25 backdrops across the globe that will make your Instagram pop

The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, according to the National Park Service, which means there are 277 miles-worth of angles and views to take a picture amidst. The most popular for tourists include Mather Point—overlooking the South Rim—Hermit Road Drive and Desert View Drive. Horseshoe Bend, featuring the Colorado River, is especially gorgeous. If you're looking for more than a photo, educate yourself on these 100 fun facts about the Grand Canyon—a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

You've seen the distinct all-white architecture hovering on a cliff over pure blue seas before and automatically been able to identify it as Santorini, Greece. Santorini is one of 39 islands known as the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea. The blue and white color scheme is associated with the Cyclades, per Insider, after it was "a legal requirement for Greek houses to be painted blue and white" during a dictatorship in 1967.

Located near Bali, which is an island located off of mainland Indonesia, Nusa Penida is worth the day trip. A ferry ride across the Badung Strait will get you to Nusa Penida Island. A (very bumpy but, again, worth it) car ride upward will get you an exceptional view of Kelingking Beach's coastline, known affectionally as "T-Rex Head" because it resembles the dinosaur. If you're feeling really adventurous and committed to doing it for the 'gram, feel free to take a risky hike on makeshift stairs down to the sands of Kelingking Beach.

The Eiffel Tower is a universal symbol of romance. Nobody has the time to tally up how many proposals or wedding photos have happened at the foot of the iconic Parisian structure. The monument's official website counts seven million visitors per year, including 75 percent foreign tourists, which makes the Eiffel Tower the most visited attraction in the world. Go ahead and get your snap off. You surely won't be the only one.

Washington Street in the DUMBO neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, is the only place you can get a view of the Manhattan Bridge with the Empire State Building peeking through. As The Cut put it, the area is "largely unchanged since 1909" and "the view is a portal to the past." The one thing that has changed is its popularity amongst Instagrammers. If you can get a solo shot without any other visitors or cars roaming around, you're golden.

While you're in the DUMBO area, walk about a half-mile from Washington Street to the Brooklyn Bridge entrance at Tillary Street. The bridge connects Brooklyn to Manhattan across from City Hall. The approximate mile-walk across the bridge's steel-wire suspension is apt with photo opportunities. Just make sure you stay out of the bike lane.

Similar to Santorini in Greece, Dubrovnik's uniform architecture is a definitive characteristic and very aesthetically pleasing. In Dubrovnik, terra cotta roof tiles are ubiquitous throughout the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and wonderfully preserved medieval area that juts out into the Adriatic Sea. The elevated castle walls, anchored by Fort Lovrijenac, make for beautiful views both into Dubrovnik and out across the sea. 

Don't forget rain boots and shoe coverings when you visit Venice. The northern Italian gem is known for frequent flooding—a nuisance, but it's worth it because nowhere else in the world are canals intricately woven throughout a major city. The structure is so rare that Venice and its Lagoon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Grand Canal is the main attraction, gondolas and all. Your head will spin while considering all the different places you could pose.

It probably seems stupid to not have any one of the marquee beaches as the Instagram spot in California. We could have chosen the beaches of Malibu or the iconic Hollywood Sign, but the late Chris Burden's Urban Light exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has undoubtedly become a popular backdrop since it opened in February 2008. After all, it was here that Ashton Kutcher declared his love for Natalie Portman in No Strings Attached. 

In actuality, limiting Iceland to just one slide is a major disservice. This could easily be a slideshow filled only with Iceland's 25 best Instagram backdrops. Hello! The Blue Lagoon, Northern Lights, all of the waterfalls. But the Northern Lights, as uniquely magnificent as they are, are never a sure bet. You can't predict when they'll be visible. At Diamond Beach, the black sand is contrasted perfectly by the ice washing ashore from surrounding glaciers. It makes for the perfect composition.

After you take your picture, throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain and make a wish for thousands of likes. That's a joke. Hopefully, you'd use your Trevi Fountain wish on something much more significant. Anyway, the Trevi Fountain is the largest fountain of its kind in Rome.

