Aerial Shots of the World's Greatest Destinations

These aerial shots of buildings, oceans, bridges and byways are breathtaking.

A Whole new View

Dubai Marina Urban Skyline

It can be hard to understand the sheer scope of a destination when bound to the ground. That's why some of the most striking travel photos are snapped from above, often with the help of ascendent drones.

From the vantage point of the sky, fog settling in over the Golden Gate Bridge appears like an eerie gathering storm. The staggering skyscrapers of Manhattan, Shanghai and Hong Kong look smaller, yet somehow even more impressive. And the vibrantly colored architecture of Kathmandu and Vienna seem like they're from a painting.

We scouted out some of the most breathtaking aerial shots of destinations, to help the earthbound see the world anew.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong

New York City, USA

Manhattan — From straight above, Manhattan's towering skyline looks disarmingly small.

Mexico City

Mexico City — Trajinera boats fill a canal within the Mexico City borough of Xochimilco.

Prague, Czech Republic

Prague — Beer gardens draw the masses to Old Town Square in Prague.

Venice, Italy

Aerial View of Murano in Venice, Italy

Vancouver, Canada

Vancouver — Stanley Park and the Pacific Ocean are divided by seawall in Vancouver.

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo — A highway junction in Japan looks particularly impressive at night from the sky.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Buenos Aires — Costa Esmeralda beach in Buenos Aires is lined with sun umbrellas on a summer day.

Moscow, Russia

Moscow — Zhivopisny suspension bridge spans Moskva River in Moscow.

Singapore Island, Singapore

Top down view of housing complex in Singapore

Paris, France

Paris — The iconic Arc de Triomphe is the center of activity in Paris.

Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok — From on high, the vehicles in a Bangkok roundabout look like toy cars.

San Francisco, USA

San Francisco — The Golden Gate Bridge is shrouded in a blanket of fog.

Jeju Island, South Korea

Jeju Island, South Korea

Laguna Beach, California

Laguna Beach, Southern California

Guangzhou, China

aerial photo of Panoramic skyline guangzhou china

London, UK

London

Fort Lauderdale, USA

Fort Lauderdale — The ocean, beachgoers and the street, side by side by side in Fort Lauderdale.

Kiev, Ukraine

Kiev — A turbine road interchange is blanketed in fresh snow in Kiev.

Shanghai, China

Shanghai — The curving Shanghai Tower, the tallest building in China, soars.

Vienna, Austria

Vienna — Vienna's bold, patterned architectural designs are breathtaking when viewed from an aerial perspective.

Sydney, Australia

Sydney — In Sydney, sailing boats appear as specks on the sea.

Kathmandu, Nepal

Sunset over Patan Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal

Mordogan, Turkey

Mordogan — A lone ship traverses the harbor in Mordogan, a seaside township in Turkey's Izmir Province.

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Sao Paulo, Brazil — Sea meets white sand meets river meets land in Sao Paulo.

Primosten, Croatia

Primosten, Croatia — A bird's eye view of the adriatic town of Primosten makes the buildings look like Monopoly houses.

Seattle, USA

Seattle — The streets intersect to form a near-perfect cross in the heart of Seattle.

Icmeler, Turkey

Icmeler — The beach from above in the holiday resort of Icmeler pops with color.

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Dar es Salaam — Tanzania's most populous city is a sea of rust and turquoise.

Miami, USA

Miami — The green Atlantic fringes sandy shores dotted with sun umbrellas in Miami.

Trang Province, Thailand

Trang Province, Thailand — A lush mangrove forest is captured from the sky in Thailand.

Rzeszow, Poland

Rzeszow, Poland — You can feel the chill when looking at this image from frozen Rzeszow.

Vilnius, Lithuania

Vilnius, Lithuania — A hot-air balloon flies through the skies above Vilnius.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago night downtown aerial view

Singapore

Top view of the Singapore landmark financial business district with skyscraper. Fountain of Wealth at Suntec city in Singapore at night

San Francisco, California

Aerial Long Exposure Lombard Street Traffic San Francisco

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dubai Marina Urban Skyline

Downtown, Los Angeles

Aerial of Downtown Los Angeles California at Night

Sao Paolo, Brazil

Top View of Skyscrapers at city

Barcelona, Spain

Aerial view of the residential Eixample district of Barcelona, with the Sagrada Familia, Designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi

Seattle, Washington

Drone Aerial footage of the Seattle Skyline

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Copacabana at night

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik, Croatia. Aerial view of the old town with rooftops and Adriatic sea.. Top view from drone

Palermo, Italy

drone aerial view of old famous destination town Palermo is located in the northwest of the island of Sicily

Shenzhen, Guangdong

Drone view of housing in Shenzhen, China

Hong Kong at Night

Aerial view of intersection in Hong Kong Downtown. Financial district and business centers in smart city, technology concept. Top view of buildings at night.