Iconic Skyscrapers
The towers that define modern skylines. 21 places, mapped and ready to build a trip around.
Plan a trip on Trailwind →Burj Khalifa
United Arab EmiratesBestYear-roundClimate59–106°FRecord-breaker, Tallest building · Dubai.
Empire State Building
United StatesBestVariesClimate28–86°FCurrencyUSDLanguageEnglishThe Empire State Building is a 102-story, supertall skyscraper in the Midtown South neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States. The building was designed in the Art Deco style by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and constructed between 1930 and 1931. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of New York state. The building has a roof height of 1,250 feet (380 m) and stands a total of 1,454 feet (443.2 m) tall including its antenna.
Willis Tower
United StatesEst. 1973BestJun–NovClimate21–81°FCurrencyUSDLanguageEnglishThe Willis Tower, formerly and still commonly referred to as the Sears Tower, is a 110-story, 1,451-foot (442.3 m) skyscraper in the Loop of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Designed by architect Bruce Graham and engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), it opened in 1973 as the world's tallest building, a title that it held for nearly 25 years. It is the third-tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, as well as the 26th-tallest in the world.
Petronas Towers
MalaysiaBestVariesClimate75–90°FCurrencyMYRLanguageMalayThe Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers and colloquially the KLCC Twin Towers, are an interlinked pair of 88-storey supertall skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, standing at 451.9 m (1,483 ft). From 1998 to 2004, they were the tallest buildings in the world until they were surpassed by the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taiwan.
Taipei 101
TaiwanBestVariesClimate57–93°FCurrencyTWDLanguageMandarin ChineseTaipei 101, formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center, is a 508-meter, 101-story skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan. It is owned by the Taipei Financial Center Corporation. It was officially classified as the world's tallest building from its opening on 31 December 2004, until it was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa in 2009. As of 2026, it is the tallest building in Taiwan and the eleventh tallest in the world.
Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower
JapanBestVariesClimate32–90°FCurrencyJPYLanguageJapaneseMode Gakuen Cocoon Tower is a 204-metre-tall (669-foot), 50-story educational facility located in the Nishi-Shinjuku district in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.
Chrysler Building
United StatesBestVariesClimate27–84°FCurrencyUSDLanguageEnglishThe Chrysler Building is a 1,046-foot-tall (319 m), Art Deco skyscraper in the East Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States. Located at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue, it is the tallest brick building in the world with a steel framework. It was both the world's first supertall skyscraper and the world's tallest building for 11 months after its completion in 1930. As of 2019, the Chrysler is the 13th-tallest building in the city, tied with The New York Times Building.
One World Trade Center
United StatesBestVariesClimate28–86°FCurrencyUSDLanguageEnglishOne World Trade Center, also known as One WTC and the Freedom Tower, is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, One World Trade Center is the tallest building in the United States, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, and the seventh-tallest in the world.
Mirante do Vale
BrazilBestApr–SepClimate54–81°FCurrencyBRLLanguagePortugueseMirante do Vale Building, commonly called Mirante do Vale, is a 170 m (558 ft) mixed-use skyscraper located in São Paulo, Brazil, in the area of Downtown São Paulo and Vale do Anhangabaú. Constructed from 1959 to 1966, it was the tallest building in São Paulo for 54 years until 2022 when it was surpassed by Platina 220. Mirante do Vale was also the tallest in Brazil until 2014 when it was surpassed by Millennium Palace in Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina.
Abeno Harukas
JapanBestVariesClimate34–91°FCurrencyJPYLanguageJapaneseAbeno Harukas (あべのハルカス) is a multi-purpose commercial facility in Abenosuji Itchome, Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan. It consists of the New Annex, Eastern Annex and a supertall skyscraper, Abeno Harukas. The building is 300 m (984 ft) tall and has 62 floors; it was the tallest building in Japan from 2014 to 2023, until Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower seized the title.
