I flew here again last night in VR and with it having been Manual Cached I thought it looked better than before so it’ll get upgraded to 11. Then later when I rescale the ratings it’ll get moved again and so will quite a few other ones. Going to try and keep it simple so might not have ratings going as high as 15… Still thinking about it… a few lattes and a bacon butty in a bit will help me decide it’s final scoring structure and scoring system
Edit: I’m going to do a rating system of 15/15. It will make it easier to categorize places more easily according to PG quality and a number of other factors.
Credit to @Baracus250 for all his help with the format of this list and with “The Airports in PG areas” list.
Credit to @Mbraortns for suggesting adding the number of Airports in PG area - link to the list is at the end of this list.
* Next lot of New PG Cities & Areas will be added on Sunday 06/10/2024
15/15 Beyond Exceptional!
14/15 Exceptional!
13/15 The few VERY BEST
12/15 Highly Rated
11/15 Top Rated
10/15 Next Level
9/15 Below Next Level
8/15 Above Average
7/15 Average (still worth a look!)
6/15 Below Average
5/15 Well Below Average
15/15: Beyond Exceptional!
City
Country
Size
Notes
Zagreb
Croatia
Very Large
2
Exceptional PG quality - amazing landscape, detail and character - non PG blended in nicely - unique architecture - lots to explore
14/15 Exceptional!
City
Country
Size
Notes
Barcelona
Spain
Very Large
3
Super diverse - nice mountains - huge Port - one of the best cities IMHO
Brisbane
Australia
Large
3
Super diverse - muddy rivers are stunning!
Cork
Ireland
Medium
1
Super diverse - PG is exceptional - nicely blended with non PG
Heidelberg & Mannheim
Germany
Large
1
Super diverse and exceptional PG - really nice surrounding mountains and rivers - very nice industrial area in Mannheim
Las Vegas, Nevada
U.S.A
Very Large
4
Super diverse with stunning mountains and a quarry in incredible detail
London
U.K
Very Large
2
Super diverse - PG extends past Heathrow
Seville
Spain
Meduim
1
Diverse - really charming city with some very interesting looking historic buildings - super quality PG
Townsville
Australia
Medium
1
Super diverse - exceptional PG
Washington DC
U.S.A
Phenomenal Size
43
Super diverse - plenty to explore - Extends 45nm N, 36nm S, 30nm W & 34nm E
13/15: The Few VERY BEST
City
Country
Size
Notes
AllenTown, Pennsylvania
U.S.A
Very Large
8
Exceptional PG - nice rivers, bridges - loads of railway lines, hills and quarries - lots to explore
Ancona
Italy
Medium
1
Good PG - amazing landscape - non PG blended in nicely - unique architecture
Brno
Czechia
Medium
3
Super diverse with lots of churches and motorway bridges and roads are perfect- non PG areas blended in very well
Košice
Slovakia
Medium
2
Quite diverse - A nice interesting city with nice quality PG - nice industrial areas, farms, forests and hills, railway lines and a quarry, churches, a lake and Dam in PG - Non PG blended well in some areas
Newcastle + Sunderland
U.K
Large
1
Super diverse - Crisp PG blended well with non PG - interesting city with awesome dry docks - loads to explore
12/15: Highly Rated
City
Country
Size
Notes
Auckland
New Zealand
Very Large
2
Super diverse - lots to explore
Banja Luka
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Large
2
Really diverse - nice hills and rivers - interesting area - top quality PG
Berlin
Germany
Very Large
1
Super diverse - very nice clean PG covers outskirts and outlying villages - plenty to explore
Bern
Switzerland
Large
1
Super diverse - handcrafted airport with nice detail! - a good few handcrafted POI’s to see - fps issues with some users due to WU
Bilbao
Spain
Large
1
