
Skylines give the character to a city and with the first glimpse of a skyline, many things about the city can be predicted. I love to admire the skylines of various cities because every city has its characteristics which are truly represented by its skylines. The essence of the city is hidden behind the skyline and through that, we can know the economic development, geography, natural landscape, lifestyle, and history of a city. I have captivated some of the beautiful and famous skylines around the world from my previous travel across many beautiful cities. I have picked some of the most beautiful and best skylines in the world which are unique for many obvious reasons.
Not only I will present these beautiful and best skylines in the world with some interesting facts, but also give some tips on how to draw the city skyline in a very simple manner. So let’s read about some of the stunning skylines in the world and also learn how to draw a skyline or cityscape in just 4 easy steps.

DEFINITION OF SKYLINE – It is an outline of landscape or buildings made against the sky. So more easily you can say that it is a cumulative outline of all buildings in a city or overall structure which is viewed as where structure meets the sky. It can be urban or natural.
Famous skylines – Most Beautiful And Best Skylines In The World
- CHICAGO
- DUBAI
- ISTANBUL
- NEW YORK CITY
- PARIS
- PRAGUE
Now let’s read about each of them, why they are unique, from where to view them, and also other interesting facts.
SKYLINE OF CHICAGO
CHICAGO – “City of Big Shoulders” or “The Windy City”. Chicago’s skyline is one of the world’s tallest and splendid skyline. Chicago is an architectural city and the birthplace of skyscrapers boasts of possessing four tallest buildings of the USA. Willis Tower with the antenna is the fifth tallest building in the world. So if you are doing a skyline tour or checking the best skylines of the world, then Chicago in this list can’t be missed out.

KEY STRUCTURES OF CHICAGO SKYLINE
Willis Tower, Trump International Hotel & Building, Sears Tower, Wrigley Building, John Hancock Tower, Ferris Wheel of Navy Pier, and many other architectural beauties.
WHERE TO GET THE BEST VIEWS OF CHICAGO SKYLINE?
- Solidarity Drive – Stretch across Grant Park to Adler Planetarium.
- Grounds of Adler Planetarium & Shed Aquarium.
- North End of Navy Pier.
- Grant Park.
- Willis Tower Observatory.
WHY IT IS UNIQUE?
As it is the birthplace of high rises(skyscrapers), you would find many tall buildings with unique shapes.
Draw Chicago’s skyline on your sketch book with simple tips and line drawing tutorial by me –
SKYLINE OF DUBAI
DUBAI – “The City of Gold.” Dubai is home to the tallest building of the world and therefore the skyline of Dubai tops among one of the best skylines in the world rankings. The most unique feature of this city’s skyline is to have the splendid skyline amidst the desert. You can see how a desert region gets converted into a city of the future. Not only Burj Khalifa – the tallest tower but Dubai’s skyline also consists of many other beautiful buildings. Here in Dubai, you can find many skyscrapers taller than 250m(820ft). Also, the buildings here are not very densely constructed and are scattered throughout the city.

KEY STRUCTURES OF DUBAI SKYLINE
Burj Khalifa (Tallest building in the world), Burj Al Arab Hotel – for its unique shape and iconic symbol of Dubai, Atlantis – The Palm, Dubai Marina & Financial District.

WHERE TO GET THE BEST VIEWS OF DUBAI SKYLINE?
- Dubai Frame – get a contrasting view of both Old and New Dubai.
- Top of Burj Khalifa.
- Stroll across The Dubai Canal.
- Drive through Al Jadaf.
- Dubai Creek Harbour.
- Pearl Jumeirah.
- Bluewater Islands for Dubai Marina skyline.

