What is the most beautiful place you have ever visited?

In what area of London is Lizard? Enquiring minds want to know!

Sorry my choices will not give you new ideas because they're all major attractions-but #1 Charleston, probably influenced by the 25 years we lived in SC.

In Europe, #1 is Santorini while staying in caldera-view hotel. Naufplio in Greece is also nice.

Oh yes, got to add Kauai here too.

#2 is Chateau Chenenceau-so quiet and peaceful in late afternoon in summer

#3 interior of Royal Palace in Madrid-also palaces in Russia including Hermitage Museum

I'm looking forward to reading the answers on this thread.

Grossglockner High Alpine Highway in Southern Austria
It is a toll road going from south of Zell-am-See to Lienz, Austria down on the Italian border. The Grossglockner is the second highest mountain in Western Europe.
The island of Kauai in Hawaii is the tallest vertical elevation change I have seen, and it receives more rain than anywhere in the world. We flew around the island on a chartered small plane.

a. The Yorkshire Dales, especially Wensleydale,

b. Venice grand canal,

c. Most of New Zealand, and

d. Counter-intuitively, Tyne Cot.

Cala.....Lizard is in Cornwall. If memory serves, it is the southernmost point in the UK???? It was breathtaking.

The view of the Dolomites at sunset from my hotel in Italy - the Alpe de Suissi (sp.) north of Castelrotto.

The Cotswolds in England on a day trip - the views of the fields and sheep and stone fences!

The view from Mont St. Michel with a full moon at night.

Giverny gardens in April 2018 with flowers in riotous bloom! A bucket list item checked off.

Keukenhof gardens in April 2018! A bucket list item checked off.

Three, but many runners-up.

Sognefjord, seen from a window table at Kvikne's Hotel, Balestrand

Yosemite Valley

Promenade de Glaciers (aka Icefields Parkway, but the French name is poetic!), connecting Banff with Jasper.

France--Alsace wine route, Locronan, Mont Saint Michel at sunset with farm in foreground. Chenonceau and Villandry exteriors views with gardens in foreground. Budapest, Parliament. Middle Rhine river. Peyto Lake, Banff. San Francisco Bay. All of Oregon Coast. View from summit of Going to the Sun Road, Glacier. View of Old town Girona from Medieval Wall. Rain forest at Olympic National Park. Pingvellir National Park, Iceland. Iceland views with green land and geysirs. Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland. View from top of funicular looking down onto Montserrat monastery. Prague on the Charles Bridge at Sunset. Exterior views of Neuschwanstein. Oops, you said "the" ;)

If places outside of Europe are fair game, a recent standout for me was Leavenworth, Washington, on a weekday in early May, 2017. The mountains still had snow on them, but in and around town the weather was crisp and early-springlike. Views from the parks all along the Wenatchee River were just gorgeous. And because it was too late for winter activities and too early for summer ones (I guess), there was almost nobody else around.

1. Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia (https://photos.app.goo.gl/uDZFJTMq3FWpSvej9)
2. The drive between Škofja Loka and Bohinj, Slovenia (https://photos.app.goo.gl/kr9pXh4fHj1jN7Hi8)
3. Fjærlandsfjorden in Norway as seen from highway 5 near the north end of the fjord (https://photos.app.goo.gl/5211SvG1RyKkYnFaA)

Links are to individual photos of each place on Google Photos.

David... The Grossglockner is NOT the second highest peak in Western Europe. Sorry, but you know better.

Wengen, Switzerland. Chilly, clear, mid October evening,with blue skies and white peaks all around us. We walked south of the village on a paved walkway until Wengen was a distance behind us. We found a bench and sat down. Below, the Lauterbrunnen valley. Above, snow capped peaks. Not a sound. Perfectly quiet. Not even footsteps. Then in the distance, the faint ringing of cowbells could be heard. The sun started setting, the sky turned yellow, orange and purple, while the snow capped peaks looked even more beautiful. We sat there in amazement until the sun set. The twinkling of lights coming on in the valley below while the setting sun turned the sky a kaleidescope of colors until night, when the sky lit up with stars. Perfect in every single way.

