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There's an old adage that goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and for me Milan Cathedral has one of the most beautiful west fronts of any cathedral I've visited.How anyone can stand before Milan Cathedral and not be blown away by the sheer size and beauty of the building is beyond me. I'd say it's much more impressive than, for example, Westminster Abbey that looks like a Gothic tick box of building style.Milan Cathedral is different and it was different a long time ago, it bucked the trend, it dared to be different, it did what cathedrals are supposed to do, it wowed people, it made them feel that here, was a special place. A quick check on Wikipedia describes the building as groundbreaking and I totally agree.Of course it has changed, evolved over the centuries to the building we see today but that's no bad thing, what we see today in the culmination of artistic ecclesiastical architecture in the most cultured country on the planet.Really, if you can't appreciate the greatness of this building then maybe you just don't understand architecture. Give it a full listing UNESCO, what's wrong with you?

I visited Genbaku Dome in November 2024. Despite the sunny and warm weather, my mind wasn't sunny. A heavy feeling will land on you when you approach the ruins of what used to be the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotional Hall. We all know how we got the point that it's in ruins now and watching these ruins made me full of heavy thoughts. But I have to admit that still even in ruins it's quite attractive building. Opposite the Genbaku Dome on the other side of the Ota river is the Peace Bell that anyone can go to play. The sound of the bell playing over the Genbaku Dome makes the scene even more haunting.

Visit to the Genbaku Dome should also include visit to the rest of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park that is dotted with multiple different memorials to the victims of the bombing, and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, a must visit to understand the horrors of the atomic bombing. After visiting this site I was wondering that did we learn as humans anything from this terrible tragedy? Thinking of current world politics I'm quite skeptical about that. And should a memorial to a tragedy be a World Heritage Site? Well, we have historical ruins on the WH List representing the end of different empires and so did the atomic bombing end one era of Imperial Japan and changed Japan and the world permanently.

America has a wealth of diverse national parks that cover everything from forests, mountains, canyons, lakes, rivers and of course, deserts.In Death Valley they have the hottest desert in America, the lowest point below sea level and some truly incredible landscapes.I visited Death Valley in August 2018 en route from Nevada to California. I was on the road early that day and stopped a few miles short of Death Valley to chat to a group of bikers. When I told them where I was headed their advice was to "get out of there before 10:30 as the heat is unbearable by then".I decided to heed their advice as much as possible and by 7:30 I was at the first major port of call, Zabriskie Point (photo), part of the Amargosa Mountain Range and some memorable rock formations (also the scene and title of an iconic 1970 movie by Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni).The heat by this time was sweltering, into the mid 30's already and the words of the bikers were now sounding even more like great advice..After this I headed to Stovepipe Wells, where there's a few limited facilities for travelers including a cafe and gift shop.Following some much needed refreshments I headed for the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes and had a short walk over them noting the many signs warning you of the extreme heat.It was a relief to get back into the air conditioned hire car and start to head out of the valley towards California.As you leave …

Berg Eltz is a spectacular medieval castle overlooking the Moselle valley and midway between Koblenz and Trier.I visited the castle as a detour on a wine tour of the Moselle valley and only got to know about it thanks to a couple I met at dinner in my hotel who were most insistent that if I only visit one castle in the area, make sure it's this one.It was a worthwhile detour, the road up to the castle is full of switchbacks and fairly steep but the journey is rewarded with the sight of the castle perched high above the valley below.The inside was typical of most castles where there are still people living and I found it a bit boring to be honest but there's no question that the appeal of this castle is the setting and the impressive layout.The problem for Burg Eltz is that it's in Germany where spectacular medieval castles are many and there are better ones for sure, especially in Bavaria. Had Burg Eltz been in any other European country my guess is that it would get a full listing.

Stunning 17th century square in the Marais district of Paris. When it was completed in 1612 (as the Place Royale) it instantly became one of THE places to live in Paris if you were wealthy or nobility and that has never changed.The "place" is actually a square surrounded by vaulted continuous buildings on all sides with a central garden and fountain.I've visited a couple of times and it's always a pleasure to wander around the arcades.Not sure why it was rejected from the Tentative list, it ticks all the boxes for a full listing.

Arrived on a chilly December morning to visit the complex. The painted ceilings, walls, and tapestries inside really do make the palace, as the outside and parts of the inside are otherwise pretty plain. One thing I wanted to mention, since I saw conflicting information in other reviews, is that on my visit today photography was almost entirely allowed. The only room that disallowed photography was the Pantheon of the Kings - otherwise, I snapped away in full view of the staff (including in spaces like the library) without so much as a shake of the head. 