WHY IT IS UNIQUE?
Constructed on sandy or desert region which itself is a unique feature. As to construct a building on sand is very difficult and imagine the tallest towers are built successfully on sand which sounds like a miracle. The shapes of the buildings are very unique.
Draw Dubai’s skyline – outline in your sketch book by simple technique through my video tutorial –
SKYLINE OF ISTANBUL
ISTANBUL – “The city of Seven Hills”.A historic and bi-continental city and so is its skyline. The location of the city on two continents – Europe and Asia make the skyline of this city a unique skyline. You can have a glimpse of Europe and Asia in one frame. The skyline of Istanbul is not modernly urban but a very historic skyline formed 2000 years back to date. This skyline was not constructed within a year or few years but it took several centuries to form such a unique one. Not only the historical structures of this skyline are famous but its location on the Bosporus Peninsula between the Balkans and Anatolia, the Black Sea & Mediterranean makes it very splendid.

KEY STRUCTURES OF ISTANBUL SKYLINE
Haga Sofia, Mosque & Minarets, Galata Tower, Golden Horn, Bosphorus Bridge & colorful houses of Balat.

WHERE TO GET THE BEST VIEWS OF ISTANBUL SKYLINE?
- Observation Deck of Galata Tower
- Eminony Ferry station
- Top of Glamour café
- From Bosphorus Cruise
- Karakoy Bridge
- While driving across Bosphorus Bridge
- Many hotels offer skyline view rooms and so you book this kind of stay. Or you can have dinner with a view at several cafes and restaurants in this city.
- Camlica Hill on the Asian side.
WHY IT IS UNIQUE?
Historic skyline with a glimpse of domes and minarets, Location on two continents, Also the sunset over this skyline makes it a silhouette skyline.

Draw historic skyline of Istanbul by following some simple tips in this online video tutorial by me –
SKYLINE OF NEW YORK CITY – NYC
NEW YORK CITY – “The City that Never Sleeps.” One of the most photogenic and Instagrammable skylines in the world. Not only in the daytime, but NYC’s skyline is famous at night too because of its glittering skyline. This skyline consists of world-famous monuments and buildings. NYC houses more than 200 buildings that are 500 ft or taller. It has many tallest towers of the USA and a couple of them ruled as the world’s tallest tower for many centuries, previously. NYC’s skyline is considered to be the world’s most iconic and mesmerizing silhouette & glittering in the whole world.

KEY STRUCTURES OF NEW YORK SKYLINE
Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Skyscrapers of Manhattan

WHERE TO GET THE BEST VIEWS OF THE NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE?
- Cruising to Statue of Liberty or Staten Island Ferry
- From Brooklyn Bridge Park.
- Empire State Building Observatory.
- Roosevelt Park.
- Liberty State Park.
WHY IT IS UNIQUE?
Many skyscrapers are densely constructed glittering buildings and Vibrant cityscapes.
Draw NYC outline in your sketchbook –
SKYLINE OF PARIS
Paris – “The City of Love.” In Paris, skyscrapers don’t rule the skyline but architectural beauties are prominently seen. World-famous monuments with wonderful architecture create the magical skyline of Paris. Eiffel Tower is the iconic monument that makes the Paris skyline most recognizable in the world.
KEY STRUCTURES OF PARIS SKYLINE
Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame, Basilique Sacre Coeur, Moulin Rouge, and Arc D Triomph

WHERE TO GET THE BEST VIEWS OF PARIS SKYLINE?
- Cruising across the river Seine.
- Parc de Belleville
- Parc de Saint-Cloud.
- Place du Trocadero.
- Palais de Challot
- Observation deck of Eiffel tower, Arc D Triomph, La Basilique.

WHY IT IS UNIQUE?
Glistening Boulevards, Architectural and Historic wonders, Splendid Cathedrals.
Draw City of Love’s (Paris) skyline in your sketch book from this video tutorial by me –
SKYLINE OF PRAGUE
PRAGUE – “A City of a Hundred Spires.” Prague which is one of the most picturesque cities in Europe has wonderful cathedrals, castles, bridges and many historic buildings. Prague is a city of cathedrals, towers, red roofs, spires, and bridges, so can be seen in the skyline of this city. That is why Prague is favorite among travel photographers as it allows capturing this city’s dramatic skyline from various angles. Being located on hills, you can get many viewpoints in the city to capture the best glimpse of the wonderful skyline.