Paul

My husband and I have been thinking about all the places we have been in our travels. We both agree on the Columbia River Gorge drive in Oregon and the Alaskan Highway drive from Dawson's Creek, B.C. to Tok, Alaska. The ALCAN drive in particular was one jaw dropping vista after another! On the other side of Canada, we fell in love with Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. In Europe I carry the beauty of Varenna on Lake Como in my memory bank. My husband does the same for Ravello on the Amalfi Coast. There are so many beautiful places on God's earth. We have tried to see many of them in the last 18 years. Right now we are planning a trip to Petoskey, MI and then to the Finger Lakes of NY in the Fall. Lovely places also.

The view of the Alpe di Siusi from the top of the cable car from Ortisei had me in tears the first time.

The view of the Lauterbrunnen valley as one descends from Wengen by train.

The view toward Grindelwald from the Maennlichen-Kleine Scheidegg trail with the Shreckhorn & Eiger towering over the valley.

Grossglockner High Alpine Highway in Southern Austria

Agree. I went when it just opened in the spring (years ago) and snow was frequently 8' deep, in vertical banks, along sides of the road. I think it was the quietest place I've ever been, very little traffic at that time, no birds or other animals.

Hi Barb,

The Finger Lakes in the fall are spectacular.
We have been to Watkins Glen and Lake Seneca a few times. Enjoy!

Paul

I'm always surprised and baffled why North Americans are so enamored with Swiss/Austrian/Italian Alps....Mountains are prettier and less developed at home, right?

Here's the prettiest place in Europe not in a Rick Steves guide

http://res.cloudinary.com/simpleview/image/upload/v1450099658/clients/norway/2-1_a0f3397e-7f00-4103-843a-6af504f3d445.jpg

Where I live and where I travel.

1. Delphi
2. Mount Desert Island, Maine
3. Yorkshire Dales
4. the New England Coastline, RI to Maine.

Sandanski Bulgaria
Odessa Ukraine

Places that immediately come to mind:
Yosemite Valley (saw it first at age 8, many times since)
Alpine view from the hotel dining room in Mürren, Switzerland

I love this post! I have not been to as many places as I want...but so far, Cinque Terre, Italy has been the most beautiful, in my opinion: gorgeous nature, the ocean and colorful buildings. I also thought the sunset view of the castle from Charles Bridge in Prague was spectacular (a previous poster had mentioned this and I agree!)

I have a soft spot for Hilton Head Island, SC here in the US. The sunsets get me every time.

Prettier and less developed at home? Not a chance. Chain restaurants, Wal Marts, Malls and Luxury Rental Developements are growing like weeds. Especially the Luxury Rentals. I’ve never seen building on the scale it is here in New Jersey. We must be doubling the population with all the absolutely massive luxury rental complexes. Talking small towns going up. Everywhere. Starting as low as 2k a month up to 4K a month and many have waiting lists as they expand even further. Soon we won’t even have a tree in NJ.

So far, Chateau Lake Louise in Alberta, but I am still looking.

Crater Lake, Mt Rainier, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon

Barb,
I spent a lovely vacation on Skaneateles Lake, NY, one of the finger lakes, in July 2017. The village is also quaint and charming. Yes, I loved Varenna on Lake Como as well. The sunset is spectacular!

I had a project several years ago with Teton County, Wyoming. I'd visited the area several times before, generally in the summer or spring for geology field camp while in college and then for pleasure and hiking afterwards. But this trip was for work, and it was in November.

My co-workers and I flew in to Jackson Hole from the west coast, we landed at the airport, and took a van to some condos our travel agent had rented.

The next morning before our first meeting I went for a walk. It had snowed the night before, and it was a wet snow that subsequently froze. So the snow was fluffy but crusty and crunched underfoot.

The rising sun in a now-clear sky illuminated the Teton range with rose pink light, gradually brightening as I walked in complete silence but for my own footfalls.

I've never seen any landscape more beautiful, and I doubt I ever will.

