Those who love to travel and discover the wonders of the world are always on the lookout for fascinating places and sensations that only certain breathtaking landscapes can arouse. There are many destinations that have these characteristics, but which are the most beautiful?
To answer this question, we questioned the members of our community! After selecting a group of 100 magnificent attractions and destinations around the globe, we asked a sample of 10,000 users to indicate 15 preferences. The attractions that received the most votes made it into this top 15...
Antelope Canyon, Arizona 
Great Blue Hole, Caribbean 
Angkor Wat, Cambodia 
Trolltunga, Norway 
Golden Circle Route, Iceland 
Moraine Lake, Canada 
Kyaiktiyo Golden Rock, Burma 
Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine, Japan 
Uluru, Australia 
Jiuzhaigou Valley, China 
Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye - Scotland 
Meteors, Greece 
Machu Picchu, Peru 
Pammukale, Turkey 
1/15
15 - Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Brazil
Photo by Cristiano Quintino. The Lençois Maranhenses National Park in Brazil is one of the most spectacular landscapes imaginable. A huge, endless valley with crystal-clear fresh water interspersed with sinuous white sand dunes stretching as far as the eye can see. It is hard to believe: indeed, this place seems almost out of this world. But luckily for us, this natural landscape is real and just waiting to be visited.
Type of visit: Free entrance, but a guide is required to reach the park
Best time to visit: Between March and September, after the rainy season.
14 - Pammukale, Turkey
Imagine yourself immersed in surreal, brilliant, warm, crystal-clear thermal waters, set on the slopes of a white hill, with the emptiness in front of you as you gaze out over the majestic valley. Truly a spectacular sight. The geological phenomenon of Pamukkale, literally 'Cotton Castle' in Turkish, is something magnificent.
Moreover, the place is close to the equally extraordinary remains of the Greco-Roman city of Hierapolis. With such a unique combination of natural and man-made wonders, it is no wonder the site is on the list.
Type of visit: Entrance fee
Recommended period: Spring or Summer
13 - Machu Picchu, Peru
Why is Machu Picchu one of the most beautiful places in the world to visit? Simple, because it allows you to feel small in front of the deadly grandeur of nature that combines perfectly with the marks left by one of the greatest human civilisations ever, because it allows you to explore one of the most legendary Inca roads that connects the city of Cusco with the sacred citadel of Machu Picchu, because you can feel like you are in the clouds and enjoy a stupendous panorama, immersed in history and myth.
SEE ALSO: Machu Picchu: what to see, when to go and how to visit
Type of visit: Entrance fee
Recommended period: Months between April and October (For the walking tour along the Inca Trail) - All year round for the simple site visit
12 - Meteors, Greece
One of the most beautiful things to visit in Greece is undoubtedly the Meteors.
Above the town of Kalambaka, on the north-western slope of the Thessaly plain, gigantic rock formations rise towards the sky, touching almost 400 metres in height. Above them, just like in a fantasy film, a series of monasteries stand poised for centuries shrouded in clouds.
Meteora is 'the city in the sky', a dreamlike place that will make you feel like an Olympian god.
Type of visit: Entrance fee. Each monsastery costs €3 for a total of €18. There is no cumulative ticket.
Recommended period: Mid-seasons are ideal, especially Spring
11 - Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye - Scotland
If you are a lover of hiking and nature, if you love Scottish landscapes or are generally planning a trip to the Isle of Skye, then you absolutely must visit the so-called Fairy Pools: the magical 'fairy pools'. These are located near the Cuillins Mountains on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. These are wonderful natural pools of cold, clear water, formed by waterfalls cascading down the slopes of the Cuillins Mountains. A unique spectacle!
Type of visit: Free admission.
Recommended period: Summer
10 - Jiuzhaigou Valley, China
Literally'Valley of the Nine Villages', this is an enchanting nature reserve in China's Sichuan Province, a Unesco World Heritage Site that boasts turquoise lakes, lush vegetation and a system of waterfalls that provides visitors with a breathtaking panorama, a wonderful landscape for nature walks. Little remains of the small villages, but one can still admire what is left of the typical Tibetan dwellings.
