You don't have to be an aviation enthusiast to marvel at the sight of huge metal birds soaring overhead. Planespotting is a hobby many worldwide enjoy, with certain locations famous for offering unparalleled views of aircraft action. 

That said, today we will look at five of the best places to spot planes worldwide. There are more amazing locations not featured on this list. If you have any suggestions on places we missed, drop them in the comments.

St. Maarten (SXM)

This would not be a planespotting article without mentioning the legendary Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten. Located in the Caribbean, St. Maarten's Maho Beach is located right across the street from the airport runway threshold.

Such proximity means that when an aircraft comes in for landing on Runway 10, it is literally just feet above your head.

Similarly, when aircraft are departing from Runway 10, the jet blast from spooling up the engines can be felt very easily. You may have seen countless videos on the internet of people holding onto the airport perimeter fence as a departing plane blasts off. 

This is undoubtedly a dangerous activity and we cannot condone such a practice as the jet blast is quite powerful and could project someone a fair distance causing great injury or worse.

In any case, if done with the proper precautions in mind, spotting in St. Maarten is unparalleled when you consider the location and climate.

Unfortunately, the legendary KLM Boeing 747s that once graced the airport no longer fly there as these planes were retired in 2020. The largest planes now serving SXM are Air France, Air Caraïbes, and KLM Airbus A330s.

Skiathos Airport (JSI)

Think of this as the Greek version of St. Maarten but more thrilling. 

Skiathos Island is a popular destination for European vacationers and its airport is slightly smaller than SXM. Skiathos Airport's runway is just 5,341 feet long meaning it rarely sees widebody aircraft.

Many European carriers fly to Skiathos usually bringing in the usual narrowbody aircraft like Boeing 737s and Airbus A320 family jets. At one point, the airport saw Condor Boeing 757-300s; these no longer fly there. The biggest aircraft type JSI has seen was the Boeing 767-300 from Thomas Cook.

In terms of spotting locations, both ends of the airport's single runway are good options. There is a beach on one end and a proper spotting area and roadway on the other.

Aircraft landing in Skiathos fly mere feet above the heads of onlookers, often even closer than St. Maarten. This makes for a much more thrilling spotting experience but all the more reason to keep precautions in mind.

Phuket (HKT)

Located on Thailand's famous Phuket Island, its namesake international airport offers one of the coolest spotting locations in Asia.

Mai Khao Beach is located right at the end of Runway 09, meaning aircraft fly super low over the beach as they prepare to touch down a few feet away.

This is arguably one of the best locations to see widebody aircraft up close as Phuket receives all sorts of traffic from everywhere in the world.

Middle Eastern carriers like Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad fly Boeing 777s and 787s to the airport while even Russian airlines can be seen flying in Airbus A330s and 777s.

Phuket also sees widebody planes from Turkish Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Jin Air, and Thai Airways who fly a variety of widebody jets on the high-demand route from Bangkok.

Dallas (DFW)

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is known for being one of the busiest in the world. It has also gained popularity for having a dedicated park for planespotting.

Founders Plaza is located next to DFW's Runways 18R and 18L giving great views of departures and arrivals. This location offers plenty of tables and chairs to sit, telescopes to see the aircraft better, and even a live ATC broadcast.

Founders Plaza is also located beside the UPS terminal in DFW, meaning you can get great views of UPS aircraft taxiing in and out. These include Boeing 757s, 767s, and McDonnell Douglas MD-11Fs.

You can also get a nice vantage point of Terminal D, DFW Airport's international terminal, along with Terminal B.

Amsterdam (AMS)

Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport in the Netherlands has constantly been praised as one of Europe's most spotter-friendly airports.

The airport has a dedicated observation deck in the terminal called the "Panorama Terrace". It's located on the terminal roof and can be accessed from the first floor by escalators.

As some good news, the terrace is located pre-security so you do not need to have a flight out of AMS in order to access this location.

A retired KLM Cityhopper Fokker 100 (PH-OFE) is on display at the terrace too along with a restaurant. The terrace is closed during bad weather but is otherwise open from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm.

Schiphol also offers various spotting locations by the runway such as a spot by the famous "Polderbaan" Runway 18R/36L. This spot is a great way to see heavies landing or departing up-close.