According to Britannica, "the Taj Mahal is distinguished as the finest example of Mughal architecture, a blend of Indian, Persian, and Islamic styles." In 2018, per CNN, 6.5 million people visited the "crown of palaces." It was closed for six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic then reopened to visitors under strict protocols late last year. The Taj Mahal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The Dolomites sit in the northern Italian Alps, and Tre Cime di Lavaredo are three of the most distinctive peaks. You can either take a photo safely from afar or get in there and earn it through various available hikes available within the range. The Dolomites are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Unlike Dubrovnik and Santorini, the Amalfi Coast is splashed with an assortment of colors on the city of Positano's historic buildings. The Spiaggia Grande is Positano's primary beach and worth at least a day, but the Amalfi Coast is so abundant that it was deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Use your time wisely, and never turn your camera off.

Destileria Jardin de la Alcarria in the village of Brihuega, Guadalajara, Spain, is located roughly an hour outside of Madrid. Every July, the fields morph into vibrant lavender for as far as you can see. If you can't make it to Spain but for some reason find Bulgaria manageable, Bulgaria became the world's leader for lavender oil production in 2020, per BBC.

Submerge in the Indian Ocean at a resort in the Maldives—literally. According to Britannica, no Maldive Island rises higher than six feet. For that reason, floating villas are extremely popular. You'll be hard-pressed to find a better locale for a beach or ocean photoshoot.

Piccadilly Circus comes alive at the intersection of five streets in London's West End. The neon-lined buildings are among the most recognizable in the world, and it is arguably the most famous intersection in London. Think of it as Times Square with more elegant architecture and a British accent.

Wailea Beach was apparently named "America's Best Beach" back in 1999 as if anywhere Hawaii needs further justification, and the only way to see if it holds up is to see it for yourself in 2021 or '22 or whenever we're allowed to safely travel again. If Wailea Beach somehow doesn't do it for you, Maui sports several other beaches worth experiencing.

Victoria Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, borders Zambia and Zimbabwe. The gargantuan waterfall, according to Britannica, spans "approximately twice as wide and twice as deep as Niagara Falls." While it's officially named after Queen Victoria, the Kalolo-Lozi people call the spectacle "Mosi-oa-Tunya," which translates to "The Smoke That Thunders" (h/t National Geographic). 

Christ the Redeemer resides over Rio de Janeiro's Carioca landscape, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 98-foot statue is at the top of Mount Corcovado and has been since 1931 (h/t Britannica).

Perhaps the most notable mountain in all of Europe, the Matterhorn punctuates the Swiss Alps' beauty. The 14,692-foot peak divides Italy and Switzerland but brings countless visitors every year, eager to witness its wonder. The ski chalets and resorts are exquisite on their own, too.

For the fastest access to the Canadian Rockies, you have to go through Jasper National Park—the largest national park in the range. The park is also special as one of "the world's largest dark sky preserves" (h/t Travel Alberta), which greatly enhances your chances of seeing the Northern Lights between September and May. Jasper National Park even hosts a festival called Jasper Dark Sky in mid-October.

This is Piccadilly Circus on steroids. Tokyo's Shibuya Crossing is the "world's busiest crosswalk" (h/t CNN). With that kind of activity, you can only imagine the light show at night. If you're feeling exceptionally daring, you could try to recreate this epic shot by Jeremiah Davis and Rory Kramer.

The world is 71 percent comprised of water, but a pink lake? That is much less common. Lake Hillier is located in Western Australia and contrasted by the Pacific Ocean's (normal but still gorgeous) crystal blue waters. According to the site's official website, the pink hue is "not fully understood by scientists" but suspected to come from sea salt microalgae called Dunaliella salina.

Yeah, another bridge. But this isn't just any bridge. It's the Golden Gate Bridge—one of the most identifiable structures in the world and the most photographed bridge in existence (h/t Bank of America). The 1.7-mile bridge hovers over the Golden Gate strait where the San Francisco Bay meets the Pacific Ocean.