Where can you find the most beautiful views in the world? That’s what we set out to discover in our new research.
We took to Instagram to analyse the lookout points, observatories, viewing terraces, skywalks, and more that prove most popular with travellers – from iconic views such as the Top of the Rock to lesser-known locations like the Petřín Hill Lookout in Prague and Sky Terrace 428 in Hong Kong.
Read on below to find out the most popular viewpoints in the world according to Instagram.
Results
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Coming out as the most Instagrammed viewpoint in the world is the incredible Burj Khalifa with a whopping 494,465 of the view from the top of the Dubai skyscraper shared on Instagram. Seoul Sky in South Korea and Fisherman’s Bastion in Hungary also soared into the top 3 with over 400,000 photos tagged at each of these locations.
Find out more about the top 10 viewpoints below.
At The Top, Burj Khalifa – Dubai (494,465 photos)
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The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the whole world, so of course the panoramic views the top floor observatories offer of Dubai are something to behold.
The skyscraper features viewing observatories on both the 125th and 148th floors of the tower, featuring indoor lounges and outdoor terraces. In total the incredible building reaches up to a height of 829.8m.
Seoul Sky – South Korea (442,005 photos)
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The Seoul Sky offers a truly unforgettable experience. Elevated at 1,640ft high the viewing tower features an open air walkway outside and glass floor inside, providing a truly unique viewing experience.
The Seoul Sky viewing deck is located at the top of the Lotte Tower which is the highest skyscraper in all of Korea at 123 storey.
Fisherman’s Bastion – Hungary (406,840 photos)
Located within Buda Castle, the Fisherman’s Bastion is one of the most iconic monuments in Hungary. The site offers a unique panoramic view over Budapest from its lookout terrace, and is a location visitors to the city flock to so they can witness, and photograph, the majesty of the city.
The ancient bastion was built between 1895 and 1902 as part of the celebrations of the state’s 1000th birthday.
London Sky Garden – UK (363,138 photos)
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A must visit location in London to sip on a cocktail with a view is the jaw-dropping London Sky Garden.
The garden is billed as London’s ‘highest public garden’ and includes a luxe bar as well as a sumptuous restaurant. The Sky Garden is located on the 43rd floor of the ‘Walkie Talkie’ skyscraper.
One World Observatory – USA (325,614 photos)
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The One World Trade Center is the core structure within the rebuilt World Trade Centre in New York, paying tribute to the former centre.
The OWTC is the tallest building in all of the USA, and the One World Observatory at the top of the centre offers unrivalled views of the Big Apple. The observatory includes food and drink options as well as educational resources including a digital guide to the city skyline.
Sky Terrace 428 – Hong Kong (242,715 photos)
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A popular Hong Kong viewpoint is the fabulous Sky Terrace 428. The viewing terrace is situated within The Peak Tower, and is elevated at 428m, offering 360 degree open-air panoramic views.
The platform is the highest viewing terrace in Hong Kong, and is particularly thrilling at night when the city lights up.
A’DAM Lookout – Netherlands (219,301photos)
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The A’DAM lookout is a viewpoint for thrillseekers, featuring Europe’s highest swing as well as an observation deck, offering incredible views of Amsterdam city.
The panoramic views served up from the viewing deck include the historic city centre, the bustling port and the iconic canals.
Arthur’s Seat – UK (198,996 photos)
Located in Scotland’s capital, Arthur’s Seat is a must-visit in Edinburgh. Situated within Holyrood Park, Arthur’s Seat is an extinct volcano offering outstanding views of the historic city.
The peak is 251m above sea level, and was described by Robert Louis Stevenson as “a hill for magnitude, a mountain in virtue of its bold design.”
Langkawi Sky Bridge – Malaysia (180,973 photos)
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Another viewpoint for the thrillseekers, Langkawi Sky Bridge is a 125m long curved cable-stayed bridge in Malaysia, for pedestrian use only.
The bridge is situated 660m above sea level and connects two hilltops. The views from the bridge take in greenery, mountains and water providing a breathtaking look at nature.
Methodology
To create our research we first compiled a comprehensive list of viewpoints around the world focused exclusively around viewing platforms, observatories, lookout points, terraces and other very specific viewpoint locations.
We then crawled Instagram to analyse how many photos had been geo-tagged on the photo sharing site at each location.
From this we condensed the list to the top 25 viewpoints with the most photos.