Skylines Ranking. Cities visited from February 2016 to February 2020.
20. Davao
King City of the South. Davao is the Philippines’ largest city in terms of land area. It is also the home of the country’s highest peak, Mount Apo, and home to the world’s largest eagle in terms of length and wing surface, the Philippine Eagle. A good view of the city can be seen at Jack’s Ridge.
19. Daejeon
Korea’s Silicon Valley. Located in the central region of South Korea, Daejeon serves as a hub of transportation and is at the crossroads of major transport routes. The city of Daejeon is also a leading hub in the field of R&D and higher education in Northeast Asia.
18. Cebu
Queen City of the South. Cebu is the Philippines’ oldest city and first capital. One of the best places to view the city is on the top of its former tallest building, Crown Regency Hotel. A nice skyline view is also seen at the Taoist Temple.
17. Zhuhai
Pearl Sea. Zhuhai is situated at the southern part of China’s Guangdong Province. It is one of the original Special Economic Zones as well as one of China’s premier tourist destinations, being called the Chinese Riviera. The Zhuhai Tower is currently the tallest completed building at 328.8 meters.
16. Macau
World’s Gaming Capital. Many of the buildings in the Macau skyline are sister casinos to the big names in Vegas such as MGM, Wynn and Sands. Some of the most impressive structures on my list are the Grand Lisboa and Morpheus Hotel.
15. Sharjah
Rising Sun. Sharjah is the only emirate that shares borders with the rest of the other emirates in UAE, it mixes the modern and urban with culture and tradition. It was also named by UNESCO as Arab Capital of Culture. The tallest building in the city is Al Ayaan Sharjah Gate Tower.
14. Taipei
Home of 101. The skyline is dominated by Taipei 101, world’s tallest building from 2004 to 2010. It was designed to resemble a gigantic bamboo stalk and currently holds the title of the world’s tallest green building. A preferred view of the skyline is from the Elephant Mountain.
13. Abu Dhabi
Land of Gazelle. In the early 1960s, Abu Dhabi was a small village. Today, the city has a strikingly glassy skyline filled with uniquely designed skyscrapers such as the coin-shaped Aldar headquarters, ‘pineapple building’ Al Bahr Tower and the iconic Etihad Towers.
12. Busan
Korea’s Summer Capital. Busan has the country’s busiest ports and ranks 5th in the world. Drop by at the yacht club for one of the best photo spots including the Marine City, a cluster of luxurious skyscrapers adjacent to Haeundae Beach.
11. Jakarta
The Big Durian. Glassy skyscrapers, wide roads, friendly people, awesome street food and an amazing nightscape. An underrated destination and definitely included on top of my most enjoyed trips. The 24-year old Wisma 46 aka the Fountain Pen building is still a must see iconic structure.
10. (Metro) Manila
Pearl of the Orient. Manila is among if not the most densely populated city in the world. As such, skyscrapers are everywhere. A distinct feature of the metro is that skylines are formed into various clusters, which the most concentration of buildings are located in Makati, Bonifacio Global City and Ortigas. The Grand Hyatt Manila is the tallest building and the first supertall in the country since its completion in 2017.
9. Bangkok
City of Angels. The most visited city in the world has also one of the best skylines. There’s the pixelated building Mahanakhon, rooftop bars, and the Iconsiam complex, which houses the city’s tallest skyscrapers and one of the world’s largest malls.
The city has also the longest name in the world: Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit. Yeah right, let’s just settle for Bangkok, mere mortals.
8. Shenzhen
China’s Silicon Valley. Shenzhen used to be a small fishing village. Now, it has the tallest building built in 2017, currently the fourth tallest in the world, Ping An Finance Center. I took the photo from Shun Hing Square, having the city’s current and former tallest buildings in one viewpoint.
7. Seoul
The land of the morning calm. Seoul’s skyline is a brilliant blend of greenery and skyscrapers. The city’s tallest building and the world’s 6th, Lotte World Tower is a must-see. Seoul is set in an elevation surrounded by a group of mountains adding to its appeal.
Photo taken from the N Seoul Tower.
6. Kuala Lumpur
The Garden City of Lights. Kuala Lumpur is known for its Petronas Twin Towers, world’s tallest buildings from 1998 to 2004. It still holds the record for the world’s tallest twin buildings. The city has a variety of influences, ranging from Asian to modern and postmodern architecture.
The city just finished the supertall Exchange 106 and currently constructing the world’s second tallest building, the 644m Merdeka PNB 118.
5. Singapore
The Lion City. Singapore has an impressive skyline formed within the constraints of city-wide planning regulations. A thought out urban street plan with a skyscraper restriction of 280 meters resulted in a visually stunning consistent building height and space pattern. It has the second and third most expensive buildings in the world, the Resorts World Sentosa and the Marina Bay Sands.
Photo taken from the Singapore Flyer.
4. Tokyo
Home of the Skytree. The densely populated mega-city of Tokyo is a sea of flashing neon lights and high-rise structures that reaches skyward under the view of the Mount Fuji range. The Tokyo Tower, a red and white tower by day, is transformed into a bright golden tower come nightfall. The city is known for being well organized, respectful, clean, crowded, disciplined, modern, punctual, having delicious food and high tech toilets. They also have the world’s tallest tower, the Tokyo Skytree.
3. Dubai
City of Gold. Dubai is a city filled with towering skyscrapers and several man-made wonders. It is the home of the world’s current tallest building, tallest hotel, largest man-made islands and the fastest police cars. Dubai Creek Tower is also under construction, a structure higher than Burj Khalifa.
Photo taken from ‘At the Top’, Burj Khalifa’s observation deck.
2. Shanghai
Paris of the East. Shanghai is home to the world’s second tallest skyscraper and a host of other neck-craning colossi. My favorite views are from the Bund and from the Lujiazui circular footbridge where you can see the Oriental Pearl Tower up close and ‘The Trinity‘, the city’s three tallest buildings side by side.
Photo taken from the Bund.
1. Hong Kong
World’s Most Vertical City. Hong Kong tops the list. It’s massive, dense and luminous. View the skyline from the Victoria Peak or watch ‘A Symphony of Lights’, the largest of its kind in the world. The city holds the title of the most number of skyscrapers.
Photo taken from the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade.
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