When you’re in the midst of an urban environment, it’s easy not to get the entire picture. Surrounded by buildings, it’s hard to grasp what the city looks like on a grander scale. In order to do that, you have to head a bit outside of it or right to the top of it. When you do that, you’ll register some of the best “wow” moments of your travels when you view a fantastic city skyline, and it may very well lead you to some unexpected destinations, when you spy something you never would have seen without this comprehensive view and say, “What’s that? I have to go there.” These are my favorites.

#1 New York, New York

One of the best things about the New York skyline—by which I mean Manhattan—is the myriad vantage points from which to view it, each offering a unique vista. The West Side of Manhattan is best seen from New Jersey, while Brooklyn and Queens offer spectacular views of the East Side. Downtown Manhattan is jaw-dropping when you’re on the water, aboard a ferry or a water taxi. You can also head up to the top of some skyscrapers and get a much closer 360-degree panorama, say, from One World Trade Center or Top of the Rock. From any of these locations, you’re able to see some of the city’s 316 skyscrapers (buildings that are taller than 492’)—a number topped only by Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China. You’ll see some of the most recognizable, like the United Nations Headquarters, the Woolworth Building, the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, and the Citigroup Center. You’ll also view riverside parks and 15 bridges, 14 of which are on the East Side; only the George Washington Bridge links New Jersey to Manhattan. It’s an unmistakable skyline, filled with engineering marvels and iconic structures, surrounded by water. And it’s one I get to enjoy on a daily basis along the Brooklyn Heights Promenade in my very own neighborhood.

#2 Stockholm, Sweden

Walking through the streets of Stockholm is truly delightful, with its perfect blend of built environment, parks, and water. But to get a more expansive view, I headed to the top of the tower in City Hall. From here, I was rewarded with a beautiful view of the Venice of the North, particularly its historic islands of Gamla Stan, Riddarholmen, and Helgeandsholmen. Stockholm’s watery inlets, bridges, and church steeples unfold unobstructed before you, and you can easily spy the Parliament buildings and the Royal Palace. Don’t forget to look up at the verdigris statues topping City Hall itself, especially St. Erik and St. Nicholas.

#3 Seattle, Washington

I was loving Seattle (except for the daily rain)—the café and bookstore scene, the great Hotel Sorrento, the handsome Smith Tower, the freshness of the air, Chihuly Garden and Grass, the Seattle Asian Art Museum, the fascinating underground city. For a comprehensive view, I took advantage of two opportunities. One was to head to the top of the Space Needle on a very welcome clear evening. From here, I had a 360-degree view of all of Seattle, from its skyscraper-filled downtown to its suburbs, from the lakes to the bays, to Mount Rainier, about 90 miles away. The second was aboard a ferry in Elliott Bay on the way to Bainbridge Island—one of the world’s best boat rides. The entire skyline unfolds before you for miles, and it’s especially attractive at night, when the buildings are ablaze with lights.

#4 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Although it’s not perfect, the air quality in Pittsburgh has greatly improved from its shocking, and very visible, nadir in the mid-1900s. That means you can get a wonderfully clear view of the city, especially when you take the Duquesne Incline, a historic funicular built in 1877, up to the top of Mount Washington. At this height, Pennsylvania’s second-largest city spreads out in triangular wonder. The skyscrapers of downtown come to a halt as they march westwards, giving way to the open 36-acre Point State Park at the very edge of the city’s pie-shaped core. The city’s iconic yellow bridges cross the Allegheny River to the north and the Monongahela River to the south of this wedge right before the confluence of the two, forming the very beginning of the Ohio River.

#5 Tallinn, Estonia

It was hard to believe, but the view of Old Town Tallinn I was enjoying from the very narrow observation platform at the top of the tower of St. Olav’s Church was basically the same view that people here would have had centuries before. Little has changed in Tallinn’s historic core, for which I was grateful—this is a beautiful city. From a height of 406’ (trimmed down from the original 521’, when the church was reputedly the tallest building in the world, from 1549 to 1625), I was able to look down at this remarkable city—at the orange tile roofs of the houses and the towers of the centuries’-old wall that rings the city; at the church steeples, spires, and domes; at quirky weather vanes; at snake-like streets; at the green parks that almost completely encircle Old Town. Beyond lies the Gulf of Finland and the cruise ships that have made Tallinn a favorite port of call as well as the ferry that had brought me here from Helsinki. To enjoy this bird’s-eye view, I had to climb 258 steps in claustrophobic stairways with rope bannisters—and it was completely worth the effort.

Five Runners-Up

• Venice, Italy (viewed from the top of San Giorgio Maggiore)
• Edinburgh, Scotland (viewed from North Bridge)
• Helsinki, Finland (viewed from South Harbor)
• Calgary, Alberta (viewed from Bow River Pathway Bridge at Memorial Drive)
• Bern, Switzerland (viewed from Kirchenfeld Bridge)

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