What attracts tourists to this valley, however, remains its geological structure: a landscape dotted with karst mountains and glaciers, lakes of glacial origin formed by falling boulders and rocks that have closed these basins, which containcrystal-clear water thanks to the presence of calcium carbonate.
Type of visit: Free admission, but it is advisable to rely on a guide for the excursion.
Best time to visit: All year round, but the autumn colours make the place even more magical
9 - Uluru, Australia
We move on to Australia where we find Uluru, a fantastic rocky massif located in the Australian outback, in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, famous for its intense red colour that varies amazingly during the hours of the day, especially at sunrise and sunset, taking on colours ranging from gold to bronze to purple. These optical effects and the rapid colour change are due to the presence of minerals called feldspars, which particularly reflect red light. In addition, the massif is largely made up of iron, and the red colour is therefore due to the oxidation of this metal, which generates rust with the classic bronze colour.
Its seemingly smooth surface offers a unique versatility, with pools of water, small springs and ancient rock paintings. Reachable by bus, it offers a fascinating panorama from its summit.
Type of visit: Entrance fee. The 3-day pass costs $25.00.
Recommended period: All year round for a simple visit. For those who want to camp in the park, the summer months from November to March are best.
8 - Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine, Japan
We return to Asia, specifically Japan, to admire a wonderful shrine, a Shinto place of worship dedicated to the Inari spirit located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto. The shrine is known for the thousands of vermilion-red'Torii', gateways to Japanese temples, that line the path to the hill where the shrine is located.
Inari is the deity of rice and inside the shrine one can admire several statues representing foxes that are, according to the cult, the deity's messengers. The path leading to the temple, about 4 kilometres long, is very strenuous to walk, but certainly represents a small journey that brings visitors closer to the temple both physically and spiritually. It is certainly one of the most evocative places in Japan.
Type of visit: Free entrance.
Recommended period: All year round. A visit at sunset is particularly recommended.
7 - Kyaiktiyo Golden Rock, Burma
We remain in Asia, but travel to Yangon, Burma, to admire the'Golden Rock', located on Mount Kyaiktiyo. It is a piece of rock that is poised on a mountain by ahair's breadth, or rather by'a Buddha's hair' as the legend goes, probably due to the fact that the rock, according to the first visitors, was able to stand poised because of something miraculous. For this reason, about two thousand years ago, a pagoda was built on top of the rock, where thousands of tourists every year go to attach a sheet of pure gold in exchange for a bit of luck from the Buddha: hence the name Golden Rock. Apart from the special location, the place is well known for the mystical feelings the shrine gives.
Type of visit: Free entrance, but you have to travel in authorised trucks to get there. Price: 3000 kyat (just over two euros)
Recommended period: Pre-monsoon period, mid-February to mid-May
6 - Moraine Lake, Canada
We reach Canada, where we find a very special lake, Moraine Lake, known for its picturesque landscape, but also for the colour of its blue-green water, due to the presence of rock particles on the bottom. The lake, which is of glacial origin, is located in the'Valley of the Ten Peaks'. It covers about half a square kilometre and is surrounded by several trails, which allow for wonderful hikes at the foot of the 10 mountains that surround the lake and from which the valley takes its name.
A perfect destination for those who love to immerse themselves in nature and be surrounded by breathtaking scenery.
Type of visit: Free admission but services subject to charge (e.g. shuttle bus for transport or canoe hire)
Recommended period: June and July
5 - Golden Circle Route, Iceland
Let's go to Europe now to admire the Golden Circle Route in Iceland. This is a fascinating tourist route with three main stops: Pingvellir National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall and the geothermal valley Haukadalur.
The former is an area full of cracks caused by continuous tectonic movements. One of these fissures is filled with coins, thrown in by visitors, according to tradition based on European legends.
