These Aerial Shots of Famous Landmarks and Tourist Spots Are Breathtaking

Having been stuck in the house for what seems like decades, everyone’s to-travel-to list is growing longer and longer as we prepare for the days where we can get up and go once again. But even when we’re allowed to be tourists once more, chances are you’ll never see these iconic landmarks from this vantage point.

Insurance provider Budget Direct wanted to offer armchair travelers a new way to escape and see sites in ways that aren’t available to the average tourist. So, they rendered images of six landmark buildings from above, and they’re almost unrecognizable in these aerial shots.

Take the Statue of Liberty in New York, for example. The overhead picture perfectly shows the symmetry of the 11-pronged star the statue sits on. Although it looks like the base of Lady Liberty was designed especially for her, Budget Direct notes that the star “is actually a former fort, built a year before the War of 1812 to protect New York Harbor.”

This aerial view of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France looks more like one of the ancient Egyptian pyramids than the instantly recognizable latticed iron structure. You also get a unique look at the kidney-shaped lawns that border the Tower.

And you might think this picture shows a sailboat or some sort of event tent at first. But, this is the sky-view of the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Each of the curved roofs on the Opera House were designed by architect Jørn Utzon to reflect the changing hues of the sky throughout the day. Utzon said, per Budget Direct, “the sun did not know how beautiful its light was, until it was reflected off this building.”

You can check out Budget Direct’s entire aerial view project over on its blog.