So now I'm reminded of the "marshmallow" trees along the ski runs in Steamboat, Colorado. Whenever we had a stickier or even just heavy snow, my daughter call the pine trees marshmallow trees. I never tired of those views from the chairlift

Beautiful spot, Tom from MN!

I'm always surprised and baffled why North Americans are so enamored with Swiss/Austrian/Italian Alps....Mountains are prettier and less developed at home, right?

We have great wild places in the U.S. Harder to get too (no trains, few lifts), less green in summer. tougher hiking, and no rifugi with bathrooms and good food.

Laurel makes the point I was fixing to. What I love about Europe is that I don't have drive everywhere; I can get a good meal and a beer in a city park - you get the drift.

I have enjoyed this topic very much. After much thought, I have to say that Olympic National Park in Washington is the most beautiful place I have ever visited.

Isles des Saintes part of the French overseas department of Guadeloupe located in the Caribbean.
Alpe di Suisi in the Italian Dolomites
Cap Canaille in Cassis, France
Berner Oberland views across the valley

Love this thread -- thanks for starting it! Gosh, this is a toughie as there are so many. But for now, I'll say:
The views of the Marlborough Sound in New Zealand while hiking 52 miles of the Queen Charlotte track -- highlight was staying at Lochmara Lodge toward end of my walk; pure heaven.
Doubtful Sound also in NZ -- took a 1 night/2 day small boat cruise. It was misting or sprinkling most of trip, but the views were ethereal. Got to kayak through the sound, right up to waterfalls in the mist. It felt other-worldly.
My view from my B&B in Portmellon Cove (Cornwall), of the lovely cove and sheep farm in distance -- enchanting.

Have to say Aitutaki and Roratonga in the Cook Islands (AKA "Heaven on Earth") and sailing the USVI and British Virgin Islands, and St. Lucia to the Grenadines.

***Edit: Add-- Mt. Rainier on a gorgeous clear day!

The view from the lighthouse at Nugget Point in the South Island of New Zealand.
View from helicopter over Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers and glacier hike on Franz Josef.
Remarkable Rocks on Kangaroo Island in Australia.
Boathouse Row and Philadelphia Skyline lit up at night.
Seeing Golden Gate Bridge from Lands End and Palace of Legion of Honor in San Francisco.
Mohegan Bluffs on Block Island, RI (off-season)
Quiet small canals at sunset in Venice
View of the Burren from backyard of relatives home in Ireland.

1. The Isle of Skye
2. White's Cove in Catalina in the late afternoon.
3. Big Sur.

Southern Utah! Zion, Bryce, Arches. wow!
Venice on a sunny day is breathtaking, my favorite European destination.
Pretty much anywhere in Oregon, such diversity!

Bryce Park is wonderful, as is Yosemite, Canyonlands, and Saguaro National Park. Grand Canyon.

In Europe, Plitvice Lakes Park in Croatia is one of my top sites, but also Sarajevo from the surrounding hills.

Yosemite is the most beautiful place I have ever been. Paris, Venice, Queenstown in New Zealand, and Sydney are also amazing.

Viewing the night sky at Chaco Canyon New Mexico, USA!

Inishmoor, Ireland. The cliffs at Fort Dun Aengus!

The high backcountry of California’s High Sierra Mountains at 10,000 feet where you don’t see anyone else for ten days!

The Wrangel-Saint Elias Mountains in Canada and Alaska as viewed from the AlCan Highway in 1968 between Haines and Tok!

Watching wolves in Yellowstone NP.

Yorkshire Dales!

Hiking in the Dolomites after the first fall snow, 2007!

Savanna Bay on Virgin Gorda. It’s my meditation visual, completely alone. If Europe then the view of the Palatine from the opposite side of the Circus Maximus drinking a cheap beer from the cart at sunset right after running a few laps.

The town I live in is an island with a magnificent view of San Francisco, so I’m already spoiled for beauty on a daily basis. Aside from that, of course, is Budapest; specifically the wonderful little zoo with the storks on Margit sziget. Then there’s Marie Antoinette’s hamlet at Versailles on a gloomy day-just me, all alone with the ghosts & critters.

