At Lensbest, we understand that one of the benefits of clear vision is being able to appreciate nature’s most spectacular sights, and few can be more breathtaking than a sunset.
Whether watching from a balcony or mountain-top, the colours and contrasts of a sunset are one of the most memorable views in the world. As the saying goes, ‘you can never watch too many sunsets’. From the white cliffs of Santorini, Greece, to the bronzed beaches of Bali, Indonesia, some locations, however, appear tailor-made to watch the sun take its daily dip below the horizon, which is why we decided to compile a list of the best sunset viewing-spots in the world.
To achieve this goal we asked the people who have had the good fortune to visit some of the most perfect sunset-watching locations in the world – travel journalists. Hailing from 46 different countries across the globe, the respondents were asked to give their opinion on the best spot to view a sunset in both their home country, as well as in those they’d visited around the world. They were also asked to describe the best season to view either in.* With over 600 locations nominated, the results were then compiled and refined into a final shortlist of the 100 best places to watch a sunset worldwide according to travel journalists.
Some of the travel experts we consulted cited sunsets that they had viewed more than twenty years ago, which goes to show just how strong an impression those moments made. Every one of us is able to recall where and when we saw the most spectacular sunsets of our lives,” says Ling Fan-Montzka, Managing Director of Lensbest. “It’s our hope that this study serves as both a reminder of those memories, as well as travel inspiration for those looking for their next must-see sunset destination.
Each column in the table below is filterable. The scores are out of 100, where the higher the score, the better. The full methodology explaining
how the poll was conducted and the results calculated can be found at the bottom of the page.
INTERNATIONAL RESULTS
|
#
|
LOCATION
|
COUNTRY
|
REGION
|
RECOMMENDED SEASONS
|
SCORE
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santorini | Greece | Europe | Summer | 100.00 |
| 2 | Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona | US | Americas | Summer | 93.24 |
| 3 | Mykonos | Greece | Europe | Spring, Summer | 87.59 |
| 4 | Taj Mahal, Agra | India | Asia | Spring | 84.12 |
| 5 | Madeira | Portugal | Europe | Spring | 82.30 |
| 6 | Uluru, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | Australia | Oceania | Autumn | 79.13 |
| 7 | St Pete Beach, Florida | US | Americas | Spring | 78.69 |
| 8 | Maasai Mara National Reserve | Kenya | Africa | Summer | 76.63 |
| 9 | Phi Phi | Thailand | Asia | Summer | 75.98 |
| 10 | Tahiti | French Polynesia | Oceania | Summer, Winter | 75.69 |
| 11 | Jebel Akhdar, Al Hajar Mountains | Oman | Asia | Spring, Winter | 75.07 |
| 12 | Delta, Moremi Game Reserve | Botswana | Africa | Summer, Winter | 74.94 |
| 13 | Piazzale Michelangelo, Florence | Italy | Europe | Spring | 74.53 |
| 14 | Matterhorn | Switzerland | Europe | Winter | 74.34 |
| 15 | Uluwatu Temple, Bali | Indonesia | Asia | Spring, Autumn | 74.05 |
| 16 | Angkor Wat, Siem Reap | Cambodia | Asia | Summer | 73.96 |
| 17 | Ipanema Beach, Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | Americas | Summer, Autumn | 73.27 |
| 18 | Mallory Square, Key West | US | Americas | Winter | 72.10 |
| 19 | El Nido, Palawan | Philippines | Asia | Summer | 71.19 |
| 20 | Ponte dell’Accademia, Venice | Italy | Europe | Spring | 71.18 |