KEY STRUCTURES OF PRAGUE SKYLINE
Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, Red roof houses, Hradcany, St. Vitus Cathedral, overlooking river Vltava, & Powder Tower.

WHERE TO GET THE BEST VIEWS OF PRAGUE SKYLINE?
- While hiking up or down to Prague Castle.
- Letna Park
- Observatory decks of Powder tower, Old Town Bridge Tower, and The Lesser Town Bridge Tower.
- Pedestrian Charles Bridge.

WHY IT IS UNIQUE?
Admire the architecture of this city which ranges from Gothic to Baroque to Renaissance & Art Nouveau. Bridges and red-roofed buildings.
Draw outline of Prague’s enchanting skyline by simple video tutorial by me –
I hope you loved reading about the most beautiful and best skylines in the world. I generally love to sketch my travel memories and it is a great way to revive all those travel moments. Do you know the sketching of the skyline is very easy to do and can be done in minutes? So let’s revive our travel moments by drawing some of the best skylines in the world in a very easy drawing method.
HOW TO DRAW SKYLINE or HOW TO DRAW A CITYSCAPE? – SKYLINE DRAWING TUTORIAL
Some frequently asked questions regarding drawing a skyline –
Q. – Is it difficult to draw a skyline?
A.- No.. Very easy to make.
Q.- How much time I need to draw a skyline or cityscape?
A.- Few Minutes. I am not joking.
Q.- Do I need expensive art accessories to draw them?
A.- No. You just need a white paper / normal drawing sheets, pencil, eraser and black pen/marker with fine flowing ink.
- – Does this activity requires a prerequisite skill level?
- – Any beginner can do this or those who are not good at drawing can create an amazing skyline with simple line techniques.
BASIC THINGS TO REMEMBER WHILE DRAWING OR SKETCHING A SKYLINE – SKYLINE DRAWING TUTORIAL

- Keep the outline of unique buildings in your mind.
- You don’t have to create intricate designs of the buildings as the skyline is generally the outline of a cityscape. As the outline of a city depicts the whole characteristics of a city.
- For every city drawing, pick some unique buildings or structures of the city and then club them together in one drawing. For eg. Eiffel Tower for Paris, Burj Khalifa / Burj Al Arab for Dubai, Statue of Liberty for NYC.
- The outline is drawn rugged and irregular, by taking care of not making the buildings of the same size and shape. All buildings should look distinct and special.
- By the inclusion of outlines of these unique buildings, your three-fourth drawing is completed.
- After this just addition of trees, sun, moon, birds, waves of sea or river, clouds, bridges give more depth to your skyline drawing.
- All vertical lines should be drawn parallel.
- Show windows by vertical or horizontal dashes “ – “, domes by semi-circles, water by wavy lines, and top of buildings by triangle or antennas.
- Shading plays an important role in the skyline. Sides of building in 2D drawing or layered drawings should be shaded by diagonal lines.
- If you want to give depth to a building or structure, draw a similar line nearer to it, but shorter than the mainline.
STEPS TO DRAW A SKYLINE OF A CITY – HOW TO DRAW CITYSCAPE
The drawing skyline can be categorized into three styles –
- Simple Skyline Drawing
- Layered Skyline Drawing
- Silhouette Skyline Drawing
STEPS TO DRAW SIMPLE SKYLINE

- Draw a horizontal line lightly with a pencil on white paper. Generally, skylines are made on Landscape mode and not on Portrait mode.
- After drawing this line, draw irregular vertical rectangles above it and also the outline of unique building or structure.
- Give details to your drawing like drawing vertical lines on buildings to depict antennas, bridges, curved lines to show water, or some peculiar shapes like triangle over the buildings to feature the unique features of a city. Make sure every vertical rectangle should have different detailing and no two buildings should look the same.
- After this pencil drawing, you can darken the lines with a marker or black pen ink.
STEPS TO DRAW LAYERED SKYLINE

