that’s just as beautiful as these? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
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