From the Sagrada Familia station its a pleasant walk to the Hospital de Sant Pau via the Av. de Gaudí. Self-guided tours within Sant Pau are now €17 and can be reserved online. We started just as the site opened and we pretty much had the complex to ourselves for the first 30-60 minutes. The ensemble of buildings are really impressive and access seems much improved compared to the past. In the morning light with a blue sky, each building, rooftop, mosaic and interior was highly picturesque. Lluís Domènech i Montaner designed other buildings in Barcelona, including the Castell dels Tres Dragons and the Casa Lleó Morera. Montaner will largely be an unknown name to the millions of international visitors to Barcelona as the allure and fame of Gaudí has overshadowed him, no street names for Lluís Domènech i Montaner! Setting aside the 'Works of Antoni Gaudí' for a day, we focused our admiration on these iconic works of Catalan Modernism or sometimes referred to as Catalan Art Nouveau. We honored his masterworks by a visit to Sant Pau in the morning and a reserved concert performance in the evening at the Palau de la Musica Catalana.

As part of the Festival of Jazz, I discovered a few months before our trip that María José Llergo would be performing during our stay in Barcelona. What incredible fortune! Indeed, an artist I only recently discovered while watching NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts! The price was €52 per person, which …

Time of the visit: the 7th of dec.2024

In Doha I took the metro from the city centre to the station"national library". From there I took a pirate taxi for around 2€( would have had to wait 10 min for an ueber taxi) to the modern Al Gharafa bus station. I asked for the bus 100 . The indian employee at the info desk told me that it doesnt operate any more. I had already expected the news and bought a ticket for the bus to Al Ruwais which isnt that far from Al Zubarah and according to the internet taxis are available in Al Ruwais.

I was the only passenger in the bus.......almost like a private taxi.....only bigger and much slower. Following the advice of the african bus driver I got off in Al Ruwais' city centre instead of its known port. Well,the city centre consists of a few shops,empty streets and a McDonalds.

I asked a local quatari man where I can get a taxi. He replied that there are no taxis,no ueber,careem or bolt in Al Ruwais. Kindly as he was he asked where I want to go but couldnt take me to Al Zubarah as it was in the opposite direction of the place he had to go to.

I entered McDonalds and ordered a coffee as it was still very early. I told the filipino and ugandan staff my problem. They told me not to worry. The African phoned an indian …

I'm no historian but history is one the things in life that interests me greatly and there are fewer places anywhere that can boast the riches of history that is available in modern day Luxor. There is just so much to see and do that I couldn't manage it all in a 2 week vacation and had to return the following year for another 2 weeks.At times you can feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of things to see.In the immediate vicinity you have the temples at Luxor and Karnak, with Karnak being particularly impressive due to the sheer scale of it. Across the Nile there is the Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Hatshepsut. These are the main tourist attractions for visitors to Luxor but there are countless other sites that are available to visit with the Tomb of Rekhmire being one I would say not to miss due to the impressive wall paintings.The museum in Luxor is also unmissable, full of ancient Egyptian treasures and artifacts. Once the main sites around Luxor have been explored it makes a great base to visit other sites, such as Dendera, El Kab, Aswan, Kom Ombo and many others.No trip to Luxor would be complete without taking in the sunset on a River Nile felucca.

Read others' reviews first for more in-depth content on individual sites.

There are six temples scattered across the island. Here are my and my wife's experience visiting them in December 2024 during Malta's "off season":

1. Ġgantija on the island of Gozo: Tied for the best of the Megalithic Temples, absolutely worth a visit. A great interior museum area giving you context for the temples, their history, their mystery, and what has been done recently since their re-discovery to preserve them. After the interior museum, a walking path leads you down a beautifully manicured landscape to see the astoundingly-preserved temples and walk inside them.
2. Ħaġar Qim South of the airport: Excellent, just like Ġgantija, but offering a different type of experience. This temple has a great audio guide that you can load onto your phone and it will guide you through the whole experience as you wish. (It's very good, I recommend it.) There's an interior musuem area that is more "interactive" than Ġgantija's and focuses on different aspects of the temples than the other museum does. After the great museum, there is a long outdoor walk to two major temples that are well-preserved and have a lot of neat history to see inside. Hiking trails are also available on the premises to visit other minor landmarks.
3. Mnajdra: This is wrapped up on the same large park site as Ħaġar Qim but technically requires a separate payment. If you're visiting Ħaġar Qim, you should …

Stratford Upon Avon is just a stones throw from where I live and a town that I visit regularly. Like many tourist towns in the UK, Stratford's heyday is in the past but it remains a very pleasant town to visit with a lot of Shakespeare sites to see. As an aside, the town was recently voted the happiest place to live in the Midlands and it's easy to see why.

