Top 5 locations for stargazing
Astrotourism is becoming more popular every year. People are willing to travel thousands of kilometers to admire the stars. But which places on Earth are considered the best for this? Let's find out now!
1. Pollock's Path, The Peak, Hong Kong
In a development illustrative of the eastward shift in economic and financial power, the most expensive street in the world can be found in Hong Kong, along the street known as Pollock's Path – most notably in an area called The Peak. Located, as the name suggests, on top of a mountain overlooking the city, properties there offer breathtaking views of the city and the harbor below, as well the guarantee of elite company. Hong Kong movie star Stephen Chow (whom you might remember from Kung Fu Hustle) and the top execs from HSBC are some of the people currently living there. The average cost of housing here is $114 thousand per square meter. The first place was given to the street after the sale of real estate, the value of which amounted to $658 million. This deal was the largest in the history of the city.
2. Fifth Avenue, New York
Running through the center of Manhattan, Fifth Avenue is one of New York's most interesting places to visit. It boasts as series of historic landmarks (the Empire State Building, the New York Public Library, the Rockefeller Center, or St. Patrick's Cathedral, to name a few), as well as numerous luxury boutique and department stores (like Swarovski, Tiffany's, or Bergdorf Goodman). The street also has plenty of luxurious apartments and penthouses, with the most sought-after being those along Central Park. The price per square meter of housing is $108 thousand.
3. Knightsbridge, Great Britain
Knightsbridge is not only one of the streets of London, but also the name of the metro station and the most prestigious district of the British capital. Prices for residential real estate, located on Knightsbridge, reach $103 thousand per square meter. The main contribution to the growth of the average cost per square meter was made by the residential complex Wan Hyde Park. Last April, an apartment of 1,500 square meters was sold here for $217 million.
4. Avenue Princess Grace, Monaco
Monaco is, more than any other place in the world, synonymous with luxury – the playground of the planet's super-rich. Billionaires compete for a spot overlooking the wonderful beaches and the Mediterranean, close to where the annual boat show or Formula One Grand Prix take place, which rockets real estate prices into the stratosphere. Nowhere is this more apparent than along the Avenue Princess Grace, in the principality's northeastern Larvotto district. The average price per square meter of housing here is S100 thousand. In 2014, a three-bedroom apartment with a total area of 200 square meters, located in the residential complex La Reserve, was sold for $17.7 million.
5. Chemin du Sémaphore, Cap Ferrat, France
The exclusive peninsula of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, was once the playground of Belgian royalty. Now this area is known for its magnificent and enormous villas owned by billionaires and tycoons, including the co-founder of Microsoft Paul Allen and late Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky. Chemin du Sémaphore, the road that runs down the middle of the pricey peninsula, is the world's fifth most expensive street. Last August, a 650 square meter house here sold for €41 million. The average price of real estate in this area is $67 thousand per square meter.
6. Wolseley Road, Point Piper, Australia
After a couple of quiet years with almost no sales, the confidence has returned to Australia's most exclusive kilometer. Wolseley Road is the undisputed champion of Sydney's Point Piper peninsula, where mansions can sell for as much as $44,000 a square meter. Several of Sydney's largest sales last year were on Wolseley Road, including number 130, which reportedly sold for $21.8 million and number 113, which reportedly sold for $27.7 million.
7. Quai d'Orléans, Paris, France
Quai d'Orléans was once the home of Brigitte Bardot and Roger Vadim, and today it is the most expensive street in Paris. “A Quai d'Orléans address always commands an exceptional price, as this road has one of the most beautiful views in Paris,” says Hugues De La Morandière at Savills. Quai d'Orléans is located on south side of the Île Saint-Louis, a small island in the river Seine within the 4th arrondissement. The buildings on this classic street have historic stone facades and views directly onto the cathedral of Notre Dame. The average price per square meter of housing on the waterfront of Orleans is 41 thousand dollars.
8. Avenue des Palmiers, Les Parcs de Saint-Tropez, France
An address in Saint-Tropez has cachet. An address in Les Parcs de Saint-Tropez, the most prestigious private domain in the iconic French town, is a whole other level. Les Parcs is a gated estate located on a peninsula in the Bay of Saint-Tropez, and available property is almost impossible to come by. The best road is Avenue des Palmiers, says Savills head of Saint-Tropez Antony Bruni. Sales for homes overlooking the sea on this street can hit €70,000 per square meter.
9. Molochnyy Pereulok, Moscow
Ostozhenka in Moscow is both the name of an area as well as a street. Within this prestigious district is Molochnyy Pereulok (Lane), this year's ninth most expensive street. “Within Ostozhenka area the price difference depends on whether the buildings are new. The average price per square meter of housing here is $39.5 thousand.
10. Ardmore Park, Singapore
In April, one of the founders of Alibaba Group reportedly bought a $51 million penthouse on Ardmore Park, an exclusive enclave close to Orchard Road. The duplex apartment in the Le Nouvel development, set a price record for Singapore, at S$40,000 per square foot.
Astrotourism is becoming more popular every year. People are willing to travel thousands of kilometers to admire the stars. But which places on Earth are considered the best for this? Let's find out now!