According to data from the World Population Review, these are the top six most-visited countries of all time in the world. This list includes the likes of France, China, and the United States. Did your nation make the cut? Check it out.

France – 89.4 million

France is one of the most loved travel spots in the world, famously known for its landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre-Dame, the Côte d’Azur, Versailles and Disneyland Paris. Its long history, culture, delicious food, and 54 UNESCO World Heritage Sites bring millions of visitors every year.

Spain – 83.7 million

Spain attracts travellers with its lively culture, old architecture, and sunny beaches. Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia and Madrid’s Prado Museum highlight Spain’s art, while the Alhambra in Granada shows Moorish beauty.

United States – 79.3 millions

The United States offers a variety of attractions for tourists, from the busy streets of New York City to the natural wonder of the Grand Canyon and the fun of Disney World in Florida.

The US also has 26 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Yellowstone National Park, and a well-developed tourism network that makes travel easy and enjoyable.

China – 65.7 million

China attracts people with its mix of ancient traditions and modern cities. The Great Wall stretches across mountains and valleys (nature), while the Forbidden City in Beijing reflects imperial history.

Italy – 64.5 million

Italy is home to 61 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is home to art, history, and food. The Colosseum and Pantheon in Rome are filled with echoes of ancient times, while Venice’s canals offer romantic charm and Florence’s Uffizi Gallery showcases Renaissance (a period in European civilisation that was marked by a revival of Classical learning and wisdom) masterpieces.

Turkey – 51.2 million

Turkey sits between Europe and Asia, offering a blend of cultures. In Istanbul, the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque stand as iconic landmarks, while Cappadocia offers breathtaking hot-air balloon rides. Ancient ruins such as Ephesus make the country a diverse and exciting destination.

Which European city tops your travel wishlist – Paris, Rome, or Venice? Explore 7 stunning cities across Europe filled with culture, history, and charm. These top destinations might just inspire your next unforgettable journey.

Paris, France

Known as the “City of Light”, Paris remains one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and a dream destination for travellers. With landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, and Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris blends rich history with vibrant culture. From its elegant boulevards to its romantic cafés along the Seine, the French capital is a must-visit on any European travel itinerary.

Rome, Italy

Rome is a city where history comes alive. As one of the best European cities for cultural exploration, the Italian capital is home to the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Vatican City. Its ancient ruins, Renaissance art, and lively piazzas make Rome one of the top destinations in Europe for travellers seeking a mix of heritage, cuisine, and modern charm.

Prague, Czech Republic

Nicknamed the “City of a Hundred Spires”, Prague’s skyline is a storybook scene of castles, Gothic churches, and Baroque palaces. Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, and Prague Castle make it one of the best European cities for history lovers. Its cobbled streets, medieval charm, and vibrant café culture ensure Prague stands out among the top destinations in Europe.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Famous for its scenic canals, historic houses, and vibrant art scene, Amsterdam is a city that blends tradition with modernity. As one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, it is loved for its museums, tulip gardens, and cycling culture. Whether cruising along the canals or exploring the Van Gogh Museum, visitors find Amsterdam a unique highlight of any European travel experience.

Venice, Italy

Venice’s romantic canals and Renaissance buildings make it one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. From gondola rides along the Grand Canal to exploring St. Mark’s Basilica, Venice is a timeless travel gem. Known for its unique charm and artistic allure, the “Floating City” secures its place among the top destinations in Europe for unforgettable travel experiences.

Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona dazzles with its Gothic architecture, Mediterranean beaches, and the striking works of Antoni Gaudí, including the iconic Sagrada Família. This Spanish gem ranks high among the most beautiful cities in Europe, offering a delightful mix of history, art, and nightlife. Travellers to Barcelona can enjoy both seaside leisure and cultural experiences, making it an essential stop for European travel.

Vienna, Austria

Vienna, the capital of classical music, is a cultural jewel among the best European cities to visit. With grand imperial palaces, elegant coffee houses, and world-class opera houses, Vienna offers travellers a taste of history and sophistication. Its Baroque architecture and musical legacy make it one of the top destinations in Europe for culture enthusiasts.

What if you are standing at an airport and suddenly witness a train rolling right across the runway instead of just seeing planes? This is exactly what Gisborne Airport in New Zealand is, where trains and aeroplanes are seen on the same runway but never at the same time. This airport makes the next wonder of the world, where a working railway line cuts directly across a main runway.

It is a small city with a one-of-a-kind airport, which is located on the eastern coast of New Zealand’s North Island. The airport is spread across 160 hectares and is intersected by the Palmerston North-Gisborne railway line, dividing the main runway nearly in half. The operating times of both the airport and railway lie between 6:30 am and 8:30 pm daily, after which they are closed.

The surprising part of this unusual setup is that trains and planes need to give way to each other because if an aircraft is passing through, a train will have to wait and vice versa. The most interesting part of it is that the airport controls the railway signals and halts trains when it is necessary to land or take off flights. And it also connects Gisborne to the nearby town of Muriwai.

What are the challenges?

At Gisborne Airport, the difficult part is to maintain timing as a train crosses the runway; it needs to stop and wait for permission from the air traffic control tower of the airport. Similarly, if a plane is required to take off or land, trains will have to be stopped until the runway is clear, and this condition applies vice versa for flights.

To keep passengers safe and operations smooth, airport staff and train operators always remain in constant contact with each other. This makes the management team at Gisborne Airport tackle the special challenge of ensuring trains and planes never meet at the crossing.

Surprisingly, the Wynyard Airport in Tasmania once had a similar pattern, but it ceased to operate in 2005. As a result, Gisborne was left with the only airport in the world where trains and flights are active on the same runway.

