Find the best scenic flights in MSFS 2020, with airport codes, aircraft choices, route-planning tips and fixes for blurry scenery.
The most scenic flights in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 include Queenstown–Milford Sound, Bergen–Sogndal, Honolulu–Kahului, Juneau–Skagway, Innsbruck–Zell am See, Grand Canyon–Page and Punta Arenas–Ushuaia. Fly them in a slow piston aircraft at low altitude, with online scenery data and the relevant World Updates enabled, to see the terrain at its best.
Best scenic routes in MSFS 2020
These routes combine distinctive terrain, strong visual navigation and airports close enough for a relaxed sightseeing flight.
| Route | What you will see | Suggested aircraft | Important route advice |
|---|---|---|---|
Queenstown to Milford SoundNZQN–NZMF | Lake Wakatipu, steep valleys, waterfalls and the Southern Alps | Cessna 172 or Diamond DA40 | Follow the valleys towards Glenorchy and Milford Sound. The direct GPS line crosses serious terrain. |
Bergen to SogndalENBR–ENSG | Norwegian fjords, islands, cliffs and narrow valleys | Cessna 152, 172 or a helicopter | Remain low enough to follow the fjords, but leave room to turn around if cloud closes a valley. |
Honolulu to KahuluiPHNL–PHOG | Diamond Head, turquoise water, Molokai and western Maui | Cessna 172 or DA40 | Route via southern Oahu and Molokai rather than flying a featureless direct line over the sea. |
Juneau to SkagwayPAJN–PAGY | Glaciers, forested mountains and the Lynn Canal | Cessna 172 or a bush aircraft | Following the canal is safer and more scenic than cutting across the surrounding ridges. |
Innsbruck to Zell am SeeLOWI–LOWZ | Alpine valleys, lakes and snow-covered peaks | DA40 or another capable piston single | Use the established valleys around Wörgl and Kitzbühel; do not treat the magenta line as terrain clearance. |
Grand Canyon to PageKGCN–KPGA | The eastern Grand Canyon, Desert View, Marble Canyon and Lake Powell | Cessna 172 or Bonanza | For realism, remember that real Grand Canyon sightseeing is governed by special routes and restrictions that the simulator may not enforce. |
Punta Arenas to UshuaiaSCCI–SAWH | The Strait of Magellan, Tierra del Fuego and the southern Andes | TBM 930 or another fast turboprop | Allow extra fuel for weather diversions and expect strong winds around the mountains. |
| Madeira island circuit Depart and return LPMA | Sea cliffs, volcanic ridges, coastal towns and the island's mountainous interior | Cessna 152, 172 or helicopter | Circle the island via Ponta de São Lourenço, the north coast and Porto Moniz. Wind can make the return approach demanding. |
Kathmandu to LuklaVNKT–VNLK | Himalayan foothills, deep valleys and high mountain ridges | DA40 or suitable turboprop | This is the hardest route listed. Practise the Lukla arrival separately and avoid marginal visibility. |
For additional airport pairs, visual reporting points and approach ideas, see our detailed MSFS sightseeing route notes. Our worldwide destination guide covering MSFS 2020 and 2024 is useful when you want to choose a region rather than a fixed route.
Which scenic flight should you try first?
Honolulu to Kahului is the best first scenic flight because it offers obvious visual landmarks, modest terrain and little complicated navigation. Use a Cessna 172, fly in daylight and route across Molokai before continuing towards Maui.
- Best mountain scenery: Queenstown to Milford Sound.
- Best easy coastal flight: Honolulu to Kahului.
- Best northern wilderness route: Juneau to Skagway.
- Best long scenic flight: Punta Arenas to Ushuaia.
- Best landing challenge: Kathmandu to Lukla or the return into Madeira.
A slow aircraft usually produces a better sightseeing flight than an airliner. Choose a turboprop only for longer routes such as Patagonia; at jet cruising altitude, much of the useful terrain detail disappears.
How should you plan a scenic flight in MSFS 2020?
A good scenic flight plan follows valleys, coastlines and landmarks rather than the shortest GPS course.
- Select VFR conditions. Clear or scattered cloud gives predictable visibility for a first attempt. Live Weather is more atmospheric, but it can completely hide mountain passes.
- Add visual turning points. Place route points over lakes, passes, islands or intermediate airfields so the flight plan follows the terrain.
- Check the entire route for high ground. The straight magenta line is not a guarantee of terrain clearance, especially in New Zealand, Norway, Alaska and the Alps.
- Choose a sensible altitude. Low-level flying reveals more detail, but leave enough height and turning space to escape a narrowing valley.
- Stabilise the aircraft before using the drone camera. Autopilot can help on suitable aircraft. Active Pause is unreliable near terrain because aircraft systems and aerodynamic conditions may continue changing while the position is frozen.
If cockpit preparation, taxiing and arrival procedures are the next hurdle, our complete MSFS 2020 flight walkthrough covers the full process.
How do you make MSFS 2020 scenery look its best?
MSFS 2020 needs its streamed world data and optional regional packages enabled to display the best available scenery.
- Enable online scenery: under the simulator's Data options, confirm that Online Functionality and Bing Data World Graphics are on. Enable Photogrammetry for supported cities if your connection can handle it.
- Install the relevant World Update: simulator updates do not necessarily install every optional regional scenery package. Check the in-game Marketplace and Content Manager.
- Use an appropriate altitude: aerial imagery and photogrammetry often look better from normal sightseeing height than from a few metres above the ground.
- Balance detail against frame rate: increasing Terrain Level of Detail can improve distant ridges on PC, but excessive settings cause stutters that make low-level flight unpleasant.
- Consider regional add-ons: destinations such as the Grand Canyon and Yosemite can be extended with downloadable US scenery for MSFS.
Why does scenic terrain look blurry or incomplete?
Blurry ground textures usually mean scenery streaming, cache or optional-content problems rather than a fault with the route itself.
- Persistent blurry tiles: check bandwidth, data limits and online functionality. Rebuilding the rolling cache can force stale tiles to be downloaded again, although it will increase data use.
- Missing landmarks or generic airports: verify that the appropriate World Update and airport package are installed in Content Manager.
- Melted-looking buildings: this is a limitation of photogrammetry or incomplete streaming. Gain altitude, wait for the area to load or disable photogrammetry if the generated buildings look worse than the generic scenery.
- Terrain spikes or duplicated objects: on PC, overlapping Community-folder scenery is a common cause. Test the flight without local add-ons, then restore them individually.
- Mountains hidden by cloud: switch to a clear weather preset for sightseeing. A technically accurate live-weather flight is not always a visually rewarding one.