Microsoft Flight Simulatorwas recently released on Xbox Series X/S, just under one year after its initial release on PC. The game has been well-received by critics, scoring91 on Metacritic, predominantly due to its incredible implementation of the entire Earth based on Bing Maps.
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Microsoft Flight Simulatorhas joined a plethora of other Xbox Game Studios titles on Game Pass, which will likely give the game an enormous player base for its opening weeks. Having the entire world to explore can be overwhelming, and aimlessly flying around can be great fun, though there are a few landmarks that every player should visit at least once.
10Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is located in Agra, India, and was voted as one of theSeven Wonders of the Modern Worldin the year 2000. Thebreathtaking landmarkwas built by Shah Jahān, the fifth Mughal emperor who reigned from 1628 to 1658. Shah built the Taj Mahal in honor of his wife, Mumtāz Maḥal, after she died giving birth to, believe it or not, their 14th child.
The wonder tookover twenty years to build and was worked on by around 20,000 people.Unfortunately, the workers didn’t get a great bonus for their hard work, as it’s reputed thattheir hands were cut off to prevent them from making a similar structure.
9Great Wall of China
Like The Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China is one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
Thewall’s length is reportedly 21,196.18 km (13,170.7 miles), and it is over 2,000 years old. The wall is deceivingly tricky to find inMicrosoft Flight Simulatordue to how narrow it is,though once it’s been spotted, its length won’t fail to amaze. Contrary to popular belief,the wall cannot be seen from space with the human eye.
8Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is one of a handful of great landmarks worth flying past in New York, with others including the Empire State Building, Central Park, and the One World Trade Center.
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The Statue of Liberty wasgifted to the United States in 1886 during the American Revolution to commemorate their alliance. To find the statue, head to Liberty Island, which is a small island in Upper New York Bay.
7The Colosseum
The Colosseum islocated in Rome, Italy, and is another one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
The Colosseum is known for housing a range of dangerous and deadly events many centuries ago,such as gladiator battles, chariot races, and even executions. Not all of the events in The Colosseum were so morid, though, as it also held more lighthearted events such asacrobatic performances, clown acts, and musical concerts.
6Big Ben
Like with the Statue of Liberty in New York, Big Ben is just one of many landmarks that can be seen in London from a plane, with others including the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, and Tower Bridge.
Construction of Big Ben, which is also known as the Great Bell and Elizabeth Tower,began in 1843. The clock tower’s dials are23ft (7 meters) in diameter, the meter hands are 14ft (4.2 meters) long, and the numbers are approximately 23 inches (60cm) long.
5Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is Australia’s most recognizable landmark. The opera house is located on Sydney Harbour in Sydney, New South Wales, and has housed a huge range of performing arts over the years, from comedy to music, to ballet.
The Sydney Opera House had abudget of just AUS $7 million and was projected to take four years to build. Whoever formulated these numbers was clearly being a tad ambitious, as it ended up taking a whopping14 years and costing an eye-watering AUS $102 million.
4Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is one of Europe’s most iconic landmarks. The tower is located in Paris, France, and is one of the world’s biggest tourist attractions as people can take a lift to the structure’s top, offering incredible views of the city.
Construction of the Eiffel Tower was unbelievably quick,taking just over two years between January 1887 and March 1889. Befitting of being located within the “City of Love,“the Eiffel Tower is, in fact, married.
3Christ The Redeemer
Christ the Redeemer is located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and is an Art Deco of Jesus Christ. Construction of the statuebegan in 1922 and lasted 9 years, costing $250,000 USD.
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The statue is an impressive98 feet (30 meters) tall, with Jesus' arms spanning 92 feet (28 meters). Due to its enormous size and location atop a tall mountain, Christ the Redeemer isn’t too tricky to spot when flying around Rio de Janeiro.
2Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Gizais one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and it was made anhonorary candidate for the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Sadly, The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only Ancient Wonder that is still largely intact, which is an incredible achievement considering it’s also the oldest of the Ancient Wonders.
The Great Pyramid of Giza shouldn’t be too tricky to find inMicrosoft Flight Simulator, as the gigantic pyramids tower above everything in sight.
1Mount Everest
Microsoft Flight Simulator’s initial August 2020 release was very conveniently timed, as it allowed people to explore the world and visit popular tourist attractions while having to stay at home due to lockdowns. Mount Everest is one of many locations that people would have been hoping to visit in 2020 before the pandemic, and its appearance inMicrosoft Flight Simulatordoesn’t disappoint.
Mount Everest is commonly referred to as the “tallest mountain in the world,” though this is untrue, asthat title belongs to Mauna Kea. However, Mount Everest does hold the title ofhighest altitude in the world.
