▲Foggy London town in 1890.

▲Of course, the carts and carriages have been replaced by modern vehicles, including the iconic red double-decker buses. Westminster Palace is still one of the most popular locations among visitors to London.

▲Rome's Piazza Venezia is one of the Italian capital's main thoroughfares, seen here in 1961.

▲The area still maintains the traditional aesthetic of Italian architecture.

▲Tokyo station in 1920. At the time it was one of the city's most imposing buildings.

▲The station is still standing, but Tokyo is now one of the most developed cities in the world. A mix of high-tech and modern architecture makes this city one of the major metropolitan centers in the Far East.

▲In 1978 the city of Dubai looked like this. Just a few decades later it would become one of the most developed cities in the world.

▲Today Dubai is famously wealthy and home to some of the world's tallest skyscrapers.

▲The southeast Asian city-state looked like this in 1950.

▲The difference is astonishing. Singapore has expanded and is now one of the most important urban hubs in Asia. The financial district is especially beautiful when illuminated at night.

▲This is how the Brazilian city looked like in 1930.

▲Rio de Janeiro is now a very popular choice for tourists and visitors to Brazil. It's the second-biggest metropolis in the country and home to the iconic Sugarloaf mountain and the Christ the Redeemer statue.

▲The famous Australian city in 1900.

▲Iconic Sydney Harbor is today the stuff of picture postcards. It's also the most populous city in Australia!

▲The capital of Thailand in 1945.

▲Between 1980 and 1990 the city grew economically and became the commercial, financial, and cultural hub of Thailand.

▲This is a view of Hollywood, Los Angeles, in 1925.

▲LA today is the entertainment capital of the world.

▲The city of San Francisco in 1890.

▲Despite the devastating 1906 earthquake, the city has retained some its most iconic buildings. Today it's the fourth most populous city in the state of California.

▲The port city of Hong Kong in 1910.

▲The difference is shocking. Hong Kong is one of China's special administrative regions and is known for its skyline brimming with skyscrapers. It's one of the main financial centers in the world.

▲The Puerta del Sol, one of the most iconic locations in Madrid in 1880.

▲You can still admire the traditional architecture of the city, but Madrid is now the third-biggest city in the European Union and a hub of culture, fashion, and entertainment.

▲Another huge Spanish city, here is the port of Barcelona as it was in 1920.

▲The capital of the autonomous region of Catalonia is one of Spain's most important tourist destinations. It's also incredibly important both culturally and commercially.

▲The famous city in the north of Portugal seen in the 1930s.

▲Porto is now one of the trendiest cities in Europe. That's not just down to its cultural heritage, it's easily accessible and has a rich wine and gastronomic heritage.

▲Cities are constantly evolving. But as time goes by many manage to preserve their most iconic and historic monuments. Taking a look at the past is a great way to understand the present. So, here are some world's most famous cities the way they appeared in the past... and what they look like today.

Click through the gallery and be amazed by how these famous cities have changed.

The world's cities: then and now

Look at how the urban makeup has changed

28/10/24 por StarsInsider

TRAVEL Cities

Cities are constantly evolving. But as time goes by many manage to preserve their most iconic and historic monuments. Taking a look at the past is a great way to understand the present. So, here are some world's most famous cities the way they appeared in the past... and what they look like today.

Click through the gallery and be amazed by how these famous cities have changed.