All our reviews

As other reviewers have noted, Ahmedabad is very much not a tourist city. It's hot, dusty and chaotic - even by Indian standards. We spent three days here in February 2019 as a base for visiting the three Gujarat WH sites (here, Rani-ki-Vav and Champaner-Pavagadh), and honestly it's difficult to really appreciate the World Heritage aspects of the city. 

To try and fully understand the place, we opted for the Heritage Walk Ahmedabad, a semi-official endeavour supported by the local government and a bargain at only 125rs. The tour went for a couple of hours from the Swaminarayan Mandir, through various pol districts and ended at the Jama Masjid. It was a nice way to see the various aspects of what makes the city: Hindu culture, Muslim culture, along with the unique pol houses, and our young local guide was quite enthusiastic. That said, most of the pol houses are crumbling and poorly maintained - maybe that makes them more authentic? But at quite a few points it was hard to distinguish which were the historic houses and which were far more modern. 

Overall neither of us were particularly impressed with the site. We've definitely seen worse, but have definitely seen better. Of the three sites in Gujarat, this was definitely the least impressive.

While in Ahmedabad I'd strongly recommend visiting the Gandhi Ashram across the river from the Old City. Gandhi lived here for about 12 years on and off, and large parts of it …

If you want to go off the beaten track in Lebanon the Nahr Ibrahim Valley is a good start. If you come from Beirut it will take you a full day but if you're staying in Byblos it will shave of a bit of the time. Take lunch for a picknick! I researched all UNESCO documents and besides the natural valley I visited all the cultural sites except the caves.

If you're a WHS collector including the tentative make sure to FIRST go to the Roman Ruins in Faqra which are actually part of the Nahr el Kelb inscription BUT will save you hours driving. The ruins are relatively small and do need restauration. Hope this will be done with the small entrance fee.

Now the Nahr Ibrahim Valley; it has several points that are inscribed:

- caves with painting, ceramics etc: not possible to easily visit. you would need gear for that and I couldn't find any reference on where they are.

- First set your GPS or Google Maps to the Adonis Temple in Afqa and drive there. The temple is just ruins but the cave opposite the river is the start of the Adonis (Ibrahim) river. In spring A LOT of water is coming out. You can enter the cave just a bit but if there is less water you can walk in more.

- Now put your GPS to Yanouh (it's on the other side of the valley; you circle the …

When I visited Aquileia last year, I mentioned in our whatsapp group that these were the greatest Roman mosaics I had hitherto seen. I was wondering what greater mosaics existed on the list. The group feedback was Villa Romana del Casale. I would have gone anyhow. But this way I was quite curious what I would find.

The villa is a 4th century Roman villa that probably was built for the then Roman governor of Sicily. The Romans chose the location for its proximity to the main road between Catania and Agrigento. Nowadays, the area is more of a backwater.

In the 4th century, the Roman empire underwent massive social changes. Prior, the nobility would not reside with their holdings. Instead, they would live in larger cities, directing their farms from afar. With the nobility and upper class moving to the countryside, they built large villas to live in, the Villa Romana del Casale being a prominent and well-preserved example.

As pointed out by others, the mosaics are stunning and large. They cover the whole floor of the villa and tell plenty of stories. The long central aisle (picture) with the story on the delivery chain of arena animals was the best, but there is so much more. Astonishing. And unlike in Aquileia there are few religious mosaics, so both sites are unique in their own way.

The Italians built a visiting trail in the villa running high above the marvelous floors plus a roof. …

This proposed entry has nothing to do with worshipping Tom Brady but that might have a higher chance to get inscribed.

Just outside Naples, far enough to be away from the crazy driving, narrow roads and honking vespas, is the Archeological Park of Pausilypon. You need to make a reservation to visit the park and I stood in front of the gate not knowing how to continue to my actual destination: Gaiola.

I found a small alley without any sign that looked like it was going the right way and surely after 10min I stood at the seaside. A dirty beach greeted me in the heat. Walk around it and there is a guarded entrance to the islands. If you want to go swimming here you need to pay a small fee and present an ID. They are very strict on conserving the area and fighting the trash that constantly comes onshore.

