Light up your IG feed with an envy-inducing summer sunset selfie. Follow our guide to the best places to see incredible sunsets
A summer sunset signals the end of a wonderful day soaking up the rays, and a glorious night of fun that awaits. But where are the best sunsets to be found? We tracked them down in three of the most popular European destinations…
Brought to you with Aperol
If you’ve ever been to London in February, you’ll know why it’s got that extra spark of joy in the summer ‒ the city truly appreciates its months of fun in the sun. For the best shots of sunset head to the river, the hills or the rooftops. Kick the party off early with a boat cruise down the Thames (Sunset Summer Boat Party | Thames Boat Party). Take a picnic up Parliament hill, and watch the famous skyline glow red from afar. Or hit one of the capital’s best highrise bars ‒ like The Rooftop at The Trafalgar St James (where you can basically cheers Nelson on his column) or the ever-buzzing London Bridge Rooftop, to get up close with a bright orange Shard. Bring shades.
There’s something ‘bout that light in Venice ‒ the painters of the Renaissance knew it, and you’ll know it too when you’ve seen the whole city blush as the sun subtly fades away. It’s hard to take a bad shot but there are some truly great ones. There’s the obvious: anywhere along the Grand Canal will look amazing, especially the classic view from the Ponte di Rialto. For a cultural spin, why not copy the view famously painted by Monet, with the sun’s last rays flaring out from behind the San Giorgio Maggiore, by gathering on the promenade between the Arsenale and Giardini A vaporetto stops. Or you can swerve the crowds and take yourselves off to the west-facing beaches of the Lido, and watch the sun drop into a red sea ‒ a truly stunning way to end the day.
Question: what makes beach-free Athens such an epic place to experience sunset? Answer: It’s built on seven hills. Pay thanks to the Ancient Greeks ‒ it’s them that will help you get such amazing shots of their city at sunset. The first pick has to be Acropolis Hill, where the golden hour catches the pillars of the Pantheon. It might be a cliché, but with the city pinking up all around, you’ll hug each other tight with joy as you realise this is a moment you’ll never forget. Of course, you might rather get a great shot of the hill itself; if so, the best place is Mount Lycabettus, which affords views all the way out to ships on the Saronic Gulf beyond. For a truly tourist-swerving sunset adventure, take a hike up Ardittos Hill, and view the red skies from the Panathenaic Stadium, home to the first ‘modern’ Olympics in 1896. Not a world famous monument, but no less a momentous sight.
To ensure that our website functions properly, we use strictly necessary cookies.
With your consent, which you can withdraw or adjust at any time, we use cookies and cookieless technology to:
You can read more in our Group Cookie Notice.
