20 Famous Towers in the World: Ancient to Modern

Last Updated on 12th September 2025 by admin

Are you ready to take off in an adventurous virtual tour to some of the most iconic towers in the world? The Eiffel tower, the Leaning tower of Pisa, the CN tower, the space needle, the Kuala Lumpur tower, and many others, these high rises attract millions of tourists around the globe. Towers are not new to human history and have been constructed since the ancient times as a representation of architectural excellence. We are going to explore some of the most famous towers in the world, that remain high in historical times.

The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution during the World Exhibition at the Champs de Mars Park in Paris. It is the famous landmark of the city and one of the famous tourist attractions in Paris. The tower is 324 meters high, about the same height as an 81-story building and the tallest structure in Paris. However, it was the tallest artificial structure in the world when it was built. Today, The Eiffel Tower is the most famous tower in the world and is visited nearly 7 million visitors per year.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of the most famous tourist places and remarkable buildings in the Italian town of Pisa, and one of the most visited European cities. The tower of Pisa is 57 meters high and was tilted until 1990 at an angle of about 10 degrees, it was designed to be perfectly vertical. The construction of the tower was begun in 1173 and was completed in 1372, and it has 251 steps from bottom to top. In world history, Pisa got its name from a Greek word that dates back to 600 BC.

CN Tower is the world’s 9th tallest free-standing structure located in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The tower is 553 meters (1,815 ft) high and it has 147 floors. Construction of the concrete CN tower started on 6th February 1973 and it was opened to the public on 26 June 1976. When the CN Tower was opened to the public, it became the tallest free-standing structure on land in the world, and listed in one of the most famous towers in the world.

The Space Needle is one of the most famous towers and also one of the well known skylines in the world. The Space Needle is in the city of Seattle, Washington, USA. It was built for the 1962 World’s Fair. The Space Needle was designed by two architects, Edward E. Carlson and John Graham. The tower is at an impressive height of 184 meters (605 ft) and every year, around 1.3 million guests visit the Space Needle. This tower is one of the most photographed structures in the world.

The Tokyo Tower is also known as Nippon Denpato (Japan Radio Tower) and one of the famous towers in the world. The tower is one of the tallest and most amazing structures in the world. The height of the tower is 332.9m, and it was constructed in 1958. It is an observation and telecommunication tower located in the Shiba-Koen district of Minato in Tokyo (Japan). There are two observatory decks to adore the panoramic view of the city.

China is not only listed among the tallest statues in the world, but also among the tallest towers in the world. The Canton Tower has a total height of 604 meters (1,982 ft) with an antenna, making it the second tallest tower in the world and the fourth tallest freestanding structure. It is a famous landmark of Guangzhou city in China, located on the southern bank of the Pearl River. The tower, built by the Guangzhou New Television Tower Group, was started in 2005 and completed in 2010; it has 37 top floors with 2 basement floors.

The Oriental Pearl Tower is one of the most famous and iconic structures in Shanghai. The Oriental Pearl Tower is a radio and television tower located in Pudong Park next to the Huangpu River and standing opposite the Bund in Shanghai, China. The construction of the tower began on 30 July 1991 and was completed in 1995, with a height of 468 meters high. It is the 4th tallest tower in Asia and the 6th in the world.

The Tokyo Skytree is one of the famous towers in the world. It is a television broadcasting tower and one of Japan’s newest landmarks of Tokyo, the construction of the tower began on 14 July 2008 and was completed on 29 Feb 2012. The Tokyo Skytree tower has a height of 634 meters, which makes it the 2nd tallest free-standing structure in the world. Tokyo Sky Tree was designed by the Japanese architecture company Nikken Sekkei.

The Kuala Lumpur Tower (KL Tower) also known as Menara Kuala Lumpur located in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia. It is a communications tower, an antenna on the top of its tower increases its height to 421 meters, and KL tower is also the 7th tallest freestanding tower in the world. The Kuala Lumpur Tower is one of the most famous towers in the world, was officially opened to the public in 1996.

The Ostankino Tower is a 540-meter-high television and radio tower in Moscow, Russia owned by the Russian Broadcasting and Television Network. The Ostankino tower is one of the most famous towers and an iconic attractions in the city, designed by Nikolai Nikitin and Tower was built in 1967. It is the tallest building in Europe and the 11th tallest freestanding structure in the world.