Very diverse - lots of rolling hills - interesting area - really nice cliffs and quarries
Bologna
Italy
Medium
1
Quite diverse - nice architecture - very nice PG
Boston, MA
U.S.A
Very Large
23
Very diverse - nice skyscrapers - excellent PG quality - SamScene3d U.S.A Cities improves the area inc. bridges vastly
Budapest
Hungary
Very Large
6
Super diverse with lots of interesting things to see - nice bridges - non PG areas blended in very well
Cairnes
Australia
Medium
1
Exceptional PG - Interesting city - very nice quality PG
Canberra
Australia
Medium
1
Nice diverse city - clean PG
Cascais
Portugal
Meduim
2
Very diverse - Crisp PG - amazing rocky coastline - Lisbon to the east - rivers are poor though
Darwin
Australia
Large
2
Nice city - clean PG - lots of interesting places to see
Dublin
Ireland
Large
3
Very diverse - super detailed moors & quarries - lost count of No. of Golf courses - stunning coastline with railway line and tunnels
Super diverse - nice clean PG - nice roads & bridges, Industrial areas & Port - nice countryside & lots of lakes - PG blended well with non PG areas
Hannover
Germany
Large
1
Really diverse - very clean PG - interesting city - PG blended quite well with non PG - nice roads, bridges, rivers and railway lines - nice Industrial areas - lots to explore
Jerez
Spain
Medium
1
Very diverse - A nice interesting city with above average quality PG - Can you find the race track!?
Kehl & Strasbourg
Germany/France
Medium
3
Quite diverse - clean PG - nice bridges, roads & rivers - very interesting city - lots of motorway construction north of city - non PG areas not blended well
L.A/San Diego area
U.S.A
Phenomenal Size
24+
Super diverse - plenty to explore
Leeds + Bradford
U.K
Large
1
Really nice buildings and architecture - very nice clean PG
Malaga
Spain
Medium
1
Super diverse - PG all the way down coast to Marbella and extends quite far inland - loads to explore
Miami, FL
U.S.A
Huge
9
Very diverse - nice skyscrapers - nice PG quality that extends very far - lots to explore - SamScene3d U.S.A Cities improves the area inc. bridges vastly
Milano
Italy
Large
1
Super diverse - very nice PG - edges of PG area aren’t blended well with non PG areas
Parma
Italy
Medium
1
PG is exceptional! No AI trees!
Perugia
Italy
Large
4
Quite diverse - PG isn’t the sharpest - Nice hills and mountains and a few airfields in PG area
Plzen
Czechia
Large
1
Very nice PG - nice quarries, hills - nice Industrial area - PG well blended with non PG
11/15 Top Rated
City
Country
Size
Notes
Lisbon
Portugal
Large
3
Very diverse - PG is decent quality - Nice Port and hills - Bridges are nice - PG all along river
Super diverse - PG is high quality - massive area to explore - blended well with non PG
Montreal
Canada
Very Large
1
Super diverse - lots to explore - nearly every house has a pool!
Munich
Germany
Very Large
5
Super diverse - clean PG
Nuremberg
Germany
Large
1
Super diverse - clean PG - interesting city - lots to explore - PG blends well with non PG in most areas - nice German architecture
Pamplona
Spain
Small
1
Very crisp PG - looks very nice at night
Port-Vendres
France
Small
0
Interesting little area - PG is top quality - nice hills and port - a few hill forts, old ruins and castles in PG
Queenstown
New Zealand
Meduim
1
Quite diverse - not the best quality PG - nice atmosphere - PG on the hills with stones is very good - lots to explore
Sacramento CA
U.S.A
Huge
8
Super diverse - lots to explore
San Antonio TX
U.S.A
Large
5
Super diverse - very clean PG
Sarijevo
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Medium
1
Very nice PG - amazing landscape - non PG blended in nicely - unique architecture - landable helipad on one building
Tokyo
Japan
Large
1
Super diverse - Skyscraper heaven!