- Repeat steps 1 & 2 mentioned above in a simple skyline drawing technique.
- The major difference in layered and simple skyline drawing is to have overlapping buildings. Make some vertical rectangles behind the present rectangles and to show them behind, make them finish at the front side buildings. It gives a layer of depth to a Cityscape. Some buildings will appear in front and some will appear behind by variation of sizes in drawing rectangles.
- Add detailing to all buildings by drawing “ – “ as windows. Don’t make the same pattern for every building and with horizontal or vertical “ – “ drawing you can create numerous patterns. Change the look of the building and also the behind ones have smaller windows.
- Now add unique features like clouds, wind, palm trees, or snowflakes. But keep in mind, don’t draw snowflakes for Dubai or Palm trees for Paris as it would look out of place. Drawing a skyline needs attention to the geographic condition of that place too.
SILHOUETTE SKYLINE
- Follow 1 to 3 steps mentioned above.
- The difference between the Silhouette skyline drawing is the color of buildings is generally black and windows are made white. Here you have to fill the black color in rectangles to show the buildings in darker light when the sun is setting. Generally, we get to see the silhouetted skyline during sunset or sunrise, where the background is bright and buildings or structures are darkened.
WATCH ALL SKYLINES WITH THEIR DRAWING TUTORIALS
WANT TO COLOR? THEN CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ONLINE COLORING PAGES
I have made some video tutorials on how to draw skyline on Youtube, which you can refer to and can draw them easily within a few minutes. Skyline drawing can be done at the ease of your couch, or while traveling in a train/plane, relaxing on the bed as it does not need a huge art studio type of set-up. You just bring your favorite pen, paper, and let down your creativity flow with your favorite travel memories.