1. Elmina, Ghana
2. Petra, Jordan
3. Flying over the Congo Delta
4. Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

Thanks I have enjoyed this...Here are a few of mine, but you want just three:
1. Machu Pichu in the early morning before anyone else is there. It is so mystical and amazing.
2. Uluru (AKA Ayers Rock) in Australia. Watching the sunset and listening to music as the sun goes down.
3. Bryce Canyon-the color of the rocks are amazing.

Now that I think of it I probably have hundred sites that make me smile when I get home each time I go away. I haven't found a place in the world that isn't amazing.

Wow such a well traveled group. Fun read.. I know this is sentimental, but coming into O’Hare over Lake Michigan seeing the skyline of Chicago in the golden hour is pretty special because at the end of a long trip there really is no place like home.

In Europe the view of anywhere in Paris when you first see the Eiffel Tower and knowing you are in Paris.

Third pick Bora Bora at sunset looking for the green flash as the sun sets in the Ocean with classical music playing from our resort.

It was our first visit to Grand Teton National Park and we were staying at the Colter Bay RV Park inside the NP. It was a September Saturday morning and we got up early to drive down to Jackson for the farmers market. The angle of the sun was still severe, the aspen leaves, damp with dew and turning golden, were back lit by the morning sun. Later that visit we took the last boat cruise on Jenny Lake. The valleys were in full color, reds, oranges, and golds, against a backdrop of green conifers. All was quiet save for the pair of bald eagles together in their nest.

Kauai island is one of those increasingly rare places where, if you get away from the lights, you can see the night sky very well. We walked up to the top of Kukuiolono Park after the sun set. The Milky Way was breathtaking.

And last but not least, of course, we were driving (the RV, full windshield) on the Alaska Highway in Yukon on a bright July day. The sky was a clear blue, the conifers and grass green, the fireweed in full, glorious, magenta bloom. And there, rising and looking up at us as if to ask what we were staring at, was a gorgeous grizzly bear in that field of fireweed.

What a great thread!

1. Swimming under the Pont du Gard aqueduct
2. Canoeing down the Dordogne River from Cénac to Beynac
3. Hiking the North Face trail in the Berner Oberland

• Laguna 69 in Peru - Possibly because it was a reward after walking. I feel the journey to get somewhere makes a big difference.
• Laguna Bacalar in Mexico
• Tuscany, specifically driving around SP146 near Pienza
• Sunset on the salt flats in Bolivia

Donna,
I can envision your trip on the ALCAN. We were also in an RV for that drive, and I can still see the fireweed blooming with those mountains in the distance. Another sight I just remembered--- the sun rising over the St. Elias mountains from our campground in Haines Junction, Yukon. All the RV's were facing these mountains, so you couldn't miss the color display. The Yukon is amazing!

Halawa Valley, Molokai, Hawaii . This is where I found God. My Wife, Son and Myself were hitchhiking and camping around the Islands for a couple of months and the beauty of this Valley convinced me of God's presence.

Places that immediately come to mind:

Grand Canyon, Arizona;
Hampton Palace Gardens, England;
Agawa Canyon in Canada;
Bruge, Belgium (pretty much the whole town!)

After reading LA's posting, I flashed back on the view of the carpet of lights across the Los Angeles basin after hours of flying over dark, sparsely-inhabited spaces on my way back from a semester in the Midwest -- there truly is "no place like home"

Reading through the replies, I thought, it is all about the moment: the light, the weather, the mood. Timing is everything.

I have been fortunate to not just visit, but to spend considerable time in a lot of beautiful places, mostly mountains. I love them all, but here are my two favorites for sheer jaw-dropping beauty. (I do not have my photos on a sharing site, so I just went and found images on the web that are similar to sights I have seen and photographed)

Paradise flower fields on Mt. Rainier:

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-field-of-blooming-wildflowers-in-paradise-park-valley-view-of-mount-6688006.html

And at sunset, looking south toward tha Tatoosh Range:

http://vunature.com/flowers-rainier-landscape-field-washington-mountains-sunset-mount-nature-picture-black-and-white/

And then there is Denali. This is from above Wonder Lake, at sunset:

https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery.htm?id=30597229-1DD8-B71C-0775CE5C2763B218

Click on the one at upper left,in the corner, to enlarge it. Then you can scroll through the NPS gallery for lots more.