Shanghai World Financial Center
People's Republic of ChinaBestOct–DecClimate36–91°FThe Shanghai World Financial Center is a supertall skyscraper located in the Pudong district of Shanghai. It was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and developed by the Mori Building Company, with Leslie E. Robertson Associates as its structural engineer and China State Construction Engineering Corporation and Shanghai Construction (Group) General Co. as its main contractor. It is a mixed-use skyscraper, consisting of offices, hotels, conference rooms, and a ground-floor shopping mall.
The Shard
United KingdomBestJunClimate36–73°FCurrencyGBPLanguageEnglishThe Shard, also referred to as the Shard London Bridge and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 95-storey mixed-use development supertall pyramid-shaped skyscraper, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, in Southwark, London, that forms part of The Shard Quarter development. Standing 309.6 metres high, The Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom and Western Europe; and the seventh-tallest building in Europe. The Shard replaced Southwark Towers, a 24-storey office block built on the site in 1975.
Abraj Al Bait
Saudi ArabiaBestNov–FebClimate63–108°FThe clock tower over the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The face is 43 metres across, the largest in the world, and legible from about 17km away.
Shanghai Tower
People's Republic of ChinaBestOct–DecClimate36–91°FThe Shanghai Tower is a 128-story, 632-meter-tall (2,073-foot) megatall skyscraper located in Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai. It is currently the tallest building in China, and the world's third-tallest building by height to architectural top. It was the tallest and largest LEED-CS Platinum certified building in the world from 2016 to 2025. It was also the second tallest-building in the world, from 2015 to 2021, until the completion of Merdeka 118 in Malaysia.
Oriental Pearl Tower
People's Republic of ChinaBestOct–DecClimate36–91°FThe Oriental Pearl Tower is a futurist TV tower in Lujiazui, Shanghai. Built from 1991 to 1994, the tower was the tallest structure in China until the completion of nearby World Financial Center in 2007. Its status as Shanghai's first AAAAA tourist attraction, the tower's unique architecture, height, and fifteen observation decks have made it a cultural icon of the city.
Jin Mao Tower
People's Republic of ChinaBestOct–DecClimate36–91°FThe Jin Mao Tower, also known as the Jinmao Building or Jinmao Tower, is a 420.5-meter-tall (1,380 ft), 88-story landmark skyscraper in Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai, China. It contains a shopping mall, offices and the Grand Hyatt Shanghai hotel which starts from the 53rd floor; at the time of completion it was the highest hotel in the world. Along with the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center and the Shanghai Tower, it is part of the Lujiazui skyline seen from the Bund.
Palace of Culture and Science
PolandBestMay–SepClimate30–79°FThe Palace of Culture and Science is a notable high-rise building in central Warsaw, Poland. With a total height of 237 metres (778 ft), it is the second tallest building in both Warsaw and Poland, the eighth tallest building in the European Union and one of the tallest on the European continent.
Grande Arche
FranceBestVariesClimate36–77°FCurrencyEURLanguageFrenchLa Grande Arche de la Défense, originally called La Grande Arche de la Fraternité, is a monument and building in the business district of La Défense and in the commune of Puteaux, to the west of Paris, France. It is usually known as the Arche de la Défense or simply as La Grande Arche.
Edifício Altino Arantes
BrazilBestApr–SepClimate54–81°FCurrencyBRLLanguagePortugueseThe Altino Arantes Building, also known as the Banespa Building and most popularly by Banespão, is an important Art Deco skyscraper located in São Paulo, Brazil.
30 St Mary Axe
United KingdomEst. 2004BestJunClimate36–73°FCurrencyGBPLanguageEnglish30 St Mary Axe, previously known as the Swiss Re Building, is a commercial skyscraper in London's primary financial district, the City of London. It is nicknamed The Gherkin after the vegetable of the same name due to its shape. It was completed in December 2003 and opened in April 2004.
Lotte World Tower
South KoreaEst. 2017CurrencyKRWLanguageKoreanLotte World Tower is a 123-story, 555-meter (1,821-foot) skyscraper in Songpa District, Seoul, South Korea. Completed in December 2016 and opened to the public in April 2017, it is the tallest building in South Korea and the sixth-tallest in the world, having briefly ranked fifth on completion before being surpassed by newer supertalls. Its Seoul Sky observation deck, near the top of the tower, is one of the highest in the world.