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Trujillo is one of the first Spanish settlements in Peru though the area had been settled for thousands of years previously. The WHS Chan Chan and even more impressive Moche ruins of Huaca del Sol y Luna are just outside of town and we stayed overnight in Trujillo to visit them. 

The center of Trujillo is quite small, maintaining its colonial grid layout and completely encircled by the busy avenida España. It felt and looked much safer and cleaner than the rest of town which still suffers from the typical garbage, crime and traffic problems common to Peru. The centre has a large and busy Plaza de Armas on which you'll find typical 2-storey colonial buildings, many with iron grillwork or wooden balconies (also seen in Lima's historic centre). Along with the cathedral, everything looks relatively recently painted and restored. 5 blocks of Jiron Francisco Pizarro street between Plaza de Armas and Plazuela El Recreo are pedestrianized and if time is limited a walk along this section is sufficient to get the idea. 

Like Els, I don't expect this to make the List. It didn't have any unique outstanding features but it does make a visit to the city nicer than it otherwise could have been. 

The Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque Hydraulic System wasn't really part of my original itinerary, but having hired a car I knew I was going to regret not to visit the site. Thus, I decided to combine the site with Teotihuacan on a day trip from Mexico City in April 2019. This site encompasses a water catchment area, springs, canals, distribution tanks, reservoirs and the arcaded aqueduct bridges. UNESCO recognises that the hydraulic system was an outstanding work of engineering in the Americas at the time, and a perfect example of interchange of values and influences between Europeans and Mesoamerican indigenous peoples. We only planned to visit the aqueduct bridge, simply because this was the more obvious and representative element of the site. 

With the help of a GPS navigation app, we were able to get to the aqueduct from Teotihuacan in 40 minutes. The drive was smooth and there was a portion of the highway near the site where you could see the entirety of the aqueduct. I reckoned that it would be a challenge to reach this site by public transportation. A dirt road welcomed us as we approached the aqueduct. For some reason, arriving at the site made me feel like we were in an isolated, neglected area. I was kind of expecting that the government of the state of Hidalgo would put a little museum or even a ticket/guest booth after the site was inscribed, but there was none. We parked our car at the edge …

I've been to at least 4 human fossil sites around the world and that's only world heritage so there are probably a half dozen more and now I can add Wallonia to the list. I went to the small museum in Spy, assuming that the Spy Cave (cool name for either a Jason Stratham action flick or a Clive Cussler book.

I did not visit the cave itself because I believe it is off-limits and all items found inside have been moved already.

The museum has weird opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday only 13:00-17:00. They don't get many visitors. There is also not much English available with most in French and Dutch only. Hardly makes the 5 Euros worth it. Besides, as I mentioned before the addition of yet another human evolution site feels overkill, then a study to include only the main sites is needed because they just keep coming.

Visited this site in April 2019 as a deviation from the road to thermal waters of Heviz. Pecs is very lovely town with beatiful cathedral, ramparts, pedestrian streets and traditional restaurants. The combined ticket price is now 1,900 Forints (6 Euro). Cella Septichora has three important tombs: Peter-Paul Tomb; Jug Tomb and Octagonal Tomb. First two are still covered with annoying blicking glass covers disturbing photo taking. However, the site is very vell preserved and covered with tailor-made fittings, stairs, passages and surface windows. Mausoleum contains another beautiful burial painted chamber with marble sarcophagus. It was interesting to find out what the letters from the famous Pecs symbol of christianity mean: Greek letters X (chi) and P (rho) are the first two letters of the name of Christ and letters A (alpha) and ω (omega) are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, symbolizing the beginning and the end. In overall, this site deserves its inscription, even if it could not be compared with Roman sites in Italy, but given its distant location from everywhere it was quite unique to construct such decorated burial chambers in province. Combined with overall pleasent ambience of the town this is a good site to visit. 

July 2018 - we started our trip to the Normandy and back.

After spending the night at a friend in Brunswick, we continued the journey to reach the Eifel region for next night, also to visit a friend. But that day we were about to visit 5 World heritage sites on the way. Quite a lot for one day, but just enough time to get more than just a quick Photo stop.