Turin
Italy
Large
5
Nice PG - some areas have some broken PG -amazing landscape - non PG blended in good - unique architecture
Wellington
New Zealand
Large
1
Super diverse - Very nice rivers that extend quite far - nice hills
10/15: Next Level
City
Country
Size
Notes
Calgary
Canada
Large
1
Quite diverse -very crisp PG - non PG areas not blended in well
Cardiff & Newport, Wales + Bristol & Bath
U.K
Very Large
4
Super diverse - good PG that continues across river Severn - nice docks and industrial areas - lots to explore
Copenhagen
Denmark
Very Large
1
Super diverse - high quality PG extends to Malmo and up along the coast to Landskrona
Farmington, New Mexico
U.S.A
Small
1
Nice surrounding bluffs in PG too
Florence
Italy
Large
1
Really diverse - nice architecture
Frankfurt
Germany
Large
1
Super diverse - clean PG - lots of skyscrapers - interesting areas to explore
Glasgow
Scotland
Large
1
Super diverse - PG extends quite far - nice architecture
Indianapollis
U.S.A
Medium
4
Quite diverse - very nice PG - loads to explore - lots of skyscrapers - home of the Indy 500
Linz
Austria
Meduim
2
Interesting diverse city - quite good PG - nice old-town section - nice rivers & bridges - incredible industrial sprawl along the river - Non PG blended very well with PG
Ljubljana
Slovenia
Medium
3
Nice variety - nice hills and rivers - interesting place - non PG not blended well
Maribor
Slovenia
Medium
1
Quite diverse - nice hills and rivers and bridges - nice railway lines - non PG blended quite well
Melbourne
Australia
Medium
2
Nice variety - lots to explore - lots of skyscrapers
Nantes
France
Medium
1
Quite diverse - nice PG - loads to explore
Naples
Italy
Large
1
Super diverse - very interesting city - really nice PG
Nashville TN
U.S.A
Large
4
Super diverse - clean PG - lots of skyscrapers
New York City
U.S.A
Large
4
Super diverse - clean PG - Skyscraper heaven!
Nice + Monte Carlo
France
Large
1
Interesting - Spectacular terraforming along the coast - plenty to explore PG isn’t the sharpest
Oslo
Norway
Large
2
Quite diverse - very nice landscape especially in winter
Philadelphia, PA
U.S.A
Very Large
7
Very diverse - excellent PG - PG extends quite far along the river - SamScene3d U.S.A Cities improves the area inc. bridges vastly
Rome
Italy
Large
2
Very diverse - full of Italian charm - lots to explore
San Fransisco CA
U.S.A
Large
9
Super diverse - very nice PG - lots of skyscrapers
St Louis Missouri
U.S.A
Large
1
Super diverse - very clean PG - a very pretty city- lots of skyscrapers
Stockholm
Sweden
Large
1
Super diverse - clean PG - a very pretty city
Stuttgart & Esslingen
Germany
Large
5
Rather diverse - top quality PG - interesting areas to explore
Venice + Padova
Italy
Very Large
2
Super diverse - PG from Venice to Padova - very large area to explore
9/15 Below Next Level
City
Country
Size
Notes
Allicante
Spain
Small
2
Pretty diverse - nice PG - and a nice “hill fort” too!
