Tiny streets, broad streets, long streets, short streets… You can get dizzy just by thinking about the most famous streets in the world for their incredible diversity! And although it sure would be fun to visit each and every beautiful street in the world, it might be better to start getting to know them by reading this list. You know, just so you’ll know what to expect when you’re actually visiting one of these famous places!
So the streets on our list are world-famous for many reasons. Take, for instance, Abbey Road, which became famous just because of one legendary photo session by The Beatles. However, that does not mean it lacks in some way compared to, say, Champs-Élysées. Okay, that was a bold comparison on our side, but really, both of them are renowned tourist attractions and wonderful places to visit. Other famous streets became such because they might be in the middle of a shopping district, might have historical importance, or just for their sheer uniqueness. Yup, we’re talking about you, Lombard Street! But, no matter the origins of their fame, all of them are just breathtaking places to see and soak in. Oh, and be aware that some of them also have genuine culture shocks, albeit positive ones, in store!
Right, ready to do a virtual tour and read about the most famous streets in America and the world? We know you are! That is why we’re asking you to scroll down below, check out our submissions and give your vote for the famous streets you’d like to visit (or have already visited!) one day. After that, share this article with your friends!
#1 Lombard Street: San Francisco, USA
Lombard Street, known as the world’s most crooked street, is situated in San Francisco between Hyde and Leavenworth streets. Lombard Street’s one-block section with eight hairpin turns was built to lessen the hill’s steep natural slope.
Image source: Supercarwaar
#2 Champs-Élysées: Paris, France
Due to its historical significance, Champs-Élysées is unquestionably the most famous avenue in Paris, if not the entire globe. The 2-kilometer-long road, which is home to the Arc de Triomphe monument, is bordered by horse-chestnut trees, cafes, theaters, and shops.
#3 Nyhavn: Copenhagen, Denmark
A canal runs through the middle of this Copenhagen street, which is lined on either side by colorful townhouses from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Image source: Jorge Franganillo
#4 La Rambla: Barcelona, Spain
Most visitors to Barcelona converge on La Rambla, the city’s most well-known thoroughfare. Many kiosks selling anything from flowers to souvenirs can be found on the kilometer-long, tree-lined pedestrian street, and a number of attractions may be observed along the way.
Image source: Nikos Roussos
#5 Appian Way: Rome, Italy
Rome’s Appian Way is considered the most outstanding example of ancient construction. It was constructed in 312 BC to connect the cities of Rome and Brindisi on Italy’s southeast coast. The most distinctive elements are the grave markers and tombs that line the road, characteristic of how the Romans interred their dead.
Image source: Paul Hermans
#6 Royal Mile: Edinburgh, Scotland
The Royal Mile, which houses many of Edinburgh’s most famous attractions, is a network of streets that measure almost one mile together. Castlehill, Lawnmarket, High Street, Canongate, and Abbey Strand are a few of the streets that make up the Royal Mile. The path runs between the magnificent Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the British King’s official residence.
Image source: Herbert Frank
#7 Pacific Coast Highway: California, USA
California’s Orange, Los Angeles, and Ventura counties are traversed by the Pacific Coast Highway, which offers visitors one of the country’s most picturesque and memorable vistas. The 550-mile roadway in California has been in use since the late 1930s.
#8 Broadway: New York City, USA
Broadway is not only one of the most well-known streets in New York City, but it is also the city’s first major north-south highway. The city’s early Native American residents used to refer to it as the Wickquasgeck Trail. The Dutch later gave it the name Heeren Straat, or “Gentleman’s Way,” before the Brits eventually gave it the vast breadth of Broadway.
Image source: Terabass
#9 Via Monte Napoleone: Milan, Italy
A stroll down Via Monte Napoleone is a must-do activity when visiting Milan. It’s not surprising that the street is steeped in history because its name alludes to Milan’s status as the capital of the Napoleonic Italian Republic at the beginning of the 19th century.
Image source: FlavMi
#10 Stradun, Dubrovnik, Croatia
If you visit early in the morning or late at night when the tourists have thinned out, you’ll observe people walking and conversing on Stradun as they go about their everyday lives in the historic homes tucked away in the town’s maze of medieval alleys. Moreover, you’ll see die-hard Game of Thrones fans reenacting Cersei Lannister’s infamous walk of shame, filmed here.
Image source: Jean-Christophe BENOIST
#11 Bourbon Street: New Orleans, USA
Bourbon Street, located in the center of New Orleans’ French Quarter, comes alive at night, and we’re not just talking about Mardi Gras! On the weekends, it’s nearly a non-stop party, allowing tourists to make the most of NOLA’s nightlife. It is lined with strip clubs, bars, restaurants, and stores.
Image source: Chris Litherland
#12 Abbey Road: London, England
If you’re a fan of the Beatles, visiting Abbey Road is a must-do while visiting London. Many fans visit the well-known Abbey Road zebra crossing, which is situated in St. John’s Wood at the southernmost part of the route. The Beatles held their renowned photo session here, which later graced the cover of their eleventh studio album Abbey Road in 1969.
Image source: WillMcC at the English-language Wikipedia
#13 Gran Via: Madrid, Spain
The most well-known shopping district in Spain’s capital, Madrid, is called Gran Vía. When city planners chose to link the Calle de Alcalá with the Plaza de España, the building began in the middle of the 19th century. The construction project began in 1904 and took 25 years to complete. Huge structures line Gran Vía Street and many tourists stop by to view and appreciate their splendor.
Image source: Carlos Delgado
#14 Oxford Street: London, UK
With an average of 500,000 daily visitors, Oxford Street in London is the busiest shopping strip in Europe. Can you envision a boulevard with more than 300 stores? Because they are the only businesses that can truly afford the rent, the 1.5-mile-long boulevard is most known for its enormous department stores and high-end retailers.
