21 Most Beautiful Countries in the World You Must Visit at Least Once
From Greece to Zambia, Thailand and Peru, these countries should be on everyone's bucket list
Breathtaking landscapes, vibrant culture, snow-capped mountains, azure beaches and ancient architecture, the places featured on our list of the most beautiful countries in the world have it all.
What constitutes the most beautiful countries in the world is, of course, all in the eye of the beholder, but we’re willing to bet that the nations on list will be more than a little alluring to most. So consider this an anthology of top architectural attractions, a compendium of cultural wonders, and a shortlist of the most sure-to-impress natural scenery on the planet. Read it like a where’s where to travel and add each destination to your personal bucket list, or simply appreciate these beautiful places for all they offer.
What makes a country beautiful?
As subjective as beauty can be, we did use some concrete data points when creating our list. First, we considered the US News & World Report list of the most scenic places from its 2024 Best Countries ranking. This is based on the perceptions of nearly 17,000 people from around the globe. The top 10 countries from the US News list are all included below. We also considered countries with UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as Italy (with 60 sites, Italy has the most of any country in the world). Sustainability and efforts to preserve natural beauty also played a role: We’ve included Sweden, which has topped multiple lists as the greenest nation on the planet.
In addition to the above, we considered both natural allure as well as cultural landmarks, including top-notch architecture, museums, parks, and palaces.
What is the most beautiful country in the world?
While we’re willing to whittle down all the beauty in the world to 21 countries, we can’t choose just one to be the all-out top charmer. That’s why our 21 picks are unnumbered. Though if you still feel the urge to crown the single highest-ranking country, it’s worth noting that Greece nabbed the number one spot on the US News list.
Is the most beautiful country the most visited?
Interestingly, no; Greece isn’t the most visited country in the world. That honour goes to France, which hosted 100 million international tourists in 2023, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. And that wasn’t just due to pre-Olympics excitement. France has been the top tourism destination for some 30 years.
That being said, Greece has had its fair share of tourism (it ranks in the top 10), and as a result, recently announced plans to combat overtourism from cruise ships with levies. So perhaps this list can serve another purpose: introduce beauty-seeking travelers to new destinations and spread the tourism love.
Which cities are the most naturally beautiful?
Queenstown, New Zealand, with its picturesque Kawarau River; Pamukkale, Turkey, with its white terraced pools; and Hallstatt, Austria, with its idyllic Alpine environs all get a shoutout below for their breathtaking natural scenery. We’ve also done a full list of the 20 most beautiful cities in the world.
Without further ado, and in no particular order, these are 21 of the most beautiful countries in the world.
Photo: Getty Images1/19Greece
Top honors in the US News ranking of the most scenic countries went to Greece, which nabbed the number one spot thanks to its stunning natural scenery and enticing adventure offerings. That’s due in large part to the southeastern European country’s 6,000 islands and islets set on the Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean seas. And while overtourism has become a concern on islands like Santorini and Mykonos, the island of Ios offers a refreshingly serene alternative. There, Angelos Michalopoulos and Vassiliki Petridou, who own a third of the island – including its main attraction, the Calilo hotel – have made a sustainable pledge to leave 99% of their land untouched.
Photo: Pascal Boegli/Getty Images2/19Zambia
Among the Seven Natural Wonders of the World – a list that includes the Great Barrier Reef, aurora borealis, and the Grand Canyon – is Victoria Falls, located between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Also called Mosi-oa-Tunya, which means “the smoke that thunders,” Victoria Falls is the largest waterfall in the world. In addition to this colossal cascade, Zambia has 20 national parks where elephants, giraffes, hippos, and over 800 bird species roam and fly freely. And to ensure future generations will get to experience this impressive biodiversity, the country protects about 30% of its total land for wildlife.
Photo: Filippo Bacci/Getty Images3/19Italy
Home to the artwork of Michelangelo, the architecture of Filippo Brunelleschi, and ancient ruins that include the Colosseum in Rome, the Valley of the Temples in Sicily, and the cobbled streets of Pompeii, Italy certainly packs an aesthetic punch in the cultural realm. It’s also jam-packed with natural beauty, including the rugged cliffsides of Cinque Terre, the glacial waters of Lake Como, and the snow-capped peak of the Dolomites. It’s no wonder Italy snagged the number three ranking in the US News list of the most scenic countries.
Photo: Getty Images4/19Indonesia
Bali, a.k.a. the Island of the Gods, is Indonesia’s most famous isle. And with its numerous stunning Hindu temples (which helped it earn its nickname), as well as endless stretches of white-sand beaches and striking terraced rice fields, Bali certainly deserves the attention. But Indonesia, which is made up of more than 17,000 islands, has even more beauty to offer. For example, the island of Sumatra is home to Lake Toba, which has an island in the middle that’s the same size as Singapore, while the island of Lombok has pink sands, volcano trekking, and jungle waterfalls.