Previously I had inquired about a snorkeling tour (you are not allowed by yourself, only swimsuits) but they only do that Saturdays but it was too cold in late May anyway. Free entry is given to the info center and the viewing platform. That's where you can see the islands with the ruins. It is nothing special. The marine life, as much as I am up for protection, is not unique. If anything then the place is important for having a clean spot next to that cesspool called Naples. A weak site I never expect …

Pompei is an awesome site to visit if you want to see a relatively well-preserved Roman city from the 1st century AD. That said, a visit can also be sobering, as you may also run into casts of the victims of the eruption of neighboring Vesuvius in 79 A.D. I visited Pompei as part of a tour from Naples in the spring of 2013, and had a few hours to wander the ruins. There were finely paved streets still intact, and an amphitheater for culture. On one street you can find ovens from a kitchen on display, while on another you can find surviving artwork on the walls of a brothel. Private residences and temples and bathhouses lie partially in ruins, but enough remains to get a good feeling of what life must have been like in this city. I particularly enjoyed the chance near the end of the tour to wander away from the crowds, which seemed to be everywhere at the site. Pompei is everything you might have expected to see after reading about it in textbooks. But then there are the casts on display in some of the buildings, and the spectre of Vesuvius--still active--looming on the horizon as a reminder that life is short, and we are never guaranteed tomorrow.

Logistics: Pompei is a large site, but walkable; there are train and bus options to get to Pompei from Naples, but tours or private transporation can also be arranged.

Can you believe Knossos is still not world heritage? Can you believe none of the sites in Crete are world heritage? Can you believe Greece favors Spinalonga, a leper colony, over this?! Finally, can you believe the entrance is €15 or €16 with the museum! (also can you believe an elderly Israeli couple tried to get a free entry due their nation being in the Eurovision contest lol)

Unfortunately without a guide there is very little to see at the site. Sure you see the famous half broken fresco of the minotaur, the red columns, lots of crumbled remains of a once fancy palace. You get to see more statues in the museum which in the end is a more worthy visit. There are other places on the tentative list for this entry but I would consider Knossos the main one.

My main problem with the site is the lack of access to several areas. Unlike Pompeii where there is still clearly work done, here places are just off limits and you can glance at it from far away. Great site, bad presentation. Recommend you to look up the history yourself before visiting.

Niksar is one of the latest additions to enormous Turkish Tentative list, which may cause suspicion that it might be pushed for inscription soon. Nonetheless, we wouldn’t have visited it if it was not on our long way back from Ani to Istanbul. Visiing Niksar requires a short detour from main road E80 linking Istanbul and Iran.

Before the visit I studied the description on UNESCO site to know what to expect. I learned that Niksar was a capital of Danishmendids, one of several dynasties that established and soon disappeared during the conquest of Turkey. Danishmendids were in power for a century from 1070 to 1178. In Niksar the first madrasa of Anatolia, Yagibasan Madrasa, was open. But the justification of Outstanding Universal Value was so unclear that I could not extract anything outstanding. The most conspicuous building in the Internet was an old bridge so I headed towards it and park my car nearby.

The bridge is eye-catching indeed but its surroundings are quite pleasant too. The center of Niksar is quite well preserved old town with many traditional buildings but nothing really remarkable. The whole town lays on the hill so we climbed up the point where the Yagibasan Madrasa is located. The Madrasa was closed but our climbing has paid off- apart from the nice panorama, there were some ruins open for visiting. There was, however, nothing really outstanding and without photos I would have trouble with reminding any particular points of interest. So in …

August 2018 - What a site. After visiting Nancy and Metz that day, we still went back to germany and visited, for the first time, the Saarland. After more than a week in France with its beautiful medieval cathedrals, castles and towns, this industrial heritage was quite a switch during our trip. But this cathedral of steel is a masterpiece of human craftship. Just its size, and filigree details atthe same time.

The entrance fee is quite steep, but pay it, visit the Ironwork, it is amazing. You can climb up to the top, the view is stunning and you feel like a lego figurine trapped in a big wonderworld

As a quick getaway for the long Ascension weekend, I jumped on a plane to Corfu. My original plan had been to travel cross-country from Corfu to Skopje. When this didn’t pan out due to travel times, I shortened my trip and visited Corfu and the neighboring sites in Albania.

Corfu has a nice old town and a great Mediterranean fortification. It exceeds what you will find in the Venetian Works of Defence inscription being a Venetian fortification itself. You will find the Venetian lion adorning its fortification walls. It’s not, though, on the scale of Vallletta. But honestly, what could be? With Malta, it shares a British past. You will find several British buildings scattered around town.

