The 25 most stunning skylines in the world

17. London, England - London's skyline is usually recognized for Big Ben, the London Eye, and the Palace of Westminster, but its cityscape provides an equally impressive collection of buildings like the Pinnacle, 30 St Mary Axe (previously Swiss Re building, but better known as the Gherkin), and Tower 42.

9 / 30 Fotos

16. Jakarta, Indonesia - The capital of Indonesia has one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, and its most distinctive building, Wisma 46, is the tallest building in the country.

10 / 30 Fotos

15. San Francisco, USA - The iconic Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay push the city's already-impressive skyline to the next level.

11 / 30 Fotos

14. Bangkok, Thailand - Bangkok's scattered skyline reflects the city's explosive growth, and displays so much beauty in its chaos.

12 / 30 Fotos

13. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - The enormous and instantly recognizable Christ the Redeemer statue is the cherry on top of Rio's stunning skyline, which mixes the best of man-made and mother nature's architecture.

13 / 30 Fotos

12. Beijing, China - Especially since hosting the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, Beijing's infrastructure has seen fantastic growth. Its skyline features the unique CCTV Headquarters with a radical new shape that no city has seen before.

14 / 30 Fotos

11. Sydney, Australia - The iconic Sydney Opera House, in combination with its highly-developed urban center, lands Australia's most populous city on this list.

15 / 30 Fotos

10. Houston, USA - The largest city in Texas has over 45 high-rises that exceed 427 ft (130 m), making for an impressive skyline scene from more than one angle.

16 / 30 Fotos

9. Shenzhen, China - Not too long ago, Shenzhen was just a small fishing village. Now it's commonly referred to as China's "skyscraper capital."

17 / 30 Fotos

8. Seattle, USA - The combination of the Space Needle Observation Tower and Mount Rainer looming in the background makes Seattle's skyline hard to forget.

18 / 30 Fotos

7. Tokyo, Japan - Tokyo's skyline accurately represents the city's reputation as the largest metropolitan area in the world. The Tokyo Sky Tree, jutting out from the skyline, is the tallest tower (and the second tallest structure) in the world.

19 / 30 Fotos

6. Toronto, Canada - Toronto's iconic CN Tower—the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere—in combination with the Rogers Centre and the downtown core's impressive buildings, lands Toronto in the top 10.

20 / 30 Fotos

5. Chicago, USA - The Windy City's skyline shows off the Willis Tower, the second-tallest skyscraper in the United States.

21 / 30 Fotos

4. City-state of Singapore - Singapore's air-traffic control limits how tall its buildings can be, but the city-state still manages to stun with unique structures like the Helix Bridge buildings and the shell-like Gardens by the Bay park.

22 / 30 Fotos

3. Seoul, South Korea - Seoul's impressive skyline is highlighted by the Lotte World Tower, which has 123 floors and is the tallest building in the country.

23 / 30 Fotos

2. New York City, USA - New York City is home to the most skyscrapers in the world, including world-famous and culturally significant structures like the Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, and more.

24 / 30 Fotos

1. Hong Kong, China - Hong Kong's impressive architecture takes the cake, offering an expertly-designed skyline with over 7,000 high-rises—and four of the tallest 20 skyscrapers in the world—set against a gorgeous mountainous backdrop.

25 / 30 Fotos

Honorable mention: Istanbul, Turkey - Turkey's largest city hosts the Istanbul Sapphire, the tallest building in the country, but its more historic structures create a divine skyline that deserves recognition.

26 / 30 Fotos

Honorable mention: Moscow, Russia - The city's downtown core flaunts an incredible skyline of modern buildings that reflects its wealthy population.

27 / 30 Fotos

Honorable mention: Macau, China - Gambling and tourism are a large part of this city's revenue, pulling in more money than Las Vegas. The casinos and hotels bring so much life to its skyline at night.

28 / 30 Fotos

Honorable mention: Dallas, USA -

Dallas' skyline isn't extremely new and although it has high-rises like the Bank of America Plaza which reaches 921 ft, its best feature is the colorful, interactive lighting that adds a layer of festivity and celebration to this already beautiful skyline.

Sources: (List25)

29 / 30 Fotos

Shutterstock

0 / 30 Fotos

1 / 30 Fotos

2 / 30 Fotos

23. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - The twin buildings of this capital's skyline are the Petronas Towers. They're the tallest twin structures in the world.

3 / 30 Fotos

22. Frankfurt, Germany - Frankfurt maintains its traditional low-rise European structures, but it has also crafted a modern, high-rise district that lands it in the top 25 skylines in the world.

4 / 30 Fotos

5 / 30 Fotos

20. Boston, USA - One of America's oldest cities, Boston's skyline paints its waterfront in a dazzling display at night.

6 / 30 Fotos

19. Panama City, Panama - Central America's most impressive skyline can be found in Panama City, where high-rises line the curved waterfront.

7 / 30 Fotos

18. Paris, France - One of the most iconic and recognizable skylines in the world, the "City of Love" has a near-permanent place on this list.

8 / 30 Fotos