Around 8 a.m. we arrived in Hildesheim. First we visited the Dom, walked around that area and took another stop at the St. Michaels church, which was unfortunately closed. However, from insides as well outside, the two churches lack in authenticity, since they were heavily bombed in WWII. I know and visited a lot of romanesque churches in Germany, which are more impressive and worth visiting. Magdeburg, Halberstadt, Jerichow, just to name a few. It was a quick stop before and we continued to Alsfeld.

For anyone interested in history, this is a great site to visit, even though, as mentioned in some other reviews, the authenticity of some of the components is at least questionable. The famous Schlosskirche, for instance, was heavily damaged during the Seven Years' War, and the door where Luther posted his 95 Theses, and which can therefore be considered the birthplace of the Protestant faith, was destroyed by fire. What you can see now is just a 19th-century replica. The church itself is still quite impressive and an interesting place to visit (especially for the tombs of Luther and Melanchthon). Equally impressive is St. Mary's Church (the Stadtkirche or City Church, as opposed to the nobility's Castle Church), where Luther preached and where the first Mass in German was held - the famous Reformation Altar being the most important sight there. The remaining two components in Wittenberg are the Melanchthonhaus, with a beautiful Renaissance facade and a pretty garden, and the Lutherhaus, a former monastery where Luther lived as a monk and which today houses a museum on the history of the Reformation; some rooms are still very close to the original. Wittenberg is a very pretty town and all four sites are just a short walk away from each other. I also visited Eisleben, the place where Luther was born and died, but didn't spend any significant amount of time, and I enjoyed it rather less. It also has a nice historic centre, but the two buildings on the …

Sarnath is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site just outside Varanasi, 1 of the 4 most spiritually rewarding sites pointed out by Gautama Buddha himself. Or as I have seen it described less poetically: “the location where Buddha gave his first sermons in a deer park”. There are some indications that Sarnath might be India’s nomination for 2021. Maybe surprising, as it has been lingering on the Tentative List since 1998 without noticeable action. The recent reports in the news state that “a 600 page nomination dossier is being prepared” – which may even take a few years beyond 2021!

I visited Sarnath on a North India trip in 1993. I did consider Varanasi the highlight of that trip, but I have no notes about nearby Sarnath left. The photo album contains 4 photos labelled ‘Sarnath’, which is quite a lot from pre-digital times:

• The first one is of a Golden Temple. Online research shows this is the Kashi Vishwanath temple – not in Sarnath at all but a Hindu temple in Varanasi!
• On to the second one: displaying an archaeological site, with a stupa in the far distance. It resembles Ayutthaya. These are the remains of ancient monasteries at Sarnath. There is a white covered structure as well, does it hold the remains of the lowest foundation of the Ashoka pillar?
• The third one is the iconic view of the massive Dhamekh Stupa. This is supposedly erected at the exact place where Buddha gave his …

Hôpital Notre-Dame à la Rose claims to be the oldest hospital in Europe. The only Wikipedia article is in Dutch for some reason when though the town of Lessines is in Wallonia. Superlatives don't always get you on the list and I think there needs to be more. It is more of a church-like hospital anyway, I often felt that I'm in a church altogether. The windows are beautiful, the architecture is great, from the outside you wouldn't think it is a hospital (a modern hospital is around the corner to compare).

Inside most is a museum with display cases and an art gallery. You get plenty to see and it's worth the money but I highly recommend the audio guide. The only issue with the site I have are the weird opening hours from 14:00-18:30 (last entry at 17:45!) and naturally closed on Mondays.

Pro tip: There is parking inside the alley so try there first before driving up the hill

UNique – 6/10

In the fields of South Bohemia, not too far away from either České Budějovice or Česky Krumlov, lies a small village of Holašovice. With the population of around 140 residents and the area consisting of just a few dozen houses grouped around a village square, you would be well within your right to ask why it deserves a World Heritage Site designation. That is until you visit it. The village is incredibly charming due to its unified Baroque frontage that it presents to the visitor. The two-storey houses lining the village square have white or beige painted walls with the outlines of each house painted in bright yellow, orange or brown colours. It is unusual to see a rural architectural style as well-preserved as it is in Holašovice.