Photo: Matteo Colombo/Getty Images5/19Australia
Anyone who judges a country’s beauty by its national parks would likely find Australia a top contender for most dazzling (it’s number nine in the US News ranking). That’s because it has more national parks than any other country in the world. And while it’s tricky to pin down an exact count (Australia doesn’t have as stringent of guidelines for what constitutes a national park as, say, the United States), the number is well over 500. Among them there’s Kakadu National Park, with its 20,000-year-old rock art galleries, and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, known for its red-sand terrain and sacred sites for Indigenous Australians.
Photo: Alexander Spatari/Getty Images6/19Spain
Spain has architectural appeal in spades, as seen in its Catalonian capital, Barcelona, which landed on our list of the most beautiful cities. Madrid, the country’s capital, is also no slouch in the architectural realm, featuring the iconic red brick façades of Plaza Mayor, the nearly all-glass construction of the Crystal Palace in Parque del Buen Retiro, and the much more modern Jean Nouvel-designed Reina Sofía Museum extension. Adding to that, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Alhambra Palace in Granada, and the Roman aqueduct of Segovia are widely considered some of the most impressive architectural landmarks in the world.
Photo: Kelly Cheng Travel Photography/Getty Images7/19Peru
With iconic architecture as a metric for this list, we’d be remiss to not mention Peru, home to the great-grandfather (okay, maybe great-great-grandfather) of architectural and engineering feats: Machu Picchu. The some 200 buildings that remain – constructed from individually shaped granite stones to build a 15th-century Inca city on a mountain ridge above what’s now known as Peru’s sacred valley – are a jaw-dropping sight to behold. They’re also considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. That would be enough to qualify this South American country for the list, but it also has Vinicunca (a group of rainbow-coloured mountains), Lake Titicaca (a massive freshwater lake in the Andes), and part of the Amazon rainforest.
Photo: Photography by ZhangXun/Getty Images8/19Japan
We’re endlessly enthralled by countries that combine historical beauty with modern marvels. Japan is precisely that kind of place. Kyoto, known as Japan’s cultural capital, has an impressive 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which helped it earn a place on our list of the most beautiful cities. Then there’s Tokyo, a world capital of contemporary architecture with celebrated works like the Nakagin Capsule Tower Building by Kisho Kurokawa and the Tadao Ando – designed Shibuya underground terminal. Plus, Japan is one of only a handful of countries with two UNESCO Cities of Design: Kobe and Asahikawa.
Photo: Martin Davies/Getty Images9/19New Zealand
It’s no wonder New Zealand snagged the number two spot on US News’s most scenic list. It’s probably the country most synonymous with outdoor adventure – after all, the Kiwis did invent bungee jumping. But whether or not you’re a fan of flinging yourself off a sky-high platform, there’s no denying that those extreme activities are inspired by the country’s extreme beauty. In Queenstown, home to the first commercial bungee jump, adrenaline seekers get an eyeful of the picturesque Kawarau River as they take their plunge. Over in Waitomo, on the North Island of New Zealand, blackwater rafters soak in the twinkling blue lights coming off glowworms in ancient subterranean caverns, and high atop Fox Glacier on the South Island, heli-hikers (dropped off by helicopter) trek across an ice-covered wonderland.
Photo: Alexander Spatari/Getty Images10/19Thailand
With 147 national parks, Thailand is another hot spot for outdoor adventure. Khao Sok National Park is home to the world’s oldest evergreen rainforest, and Khao Yai National Park, where 280 bird species live, is a major destination for binocular-toting travelers. To spot substantially larger wildlife, there’s Kui Buri National Park, where herds of elephants roam free – or Ang Thong National Marine Park, an archipelago made up of 42 limestone islands where snorkelers can get a glimpse of green sea turtles and reef sharks.
Photo: Roberto Moiola/Getty Images11/19Switzerland
Switzerland’s breathtaking mountain scenery (about 70% of the country is covered by the Alps) makes it a shoo-in for any ranking on beauty (it comes in at number four in the US News list). And what’s particularly special about the small Central European country is all the ways the residents can access those mountains. The country has over 300 ski resorts with more than 4,000 miles of ski slopes. It also has 1,700 cable cars and 3,188 miles of train, including the Glacier Express, which runs between Zermatt and St. Moritz. But one of the most breathtaking experiences of all is a ride on the Jungfrau Railway to the highest train station in Europe: Jungfraujoch, an Alpine wonderland known as the top of Europe.
