It can be hard to understand the sheer scope of a destination when bound to the ground. That's why some of the most striking travel photos are snapped from above, often with the help of ascendent drones.
From the vantage point of the sky, fog settling in over the Golden Gate Bridge appears like an eerie gathering storm. The staggering skyscrapers of Manhattan, Shanghai and Hong Kong look smaller, yet somehow even more impressive. And the vibrantly colored architecture of Kathmandu and Vienna seem like they're from a painting.
We scouted out some of the most breathtaking aerial shots of destinations, to help the earthbound see the world anew.
Hong Kong
DKart / Getty Images
New York City, USA
From straight above, Manhattan's towering skyline looks disarmingly small. Predrag Vuckovic / Getty Images
Mexico City
Trajinera boats fill a canal within the Mexico City borough of Xochimilco. Alija / Getty Images
Prague, Czech Republic
Beer gardens draw the masses to Old Town Square in Prague. borchee / Getty Images
Venice, Italy
Footage Factory / Getty Images
Vancouver, Canada
Stanley Park and the Pacific Ocean are divided by seawall in Vancouver. jamesvancouver / Getty Images
Tokyo, Japan
A highway junction in Japan looks particularly impressive at night from the sky. Melpomenem / Getty Images
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Costa Esmeralda beach in Buenos Aires is lined with sun umbrellas on a summer day. Juan Cruz Mountford / Getty Images
Moscow, Russia
Zhivopisny suspension bridge spans Moskva River in Moscow. toxawww / Getty Images
Singapore Island, Singapore
Lim Weixiang - Zeitgeist Photos / Getty Images
Paris, France
The iconic Arc de Triomphe is the center of activity in Paris. Alija / Getty Images
Bangkok, Thailand
From on high, the vehicles in a Bangkok roundabout look like toy cars. wissanu01 / Getty Images
San Francisco, USA
The Golden Gate Bridge is shrouded in a blanket of fog. MR1805 / Getty Images
Jeju Island, South Korea
Tatiana / Getty Images
Laguna Beach, California
AleMoraes244 / Getty Images
Guangzhou, China
ispyfriend / Getty Images
London, UK
PhotoLondonUK / Getty Images
Fort Lauderdale, USA
The ocean, beachgoers and the street, side by side by side in Fort Lauderdale. GabrielPevide / Getty Images
Kiev, Ukraine
A turbine road interchange is blanketed in fresh snow in Kiev. RoNeDya / Getty Images
Shanghai, China
The curving Shanghai Tower, the tallest building in China, soars. ansonmiao / Getty Images
Vienna, Austria
Vienna's bold, patterned architectural designs are breathtaking when viewed from an aerial perspective. adisa / Getty Images
Sydney, Australia
In Sydney, sailing boats appear as specks on the sea. JohnnyGreig / Getty Images
Kathmandu, Nepal
miroslav_1 / Getty Images
Mordogan, Turkey
A lone ship traverses the harbor in Mordogan, a seaside township in Turkey's Izmir Province. bodrumsurf / Getty Images
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Sea meets white sand meets river meets land in Sao Paulo. filipefrazao / Getty Images
Primosten, Croatia
A bird's eye view of the adriatic town of Primosten makes the buildings look like Monopoly houses. rusm / Getty Images
Seattle, USA
The streets intersect to form a near-perfect cross in the heart of Seattle. OpenRangeStock / Getty Images
Icmeler, Turkey
The beach from above in the holiday resort of Icmeler pops with color. den-belitsky / Getty Images
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Tanzania's most populous city is a sea of rust and turquoise. Moiz Dossaji / Getty Images
Miami, USA
The green Atlantic fringes sandy shores dotted with sun umbrellas in Miami. SEASTOCK / Getty Images
Trang Province, Thailand
A lush mangrove forest is captured from the sky in Thailand. primeimages / Getty Images
Rzeszow, Poland
You can feel the chill when looking at this image from frozen Rzeszow. benkrut / Getty Images
Vilnius, Lithuania
A hot-air balloon flies through the skies above Vilnius. Aleh Varanishcha / Getty Images
Chicago, Illinois
franckreporter / Getty Images
Singapore
Diversity Studio / Getty Images
San Francisco, California
adamkaz / Getty Images
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
ASMR / Getty Images
Downtown, Los Angeles
adamkaz / Getty Images
Sao Paolo, Brazil
FG Trade / Getty Images
Barcelona, Spain
Manel Subirats / Getty Images
Seattle, Washington
AdonisVillanueva / Getty Images
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Ana Catarina Teles / Getty Images
Dubrovnik, Croatia
samael334 / Getty Images
Palermo, Italy
travelism / Getty Images
Shenzhen, Guangdong
CHUNYIP WONG / Getty Images
Hong Kong at Night
tampatra / Getty Images