While you can roam the city for a few hours, I am hard pressed to name a true highlight. In summary, Corfu is nice enough, but not great.

Getting There

Several low budget carriers and charter airlines serve Corfu. Corfu is a standard package holiday destination, so you may find cheap flights. In my case, the flight stayed flat at €150 until the day I flew. I know, because jokingly I asked a friend if he wanted to jump onboard to Corfu the same day. From the airport, you can walk to the old town. There are also buses or cabs if you have luggage are staying somewhere else on the island.

Alternatively, you can arrive by ferry from Albania or Greece. If you are traveling …

We were happy to reach San Agustin at the end of our bumpy 5 hr ride from Popayan. The town of San Agustin itself is nothing to get too excited about but the surrounding area is beautiful so I'd recommend staying just outside of town at one of the nicer and quieter resorts or above town to enjoy the views during your down time. 

The WHS consists of 3 sites which we saw over 2 days. Our first visit was to the main archaeological park 3km out of town. The entry fee is a bit much at 50,000 pesos but is valid for 2 days and all 3 sites. There is a nice museum on site and overall the sites are well maintained and presented though English signage is limited so read up ahead of time or hire a guide at the entrance.

Not a lot is known about the San Agustin culture but they were clearly very skilled artisans. The main attractions are the numerous statues on display, each one unique and displaying various human and animalistic features and symbols, the meaning of which archaeologists are still debating. I enjoyed them more than I'd expected but found the sites a little hard to grasp and connect with since they consist of scattered burial chambers all carefully fenced off and covered for protection with manicured lawn between them. There is little sign of any connecting life, villages, buildings or "ruins" suggesting a community or culture other than a …

Mudurnu was a must during my family trip to Turkey in early May 2019 as it was proposed for inscription this year. Unfortunately for me, similar to Kizilirmak delta, a couple of days after my return Turkey withdrew the nomination, most probably after negative ICOMOS assessment. Luckily it did not require a long detour – it is only one hour by car from Istanbul-Ankara highway.

According to nomination file, Mudurnu was a town that played an important role in the Turkification of Anatolia and was an important market town, laying at the crossroads of the Silk Road (from Constantinople to Iran) and Crimean Road (from Damascus to Black Sea coast). Based on what I read, Mudurnu seemed a bit similar to already inscribed town of Safranbolu. And indeed, when we arrived there, the similarity was quite obvious. But Turkey did not admit that – they compared Mudurnu not to Safranbolu, but to some other 'guild towns' in Europe and Asia, such as Visby, Spissky Hrad or Tabriz. This is because Turkey based its nomination on the Ahi Order, merchants' solidarity organization and guild system that was present in Mudurnu almost since its beginning in XIIIth centtury. Akhism was quite influential in medieval times and was famous of its hospitality and social solidarity.

The whole town is small but quite pleasant. We visited in on Sunday morning so there were not so many tourists but judging from the number of restaurants and handcraft shops, it is quite popular. The …

Safranbolu was our first stop during our trip to Turkey in late April / early May 2019. Going there by car is quite easy, from Istanbul it takes around 4 hours, mostly on highway Istanbul-Ankara. Proximity of Istanbul makes Safranbolu a popular site – there were quite many tourists on Saturday afternoon, but mostly Turkish and only a few foreigners.

Safranbolu was inscribed for well preserved center, being a good example of a typical Ottoman city of pre-industrial era. And indeed it seems really authentic and most of the buildings saved their original shape with white walls and brown wooden frames. Many of them serve as restaurants, guest houses or handicraft shops. One of the most symbolic buildings is local hammam Cinci, located near the main square, with conspicuous number of domes.

To fully admire the beauty of the town, one must climb up the hill with former palace, serving as local museum. It is not far away from the center and the panorama makes the short climb worthwhile. The museum is also quite interesting and presents daily life of craftsmen and merchants centuries ago.

The town's name comes from saffron, a spice that still is produced nearby. Safranbolu is proud of its saffron heritage – there is a big monument of this plant in the center, you can eat saffron ice cream or buy saffron soap, perfumes etc.

