Don't you just love cities lit up at night? Great for relaxing, admiring and photographing. Here's a snapshot of my top 5 cities for night views from my jaunts round the globe.
This list features mostly lit up skyscraping type cities. Mostly because at night they are easier on the eye and ultimately more inspiring. Don't get me wrong, I love sleeping in deserts,but your night view of a following a torch to a toilet isn't exactly much cop when you're blessed with staring down on a city like Budapest at night...
1. Victoria Harbour, HONG KONG:
For views, you cannot really beat Hong Kong. And I know I'm only basing this on places I've actually seen at night, but I love it. A pretty, clean, shiny harbour reflecting boats, skyscrapers and with mountains in behind, it is hard not to love the busy night time appeal of the Kong. For the best night views, it's either:
(a) head to The Peak!
(b) get a mate who has a flat with a view (in 3 places in Hong Kong I have stayed, all had decent night views!)
(c) head for dinner in a high restaurant such as Aqua or Sky 100 . Please note that Sky 100 costs to get to the top, whereas Aqua you can just pop in for a cocktail, which I have done a couple of times!
2. Tokyo in JAPAN:
I'm actually not a fan of Tokyo (I don't know why - maybe because I'm a budget traveller and I found it expensive but I normally love most of the big cities). However at night Tokyo transforms and an array of typical lit up streets give the city a whole new appeal. At night I toured around all the top spots for example Shinagawa, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Shinkiba, Ginza and Roppongi and I was mesmerised by the never ending streets of lights, the locals doing whatever they pleased (most of them were eating and shopping). Tokyo by day is a rip off, a disconnected city which stretches out too far. At night is where it attracts you into its vast array of activities.
3. Sydney, AUSTRALIA:
Sydney has to be in my list - I lived out there for a couple of years and to have the view of Sydney Harbour every night is a traveller's dream. The Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, Darling Harbour. A bustling nightlife - you really can chill out a lot in Sydney at night while also enjoying one of the world's top cities. I made it to a New Year's Eve fireworks display before and loved it. Get yourself down to the waterfront and relax with a beer! You will just love it!
4. St. Malo, FRANCE:
This might seem like an odd choice, and actually even for me it is, but I always feel like I leave Europe out of my travel stories (despite the fact I come from Northern Ireland!) so St. Malo at night has so many fond memories for me. Best of all, I got paid to watch St. Malo by night as I worked there numerous times! This gorgeous old style walled city in on the Brittany Coast in the north of France. At night, the local streets serve up amazing crepes, lush French wine and have a lively yet respectable vibe about them.
I loved my views of St. Malo from the ships I worked out and this is my reason for including it. I've been to New York and Buenos Aires at night yet I rank St. Malo higher. Strange maybe? But hey that's the joy of travel opinion. You can get a ferry to St. Malo from the south of England.
5. HUNGARY: Budapest:
Eastern Europe offers some alternative night view magic, as I find it less commercial. Lit up advertising boards are replaced by lit up parliaments and lamposts by rivers. Well that's the beauty of Budapest. You can head up to Gellert for a sensational view down over the city at night. It's a wonderful city to see from high up. While you're at it try some of the amazing sweet Hungarian wine and grab some goulasch. The two sides of the city, Buda and Pest are separated not just by the Danube but also small island called Margit Sziget.
So that's just a snapshot of my top 5 cities for night views. Of course I've left lots of them out, I can think of New York, London, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Johannesburg and Caracas as other decent cities by night, will maybe do some more night posting in future.
Don't Stop Living!
.
This list features mostly lit up skyscraping type cities. Mostly because at night they are easier on the eye and ultimately more inspiring. Don't get me wrong, I love sleeping in deserts,but your night view of a following a torch to a toilet isn't exactly much cop when you're blessed with staring down on a city like Budapest at night...
1. Victoria Harbour, HONG KONG:
For views, you cannot really beat Hong Kong. And I know I'm only basing this on places I've actually seen at night, but I love it. A pretty, clean, shiny harbour reflecting boats, skyscrapers and with mountains in behind, it is hard not to love the busy night time appeal of the Kong. For the best night views, it's either:
(a) head to The Peak!
(b) get a mate who has a flat with a view (in 3 places in Hong Kong I have stayed, all had decent night views!)
(c) head for dinner in a high restaurant such as Aqua or Sky 100 . Please note that Sky 100 costs to get to the top, whereas Aqua you can just pop in for a cocktail, which I have done a couple of times!
2. Tokyo in JAPAN:
I'm actually not a fan of Tokyo (I don't know why - maybe because I'm a budget traveller and I found it expensive but I normally love most of the big cities). However at night Tokyo transforms and an array of typical lit up streets give the city a whole new appeal. At night I toured around all the top spots for example Shinagawa, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Shinkiba, Ginza and Roppongi and I was mesmerised by the never ending streets of lights, the locals doing whatever they pleased (most of them were eating and shopping). Tokyo by day is a rip off, a disconnected city which stretches out too far. At night is where it attracts you into its vast array of activities.
3. Sydney, AUSTRALIA:
Sydney has to be in my list - I lived out there for a couple of years and to have the view of Sydney Harbour every night is a traveller's dream. The Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, Darling Harbour. A bustling nightlife - you really can chill out a lot in Sydney at night while also enjoying one of the world's top cities. I made it to a New Year's Eve fireworks display before and loved it. Get yourself down to the waterfront and relax with a beer! You will just love it!
4. St. Malo, FRANCE:
This might seem like an odd choice, and actually even for me it is, but I always feel like I leave Europe out of my travel stories (despite the fact I come from Northern Ireland!) so St. Malo at night has so many fond memories for me. Best of all, I got paid to watch St. Malo by night as I worked there numerous times! This gorgeous old style walled city in on the Brittany Coast in the north of France. At night, the local streets serve up amazing crepes, lush French wine and have a lively yet respectable vibe about them.
I loved my views of St. Malo from the ships I worked out and this is my reason for including it. I've been to New York and Buenos Aires at night yet I rank St. Malo higher. Strange maybe? But hey that's the joy of travel opinion. You can get a ferry to St. Malo from the south of England.
5. HUNGARY: Budapest:
Eastern Europe offers some alternative night view magic, as I find it less commercial. Lit up advertising boards are replaced by lit up parliaments and lamposts by rivers. Well that's the beauty of Budapest. You can head up to Gellert for a sensational view down over the city at night. It's a wonderful city to see from high up. While you're at it try some of the amazing sweet Hungarian wine and grab some goulasch. The two sides of the city, Buda and Pest are separated not just by the Danube but also small island called Margit Sziget.
So that's just a snapshot of my top 5 cities for night views. Of course I've left lots of them out, I can think of New York, London, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Johannesburg and Caracas as other decent cities by night, will maybe do some more night posting in future.
Don't Stop Living!
.
About the Author:
You can read more about excellent cities at night here: Top 5 Cities At night and to keep up to date with Jonny Blair's travel stories and tips check out his travel, work and lifestyle websiteDont Stop Living.
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