Bordeaux
France
Medium
1
Really diverse - nice PG - home of Asobo - see if you can spot the Blue Balloon
Palermo
Sicily, Italy
Medium
2
Quite diverse nice PG
Perth
Australia
Large
2
Not best quality PG, but interesting city
Porto
Portugal
Large
2
Very diverse - PG is not as sharp but the terrain and architecture is interesting
Valencia
Spain
Small
1
Quite diverse - very nice PG
8/15 Above Average
City
Country
Size
Notes
Amiens
France
Meduim
1
Interesting - a lot of the outlying villages are covered and some interesting stuff to find, blended fairly well to the surroundings
Coimbra
Portugal
Meduim
1
Diverse - PG is okay quality - a more rural location in the hilly countryside which is fun to go low in helicopters
Edinburgh
Scotland
Meduim
1
Interesting - some broken PG areas near Castle
Kansas City MO
U.S.A
Large
5
Interesting - nice clean PG
Lille
France
Small
1
Interesting - good quality PG
Murcia
Spain
Small
0
Quite diverse - very nice and detailed PG - superb colours - a few more modern buildings N and NW of ‘downtown’ - nice stadiums - non PG not very well blended with PG areas
Pavia
Italy
Small
1
Good PG - unique architecture - interesting place
Seattle Washington
U.S.A
Large
10
Interesting - not best quality PG
Salzburg
Austria
Meduim
1
Interesting very nice terrain - not best quality PG - handcrafted Airport - FPS issues with some users at LOWS
Vigo
Portugal
Small
1
Quite diverse - PG quality is above average and blended really well with the surroundings - Airport is in non PG area
7/15 Still worth a look
City
Country
Size
Notes
Bari
Italy
Large
1
Not best quality PG, but interesting more modern city - lots of churches
Dubrovnik
Croatia
Medium
1
Pretty poor in outskirts but interesting city
Geneva
Switzerland
Large
2
Quite diverse - not the best PG - stunning backdrop to the scenery
Rotterdam + The Hague
Netherlands
Large
1
Interesting - not the best quality PG - FPS issues with some users
Rouen
France
Small
1
Interesting - Very nice PG but patchy and not blended in well with non PG
Vienna
Austria
Very Large
1
Interesting - not the best PG but interesting city - FPS issues with some users
A big thankyou to everyone who has contributed.
If anyone wants to include any notes on any of the Cities or suggest any changes in the list please let me know and I’ll only be too happy to edit it.
Just had a quick flight there, and I don’t remember Detroit looking that good!!! PG quality is nice. Downtown is crisp. Manual Caching it now so I can have a proper flight later in VR. I’m kind of thinking this is going to be one of my all time favourites
I am really enjoying this thread: thanks very much for putting all of this together in one place. It is now a regular thing for me to go to this thread when I have to decide where to fly next.
I concur that Detroit looks great! This is not one of my IRL favourite cities (had a number of projects there around 10+ years ago) but the sim makes it look wonderful. I still consider it a pity that the forum does not allow 4K images, but hopefully even these reduced size images give a sense of what I experienced this morning.
Thanks. Appreciate the kind words and thanks for the brilliant screenshots. I’ve only just finished Manual Caching it, internet has been slow tonight for some unknown reason so will fly there in the morning.
Thanks to @Snowleopard3295 for the great suggestion. Might have to re check some other PG areas that didn’t look so great a few months ago… who knows they might have improved. But I can swear Detroit never looked this good before!
I remember Paris looks rubbish and I’ll check it out again @Baracus250 as it might too have improved, doubt it lol.
Makes no difference to me though with the 4K images as I’m still only 1080p but as soon as I upgrade my monitor I’ll no doubt be begging this forum to allow 4K images. Maybe when MSFS2024 is released they might allow them hint hint
Just started at the top of the list and flown around Zagreb in the Cabri, very very nice indeed. Very impressed.
I fly Paris with the Orbx city pack, that is really good - I appreciate the City Pack doesn’t qualify for the list, but it is soooo good. (As is London City Pack).
Flew Venice the other night, in the Cabri again. From a distance it’s great.
However, up close and personal, it’s not so good on the key landmarks : St Mark’s Basilica is outstanding.
Poor : Santa Maria Della Salute, St Mark’s Square itself, Rialto Bridge.
I’ve posted photos in ‘what did you do in msfs today’ thread.
