Update: Since our article got a lot of love from the StumbleUpon community, we have decided to add videos to each location in this list. Thank you for supporting us!
Have you ever had a dream of flying like a bird? For me, flying would be the ultimate experience and I would be able to live my dream of visiting all the important cities in the world. Being sparked by this idea, I have collected 23 aerial images that depict flying over the city perfectly, showing the world, clearly, specifically, through the eyes of a bird. Enjoy!
Chicago Skyline, USA
Quick fact: Chicago River is the only river in the world that flows backward. Also, the first blood bank in the United States was created in Chicago in 1937. City view photo credits: Robert Elves
Tulip Fields, The Netherlands
Quick fact: Tulips were imported into Holland in the sixteenth century from the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey). City view photo credit: Normann Szkop
Bern, Switzerland
Quick fact: Berne’s Old Town has streets with different colours – green, white, yellow and burgundy. This is a hangover from when Napoleon conquered the city in 1798. His troops were largely illiterate so the coloured signs were used to help them find their quarters. City view photo credits: imgur.com
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Quick fact: Dubrovnik’s 1395 Insurance Law is the oldest in Europe. In 1979, UNESCO added the city of Dubrovnik in the list of World Heritage Centers. City view photo credit: Michael Phillipr
Paris, France
Quick fact: France is the most visited country in the world: 83 million tourists in 2012. City view photo credit: imgur.com
Shanghai, China
Quick fact: Shanghai is the largest city in the world, with a population of over 24 million in 2016. It is now believed that the city has reached the 25 million mark since then. City view photo credit: Mike Hedge
Capetown, South Africa
Quick fact: Cape Town was appointed the best place in the world to visit by the New York Times in 2014. City view photo credit: imgur.com
Vancouver, Canada
Quick fact: Vancouver is also called “Hollywood of the North”, since the city comes 2nd in TV production and 3rd in movie production across North America (after Los Angeles and New York). City view photo credit: Evan Leeson
Male, Maldives
Quick fact: Because of the country’s strict Islamic beliefs, alcohol is forbidden outside of resorts. Male city view photo credit: Mohamed Abdulla Shafeeg
Seattle, U.S.A.
Quick fact: The land that is now the city of Seattle has been inhabited for at least 4,000 years. Seattle city view photo credits: thatcherphotography.com
Giza Pyramids, Egypt
Quick fact: The pyramids were built around 2589 and 2504 BC. They estimated to have around 2,300,000 stone blocks that weigh from 2 to 30 tons each. Some blocks used here weigh over 50 tons. Giza Pyramids photo credit: satimagingcorp.com
Bac Son Valley, Vietnam
Quick fact: It is best to visit this location from April to November. In that period of time, the rice fields cover the valley and view becomes a fairy tale landscape. Bac Son Valley, Vietnam city view photo credit: Hai Thinh, 500px.com
Marina Bay, Dubai
Quick fact: This is a beautiful artificial canal city, whose design is based on Vancouver’s False Creek. Marina Bay, Dubai city view photo credit: airpano.com
Terraced Rice Fields, China
Quick fact: China is the world’s top producer and consumer of rice. It produces and consumes a third of the world’s rice, about 200 million tons a year. Photo credits: Thierry Bornier
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Quick fact: The name of the city is Portuguese for ‘River of January’ and was given to the city by the captaincy of the Portuguese Empire in 1565, the date the city was established. City view photo credits: Antonello
Vatican City
Quick fact: Vatican City is the smallest city in the world and it is located within the city of Rome. Photo credit: Randy P
Lake in Pomerania, Poland
Lake in Pomerania, Poland. Photo credits: Kacper Kowalski
Barcelona, Spain
Quick fact: Barcelona is the only city in the world awarded a Royal Gold Medal for architecture by Royal Institute of British Architects. City view photo credit: Aldas Kirvaitis
Dubai Islands
Quick fact: Dubai City is considered one of the safest cities in the world and the crime rate is close to 0%. City view photo credit: imgur.com
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Quick fact: Amsterdam is located in the Netherlands. It is a city built on water and most of the building within the city are built on long poles. Even so, the city is slowly sinking as we speak and local authorities are trying really hard to stop this process. City view photo credit: Cris Toala Olicares
Niagara Falls, Canada
Quick fact: Length of brink: 1060 feet /323.08 meters, height: 176 feet / 53.6 meters, volume of water: 150,000 U.S. Gallons / 567,811 liters per second. City view photo credits: thezooom.com
Namib Desert, Namibia
Quick fact: The Namib experiences less than 1cm of rain annually. The word ‘Namib’ origins from Nama and it means ‘open space’. It is believed that this is the oldest desert in the world. City view photo credit: SysaWorld Roberto Moiola
Central Park, New York City
Quick fact: Central Park is located in the midst of Manhattan island. Thousands of years ago, this area was covered and surrounded by glaciers. The last of them (Wisconsin Glacier) melted away 12,000 years ago. Photo credit: Sergey Semenov