Overall, Safranbolu is a very nice town which is worth a visit. It is not very big …

August 2018 - After spending the day in and around Verdun we spent the night in Parc naturel régional de Lorraine on a nice campground next to the lake. Unfortunately it was a catastrophic night in terms of weather and our tent got flooded, parts of the campground had to be evacuated. So that morning we decided, that before we go back to Germany, we still take the tunr to see Nancy and Metz.

We arrived in Nancy early in the morning and parked in the vicinity of Place Stanislaw. The WHS is just a few squares and the connecting alleys, but its quite authentic and magnificent with its geometry. We did not spend much time though, since we planned a lot more that day. Nice city to walk around a bit and take some pictures

Sometimes this site surprises me – some sites, even remote ones from T-list, have plenty of reviews, where the others, much easier to visit, barely have any. The latter is the case of Hattusa, where until now there were only a few sentences. And the site is not remote and was visited by more than 60 travellers, which places it in upper half of most visited Turkish WHS.

Hattusa is archeological area which served as capital of Hittite empire from 15th to 11th century BC. There are many well preserved remainings, such as ruins of palaces, temples, city walls with well preserved gates and underground passages. Relative proximity of Cappadocia makes this site quite popular among tourists, including international groups. Sometimes there were even queues to the most popular parts. I had a problem with Hattusa – although most of the site is undoubtedly original, I think some of the monuments – including the most popular sculptures, are replicas (or, to be precise, modern reconstructions). Apart from this, we enjoyed our visit, even my children found it interesting, especially city walls with Yerkapi rampart. The whole site is really big and can't be reasonably done on foot – car is the most convenient, though you can do it on a bike (I did not see any bike rental though). Even with driving from one point to another visiting can take at least two hours. At the end of April it was quite warm but I cannot imagine how hot …

Arriving at Gjirokaster, I wasn’t sure what to expect. At first glance, there were no notable structures. Gjirokaster seemed to consist exclusively of the usual communist concrete fare. So was this it? Luckily not.

Historically, the valley of the Drino River was reserved for agriculture. The locals built their towns and villages on the slopes of the surrounding hills and mountains. And up in the hills, you will find in Gjirokaster: a great example of Ottoman architecture in the Balkans. Frankly, during my travels, I have seen nothing comparable in the Balkans.

As recommended by Els I visited the Zekate house. I also went to the castle. But mostly I enjoyed strolling through the cobblestone streets and taking pictures of the Ottoman houses covering the hillsides.

To me, this is a unique site that embodies the Ottomans and the Balkans. It’s also a great representative for Albania and their culture. I think it’s well worth a visit. Be prepared, though, for an almost obsessive-compulsive level of guest friendliness.

Getting There

The easiest access point for southern Albania including Gjirokastra is Corfu. There are plenty of connections from Europe to the Greek island. From Corfu several daily ferries can take you to Saranda in Albania. You will even gain 20min as the ferry takes 40min and Greece is one hour ahead of Albania. From Saranda, you can take a minibus. These depart in front of the synagogue ruins on Rruga Flamurit. The bus stop is Gjirokaster …

The first capital of Portugal way back in the 12th century, Guimarães is recognized on the World Heritage list as an authentic example of the evolution of a medieval settlement into a modern town. Its historic center is a homogeneous architectural ensemble in a style that in native to the country and to the area, preserved well enough to offer visual enjoyment around every corner.

Palace of the Dukes of Braganza is the leading tourist attraction in town. Although not “must-see” in the absolute sense of the word, it is quite interesting in that it manages to project a proper medieval feel in its mix of grand spaces with the austerity that is only mildly pierced by the placement of decorative objects. The palace chapel is rather sparsely lighted inside, which makes the sight of its stained glass windows all the more dramatic.

The nearby 11th-century castle is among the oldest structures in town. As Guimarães is widely considered to be the cradle of Portuguese national identity, the castle claims to be the likely place of birth of the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques. The most fun part of the visit to the castle is the animated biopic of Afonso Henriques shown on the top floor of the keep – you don’t have to understand Portuguese to enjoy the lighthearted way of the presentation. The history of the country – alongside some of the key world events – is presented chronologically on the lower levels from medieval …

After so many unsatisfying visits described by previous reviewers, I tried a different approach to covering Bialowieza Forest. I pre-booked a private tour into the Strict Reserve on the Polish side, a part that can only be visited with a licensed guide. This is also the core area that was originally inscribed in 1979 (the WHS has been extended several times since). I went with Arek Szymura of Pygmy Owl Nature Tours; I knew he was serious when he suggested meeting up at 4 am! Just in time before sunrise, it was light already and a pleasant 15 degrees Celsius.

