The Most Photographed Spots on Earth

What makes a single spot irresistible to the global swarm of lenses and smartphones? From the moment the first camera captured a scene, our passion for photography has been about more than just freezing moments in time – it’s about making memories.

Today, with smartphones in every pocket and social media platforms just a tap away, anyone can be a photographer, capturing their unique view of the world and broadcasting it instantly. Platforms like Instagram, with their endless feeds of images, inspire people to find those unforgettable places where something awe-inspiring, different or just fun is waiting to be snapped.

Our selection of the most photographed places in the world reveals a blend of the famous and the lesser-known. From iconic European cities like Rome, Paris, London and Venice to vibrant hubs such as New York, Dubai and Tokyo, these locations are catnip for those with the urge to point and click.

Whether it’s the canals of Venice, the spires of the Sagrada Família, or the cinematic glow of Times Square, these places have become not just must-see attractions, but must-snap sites!

World Photography Day, celebrated annually on 19 August, marks the anniversary in 1839 when the French government officially announced the invention of the daguerreotype by scientist, artist, and photography pioneer Louis Daguerre. While the date commemorates this historic milestone, the celebration known as World Photography Day is far more recent. It emerged in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, promoted by photographers’ communities and cultural groups worldwide. Let’s focus in as we zoom through the world’s most iconic views.

Some landmarks are instantly recognisable and attract millions of visitors every year, including the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Buckingham Palace in London, New York’s art deco Empire State Building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai – the world’s tallest building – and the Sydney Opera House, famous for its distinctive sail-shaped architecture. These sites are among the most photographed spots on Earth due to their cultural importance, architectural features, and global reputation.

Historic landmarks often combine architectural skill with centuries of cultural significance. The Colosseum in Rome is to some the zenith of Roman engineering, and the Acropolis in Athens sits above the city with remains of ancient temples. Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza are iconic symbols of early civilisation, and Machu Picchu in Peru is a staggeringly well-preserved Incan site set high in the Andes. Pompeii in Italy offers visible traces of Roman life preserved by volcanic ash, and the Great Wall of China – perhaps history’s greatest feat of engineering – stretches across thousands of kilometres. Each continues to attract visitors seeking the perfect combination of history and picture-perfect scenes.

Geological and natural wonders have always captured the imagination. The Grand Canyon in the USA reveals colourful rock layers shaped over millions of years, and the mile-wide Victoria Falls on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe is one of the largest waterfalls in the world drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The Northern Lights display natural light patterns in polar skies, Mount Fuji in Japan remains a national symbol often photographed with seasonal backdrops, and the iconic Great Barrier Reef in Australia is one of our planet’s great natural wonders.

There are some truly unique towns that combine stunning natural settings with distinctive architecture. Santorini in Greece is known for its whitewashed buildings and sea views, and the central Austrian village of Hallstatt, with its sixteenth century houses, sits beside a mountain lake with alpine charm. Burano, a small island in Italy’s Venetian Lagoon features brightly painted houses along its canals, and Chefchaouen in northwestern Morocco is noted for its blue-painted houses, although no-one seems to be sure why! Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe, and Carmel-by-the-Sea in California is well-known for its quaint fairytale cottages and spectacular sea views.

Many cultural and religious sites combine astonishing architecture with distinctive design. Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is recognised for its Gothic style, and the Taj Mahal in Agra, one of the most instantly recognisable buildings on Earth, attracts close to eight million visitors a year, each one with a camera! Antoni Gaudi’s famously unfinished Sagrada Família in Barcelona is the city’s standout tourist location, and Angkor Wat in Cambodia is a vast temple complex from the Khmer Empire, believed to be the world’s largest religious structure. The Golden Temple in Amritsar in India is a significant Sikh site, while St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City is one of the world’s largest churches, and with around 11 million annual visitors, it’s the most visited church in the world.

Photo-ops don’t have to be of specific buildings or natural wonders. Some of the best images are reportage examples of candid, unposed street scenes. The most popular examples are Times Square in New York, Piccadilly Circus and Camden Market in London, and Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, famous for its busy multi-directional crossroads. Jemaa el-Fnaa is one of the biggest and most famous market squares in Marrakech with thousands of traders selling everything from spices to scarves, and Havana, Cuba’s vibrant capital city, is known the world over for its stunning mix of architectural styles and thousands of vintage American cars.

Coastal areas often appeal for their magnificent scenery and distinct features. Bora Bora in French Polynesia is known for its crystal-clear lagoon and small islands, while Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island in Australia has a seven-kilometre long beach of pure white silica sand and turquoise blue water. Italy’s Amalfi Coast features beautiful towns built on steep cliffs, and Reynisfjara in Iceland is famous for its black sand beach. Maya Bay in Thailand is enclosed by limestone cliffs, and California’s Big Sur offers rugged shoreline views from coastal roads.

Some destinations are best known for specific natural events or seasons. Kyoto in Japan is popular during the cherry blossom season (March to April if you want to go), and Vermont in northeastern USA attracts visitors in autumn for its stunning leaf colours. Finnish Lapland offers snowy scenery and (if you’re very lucky) views of the Northern Lights in winter, while the Netherlands’ tulip fields are in colourful bloom in Bollenstreek (the bulb region) between Leiden and Haarlem in spring. Iceland’s ice caves are accessible in winter with unique formations, and on rare occasions, parts of the Sahara Desert produce seasonal wildflowers after rainfall.

Recent decades have seen new attractions built for sheer scale and wow factor. Gardens by the Bay in Singapore features large glass conservatories and vertical gardens, while the official tagline for Disney World in Orlando is ‘The Most Magical Place on Earth!’ The Harry Potter Studios just north of London preserve sets from the film series, and in Tokyo, TeamLab Planets is a modern art museum using digital installations to create interactive spaces. And if you want to go big, the Las Vegas Strip is home to some of the world’s largest hotels, biggest casinos, and colossal event spaces, including the brand-new Sphere, a $2.3 billion music and entertainment arena.

Many smaller or less well known destinations have distinctive landscapes or architecture that remain eminently Insta-worthy. Colmar in France has canals and colourful half-timbered medieval and Renaissance buildings, and Giethoorn in the Netherlands, often called the country’s most beautiful village, is a see-it-to-believe-it place where residents can only move about the historic village centre by boat, bike or on foot. Shirakawa-go in Japan is home to traditional thatched-roof farmhouses called gasshō-zukuri, and Deadvlei in Namibia has dry clay pans with preserved tree remains that look otherworldly.