Prague is the world's most beautiful city from the air, new study says

When it comes to flying around the world, Prague is the most eye-catching city and holds plane passengers’ attention for the longest amount of time out of any other surveyed destination worldwide, according to a new study.

Using advanced eye-tracking technology, payment service Remitly found that people traveling to or from the Czech capital – one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations – via air transport gazed over the city for 14 minutes and eight seconds out of a “maximum possible fixation time” of 16 minutes and 40 seconds during a plane’s descent or ascent. 

The Czech capital beat the likes of other picturesque destinations, such as Vienna (fifth place), Singapore (eighth), and Budapest (17th) to make the number one spot. The gulf between Prague and other cities is clear: the average person spent over three minutes longer gazing at the Golden City.

For its study, Remitly showed 200 people aerial images of different travel destinations taken during take-off or landing. Eye-tracking software measured how long each person looked at each destination. The total time spent looking at each place was used to rank the destinations, revealing which ones were the most "eye-catching" and made the best "first impression.

Like the survey participants’ eyes, Prague’s beauty is well-tracked – and ranked highly – in various indices. Luxury and lifestyle travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler found that Prague was among the 50 most beautiful cities in the world in 2019. In the same year, American news website CNN found that Prague Castle was among the most beautiful in the world.

In 2022, lifestyle magazine Time Out placed the city third globally for its aesthetic appeal, claiming to use a scientific approach, with it even holding the top spot the previous year. 

According to the World’s Best Cities Report of 2023, Prague was ranked 12th overall, and was praised for being “exceptionally high” in attractions and architectural appeal.

In terms of the rest of the Remitly ranking, the city of Accra in Ghana took the second position, while the Dutch capital was third. Frankfurt in Germany came fourth overall.