Best of 2015: CNN Travel’s top 20 Instagram photos
#20. Alicante (Spain) —
Alicante, Spain, is a port city on the Mediterranean. Visitors can hike or take an elevator up to the 16th-century Castillo de Santa Barbara for spectacular views of the city. Photo by Latifah Al-Hazza @tifahhhh
Latifah Al-Hazza/cnn
#19. Medellin, Colombia —
"Rush hour traffic in El Poblado, Medellin. This is one of the most popular nightlife areas in the country. The traffic doesn't give you much time to frame your photos though." -- CNN's Nicol Nicolson @nicolnic
Nicol Nicolson/CNN
#18. Colorado River Delta (Baja, Mexico) —
Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky has spent decades traveling the world, taking stunning aerial shots of natural and industrial landscapes. This one shows the Colorado River Delta in Baja, Mexico.
courtesy Edward Burtynsky
#17. Portland, Oregon —
Portland is beloved for its trees, art and fine craft brew. This scene of a mural advertising Blue Moon (not a local beer) shows an intersection of all three. Photo by CNN's Chuck Thompson. More on CNN: 23 reasons Portland is still the world's best beer city
Chuck Thompson/cnn
#16. Miami International Airport —
Artist Christopher Janney created this installation at Miami International. It changes colors and passersby hear sounds Janney recorded from his trips to the Florida Everglades. Photo: Robin Hill/Courtesy Christopher Janney. See more airport art here.
Robin Hill/Courtesy Christopher's Janney
#15. Blue Mosque (Istanbul) —
Istanbul's Blue Mosque is in the Sultanahmet area of the city. Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images @dkitwoodgetty
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
#14. Grand Canyon (Arizona) —
On the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, the Widforss Trail leads to a beautiful viewpoint along the canyon rim. Photo by Ben Adkison for CNN
Ben Adkison/CNN
#13. Paris —
The Eiffel Tower was originally built to serve as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair. With a height of 324 meters, it was the world's tallest tower from 1889 to 1930. Photo by CNN's Andrew Demaria @andrew_demaria
Andrew Demaria/CNN
#12. Dubai —
Hot air balloons flew over Dubai during the World Air Games 2015 on December 9. KARIM SAHIB/AFP/Getty Images
KARIM SAHIB/AFP/Getty Images
#11. Shiraz (Iran) —
The Nasir al Mulk Mosque in the town of Shiraz is also called the 'Pink Mosque' because of the extensive use of pink in its many detailed tile frescos. It was completed in 1888. Photo by CNN's Fred Pleitgen @fpleitgencnn
Fred Pleitgen/CNN
#10. Railay (Krabi, Thailand) —
Phra Nang Beach is a highlight of Railay, a small peninsula on Thailand's Andaman Coast accessible only by boat. The area can be crowded during the day. But limited accommodation means sunrise and sunset offer opportunities for solitude. Photo by CNN's @nicolnic
nicol nicolson/CNN
#9. Dinaric Alps (Montenegro) —
The Dinaric Alps rise from the shores of the Bay of Kotor, a scenic Adriatic Sea bay in southwestern Montenegro. The fortified medieval town of Kotor is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Photo by CNN's Marnie Hunter @marniech
Marnie Hunter/CNN
#8. Abu Dhabi —
Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Mosque is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates. It features 82 white marble domes, 1,096 exterior columns and 96 semi-precious jewel-encrusted internal columns. Photo by CNN's Amir Daftari @daftpix
Amir Daftari/CNN
#7. Abu Dhabi —
Sunset at the popular Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque -- its second appearance in our gallery. This one was snapped by CNN's Jon Jensen @jonjensencnn
Jon Jensen/CNN
#6. Venice, Italy —
Royal Caribbean asked captains of its 23 ships to share their favorite ports to cruise into. Venice's stunning harbor was picked by several. See the full list here on CNN.com. Photo courtesy Royal Caribbean
courtesy Royal Caribbean
#5. San Francisco —
CNN's Khalil Abdallah (@madcameraman) took this shot of low-lying stratus clouds rolling through the Golden Gate Bridge.
Khalil Abdallah/CNN
#4. Cinque Terre (Italy) —
Cinque Terre is a string of five fishing villages constructed on the Italian Riviera. All of the villages are connected by a walking trail. "It turned out to be a really magical place," said iReporter Brian Beard, who captured this shot.
Brian Beard/ireport
#3. Wakayama, Japan —
At 133-meters high, Wakayama's Nachi Falls is the biggest waterfall in Japan. It manages to steal some of the attention from Kumano Nachi Taishai shrine. Photo by CNN's Maggie Wong @hiufu
Hiufu wong/CNN
#2. Paris —
Rich McCor's (@paperboyo) clever takes on familiar world monuments have earned worldwide attention. Photos like this one of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris made him an overnight Instagram sensation. You can see more of his pics here.
courtesy Rich MaCor
#1. Super blood moon —
In September, stargazers all over the world basked under the glow of the super blood moon eclipse. iReporter Dennis Doucet (@PhotosJapan) captured this shot above Osaka, Japan.