ESsential – 2/10

To understand the reasons behind the emergence of such a unified rural complex, it helps to know a bit of its history. By 1525, the population of the village was completely wiped out by the bubonic plague, with only two residents surviving. In order to repopulate Holašovice, Cistercian monastery, which owned the village, invited settlers from Austria and Bavaria. By 19th century, the village was mainly German-speaking. 19th century saw the rise of romanticizing rural landscapes and bucolic themes. It was at this time that most of the buildings were constructed in their unique Folk Baroque style.

COst-effective – 7/10

The village is 15 km west from České Budějovice and can …

This is a confusing nomination. It concentrates on the fortifications around the grand harbour of Valletta, yet the old city of Valletta is already a WHS on its own, and its military aspects are prominently mentioned in the description. The nomination text mumbles something about other harbour fortifications, but doesn't bother to mention what exactly they mean. Do they want to include all the watchtowers scattered around Malta ? Or the Victoria lines coastal forts, which are part of another tentative site ? The core of this tentative site still seems to be the harbour forts of Valletta, meaning Fort St.Elmo at the tip of Valetta, Fort St Angelo on the opposite side of the harbour, and the various bastions next to them (although the nomination text does not even mention them by name !).

On the positive side, it's very easy to tick this site of when visiting Valletta. In fact, it is almost impossible to not visit some part of the fortifications when there, and the great views above the grand harbour is a must-see anyways. Fort St Elmo was extensively modified during the second world war and nowadays houses an interesting museum about the military past of Valletta, although the fort itself looks a bit neglected. I have only seen St Angelo and the various bastions from the outside.

All in all, this tentative site is a clear case for an extension of the already existing Valletta WHS, instead of making it a site on …

Like Jarek, I chose Peruíbe for my visit. It is probably the most convenient location to visit and took around 3 hours by rental car from Guarulhos airport. If you arrive at Congonhas it’s even closer, as you don’t have to pass through the center of São Paulo.

I spent the night in Guaraú, a village close to Peruíbe within the core zone. Guaraú beach is nice with some beautiful views over the park. I saw a lot of different birds early at the beach and only around 3 other people. As it’s not a overdeveloped touristy beach, it is still very much enjoyable. The nearby island also seems very nice from the pictures I saw, but with my limited research I didn’t find a way to get there. Instead I drove to the Paradise Waterfall.

The drive to the waterfall took 50 minutes, even though it’s only 12km. You can guess the road conditions when reading these numbers. Unsurprisingly the waterfall was not worth the effort to drive there and back. The low water level added to its unspectacular height and the cloudy weather gave it the rest. However, I’d still recommend doing, as the beach alone is not representative enough for this WHS and I only got the real “core zone feeling” when driving through the jungle on this muddy, rocky, bumpy, so called road. You can spend a month there, exploring this huge area, but a full day covers it pretty much.

We visited Victoria Falls on a day trip, organized transfer, from Kasane Botswana. There is a transfer time of 1,5 hour including borderpassing and that gave us only five hours to do the full experience (which you should do according to Solivagents review). We startet out with a helicopter tour, 13-14 minutes over the falls. Fantastic! Worth every dollar (150 per person). Then shuttle to the park entrance. The entrance is 30$ for single entry (still).

It’s late april and average amount of water for the season they say. But never the less, we got soaked at some of the view points. A raincoat might be a good idea, but in 30 degrees you dry up quickly in the sun. The views of the falls are magnificent, some places it was all misty and foggy others were clear. The falls are truly stunning. We haven’t been to Iguazu falls yet, but this is far the greatest waterfalls we have seen. To get to the Zambian side, there is a two km walk through the border zone. The view from the boarder bridge is also great. We were tempted to do the bungy jump from the bridge. No lines there, but no time (luckily ☺️).

