18 Places with Great Views (and how to find them)

There are many places around the world that are quite famous for their beautiful views. You can find pictures online that look very nice. But how exactly can one find such nice views at these locations? Looking for the right viewpoint can be quite the conundrum. This post is about some of the nicest places that my family and I have been to and how we feel we were able to locate the best views.

1. Neuschwanstein castle

Neuschwanstein castle is one of the most famous castles in the world, as it is the one that the Disney castle is based on! There are many tours inside the castle, however, most of the photos you see are from the outside. To see the castle from the outside, you must go on Marienbrücke (Marie Bridge), which is suspended over a gorge. Although it is rather crowded, you can get the best view of the castle from that bridge!

2. Bora Bora

Tahiti is well known for its beautiful beaches and snorkeling, and there are many places where you can find amazing views. The best view we saw in Tahiti was at the Hilton Bora Bora Nui resort. The hotel had a trail where we could hike and see the “Million Dollar View.” The view was truly spectacular!

3. Heart Reef

While visiting the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, we also chose to take a helicopter ride to see the reefs from above. The view turned out to be truly beautiful! Additionally, we got a nice view of the famous Heart Reef from the helicopter. Overall, the helicopter ride provided a different view of the Great Barrier Reef than what we usually had while swimming in the ocean.

4. Whitsunday Island

Whitsunday Island, especially Whitehaven Beach, is also one of the sites that Australia is most famous for! And one of the best ways to see Whitehaven Beach is to view it from Hill Inlet. It is a small hike up the hill, and from there one can get a stunning view of Whitehaven beach! The view from Hill Inlet was definitely one of the highlights of Australia.

5. Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon is quite famous for its distinctive rock features, known as hoodoos. One of the nicest views of Bryce Canyon comes from the Bryce Canyon Amphitheater, which can be seen at the top of the Rim Trail. It has an expansive view of the hoodoos, which Bryce Canyon is famous for!

6. Zion National Park

Zion is another popular national park! One of the best views of Zion National Park is from the Canyon Overlook Trail. At the trailhead there aren’t many views, but after hiking on the trail to the overlook there is a beautiful view of the canyon. There are no railings at the overlook, so there are only rocks and a steep drop off!

7. Fiji

Fiji is well known for having some of the best coral reefs in the world! One of the best places to see reefs is in the Rainbow Reef. There, one can see many colorful corals and fish. We spent a week there and greatly enjoyed seeing all the different fish and coral. In addition to hard coral, there was also lots of soft coral, and the guides told us which ones we could touch. The islands themselves are also beautiful, so overall Fiji is an extremely scenic place to visit!

8. The Wildebeest Migration

The Great Migration of wildebeests is one of the most famous things about Tanzania! Every year millions of Wildebeest cross the Mara River, and seeing all the wildebeest run across the river at the same time is an unforgettable experience. The place where we were able to see the wildebeest crossing was next to Kogatende airstrip. The first time we waited five hours, but the second time we only waited a few minutes! It definitely requires patience 🙂

9. Kiyomizu Temple

Kiyomizu temple is one of the many temples that we visited in Kyoto. We decided to visit it during the night, and it turned out to be exceptionally beautiful! There is a laser of white light that is shone into the sky, which complements the temple nicely. The temple also has many trees that are very colorful during the fall! Overall, the temple is very beautiful at night.

10. The peak (Hong Kong)

My family and I have been to Hong Kong many times, and one of the best views of Hong Kong is from The Peak, especially at night time. At night the buildings light up, and from the top of the mountain the view is very unique! There are many places from which to the night view. The Lions Pavilion is the oldest lookout to see the buildings, and the top floor of the Peak Galleria is a less crowded place. The Peak Lookout also has a nice view. At 8pm some of the more famous buildings have a light show, which is something you should not miss!

11. Tulum & Cancún

The Tulum ruins are a very famous sight in Mexico. One of the best places to view the ruins is from a distance, so you can see the beautiful ocean next to the ruins! You can get such a view from the top of one of the staircases that lead to the beach.

The hotel we stayed at, which had a very nice beach, was the Iberostar Cancún (formerly the Hilton)! The beaches next to the hotel were all very pretty, and the staying there is much less expensive than many other places.

12. Peyto Lake

Peyto Lake is a lake in Alberta which is known for having a beautiful blue color! The view of the lake is extremely unique, as the color is very deep and vibrant. The Ice View parkway that connects Jasper National Park and Bamff National Park provides an excellent view of the lake!

13. Iguazu Falls

The Iguazu Falls are some of the most famous waterfalls in the world! It contains many waterfalls that are concentrated in one place. When we were there, we viewed the waterfalls from both the Argentina and the Brazil sides, and we found that on the Argentina side we could be close to waterfalls and walk on top of them, and on the Brazil side we could get a more distant view of many waterfalls together. The Belmont hotel on the Brazil side gives access both before and after the park opens and closes, so the hotel guests have the views to themselves!

14. The lavender fields in Provence

In Provence there are many fields with numerous lavender plants, which creates a sea of lavender, a very unique view! Early July is the best time to see the views, and people on the internet will report where flowers are currently blooming! One famous place that has lavender fields is the Sénanque Abbey, which has a view of the flowers and of an old abbey.

15. The Matterhorn

The Matterhorn is one of the most famous mountains in Switzerland! To see the Matterhorn, we stayed in the town of Zermatt. The Matterhorn can be viewed from many places around Zermatt. We found that taking the cable car up the mountain created a great opportunity for a nice view of the Matterhorn.

In addition to the Matterhorn, riding the cable car creates an opportunity for having a beautiful view of the Alps and many snowy mountains!

16. Vatican

One of the most famous places in Vatican City is the Sistine Chapel! The Chapel is often viewed from the inside, but one way to also have a nice view from the outside is from Castel Sant’Angelo. The fortress is near the Tiber river, and from there one can view Vatican City!

17. Vernal Falls in Yosemite

Yosemite has many waterfalls! Vernal Falls can be viewed by taking the Mist Trail, and by walking even higher up on the Mist Trail, you can reach the top of Nevada falls! It is a long hike, but the view is worth it! Hiking down Muir Trail gives a different view of Nevada falls.

18. Perito Moreno & Upsala Glacier

Argentina also has many glaciers, since it is close to the South Pole. One of the glaciers is Perito Moreno glacier. One can see the large size of the glacier and even here the sound of pieces falling off! The lookout hike is very long and gives many different angles to view the glacier.

Another glacier is Upsala glacier. The glacier is very large, and there is also a beautiful lake in front of the glacier. To view the glacier, one must take a 4×4 tour to Estancia Cristina! The tour will take a bumpy ride to the lookout for the glacier which cannot be viewed otherwise.

I hope some of these places are interesting to you!