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High transparency is important to the performance of optical equipment and devices, such as windows, lenses, solar panels, and safety goggles. As many of them are constantly exposed to various environmental conditions, it is highly desirable to develop a self-cleaning coating that can prevent microbial growth, fouling, corrosion and icing. One of these technologies is superhydrophobic coating. In this review, we discuss recent progress in design, synthesis and fabrication of transparent, superhydrophobic surfaces. First, we revisit different models of superhydrophobicity and present the potential challenges in the nanofabrication of transparent superhydrophobic surfaces. We then discuss the general fabrication methods, including the top-down fabrication methods and self-assembly approaches, to create roughness with a size in the sub-visible wavelength with or without post-hydrophobilization steps. While top …