The Zambian Park is smaller but still worth seeing. The views are different. We had finally dried up when we passed the Knife Edge bridge, but then we got totally soaked again. They are renting out raincoates along the pathway, but were are norwegians! …

Aphrodisias is a rather pleasant detour from Pamukkale to Ephesus. I assume getting there by public transport is a hassle, so go there by rental. The site is easily found. Go for Aphrodisias Museum in Google Maps. It’s around 300m off the main road. Free parking is available and to my surprise the parking lot had quite a lot of cars parked. The site itself includes the museum (no extra fee), where the most precious pieces of marble are in exposition. The archeological remains are nice, but not the best I’ve seen so far. Even though founded as a Greek city, most buildings are Roman. Highlights are the stadium (see Solivagants picture) and the temple of Aphrodite, that was later turned into a church.

We visited Tsodillo Hills in April, a very green and lush period. This is a remote and desolated area of Botswana. From the Caprivi strip Namibia we took a “detour” through Mohembo border crossing down to Drotsky cabins just south of Shakawe where we spent two nights.The drive from Drotsky to Tsodilo takes about 1,5 hours, the first part on the road is tarred with potholes, then 36 km on a fairly good gravel road to the park entrance. From the entrance it’s another 5 km to the museum on a bad gravel road.Tsodilo Hills are roughly four hills, Male, Female, Child and Grandchild and there are 5 different hiking trails. We chose the Rhino trail around the Female mountain. This trail is supposed to be the most rewarding one. You need a guide accessing the site now, and the museum will provide you one. Our guide spoke good english and was knowledgeable about both the hills, the people and the nature, and of course the rock art.

There were several very nice panels along the trail, mostly with paintings of animals in red oker color made by the San people, but also the Bantu people made some in white. A lot of the paintings were clearly visible, while others were more faded. There where a few panels with geometric patterns and a few with people. One of the few people panels is The Dancing Penises, a simple line sketch of men with erected penis. A panel with two …

Barcelona is home to two World Heritage Sites dedicated to architecture, but for most visitors only one of these will come to mind: the Works of Antoni Gaudí. This World Heritage Site only comprised three of Gaudí's works when first inscribed: Parque Güell, Palacio Güell, and Casa Mila. My friend and I rented go-karts to travel Barcelona when we visited in 2013, and we made a point to spend time exploring Parque Güell, which seems a bit like Lewis Carroll's Wonderland turned into stone and mosaics. As many have noted, the park offers a superb view of the city, although Barcelona is not lacking in overlooks. On our drive around Barcelona we passed by both Casa Mila and Casa Batlló (added to the World Heritage Site in a later extension); although we didn't go inside, the exteriors of both buildings are rather awe-inspiring. To me, though, the best of Gaudí's architecture is perhaps his most well-known work, the Sagrada Família, whose sand castle-like spires rise high above the city center. Only the Nativity Facade and the crypt are inscribed (also through the extension), but the entire church is a masterpiece of Gaudí's unique style of architecture, which seems in constant danger of melting or eroding away. I highly recommend climbing the towers to get a bird's eye view of Gaudí's designwork. Gaudí's plans for the church were scheduled to be finished around 2026, which makes me wonder whether construction will actually be completed at Sagrada Família before repairwork is completed …

Here is a practical tip for those who want to skip the lines, and are not the morning bird type, like myself. Completely serendipitously I discovered that if you book a guided tour from Versailles itself (no third parties) to the king's private apartments, you'll skip all the lines, no matter what day or no matter the size of the line. My wife and I visited on easter weekend (worst timing possible) and were extremely discouraged by the HUGE lines: the entire front square was packed (est. waiting time 2h). We had booked the 'passport' ticket that gives you all access, and for €10 extra the guided tour in the apartments (which you otherwise can't visit). The apartments itself were worth the money, but the best part was for sure when our guide (we had the 12pm slot) walked us past busloads of astonished (and sun-scorched) tourists straight to the front of the line and into the castle. All in all we waited 5 minutes in the airconditioned waiting room for the guided tours (Building on the right side of the entry gates) and never waited a second in line. So to all my dear fellow WHS enthusiasts who happened to plan a Versailles visit (and don't like 8:30am on a holiday) ... you know what to do. 

