Who amongst us hasn’t looked up at the Dubai skyline and not tried to capture the city lights on camera? I know my phone gallery’s full of tilted shots of the Burj Khalifa and glittering blurs of the Palm Jumeirah from airplane windows. Turns out, I’m not alone. Dubai has officially been declared the world’s most beautiful city at night.
Dubai triumphed as the world’s most picturesque after-dark metropolis in a study conducted by travel experts at holiday company Travelbag. As part of the research, experts analysed 146 of the world’s most popular cities on the basis of Instagram hashtags, light pollution and safety levels.
Although a high light pollution rating of 52.8 out of 100 played against us, Dubai’s stellar scores of 83.1/100 for ‘safety to walk alone at night’ played in our favour. That combined with a staggering 25,905 Instagram posts tagged #dubaiatnight won us the title of the city with the most dazzling nocturnal views
Some of these snapshots showcased touristy spots that offer unparalleled night views of the city, such as Burj Khalifa’s At The Top observation deck. Others shone a light on off-beat destinations for nighttime views such as stargazing at Al Qudra.
Abu Dhabi makes the list of most beautiful city at night
However, Dubai wasn’t the only UAE city that made the list of the most beautiful cities at night. The capital of Abu Dhabi ranked #9 and also squeezed into the top 10 for the beauty of its illuminated streets and landmarks at night.
Southeast Asian cities of Tokyo and Singapore nabbed the second and third spots respectively. Meanwhile, Muscat brought in another win for the Middle East at #4, and New York was voted the 5th prettiest city at night.
Want to know which other cities made the top 10 prettiest night views? Find the full list here