I hope you loved to know about some of the most beautiful and best skylines in the world with their interesting facts and where to get the best views of them. Also, you can draw them with simple drawing techniques and you can create your handmade travel journal, a travel diary, or travel scrapbook. I would also love to know your favorite skyline from this post or your previous travel visits. Some of these skylines are the world’s most famous skylines.
RELATED READS – Most Beautiful And Best Skylines In The World
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- 21 HERITAGE DOORS AND WINDOWS AROUND THE WORLD.
- WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE NOT TRAVELING.
- VIRTUAL TOURS AROUND THE WORLD.
- CUISINES AROUND THE WORLD.
- BEST TRAVEL QUOTES.
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Wow such a cool idea. I keep clicking many pictures of the skylines where ever I go. I can draw them too like the way you have. Its really a nice idea especially now that we are all stuck at home. And I loved the Istanbul’s skyline even though I have never been to Turkey. That looks very pretty esp of the mosque. I have seen the NYC skyline and yes it definitely looks awesome.
Where have you been all my lockdown?!?! These are a great idea to pass the time when you can’t travel!
I never thought to draw a cityscape before, that’s an awesome idea. I love photographing them though, there are so many unique ways and perspectives to capture.
I love to draw a cityscape from my perspective and love to do this.
Wow never thought about a post on skylines .. Yes rightly said Skylines gives character to a city ..Infact a drama between sky and architecture .. I am always intereested to gauge the city afar from a river side or a sea shore along with sun playing peek a boo.. Dubai skyline is one of the best along with New york
Thanks for loving it.
Hey, this post was very interesting. Not because of the skylines but because you drew them too. I like drawing and painting too. Good combination of travel and art. My favorite skyline is that of Dubai…
Thanks for loving it and I love drawing when I return from travel.
Wow! You make it look (and sound, lol!) so easy! But there’s no way my two left thumbs can follow along. But, I bet my two sons would love watching your drawings on your YouTube channel! I’m going to show them your stunning pictures and ask them if they’d like to tackle one of your beautiful skylines.
I would love to see them drawing.
I so much agree with you that a look at the skyline of a city gives a glimpse into what that city is all about including it’s history. There is a marked difference between the skyline of a developed country as compared to one which is still not there. It was very interesting reading how to actually draw and sketch a skyline.
hi
skyline photography is truly an interesting theme for photography provided one plans for it … u should have also included mumbai , it has some interesting themes as well. The colouring and sketching of these is indeed an interesting extension 🙂
I love skylines of cities. Especially at night. I love taking pictures of skylines. Your list is so impressive and so inspiring post! Your drawings are fantastic! So many places are still on my list. I would love to take photos of NYC skyline and Istambul. Chicago is still on my list also.
I too love skylines and they really look fantastic in evening and night.
I love skyline and in your blog you have shared some famous skylines in the world. In my personal opinion my favorite skyline is “Dubai” because of its tallest building – “Burj khalifa”. But as you have mentioned, there are other buildings also being a part of Dubai skyline. I was there a year back. I would love to visit other places that you have mentioned in your blog. Someday!
You would love other buildings too.
What beautiful skylines! I’ve been to several of the ones you shared. It’s interested that I can’t look at a NYC skyline without thinking of the twin towers. 🙁 Fun activity to draw the skylines too. Thanks for all the great tips!
I am glad you loved it.
I have been lucky enough to see half of these. Shanghai is also quite impressive! I love the idea of drawing them!
I love sketching and painting! Your skyline sketches are really awesome. My favorites are Dubai skyline and New York skyline. Enjoyed this unusual topic for a blog! 🙂
Thanks for loving this topic.
This is such a great idea to do while we can’t travel. Even thogh your drawings are minimalistic, I can tell exactly which skyline it was without seeing the original. The one of Chicago is great. It looks just like somthing you would get in one of those adult colouring books with a simple stylised shapes and bold outline. I hope these are all hanging on your walls.
Yes, there are so many travel paintings hanging on my wall. I love to paint when I can’t travel and all my painting themes are based on my past travels.
This is such an unusual post on travel. It’s true that some skylines are recognizable. And even more are fascinating. I love the skyline of Prague especially — so beautiful!
I too loved Prague’s skyline with amazing spires and red roofs.
Oh yes, you definitely put the most iconic skylines in your list. I would have never thought of Istanbul, but you are totally right – the Galata Tower is so iconic, I immediately knew where it was without reading the caption. Very original topic, Yukti!
Thanks for loving it, I loved the Istanbul skyline as it is spread over 2 continents.
I love a skyline & you have some good choices here. Like the angle of “How to draw”, i’d never considered this before but you’re right, it’s a great memento from a trip. Loving the best lookouts for each too. Thanks for sharing.
I do agree with you, Istanbul has one of the most beautiful skylines I have ever seen, its magical 🙂
Wow I love how simple you make it look when you draw those skylines. Amazing choice of skylines here