Rio is one of these WHS I visually absolutely enjoy, but it is not really clear to me where the UOV lies. However, I enjoyed my visit and was happy that I could combine visiting a new WHS and completing my minor travel goal to visit all New 7 Wonders. The other reviews covered the most important points, so I will concentrate on how to get to the parts of the WHS I visited.

In general I walked a lot. There are “walk Rio” sign posts all around the city and it’s sufficiently marked where to go to get to the next stop. I never felt unsafe and hat no problem using my big camera and my mobile phone in public. After covering Valango Wharf and 2 TWHS on foot in down town, I took the metro to Copacabana. I got off at Cantagalo station and walked the few minutes to the beach. Copacabana is by far the part of the town, where I saw most foreigners and it doesn’t feel like a WHS at all. I still enjoyed walking in the warm water and moved towards the Sugar Loaf for around 1km. I left the beach at the Hilton and walked to the funicular station of the Sugar Loaf. Takes around 45mins and you will cross a tunnel on the way. I arrived at the funicular station around noon. Strangely I was much faster without online reservation. While those who reserved a ticket online were waiting in a …

We were in Iquique anyway to visit the Humberstone WHS so had the opportunity to see Baquedano street which, other than the (cold) beach seemed to be the only thing to do in the city itself. Iquique was historically significant as a major export port for the saltpeter industry coming from the likes of Humberstone. As such, although it was isolated on a hostile, desert coast, it continued to grow and prosper along with the nearby mining industry and had a significant international population which influenced the architecture and lifestyle of the area from the late 1800's to early 1900's. 

Baquedano street runs for about 1 km from the coast to the small but pretty Prat square is the remainder of the wealth and glory days with many fine homes and buildings built by the wealthy of the time. It has mostly been restored and other than the street tram is pedestrianized. Our visit was short but sweet and certainly worthwhile if in the area already. It has the international connection that Unesco looks for but as a stand alone inscription seems weak. Mentally we just tried to consider it as an extention of the Humberstone WHS because they are so closely linked. 

Faguswerk is not that fantastic by itself. It's a great visit, an interesting tour, you can spend several hours up to the whole day just on this WHS, but in the end the main focus for the inscription is that it is the origin of the architecture “Bauhaus” movement (another WHS of course, as well impact on Tel-Aviv building designs after the German Jews took the Bauhaus style to Israel - which some purist may tell me is not the correct way to explain it but that's the jist I got from the tour guide). Being the original is very, very huge but then it's a bit like someone telling me an old movie is great “because it was the first to use sound” but that's about it (bet you couldn't tell me which movie was first to use sound or color or 3D anyway).

There are several highlights: the entrance at the clock with its freestanding staircase, the railing near the cafeteria, the chimney, and of course the windows of the main building. Very worthy of inscription and a huge impact onto the world of architecture.

Keep in mind that to see the inside of the factory you must join a tour that runs on weekends (the factory is still in use so it's offlimits otherwise), but the website has a clear indication of special holiday times. Then again, if you can't go on a tour you can take a video guided tour on your own in …

Visit in April 2019.

I will add another review for this WHS because I included a stop at Aztec Ruins National Monument, which has not been covered previously. The Monument is located within the relatively pleasant town of Aztec, New Mexico (both usages of the name “Aztec” are acknowledged misnomers,) and so would make an easy visit for a traveler who wants to learn something about the interesting Chaco Culture and visit this WHS.

This Monument contains one good example of a Great House in the Chacoan style which is somewhat smaller than Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon, but similar in size to Pueblo del Arroyo, or Chetro Ketl, also in the Canyon. Overall, the site is in fine condition, and some of the rooms still have their original wooden ceilings. The main Kiva was restored in the early 20th century so that its interior now resembles what it is thought that the original structure looked like. This modern restoration was probably not perfectly authentic, but I found it quite interesting to see, and have used it as the photo for this review. Whether a visit to this site alone would suffice to claim a visit to the WHS as a whole, should be left up to individual travelers, but in my opinion, it could.

However, I continued on to the main location of this WHS, Chaco Canyon National Historical Park, as well, and I will add a few points relating to getting there by bicycling. The …