And the aurora borealis. Still photos cannot truly capture the vibrant colors and movement, so I did not try to find a good one.

Finally, it is not a mountain but rather the opposite, a “big hole in the ground” as some people dismissively describe it. But the bottom of the Grand Canyon is an other-worldly place, with constantly changing colors on the river and the rocks.

1. Venice. Love everything about it. Been 4 times and planning to go again. Even the crowds don’t annoy me too much...early morning is amazing.

2. We just got back from Provence...went at this time of year for the lavender and were not disappointed. Did the ‘lavender trail’ from Manosque to Greoux to Moustiers to Valensole and it was breathtaking...fields and fields of lavender...and the smell - divine. And another flower bucket list item was NL at tulip time last year...biking past the tulip fields was just so so gorgeous.

3. We spent a day in the Swiss Alps...Murren area...rented a bike and saw Trummelbach falls. The mountains were just out of this world.

1. Gap of Dunloe, Ireland
2. Big Sur, CA
3. Havana, Cuba ( cleanest country I’ve been to besides Switzerland and the decaying architecture is oddly beautiful)
4. Devils Postpile and Rainbow Falls
5. Plate River Valley Nebraska watching the Sandhill Cranes migration
6. China Cove at Pt. Lobos
7. The view of Yosemite valley from the top of Half Dome
8. Stonehenge 30 years ago on a November day when no one else but two friends and I were there.
9. Ansel Adams Wilderness
10. Venice

Love this question, bringing back so many memories.

In Europe: the Île de Bréhat and the Åland Islands
Rest of the world: the Blue Mountains in the Ténéré Desert of Niger.

Aren't we so fortunate to be able to travel?

Places that stuck with me-

Mont St Michel after dark- running around the ramparts with our kids and no one else.

Shetland was amazing - my family immigrated from there over 100 years ago and it was odd but it felt so familiar.

Being at the Berlin wall and watching the people of Berlin knock it down with sledgehammers.

Gimmelwald felt like we were inside a painting. The beauty was surreal. I drive through the Coastal Mountains and the Rockies regularly and they are amazing, but we don't have tiny villages glued all over the sides of ours!

Hunting for Fossils at Charmouth Beach in Dorset- I love the story of Mary Anning!

There are so many beautiful places! I'm a big believer in going with what first pops into my head. These are my choices right now.

Nothing can compare with the time I was on the south rim of the Grand Canyon when a red sun was setting in the west and a huge full moon was rising in the east. This experience may always be at the top of my list.

I find the coasts of Great Britain fascinating, especially those with cliffs and walking paths along those cliffs. They feel like home to me.

My 3rd beautiful place is the Massif de l'Esterel, where the red mountains meet the blue Mediterranean. The contrast is breathtaking.

Barb...love the Lunenburg shoutout. My mother in law was from there (and was recently laid to rest there behind the Lunenburg Academy) and we usually go for a visit once or twice a year. It is a lovely little spot...

1. Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica
2. The view of Dubrovnik, the Adriatic Sea, and the island of Lokrum from the top of Mt. Srd.
3. Plitvice Lakes, Croatia
4. Seagrove Beach, FL
5. Paris, specifically seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. Well, pretty much all of Paris :)
6. Watching the icebergs float by in Newfoundland

This is a current list that could change tomorrow. ;-) In no particular order:
Sunrise, Mt Rainier - stars at night are phenomenal
San Juan Islands, WA - cycling across Orcas in the early morning or from a ferry or cruise ship the San Juans are wonderful
Cowbells and mountain scenery in Murren, Switzerland
The North Cascades, WA "Amercian Alps" sans cowbells
The morning sun light up the canyon walls, South Rim, Grand Canyon
Image of the church on the island in Lake Bled Slovenia
Fruita Campground, Capitol Reef NP (a scenic, less developed and crowded NP)
The view of Aconcagua over the vineyards, Mendoza, Argentina
Kauai, Hawaii-canyons, beaches, waterfalls, ocean views and chickens. What could be better?