Photo: Matteo Colombo/Getty Images12/19Turkey
Straddling two continents – Europe and Asia – Turkey is known as the place where East meets West. It’s here where religions, cultures, and histories commingle, and the result is a celebration for the senses. In Istanbul, the skyline is dotted by Byzantine domes, and in Cappadocia, a kaleidoscope of hot air balloons soar above cone-shaped rock formations called fairy chimneys. Pamukkale is home to a series of natural terraced pools that collect mineral water as it cascades down the hillside (legend has it Cleopatra bathed here), while closer to the ground the ancient ruins of Ephesus give a glimpse into what life was like some 9,000 years ago.
Photo: Juan Maria Coy Vergara/Getty Images13/19Iceland
The word otherworldly gets tossed around a lot when describing beautiful terrain. But it’s use is probably most warranted in a place like Iceland, where a 197-foot waterfall crashes onto black sand (Skógafoss), steam rises from a massive geothermal spa (the Blue Lagoon), and it’s possible to explore glacier caves that take on white, black, and blue hues. All of this is truly otherworldly – so much so, in fact, that Iceland has been used as a stand-in for Mars during drone and rover testing.
Photo: Joe Regan/Getty Images14/19Mexico
Mexico’s natural beauty – which includes Caribbean coastline, Pacific beaches, underground rivers, mountains, and tropical jungles – is equally matched by its cultural allure. The country has 35 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as well as two UNESCO Cities of Design: Querétaro and Mexico City. The former, located in north-central Mexico, is a hub for architecture, while the latter is known for its world-class museums and culinary scene. Plus, like Peru, some of Mexico’s biggest draws are its ancient ruins, which include Mayan sites like Chichén Itzá, Tulum, and Cobá.
Photo: Martin Puddy/Getty Images15/19Singapore
The Southeast Asian city-state made our list of most beautiful cities, so it’s only right that it lands on the country list as well. Singapore’s modern architecture is unmatched – including its awe-inspiring Marina Bay Sands building, which looks like a cruise ship balancing atop three 55-story hotel towers. Then there’s Gardens by the Bay, the urban park that’s a celebration of horticulture, art, and architecture. Home to more than 1.5 million plants from every continent but Antartica, over 200 sculptures, and 18 solar-powered “supertrees” that house vertical gardens, Gardens by the Bay is representative of the wider country’s commitment to both natural beauty and innovation.
Photo: K'Nub/Getty Images16/19Sweden
Not only is Sweden a superb place to see the northern lights a solid seven months out of the year, it’s also one of the most sustainable countries in the world. The Nordic nation nabbed the number one spot on US News’s ranking of the Best Countries for Green Living, which points out that almost all of Sweden’s trash is recycled. Sweden also landed the top spot on the list of the world’s greenest countries from GreenMatch, thanks to its perfect score in protecting marine ecosystems. Other top countries for sustainability include Denmark, Finland, and the United Kingdom.
Photo: Walter Geiersperger/Getty IMages17/19Austria
The combination of mountains and lakes makes for an incredibly enticing pair, and Austria’s landscape is all about both. The Central European country has the largest share of the Alps, with 29% of the mountain range. And in addition to superb skiing, the Alpine environment also provides breathtaking spots to go for a dip or set sail. Take, for example, the Alpine village of Hallstatt, set on Lake Hallstatt in Upper Austria. Though it only has around 800 residents, Hallstatt attracts millions of visitors a year hoping to get an eyeful of its idyllic Alpine environs. In addition to its peaks and glimmering waters, the town has preserved 16th-century architecture that has helped the village earn UNESCO World Heritage status.
Photo: Joanne Wastchak/Getty Images18/19Costa Rica
Costa Rica, which translates to “rich coast,” has almost 800 miles of coastline along the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. All of that includes some 600 beaches, making for a swimming, surfing, and paddling paradise. The country is also a biodiversity wonderland, with 500,000 species of wildlife (it has 5% of the world’s total biodiversity). That’s due, in large part, to Costa Rica’s commitment to conservation. Twenty-five percent of the land is preserved through national parks, reserves, refuges, and protected lands.
Photo: Juan Maria Coy Vergara/Getty Images19/19Norway
Norway is a country filled with natural wonders, including its famous fjords. In fact, fjord is a Norwegian word, and the country has more than 1,000 of these long, narrow bodies of water surrounded by towering cliffs. Sognefjord, dubbed the King of Fjords, is a hot spot for hiking and cycling, and Geirangerfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to an 800-foot waterfall. Aurlandsfjord can even be explored by rail, a trip that’s been named one of the most beautiful train journeys on earth.
