This California City Was Just Named the Best Place in the U.S. to Watch the Sunset

Watching a sunset is the greatest part of a vacation. It’s time where you really can kick back, relax, and think of nothing but the beauty of the view in front of you. If you agree with this sentiment, you’re far from alone. Looking for the absolute best sunset to maximize this feeling? Privacy Journal knows exactly where to go.

In late June, the privacy experts released the findings of their study looking to quantify the best sunsets in the world. To come to its conclusion, the team undertook a systematic analysis of social media engagement across more than 100 destinations around the globe. It collected TikTok views using the platform’s public hashtag data, focusing on sunset-specific content for each destination, along with Instagram posts, which were counted using relevant sunset hashtags. 

They then normalized the data and combined the scores from each platform to create the final ranking. “Whether balmy beach skies or otherworldly cityscapes are your thing, there’s a sunset scene for everyone, so check out our ranking and get inspired,” the team added in its findings. 

After doing all that digging through social media, it named San Diego the No. 1 destination in the U.S. for sunsets and the No. 6 destination overall in the world.

“San Diego’s high number of both TikTok views and Instagram posts reflects the perfect California sunset experience. The city’s extensive coastline, consistent weather, and laid-back culture create ideal conditions for sunset appreciation,” the findings stated. It added that the entire coastline in San Diego provides epic sunsets, from “La Jolla’s dramatic cliffs to Mission Beach’s gentle waves, San Diego offers diverse sunset experiences that embody the California dream.”

San Diego wasn’t the only U.S. destination to make the list. Key West, Florida, also made an appearance at No. 10; Seattle at No. 12; Los Angeles at No. 16; and Santa Monica, California, at No. 19. 

Island destinations dominated the remainder of the list, with Bali, Indonesia, taking the top spot.  “With 153.4 million TikTok views and over 209,000 Instagram posts, Bali reigns supreme as the world’s most social media-worthy sunset destination,” the team shared. “The island’s diverse landscape offers countless vantage points, from the iconic clifftop temples of Uluwatu to the serene rice terraces of Jatiluwih.”

The good news is, the team also found top sunsets across every continent, “including Australia’s Perth and Africa’s Cape Town, every continent contributes to the top 50, showcasing the global nature of sunset appreciation and the universal appeal of golden-hour photography.”