Australia, we’ve got the look. The world’s most extraordinarily beautiful countries have just been ranked by a group of avid travel enthusiasts, and our stunning sunburnt country took out the eighth spot – trumping countries like Greece, the USA, Croatia and Indonesia, if we may add.
Ranking the most beautiful places in Australia, let alone the world, is no easy feat. I mean, can you really compare the bright blue lakes of Canada with the multicoloured mountain ranges in Arizona? Or the ancient bamboo forests in Japan to the majestic waterfalls in Hawaii? Online trip-planning company Rough Guides attempted to do just that. They asked their readers to vote on what they thought were the world’s most beautiful countries, and the results are in.
Claiming bragging rights as the most beautiful country worldwide is none other than our next-door neighbour, New Zealand. Mother Nature really shows her swagger on this 103,500-square-mile island, with multicoloured geothermal terrain, vast mountain ranges, gobsmacking glaciers, breathtaking beaches and picturesque lakes in every shade imaginable.
Claiming second place was Italy, whose beauty shines in all seasons, from the rolling vineyards of Tuscany to the glittery Amalfi Coast, dreamy islands of Sicily and Dolomite mountains. Rounding out the top five were Canada, Switzerland and France, with Australia being voted as the eighth most beautiful country in the world, just behind the UK and Norway.
From our pristine turquoise beaches and pink lakes to secret forests and ancient red deserts, Australia has it all. Time Out’s travel experts have curated a list of what we think are Australia’s most beautiful destinations here, and you can see the 20 most beautiful countries in the world, according to Rough Guides below:
- New Zealand
- Italy
- Canada
- Switzerland
- France
- United Kingdom
- Norway
- Australia
- Greece
- South Africa
- USA
- Chile
- Iceland
- Argentina
- Croatia
- India
- Indonesia
- Portugal
- Slovenia
- Japan
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Australia newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.