Cheapflights.com Spotlights Signature Skylines
October 09 2012 - 11:23AM
Marketwired
New York City's Empire State Building; Paris' Eiffel Tower;
Sydney's Opera House -- each of these world-renowned city landmarks
is an icon in its own right. They are all also cornerstones of some
the most recognizable skylines in the world. Skylines are like the
fingerprint of a city with no two that are identical. The travel
experts at Cheapflights.com, the online leader in finding and
publishing travel deals, took a spin around the globe in search of
the best and most beautiful of these cityscapes and came up with
their Top 10 City Skylines. When traveling to these destinations,
make sure to book a window seat in order to get the bird's eye view
of these fascinating skylines.
Below are five of Cheapflights.com's Top 10 City Skylines from
five different continents:
- Hong Kong - Packed with more skyscrapers
and people living above the 14th floor (read: that makes it a
'vertical city') than any other city on the planet, Hong Kong and
its skyline are transforming by the day. Towering across the
impressive panorama -- best seen from above at Victoria Peak and
below from Victoria Harbour -- is the HSBC Main Building, I. M.
Pei's Bank of China Tower and the International Commerce Centre (at
1,588 feet, the last is the world's third-largest building). We
don't anticipate that high-rise construction in the neon-lit city
will slow anytime soon, so keep an eye out for Hong Kong's latest
architectural wonders.
- New York City, New York - The Empire
State Building, the Chrysler Building, the MetLife Building -- need
we go on? Manhattan's epic skyline is synonymous with the diversity
and possibility that echo through New York City's gridded streets.
Whether it's a view of the Financial District from the Brooklyn
Bridge or a look at Midtown from the Hudson River, the Big Apple's
stretch of landmarks, from Brooklyn to the Bronx, is a recognizable
sight to behold.
- Sydney, Australia - There are few
buildings more iconic than the Sydney Opera House, so it's hard not
to see it as the figurative centerpiece of the clustered, modern
skyline of Sydney. The distinctive modernist roof of the
multi-venue performance center (the UNESCO World Heritage Site is
not just for operas) looks like either a series of shells or the
sails of a vast schooner. Other buildings -- like 1 Bligh Street,
Sydney Tower and MLC Centre -- similarly represent the best in
world-class architecture, making the skyline of Australia's largest
city -- which overlooks the historic and beautiful Sydney Harbour
-- unforgettable.
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Its defining
landmark is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, so it should
come as no surprise that Rio's skyline made our cut. Is there a
more iconic monument than the city's Christ the Redeemer statue
atop Corcovado Mountain? "Marvelous City," as its nickname
translates, covers a stretch of Brazil's Atlantic Coast that blends
natural wonders seamlessly with man-made achievements. Millions
live together in the socioeconomically divided city, which has
preserved churches and buildings since the 1500s. The dichotomies
of the skyline and the people -- old and new, rich and poor -- are
the pulse of Rio de Janeiro.
- Paris, France - Utterly flat compared to
our other picks, Paris owes its top-10 worthiness mostly to its
landmarks that romantically dot the City of Light's cityscape.
After one visit to Sacré Cur Basilica at the top of Montmartre --
complete with an aerial view of a glistening skyline, poetically
interrupted by the Eiffel Tower -- travelers seem to understand the
magic of Paris. Trace its broad boulevards -- from the Arc de
Triomphe down the Champs Elysées to Concorde and the Musée du
Louvre -- and admire the city's unparalleled urban planning
feats.
The other cities rounding out our list of top skylines are:
Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Chicago, Illinois; Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia; Shanghai, China; and Moscow, Russia. To find out more
about what makes these cities special and to read
Cheapflights.com's complete Top 10 City Skylines, visit
http://news.cheapflights.com/top-10-city-skylines.
About Cheapflights Media Cheapflights
Media is an international media network helping over 11 million
visitors a month find top travel deals. Our Cheapflights brand was
launched in 1996 and pioneered the online comparison of flight
deals for users. Today, users compare a wide range of deals from
hundreds of partners including online travel agents, consolidators
and airlines to find the very best flight deals. With a mission to
be the starting point for travel, Cheapflights works to deliver the
industry's best airfare bargains, expert tips and inspiration.
There are currently Cheapflights sites in the U.K., U.S., Canada,
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more information, visit www.cheapflights.com. Our newest brand,
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comprehensive worldwide pricing and availability on airfares.
Winner of several awards, the site is ideal for users on specific
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