Image source: MallSecrets.co.uk Picture Archive
#15 Wale Street: Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, South Africa
Bo-Kaap is renowned as one of Cape Town’s most dynamic, colorful, culturally varied neighborhoods and one of its most photogenic locales. Bo-Kaap’s past has dramatically influenced how this adored Cape Town suburb is now, with its vividly colored homes, distinctive cobblestone streets, and lively energy.
Image source: Moheen Reeyad , Daniel Case
#16 Via Dolorosa: Jerusalem, Israeal
The two-part Via Dolorosa, which translates to “Path of Sorrow” in Latin, is a well-known street in Jerusalem’s Old City that follows Christ’s final steps before being crucified. The 0.25 km (0.16 miles) route has evolved over time, and recent archeological research suggests that the original Via Dolorosa route on the Western hill was a more feasible way.
Image source: Berthold Werner
#17 Fifth Avenue: New York, USA
Fifth Avenue in Manhattan is one of the most renowned streets in the world for high-end retail and is definitely a fashionista’s dream. This route is lined with showrooms for the most well-known (and expensive) designer labels, including Versace, Armani, Chanel, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton, especially between 49th and 60th Streets.
Image source: A. Balet, David Shankbone
#18 Santa Monica Boulevard: Los Angeles, USA
Santa Monica Boulevard is the place that all California aspirants want to be. The 4.5-kilometer road is palm tree-lined, goes through West Hollywood, and is filled with stores, cafés, bars, and restaurants before arriving at the Santa Monica Pier and the Pacific Ocean.
Image source: Downtowngal
#19 Michigan Avenue: Chicago, USA
The Magnificent Mile, a section of Michigan Avenue, is well-known worldwide as a premier shopping destination. The Mile is Chicago’s busiest shopping district, teeming with upscale department stores, hotels, and eateries.
Image source: Ken Lund
#20 Orchard Road: Singapore
Orchard Road, home to Singapore’s most well-known retail district, provides tourists with thousands of establishments, including all sorts of stores, eateries, cafes, hotels, and nightclubs. The nearly 2-kilometer-long road was unidentified when it was first constructed in the 1830s. However, because it formerly connected to many fruit orchards and nutmeg and pepper farms, the route was later named Orchard Road.
Image source: Erwin Soo , chensiyuan
#21 Wall Street: New York, USA
Wall Street is the Financial District’s historic center. The phrase is now synonymous with stock trading and big business in the United States. Wall Street is a small street that descends from Broadway to the East River. It was given its name in honor of the Dutch wall constructed nearby in the 17th century to defend the expanding Dutch town at the time.
Image source: Francesca.hyanna19
#22 Khao San Road: Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok’s Khao San Road is well known among travelers for its inexpensive lodging. The name of this route, approximately a block from the Chao Phray River, literally translates to “milled rice,” alluding to its previous use as a rice market.
Image source: Kevin Poh
#23 Hollywood Boulevard: Los Angeles, USA
Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles is the perfect place for tourists who wish to genuinely follow in the footsteps of some of the most well-known figures in the world. The Hollywood & Highland shopping center and entertainment complex are located on the avenue, which is famous for housing the Hollywood Walk of Fame along a fifteen-block stretch of it.
Image source: Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC BY-SA 3.0
#24 Ginza: Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo’s fashion district was initially constructed from the ashes of an 1872 fire, and it was later rebuilt after a series of World War II bombings virtually destroyed the region. It is now Tokyo’s thriving core, home to trendy eateries and art galleries, well-known designers like Caroline Herrera and Chanel, and Sony and Apple flagship stores.
Image source: Francisco Diez
#25 Las Vegas Strip: Las Vegas, USA
Las Vegas, the epicenter of the global gambling industry, is located in the southern Nevada desert. Although there are casinos all across Las Vegas, the strip, which is a section of Las Vegas Boulevard South, has most of them.
Image source: Stefan Wagener
#26 Beale Street: Memphis, USA
Beale Street, which has played a significant part in Memphis’s rich musical history, is where musicians like Louis Armstrong, B.B. King, and Muddy Waters developed their individual styles and contributed to the city’s distinctive bluesy sound.
Image source: Mobilus In Mobili
#27 Sheikh Zayed: Dubai, UAE
Sheikh Zayed Road is both a highway and the longest street in the United Arab Emirates. It runs parallel to the country’s coast from the Selah region in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi through the city of Dubai to its conclusion in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. It is also one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United Arab Emirates and is well worth a visit.
Image source: Fabio Achilli
#28 Istiklal Street: Istanbul, Turkey
This commercial strip connects Taskim Plaza and the Galata district. People can explore restaurants, pubs, and stores day and night while the tram zips up and down.
Image source: Mark Ahsmann
#29 Nanjing Street: Shanghai, China
Nanjing Street is in the eastern part of the central shopping district in Shanghai. Together with Fifth Avenue, Oxford Street, Orchard Road, Takeshita Street, and the Champs-Élysées, it is one of the busiest shopping avenues in the world. The street has the name of Nanjing, the former national capital of the People’s Republic of China and the capital of the Jiangsu province that borders Shanghai. The two halves of Nanjing Road that exist today are Nanjing Road East and Nanjing Road West.
Image source: David Stanley
#30 Chandni Chowk: Delhi, India
Chandni Chowk has all you need, whether you’re looking for a unique present or want to savor some quick Bengali food. Old Delhi’s famed, busy street can become chaotic, but it’s the ideal location for a genuine cultural shock.
Image source: Juan Antonio Segal
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