Lesli’s Lists: Best Picnic Spots in the World!

Picnics are a great way to have an authentic travel experience. And nothing influences a picnic more than the spot. All spots are not created equal! Are you seeking solitude or the urban mosaic of a big city or a stellar view? On your next adventure fill your day-pack with food stuff s from the local market, add a bottle of wine and enjoy one of these picnic spots to die for!

Huayna Picchu, Peru

At an elevation of nearly 9,000 feet, the view from atop this peak, which towers over the 15th-century ruins of Machu Picchu, is breathtaking and one is instantly rewarded with a panoramic perspective of the Urubamba River Valley and the famed city of the Inca.

Milford Sound, South Island, New Zealand
Rain forests hug dramatic cliffs, waterfalls cascade into rivers, and 4,000-foot rocky peaks tower over a deep fjord that has become New Zealand’s most famous destination.

Villa Borghese Gardens, Rome, Italy
Olives, pizza bianca, marinated artichokes, “salumi”, and—of course—a bottle of wine are all it takes to make a picnic break from the ancient ruins and Renaissance highlights of Rome.The Villa Borghese gardens, near the Piazza del Popolo, is a picnic-perfect landscape for escape.

Point Reyes National Seashore, Point Reyes Station, California

The is spectacular nature preserve located on a 70,000-acre peninsula north of San Francisco is rich in wildlife, from raptors to tule elk, and bordered by a coastline favored by elephant seals. Head to the nearby Point Reyes Lighthouse for prime whale watching in January and March and coastal beauty year-round.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, Western Cape, South Africa

Make a quick green escape from Cape Town for a picnic lunch in this spectacularly rugged and refined space on the slopes of Table Mountain. Pack a bottle of wine from Stellenbosch and some biltong and hike the trails through natural forests and fynbos (“fi ne bush” or shrubland in Afrikaans).

Jardin des Tuileries, Paris, France
Fountains, sculptures, two museums and countless comfortable chairs make this garden on the perimeter of the Musée du Louvre a surprisingly tranquil space for staging your own “déjeuner sur l’herbe”.

Haleakala National Park, Hawaii

How many picnics can you fit into a day? Beat the sunrise and head to the summit of Maui’s Haleakala volcano—to a 10,023-foot peak called Pu’u ‘Ula’ula—to enjoy a breakfast picnic as dawn unfolds over a massive depression. Then get ready for the volcanic hike of a lifetime; wear layers to deal with the changing temperatures. The descent from the summit is roughly 27 miles, so pack a picnic lunch.

Aran Islands, Ireland

The classic cable-knit fisherman’s sweater may have put the Aran Islands on the sartorial map, but this group of three islands at the mouth of Galway Bay has long been on the picnicker’s map. Pick up some smoked salmon and brown bread—and perhaps some whiskey—before embarking on a scenic ferry ride to the karst limestone landscapes and rough green terrain of Inishmore island.

National Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.
All summer long, the Jazz in the Sculpture Garden series is music to picnickers’ ears. As an extension of the National Gallery of Art, this elegant oasis adjacent to the National Mall garden houses 17 three-dimensional works of art from such notables as Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, and Roy Lichtenstein.

-Lesli