So 5 minutes to 4, I stood waiting in front of Bialowieza’s orthodox church. This lies next to Palace Park, which I had visited the day before. Our tour started with a quick crossing of that park (with a short stop for observing a tawny owl) and exiting it again at the northwestern corner. Between the park and the strict reserve is a stretch of some 500m of meadows, they were very pretty in the early morning light with a bit of haze. We encountered a small group of people with spotting scopes there, hoping to get a glimpse of bison who sometimes come out of the forest to graze. However, we only saw the first woodpecker of the day (many more were to follow, “The Bialowieza Forest is paradise for woodpeckers” – the nomination file states rightly).

The Strict Reserve has a similar wooden entrance gate to …

I visited this site with my family in late April '19, to have a tick in case it would be inscribed this year. Now we know the nomination was withdrawn by the state party, most probably after negative assessment by Advisory Body. Bad luck, as it was quite a detour, but I cannot say it was a complete waste of time.

Kizilirmak is the longest river in Turkey and in ancient times constituted a border between Asia Minor and Asia 'proper'. Its delta is quite large and at its tip is protected as a national park. It is possible to drive to the heart of the delta by car (although partially on dirt roads). There was visitors center (under restoration, I think they hoped for inscription), lookout tower and bike rental. With a bike you can explore every corner of this place as the whole park is covered by gravel roads. This is because the park, although being protected, is used for agriculture – there are many cows (or buffalos) and hay is regularly mowed. Haymaking may be actually beneficial for many bird species, if done in correct time.

As regards birds, there were really many of them. One can familiarize with the most popular species as their pictures with short description are presented near the road. So the place is heaven for bird spotters. I do not belong to this group, but my children and myself liked this place. It is difficult to assess whether it deserves …

"There's gold in them thar hills", and that's exactly what brought Rome to Las Médulas in northwest Spain. The UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription is what brought me to Las Médulas some 19 centuries later, and I'm glad I made the visit, since it helped provide context to the Roman presence still visible in ruins throughout neighboring Galicia. Las Médulas was one of the most important sources of gold for the Roman empire, which used the gold in coins and jewelry. Unfortunately, the extraction came at a price to the landscape, as eroded red rocks are now ruggedly visible against the abundant vegetation in the valley below. Upon recommendations from other reviews, last week I first visited the Mirador of Orellan, which offers the best panoramic views of the mined earth. I loved the views, but I would strongly recommend site managers consider more signboards at the viewpoint explaining the Roman process of mining. What sign I did find was at the entrance to the nearby tunnels (or galerias), which I highly recommend. Here you can walk through former channels dug by Romans into the mountainsides and later flooded with water, destabilizing the hillsides and sending them in mudslides to the valley below, where gold could more easily be extracted from the rock. In addition to the tunnels at the mirador, I also recommend a visit to the museum in the town of Las Médulas, which more thoroughly explains the Roman process of mining (though it is mostly in Spanish). …

As ruins go, Butrint spans a large time span and covers a large area. You find Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Venetian buildings and remains. The site also holds floor mosaics, but these are buried below sand to protect them from the humid climate. Only every two years are they uncovered and made visible to the public.

Rising water levels constantly endangered parts of Butrint. The Triconch Palace is a good example here, being built on the shoreline.

When the Venetians in the 16th century built the fortress on the other side of the canal, the city was finally abandoned. The new fortress controlled access to the lagoon and the rich fish reservoir, so a settlement in Butrint was no longer needed.

Getting There

The hub for Butrint is Saranda. By ferry, you can visit from Corfu. By minibus, you can connect to all over Albania (Gjirokaster) and Greece. If you are so inclined, you can visit both Gjirokaster and Butrint in a day by getting a taxi in Saranda (should go without saying: agree on a fixed price). But personally, I liked Albania better than Corfu, so for me, Corfu would be the day trip.

From Saranda, hourly line buses depart half past from the bus station on Rruga Skënderbeu facing the ruins of the old synagogue. The bus stop is 50m from where the minibuses to Tirana and Gjirokaster depart. In addition, there are also private buses that run along the …