I do love architecture … and I’m always happy when I can get a good vantage point to capture a beautiful skyline. When we were in Istanbul, I went to the top of the Galata Tower and it gives you a really great view of the city and helps to put it (and the hills) into perspective. I haven’t ventured to try and draw skylines, they always seem to complex, but I see that the best approach is to simplify what you see.
My favourite is that Istanbul skyline – love the old buildings.
Dubai has changed so much since I went there, they had only just started to build Palm Island!
Skyline is my next tattoo! I just don’t know which city yet because I lived in 6 cities! You draw so well, too – this could be a great standalone Skyline Instagram account! XX
This is such a creative idea for a post Yukti, I love it. I’ve only been to one of the cities included here (NYC), but if I had to pick a favourite from your list it would probably be Istanbul. You’ve inspired me to maybe try a travel journal next time I go away somewhere.
What a great post as I love finding the best skyline views in every city I visit. Chicago, NY and Paris I loved and would like to see the skyline of Istanbul a lot! I also enjoyed your tips on drawing a skyline!
I’ve seen…3 of these so far (Chicago, NYC + Paris)! :] Love that you included how to draw one too! Would be perfect for travel journals!
This is amazing! I definitely agree with your choice in skylines. I may be biased, but I loved NYC’s skyline the best. 🙂
I know NYC has vast skyline
This post is so creative, I especially love the drawings! What a cool idea 🙂
Thanks for finding it creative.
I love a good skyline! new york is my personal favourite but this post has made me want to visit so many more!!! thanks so much for sharing 😀
Skylines is definitely a great topic for a blog post. And you have included so many of my favourites. As a Civil Engineer, I geek out on buildings whenever I visit new places. I lot the shapes against the sky. And how different that view gets when night comes in. But I have not artistic skills at all. So I will leave the drawing of skylines to you! Thanks for the list of the best places to get skyline views.
Thanks for loving this post. Good to know you love buildings and how they look up.
I love that you dragged all the skylines! What a fun activity 🙂 I can recommend the skyline in Singapore too.
I would love to go for Singapore too as it has splendid skyline too. These urban scapes are very interesting.
Loved the pictures of all the skylines. The skyline in Dubai was amazing during my visit!
Yes Dubai has amazing skyline.
I love your skyline doodles! I really appreciate cities that have a mix of modern and ancient sites – Istanbul is such a good example of a fab skyline!
I also loooove places like Vancouver that have mountains behind the skyline. 😀
I would love to see Vancouver also now.
What amazing photos!! I love this. Istanbul is gorgeous, I’ve always wanted to go there and now this solidifies it!
I’ll definitely be using your sketching videos with my girls. We love drawing and drawing this skylines will be something exciting to do with them. I haven’t been to Prague yet but this is making me dream of visiting Prague. Fingers crossed we can all visit again.
It was perfect the first time. I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.
Wow, Yukti! Your drawings are really awesome. Thanks for sharing the tips on drawing skylines. I am more fond of silhouette skyline drawings. Will check your tutorials. I have been trying to draw the skylines of Kolkata and Delhi and have failed miserably. I will definitely use your tips now. The silhouette skyline of Istanbul is stunning. We all know that Dubai skyline is cool, but I loved the skylines of Prague and Paris as well.
Skylines are easy to make and if you follow these simple steps mentioned, I am sure, you will create your favorite skyline.
You’ve gave me idea which city I should visit on our next travel after the pandemic. I haven’t been to these gorgeous cities, but for me the best skyline is in Tokyo, Singapore, Melbourne, and Hong Kong. When everything’s back to normal, I want to visit Paris!
You would love Paris.
Istambul is on top of my list second would be Prague, and Chicago.
Those are my dream country to visit not only because of skyline. Hehehhee
I agree Istanbul & Prague has its own historical charm. Chicago is another architectural gem.
I love skylines! I am a great fan of big cities and you have quite a list of beautiful skylines here. My favorite one is still New York City. I love how you drew a cityscape!
I too loved NYC skyline as it is very vast and looks vibrant too.
Whoa!!!! That’s incredible! You are excellent in your sketches! Love your videos. Its an awesome thing to do with the kids when we’re stuck in this lockdown!
Love your sketches of the skylines of Paris & Prague (probably that’s coz I’ve visited those 2 and I personally connect with them much more than the cities of USA).
Definitely layered skyline looks much more impressive with all the more details than the simple skyline sketches.
Thanks for loving this post.
I agree with Chicago for sure. I loved the skyline, it is a beautiful blend of new and old. Instanbul also looks pretty amazing.
I love to see skylines and it is great you loved both of my favorite.
I have to say that New York City is my favourite skyline, and would agree that the Statue of Liberty ferry is one of the best spots. When I visited New York, I was staying in New Jersey and saw the New York skyline from Hudson River Waterfront Walkway which is just beside Exchange Place Path Station. If only I could draw as well as you, I would have taken up drawing the New York Skyline too.
I agree NYC skyline is amazing. Never the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway has amazing view too.
Love this post great read
Thanks for loving it.