I think that I’ll Manual Cache Paris now so I get get a better idea of what it looks like as it would on other peoples systems with fast internet. Just been looking at Paris Landmarks City Pack from ORBX and it looks really nice. Not a bad price at £9 so might get it. I think I remember @Baracus250 saying he had it and it looks much better so I think that due to the fact there is an addon to improve it, it would get a higher rating on the PG list I did that with Miami, Boston and Philadelphia as they have city packs and they are amazing and worth every penny! They all scored 1 point higher due to SamScene3D being so good even though people might not have the City Packs IMHO it’s worth the mention. So they can decide if they want the ultimate experience for themselves and purchase said addons
I will add it to this weekends update as you’re the second person to mention Paris and it is such an iconic city, it deserves a place on the list
Will have a look at your photos now. I seem to remember that Venice in VR was gorgeous as I Manual Cached it so will fly there again and check out those poor areas
Yeah agreed some of Venice is a bit wonky, but overall impression is still great to get the character of the place. I am surprised it can be photographed as well as it is really, as the buildings are so close to each other it is amazing that the ‘alleyways’ could be seen at all!
I’m a big fan of Venice, having visited on 7 separate occasions (I can actually walk around without getting lost now), so it’s one of few places I’ll get so close to - hence the Cabri. Maybe that’s one of the drawbacks with helicopters, the fact you can hover so close.
But the Rialto Bridge in particular is one of the most famous bridges in the world (when you can see it, when its not covered in people) so really should be better reproduced.
But, hey, its a big area, Murano is very nicely done. Haven’t reached Padova yet, or Burano.
Gotta check out if the 2 columns are reproduced at the Grand Canal side of St Mark’s, they have a sinister back story….locals don’t walk in-between them allegedly.
Wow! I have been there I think 4 or 5 times, but all before the Cruise Ships arrived so it wasn’t so crazy busy as it is these days. I really don’t fancy going back again now. Totally killed the place for me having shoulder-to-shoulder tourists!
I also feel like I know my way around there pretty well for walking - my brain seems to be able to map out areas and remember them quite well like I have an internal compass. Maybe I was a bee in a previous life!
Yeah it is messy. Can’t even see under it! Shame as it is a key feature they really should have hand-modelled it and deleted the PG. There aren’t even any mods on .to for it
There are locals?! (I thought it was ALL tourists and Cafe / Restaurant / Expensive gift shop staff lol).
There are a good few freeware mods for the area though.
“ even though people might not have the City Packs IMHO it’s worth the mention”
I like that idea, people may not be aware of the availability of certain cities, areas.
Paris and London are both excellent and have added a lot for me.
Orbx central UK is quite nice. There are 2 cooling towers (in real life) as you fly into John Lennon, not there in the base game, this pack puts them in. Great for VFR. Lots of other things added as well no doubt. But, I digress again, its a large region, not a city.
I saw these while looking for a mention of Detroit in the updates, these are the cities from WU 2, the first USA update I think:
Albany
Arlington
Boise
Charleston WV
Disney-Kissimmee-Windermere
Eugene
Key Largo
Lansing
Lynchburg
Olympia
Left off the last two, already on list.
After quickly flying over all of these I recommend them all but defer to you all for final say, the bandwidth from sim servers has been not so good the last 48 hours here so I won’t comment on rating them
@Snowleopard3295 Thanks will have a look at them today and possibly add them all. I’ve flown in a few of the ones you mentioned but that was a while ago so can’t remember how good the PG was.
I’ve just updated the List of Airports in PG areaswith the new ratings out of 15. The PG Cities list will be updated over the weekend
Paris, France will be getting added to the list. Manual Caching it made a huge difference to how it looks. Still not as good PG as other places but I noticed a significant difference!
Then later when I rescale the ratings it’ll get moved again and so will quite a few other ones. Going to try and keep it simple so might not have ratings going as high as 15… Still thinking about it… a few lattes and a bacon butty in a bit will help me decide it’s final scoring structure and scoring system 
Switzerland
Norway
Netherlands
(I thought it was ALL tourists and Cafe / Restaurant / Expensive gift shop staff lol).