What would you guess the most visited cities in the world are? Tokyo? New York? The answer might just surprise you. Every year, millions of travelers chart familiar paths across the globe—be it for food, faith, fashion, or simply to stand in the shadow of a landmark they’ve seen a hundred times on screen. According to Euromonitor International’s City Destination Index, a handful of cities continue to rise above the rest, collecting more arrivals than anywhere else on earth. Some are expected, others less so, and together they paint a picture of how and why we travel today. Here are the 10 most visited cities in the world.

10. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur’s reputation is often reduced to the gleam of the Petronas Towers, but the city’s rhythm is best understood at street level. In Jalan Alor, satay skewers smoke over open flames while plastic stools spill into the road. Mosques call to prayer beside Taoist shrines lit with red lanterns; Indian spices mingle with the sweetness of tropical fruit. It’s this layering of cultures (Malay, Chinese, and Indian) that draws travelers in. More than 16 million arrived last year, many expecting a stopover, and found a city that rewards those willing to linger.

9. Paris, France

Paris has never fallen from the traveler’s imagination. Over 17 million visitors still make their way here each year, proof that its spell endures. The Eiffel Tower and the Louvre remain fixtures, but it’s the smaller moments that sustain its appeal: a croissant eaten on a wicker chair overlooking the street, a book discovered in the green boxes along the Seine, a wine glass catching the last light on a cafe terrace. The city’s charm lies in the Parisian lifestyle, one that travelers can’t seem to get enough of.

8. Macau, China

Macau welcomed 18 million visitors last year, many drawn to the neon of Cotai’s casino floor, yet the city’s true magnetism lies beyond its roulette wheels. Senado Square ripples with Portuguese mosaic pavements, pastel-colored churches recall a colonial past, and Cantonese food stalls line narrow streets where incense drifts from temples. Egg tarts, still baked to a 19th-century recipe, emerge warm from the oven. Macau’s appeal is in this juxtaposition, part Europe and part southern China, a place where travelers encounter the improbable layering of two worlds within the same city.

7. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dubai ranked seventh, with close to 18 million visitors last year, drawn to a city that offers everything in one place. Towering hotels, Michelin-starred dining, designer shopping, and white-sand beaches sit minutes apart, wrapped in a sense of polish that makes the everyday feel indulgent. It’s this promise of luxury, whether a desert safari ending with dinner under the stars or a weekend spent between spas, malls, and rooftop bars, that keeps people returning. Dubai has built a reputation on spectacle, but its true allure is the assurance that whatever you want, you can have it here.

6. Antalya, Türkiye

Just over 19 million travelers made their way to Antalya in 2024, establishing it as one of the Mediterranean’s busiest resort cities. The coastline offers the easy promise of beaches and turquoise bays, but history remains woven into daily life. The old town, Kaleiçi, hides narrow streets lined with Ottoman houses, while the harbor still follows the curve of its Roman foundations. Beyond the resorts, mountain peaks rise sharply behind the city, a reminder of the landscapes that once shaped ancient Lycian settlements. Antalya thrives on this interplay between resort ease and visible antiquity, and so do its visitors.

5. Mecca, Saudi Arabia

No other city on this list carries quite the same weight as Mecca. More than 19 million pilgrims traveled to the Holy City last year, arriving for Hajj or Umrah. Here, movement is ritual, not leisure: circles made around the Kaaba, prayers woven into the architecture of the Grand Mosque, the rhythm of faith amplified across nations. Unlike other destinations, Mecca’s draw is not the diversity of experience, but rather the singularity of meaning. Its place among the most visited cities on earth is a testament to devotion, shaping the largest flow of religious travel in the modern world.

4. Hong Kong, China

In fourth place with more than 20 million arrivals, Hong Kong holds its place as a city that condenses a great deal into very little space. Ferries still cross Victoria Harbour with the same regularity they have for over a century, even as the skyline grows higher around them. Food is a constant lure—from dim sum mornings to late-night noodle shop stops—but so is escape, with hiking trails and island ferries only minutes from the financial core. It sits high on the list because the city never forces a choice between pace and pause; it offers both, side-by-side.

3. London, United Kingdom

London holds the third spot on the list, welcoming nearly 22 million visitors last year. Its enduring appeal lies in the centuries-old cathedrals and abbeys, the Crown Jewels and Shakespeare’s Globe. But between the centuries of history, the city still manages to reinvent itself daily through food halls in warehouses, avant-garde theatre in Soho or pop-ups that vanish as quickly as they arrive. Travelers may come for Big Ben or Buckingham Palace, but it’s the neighborhoods—each tube stop a different character—that give London the weight to remain one of the world’s most visited capitals.

2. Istanbul, Türkiye

In 2024, more than 23 million travelers arrived in Istanbul, a city that still thrives on crossings. Ferries trace the Bosphorus from morning until night, carrying commuters between continents. In Sultanahmet, the blue tiles of the mosque catch the same light that falls on the domes of Hagia Sophia across the square. Bazaars stocked with saffron and copper sit streets away from galleries and cafés that speak to a younger rhythm. The attraction is not one landmark but the accumulation; layers of empire and culture, past and present, visible at every turn.

1. Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok tops the list, welcoming more than 32 million visitors in 2024. The city moves at full tilt: tuk-tuks threading through traffic, long-tail boats skimming the Chao Phraya, food stalls filling the night air with lime, chili, and charcoal smoke. Monks collect alms at dawn outside temples gilded in gold leaf, while above the chaos, rooftop bars stretch the skyline into the distance. Yet step into the canals and the pace slows, revealing wooden houses and quiet markets that feel unchanged with time. Bangkok draws people for its contrasts, crowded and calm, sacred and frenetic, all contained within one restless capital.