Mental Floss

15 of the World's Best Sunset Destinations

By Tasia Bass

Santorini, Greece, tops the list of the world's best sunset-viewing destinations.
Santorini, Greece, tops the list of the world's best sunset-viewing destinations. / Grafissimo/Getty Images
facebooktwitterreddit

After spending a year in the house, people are ready to hit the road and enjoy some awe-inspiring sights—or at least something a bit more exciting than their own four walls. If you're seeking the best place to catch a beautiful sunset, the people at the startup Bounce may have the answers for you.

The short-term storage company has created a list of the best destinations to see the sunset. The survey examined 20 online articles and blogs about the best places to look at a sunrise or sunset. A destination was judged based on three factors: the number of articles or blogs that recommended the place, the number of Instagram posts from that place featuring a sunset or sunrise, and the spot's brightness, which was determined by the Light Pollution Map. Each category was scored out of 10; the final score is the average of the three. 

The final list names the top 46 places to catch a sunset. The best sunset spot is Santorini, Greece, with a score of 8.29. Twelve of the articles mentioned the location, it has low light pollution, and features in over 100,000 sunset-themed Instagram posts. Bali, Indonesia, was second, with a score of 7.13. While it did have over 150,000 sunset photos on Instagram, only five articles mentioned it.

There were also several locations within the United States on the list. Hawaii was third, the Grand Canyon was fifth, and Key West, Florida, was seventh. However, the place with the most sunset photos on Instagram overwhelmingly was Rio de Janeiro, with a whopping 231,193 pictures.

Check out the top 15 sunset destinations down below, and if you want to see the full list, head on over to Bounce’s site.

  1. Santorini, Greece
  2. Bali, Indonesia
  3. Hawaii, United States
  4. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  5. Grand Canyon National Park, United States
  6. Angkor Wat, Cambodia
  7. Key West, Florida
  8. Maldives
  9. Haleakalā, United States
  10. Uluru, Australia
  11. Serengeti, Tanzania
  12. Ibiza, Spain
  13. Isle of Skye, United Kingdom
  14. Boracay, Philippines; tied with Taj Mahal, India
Home/TRAVEL