A place where you could sit and see something like this (with a fall if you step further):
(Not looking for a technical term, just a common one).
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View property.– John LawlerCommented Apr 5, 2014 at 16:06
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janoChen, do you remember my comment under your question at this link? english.stackexchange.com/questions/160110/…– Tristan rCommented Apr 5, 2014 at 16:29
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1@Tristan r Oh, sorry. I was never a good student. I'll try to remember from now on.– wycCommented Apr 5, 2014 at 16:31
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janoChen, that's a good effort from you.– Tristan rCommented Apr 5, 2014 at 16:33
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'80s movie staple: "The Point". Things happen there– kolossusCommented Apr 5, 2014 at 20:03
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10 Answers
A common term for a place that affords such a view would be a scenic overlook or simply a scenic view:
A scenic overlook, or just an overlook, observation point, lookout, viewing point or vista point is a high place where people can gather to view scenery (often with binoculars), and to photograph it. Scenic overlooks are typically created alongside mountain roads, often as a simple turnouts where motorists can pull over onto pavement, gravel, or grass on the right-of-way. Many are larger, having parking areas, while some (typically on larger highways) are off the road completely.
Here are some signs to such:
An older word, now more restricted to a piece of architecture meant for such purposes, is a belvidere or belvedere.
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2In AE it is overlook or vista. Vista would be more used for beautiful scenery and overlook for utilitarian views.– RyeɃreḁdCommented Apr 5, 2014 at 16:45
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1@RyeɃreḁd: Which dialect is "AE"? If "American English", then -- I disagree. I've always understood "vista" to be the beautiful view itself, not the place from which to view it.– ruakhCommented Apr 5, 2014 at 17:29
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2"Overlook" isn't used to mean this in BrE. (To British people, it's just a verb meaning to forget to consider something.) Commented Apr 6, 2014 at 8:08
It is called a viewpoint. (single word for viewing point)
Sometimes called vantage point as well.
viewpoint: a place from which something can be viewed
All the synonyms are mentioned in this article also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overlook
"Overlook" and "scenic overlook" is usually used for natural and mountain views. But to be more specific, you can always say "city overlook" or "city viewpoint".
Additions from Andrew Leach:
There is even a viewpoint sign:
Source: http://www.followthebrownsigns.com/viewpoint/
Viewpoint road sign:
Source: http://latterdaymusings.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/road-trip-oregon-jewel-mist-fishawk.html
It is also called a scenic viewpoint. It is used in USA too. When you say scenic view, it is the view that you are going to see but the viewpoint is the point where you see that view from.
Source: http://portlandwomensforum.com/photos.html
Source: http://www.milespointsandmaitais.com/category/uncategorized/
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Those don’t sound quite right. People would think a viewpoint would be one’s point of view. The OED does not have an entry for viewpoint, and crowd-sourced references like Urban Dictionary are barely worth referencing.– tchrist ♦Commented Apr 5, 2014 at 16:08
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1@tchrist: No, in the UK there are roadsigns to Viewpoints. There's even a symbol for them. And OED does have entry, and a 150-year-old citation: "1858 W. Arnot Laws from Heaven 2nd Ser. xxv. 200 Change the view-point, and the scene will change."– Andrew Leach ♦Commented Apr 5, 2014 at 16:11
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@AndrewLeach Our signs are for Scenic View or for Scenic Overlook. And we actually use English not hieroglyphics. :)– tchrist ♦Commented Apr 5, 2014 at 16:14
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A Lookout.
"On that hill over there there is a lookout overseeing the whole city."
"Mary said she would come with me to point lookout this saturday."
A common AE term for this type of view would be vista. You would also see this name attached to hotels with great views.
a large and beautiful view of an area of land or water
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2Isn't that what you actually see rather than the place you see it from? That's how I would use it anyway and your definition seems to agree.– terdonCommented Apr 5, 2014 at 16:49
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2Yeah, exactly, the Hotel Great Vista, has a vista, it isn't one though.– terdonCommented Apr 5, 2014 at 17:05
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1@ermanen - It can be referred to as just vista. Maybe that is shortened for vista point, whatever. It is referred to as just vista from where I am from in the US.– RyeɃreḁdCommented Apr 5, 2014 at 17:29
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2In your picture the place to see the Vista is called a Vista Point, cognate with the spanish Punto de Vista, and the correct english phrase Viewpoint for such a location.– JamesCommented Apr 5, 2014 at 18:40
You could say : "a room/balcony with a view..."
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If the place in question was a room or balcony. The photo in the question appears to have been taken from a hill. Commented Apr 6, 2014 at 8:12
Not an extremely common word, but a nice one: promontory.
answered Apr 5, 2014 at 17:42
acropolis
Since you mentioned "with a fall if you step further", I offer something "with precipitous sides":
An acropolis (from akros or akron, "highest", "topmost", "outermost" and polis, "city"; plural in English: acropoles, acropoleis or acropolises) is a settlement, especially a citadel, built upon an area of elevated ground—frequently a hill with precipitous sides, chosen for purposes of defense.
You might want to consider "high point."
E.g.
When we were almost at camp, we arrived at a high point looking out onto an incredible Incan city.
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In Australia we would call it a Lookout.
Since you asked for a "common" expression, another is "bird's eye view."