The second is a 20-metre wide and 2.5-kilometre long waterfall that can be visited via a pathway that extends over three levels. Finally, the third is a geothermal valley with two active geysers: the Strokkur, which erupts about every five to ten minutes, and the Geysir, which erupts about four times a day. ln addition to these three stops, the entire area offers a landscape full of waterfalls, and an active geothermal valley with geysers that hurl boiling water into the air up to 70 metres high: very impressive, but to be visited with caution.
SEE ALSO: Visiting Thingvellir National Park, Iceland: Getting there, prices and tips
Type of visit: There is no charge to drive along the road, but the main stops on the tour are chargeable.
Recommended period: Summer - Spring
4 - Trolltunga, Norway
Still in Europe, in Norway, we go to Trolltunga, a piece of rock that stretches horizontally... into nowhere! The name means'tongue of the troll', due to its shape reminiscent of the tongue of typical characters from northern European mythology.
From it you can admire the Ringedalsvanet lake below and the wonderful interplay of peaks of the surrounding Norwegian fjords. It is the perfect place to sit and reflect, or rather to raise your arms to the sky and feel like you own the world!
Type of visit: Paid guided excursion
Recommended period: approximately mid-June to mid-September
3 - Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Here we are in Cambodia, admiring the world's largest Hindu temple, built during the reign of the Khmer, and famous for its distinctive style and meticulous architecture. The majestic sandstone construction was built at the behest of King Suryavarman II, as a mausoleum for his worship after his death.
Inside the Angkor Archaeological Park, the building stands surrounded by a moat and is consecrated to Vishnu. For video game fans, the temple was chosen as the setting for games such as Tekken and Tomb Rider! An unusual reason to visit this magnificent work of man.
Type of visit: subject to payment (1,3-day or weekly ticket)
Recommended period: November to February, but best to avoid the December holidays to avoid too many crowds.
2 - Great Blue Hole, Caribbean
This is a 123-metre deep underwater karstic sinkhole, located east of Belize in the Caribbean Sea, inside the Lighthouse Reef atoll. The cavity has a circular shape and is over 300 metres wide. It was formed during the last Ice Age as a limestone cave: when the sea level rose, the cave flooded and assumed the appearance it has today.
It is known to be one of the most beautiful dive sites in the world, as it offers an underwater landscape rich in stalactites and aspects typical of a cave, now submerged, and a native fauna with several species of sharks including the blacktip reef shark.
Type of visit: Paid dive (price 280$)
Recommended period: December to May
1 - Antelope Canyon, Arizona
We have to fly all the way to Arizona, to the land of the Navajos, to be breathless in front of this spectacle of nature: the Antelope Canyon, which consists of two separate formations made of a reddish sandstone rock, which has been shaped by water and wind, and has created a dense network of caves and tunnels inside which beams of light enter, creating an environment so perfect and sinuous that it seems to be designed. A magical place, which photography lovers will not be able to avoid capturing with their flashes, to take home a crazy landscape!
SEE ALSO: Antelope Canyon, Arizona: where it is, when to go and what to see
Type of visit: Fee-based (guided tours from $30 to $80)
Recommended period: April to July
Other places to visit
Places tovisit in Italy: of national wonders we have plenty, from the stupendous Italian cities of art to the small medieval villages, without forgetting the small hidden gems unknown to mass tourism.
Places to visit in Europe: for a nice trip to the 'Old Continent', take a look at the best places to visit in Europe and of course the 'evergreen' European capitals, suitable for any kind of traveller.
Places to visit abroad: do you prefer something more exotic? Then discover the world's most beautiful islands, or if you like the idea of discovering one of the world's great metropolises, don't forget the world's most beautiful cities
Places tovisit in summer: if your holidays from work coincide with the summer period, here is where to go on summer holidays abroad or the best Italian summer destinations for young people
Places tovisit in winter: What about a holiday in the winter months? Discover our best proposals for young people or families