Good question. This has been an interesting exercise in remembering some of the places I have been!

Assuming we're talking Europe? Years ago I drove through Yosemite on a full moon night (back when you could drive through Yosemite) and it was amazing. Going to the Sun road in Glacier National Park is also amazing.

For me, the view of Salzburg in the evening from one of the foot bridges across the Salz stands out as particularly awe inspiring.

St. Mark's basilica, inside with the lights on was also spectacular. It was like the entire place was made of gold.

A particular view in the York Shambles with the Minster in the background also stands out as an incredible moment.

I love anywhere with rolling green hills, farms, stock or wild animals, forests and, most importantly, medieval villages. That includes Burgundy but I was just in the Pyrenees and it may be even prettier. The view from Domme over the surrounding valley is worth the trip.

I also enjoy small port towns (not big industrial port towns). I skipped Honfleur only because I was visiting port towns in Brittany later in the same trip. I loved Dinan, Auray, Pont Aven and others along the southern coast of Brittany.

I also really enjoy beaches when they are big, sandy and deserted. The Costa de la Luz in Spain is a dream. I also really enjoyed the Atlantic coast near Bordeaux recently. Out of season it's not crowded and has massive sandy beaches.

I haven't been as excited by the Alps but that's probably because I lived in California and Washington State and spent lots of camping trips in our western mountain ranges. That said Chamonix was really beautiful.

I'm with Lola about the mood, moment and timing.

Sunsets: Assisi's beautiful stone, standing on a bridge in Steyr, Austria, walking the Marginal Way in Ogunquit.

Misty mornings: Ostia Antica, a picnic breakfast outside St George church, Ruhpolding, the first boat of the day on Lake Konigssee in late September, the Garden of Ninfa (best of all).

The hit of fresh air the first morning I woke up in Bern. A couple of beers on the wall of Pienza on a sunny afternoon. Speaking to a herd of cows in Alpbach on a warm, rainy afternoon. One evening in the Pied Bull, Chester, England, my wife being serenaded by a team of burly Welsh rugby players, overjoyed that they had beaten the local college team for the first time ever.

1. Zion National Park (and really anywhere else in the Grand Circle a.k.a. Colorado Plateau)
2. Moraine Lake (and really anywhere in the Canadian Rockies)
3. The Grand Canal, Venice (best is the pre-dawn mists and late at night)

There are many beautiful places in the world to visit but Zermatt in Switzerland is mine favourite. It’s beautiful town with tiny little old houses that make this place more special with breathtaking views of Matterhorn. This place is extremely good in summer for hiking and relaxing. My cousin visited there last month with their family but still they enjoyed there a lot. I got their review that he wanted to visit this place again with friends so that they can explore more beautiful destinations there.

1. Fujisan (Mt Fuji) at sunrise

2. Top of Mt Battie during the peak autumn foliage looking down on Penobscot Bay and Camden Harbor

3. Sitting on a specific bench on Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) near Jardin Botanique looking out on to the water & distant mountains

4. The clay tennis courts at Sportchalet in Mürren (Switzerland) with the snow capped Alps behind them. No prettier place to play! Wow!

@Continental, clay courts in Murren?! As if I needed more reasons to get my husband to Berner Oberland, but clay courts in the mountains will surely do it! Do you know if they do any player matching?

Yup, clay courts in Mürren! Jules, I can't answer that as I had a built-in tennis partner in my husband! But I'm sure you could pick up a game. I've done that when I've traveled on my own to Ealing, London and played tennis at the Ealing Lawn Tennis Club. The photo I attached doesn't do the view any justice whatsoever. It is unbelievably GORGEOUS! Do go!