Macau Tower, located in the New Reclamation Area of Macau West Bay, has a total height of 338 meters. The tower construction was started in 1998, and the tower was officially opened on December 19, 2001 and was included to the World Federation of Great Towers. It was designed by Gordon Moller from New Zeland. In addition to being a tourist attraction, the Macau Tower also serves local telecommunications and broadcasting facilities.

The Tashkent Television Tower is 375 meters high and weight more than 6000 tons, located in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Tashkent’s TV Tower is the tallest structure in Central Asia and the 11th tallest tower in the world. Tower took six years to complete, construction started in 1978 and officially opened for the public on January 15, 1984. The tower has an amazing engineering and architectural artistry

The Liberation Tower is an iconic landmark and most popular structure of Kuwait City. The famous tower is a 372-meter-high telecommunications tower located in the city center at Abdulla Al Salem St, Kuwait. It is the second tallest structure in the country and the 39th tallest building in the world; the tower was officially inaugurated on 10 March 1996.

Milad Tower is a multi-purpose tower in Tehran, also known as the Tehran Tower, located between Qarb Town and the district of Gisha, Iran. Milad Tower is 435 meters high, including 120 meters of an antenna, making it the world’s 4th tallest free-standing telecommunication tower in the world. It is a part of a complex called the International Trade and Convention Center of Tehran. The tower was officially opened on October 7, 2008, by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (55th Mayor of Tehran).

The Fernsehturm is a television tower and one of the most visible landmarks in central Berlin, Germany. The tower was constructed between 1965 and 1969 by the government of East Germany. It is 368 meters high including an antenna, which makes it the tallest building in the country and the 4th tallest freestanding structure in Europe. If you come here in clear weather, you can clearly see for several miles from above through the observation deck.

The Tower of Tianjin is a Radio and Television Tower, at the height of 415.2 meters (1,362 ft), located on the east side of Water Amusement Park, Hexi district in Tianjin, China. It is the 8th tallest freestanding tower in the world and the third tallest in China and was built in 1991 at a cost of $45 million. Tower is the beautiful architecture in Tianjin and is one of the top ten famous attractions in Tianjin.

The Skylon Tower is located in Niagara Falls Ontario, Canada. The construction of the tower was started in May 1964 and opened on 6 October 1965. The height of the tower from base to tip is 160m (520 feet), although the height of the tower above Niagara Falls is about 775 feet (236 m). Skylon Tower is an ideal location as it overlooks one of the most famous waterfalls, Niagara Falls. The tower was designed scientifically to withstand heavy winds by Toronto architectural companies Bregman and Homann.

Zhongyuan Tower is a center of commercial and cultural activities. This steel tower is located in Zhengzhou, Henan province of China, so it is also known as the Henan radio and television tower. The overall height of the tower is 388m in including a 268-meter body and 120 meters top antenna. The astounding structure was built in 2009, by Renley Ma.

Lotus Tower is a symbolic landmark of Sri Lanka, it is located in the capital city, Colombo. The tower is a symbol of awe-inspiring architecture and engineering achievement and one of the world’s most famous towers. The height of the tower is 350m, it was constructed in 2019. The main motives behind the construction of this wonderful structure are communication, business, amusement, and leisure.

Europaturm Tower is a concrete-based tower, which is also known as the “Tower of Europe”. It is a telecommunication tower with a 337.5 meters height. It is located in Frankfurt, Germany, and is also known by the alternative name – Fernsehturn, GinnheimerSpargel. One of the most surprising free-standing structures was constructed in 1979 by Erwin Heinle.

This article is about the story of a tall building. From the romantic Eiffel Tower to the gravity-defying Leaning Tower of Pisa, every tower has a story of its own. These are some of the famous towers of this world which stretch across continents and are some of them are centuries old. Such monuments do not only represent a bit of architecture, but a monument of human desire, of intelligence and skill. Whenever you see a high building again take into consideration the tales that it has to tell. The story of every stone, every beam, is the testimony of the strength of the human soul that seemed to reach to the sky.