Question posted for the well traveled folks on the board.

Which area takes the cake?

This is entirely subjective, but I'll give it a shot. I've been fortunate to see a lot, not necessarily the typical "beautiful places" such as Hawaii or Fiji but for me, Torres del Paine in Chilean Patagonia is pretty unbelievable. Just incredible landscapes and breathtaking views. Some world-class hiking, too.

I tend to favor coastal areas in my travels. The beach on Saona island in the DR or Cassis, France from the cliffs overlooking the city are up there. Instagram has ruined it, but Oa on Santorini as well.

If I had to pick one, it would be Patagonia.

But if I can divide between beach and mountains, then Patagonia and specific islands in the Philippines. But I have a lot of places under my belt and they are all beautiful in a different way. I mean, there are parts of Vietnam and Kenya I think are out of this world beautiful.

Patagonia is on m my bucket list, but of the places I've been, the southIsland of NZ takes the cake.

For me, so far, the small islands of Thailand and Lake Tahoe.

I have a bunch of the world I would still like to see.

White Bay in BVI. I've not been to Switzerland but the pictures look amazing.

Wife and I did much of the western coast of France this Spring and it was beautiful. However, to jump on the bandwagon with many others here, it's probably Switzerland. A friend and his family visited another friend of ours who now lives in Switzerland. The pictures I've seen from their trip don't even look real.

Hard to dispute the beauty of the American Parks, but Tibet and Bhutan have some of the most magnificent sites ever. The mountain size has an ominous beauty that is somewhat scary.
Bali in the early 70's late 60's was truly magnificent with most of the island lacking electricity and everything with kerosene lamps lacking in the clamorous noise of vehicles and tourists.

I think so far it has to be Maui for me, but we are headed to the Norwegian fjords next week... that may be taking the cake

For me, sitting at the sea organ in Zadar, Croatia, watching the sun set over the barrier island.

Canadian Rockies for me

Danger Mouse said:

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From my personal travels, Switzerland. Lots of beautiful places, but for me Switzerland really stands out.

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when my plane was a few miles from touchdown in Zurich, people had their phones out taking photos of the countryside. Absolutely gorgeous scenery!

HollywoodBQ actually has the correct answer. It's an impossible question and completely subjective.

Mine are:

Sky Pond in Rocky Mountain National Park
North-central Yellowstone
Swiss Alps
Rural Bavaria
Looking south from The Eagle's Nest at Königssee and the German/Austrian border
Lake Como, Italy

I prefer the mountains. I've not been to Hawaii. But the beaches of St. John are pretty great - Maho, Cinnamon, Trunk, etc.

I'll play

Lake Louise
New Hampshire in the fall
RMNP in the winter
Kenai FJords NP
Scottish Highlands

It's interesting to me that we are all mostly choosing natural beauty. There are some beautiful cities, but it's a different kind of beauty.

I'll add Cefalu, Sicily to the list. They have a gorgeous cemetery, and the view as you leave the harbor by boat is jaw dropping. The entire city is beautiful - clean, well kept, and just charming.

Valley of the Temples (also in Sicily) is also beautiful with its architectural ruins.

The rooftop view of Florence is also stunning because the Duomo is such a prominent and imposing feature of the skyline. Street view is also gorgeous because you get peeks and glimpses of the Duomo around most corners.

And you can't leave out Venice. The water lapping right up against the buildings, the bridges, and St Mark's Square and Cathedral.

The prettiest place I have been is the Canadian Rockies but my son is on a Study Abroad through A&M in France right now and he and his friends took a weekend trip to Switzerland and the pictures are absolutely stunning. I am a little jealous of my kid right now. I think I need to add Switzerland to my list of places to go.

of the places i've been...

The Canadian Rockies, particularly Banff
Switzerland
Sequoia National Park

Say what you will about Hawaii... but the Napali coast on Kauai viewed from the water has to be in the top 5 most beautiful landscapes on this planet.

AgRyan04 said:

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Crater Lake - there isn't a whole lot to do there but it is just insanely beautiful. Ive never seen that deep, beautiful shade of blue anywhere else.

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Agreed. Here's a photo I took back in April 2007:

Scottish Highlands are pretty fantastic.

Mil-ford Sound; south island NZ

ag97tx said:

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my son is on a Study Abroad through A&M in France right now and he and his friends took a weekend trip to Switzerland

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I've got a great-nephew who is probably on that same trip. He's from Plainview, TX.

Since we're posting pics, Cassis from the cliff overlooking the town.