In terms of Shakespeare's sites, you can visit the house he was born in which also incorporates the Shakespeare museum, Anne Hathaway's birthplace (Shakespeare's wife to be) which is a beautiful thatched cottage on the outskirts of town (pictured) and Shakespeare's tomb in the Holy Trinity Church.

In addition to the historic Shakespeare sites, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre has plays on all year round and the building itself is a combination of the original Victorian Gothic building, constructed in 1890 and the much larger art deco building that is connected to the original, constructed in 1932.

There's a modest fee at Holy Trinity Church to visit the tomb and there's always the chance of running into a famous actor paying homage to the Bard. I ran into Geraldine James while a friend of mine was there at the same time as Jeremy Irons.

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre sits next to the River Avon where there is always an outdoor market selling interesting items and there are boat excursions to take along the river or the …

We visited the Köln-Deutz component on a sunny hot September day in 2023 as the Praetorium was (and still is) closed for visitors. A 20 minute walk from Cologne Cathedral across the Hohenzollernbrucke to the eastern bank of the Rhine allows for excellent views of the modern-day cathedral but in Roman times would have had line of sight to the provincial governors palace at the Praetorium. You will have the (admittedly few) remains all to yourself as visitors instead throng the riverfront or city centre. An unexciting 10-15 minutes is the extent of the visit to what are some 1970s reconstructed outlines (using original stones) of one of the gates of the Divittia bridgehead fort, its location in a quiet pedestrian throughway a far cry from being an essential part of Emperor Constantine’s late Roman era defensive line. 

There is an information board onsite (fully in German if I recall) and a bronze model up some steps that we missed. Far more is actually to be gleaned from the nomination and ICOMOS documents which identifies Köln-Deutz as one of the few components to actually have some above-ground features as well as the only permanent military installation of the Lower German Limes on the right bank of the Rhine, connected by a 400m bridge to the colony that is now Cologne. Forts of the Late Roman period are characterised by heavy stone walls and large numbers of round towers, of which Köln-Deutz is the best preserved example and seemingly a …

Visited in November 2024, fifteen years-plus since the first visit.

I love how impressive examples of Art Nouveau and Art Deco are found on practically every block in Central Pest. Each one is different from others, creating a wide range between "unique" and "disjointed" depending on your particular perception of architecture. To my eyes, it is delightful to discover one after another. 

The problem, of course, is that most of those are in the buffer zone rather than the core zone of the WHS. Andrassy Avenue is a lovely boulevard, but somewhat more uniform, which for me equates to somewhat underwhelming. The Banks of the Danube offer as great perspectives as any wide river quays would, but the architecture directly on the riverbanks is not too rich in highlights, between some modern and some not really remarkable buildings. The Castle Hill district is home to a few veritable major sights but can hardly be called outstanding in its own right. 

The overall impression, though, feels greater than the sum of its parts, hence four stars. If you only take in the major sites - such as the Castle, the Matthias Church, the Fisherman's Bastion, the Parliament, the Chain Bridge, the Liberty Bridge, the Heroes Square - you may already conclude that Budapest has a lot to offer. If you add a museum or two (both the National Gallery in the castle and the Fine Arts Museum on the Heroes Square have pretty good collections), a quirky attraction …

A lot has been written about Prague, and rightly so -- it is a world-class city, with a rich history and fascinating architecture on display. The Castle District has amazing views, particularly from the bell tower of St. Vitus Cathedral, and the libraries in the Strahov Monastery were spectacular. The Charles Bridge was just as I imagined it, after first seeing it featured in Mission: Impossible years ago. The Jewish Quarter of the Old Town was sobering in its reminders of early 20th-century history, while the trams, Museum of Communism, and Wenceslas Square all evoked the days of the Cold War. 

But what I would like to focus on is the second main component of the Historic Centre of Prague: Průhonice Park. I visited this site on a Monday morning in October, and it was the perfect cap to a wonderful weekend in Prague and Bohemia. The park lies about 8 miles southeast of the center of Prague, and was fairly easy to reach through a combination of metro and bus transport. Immediately upon entering the park, I was greeted by a fairytale chateau that had been modified and reconstructed in a "New Renaissance" style at the end of the 19th century. Although not much of the interior is open, some of the rooms off the central terrace held an engrossing exhibit on garden designs across history and around the world (highlighting several that are important components of other World Heritage Sites). The exhibit brought back many good memories …

Careful planning informed my visit to all the major Antoni Gaudí sites in and around Barcelona (including non-inscribed Gaudí buildings like Casa Figueres "Bellesguard"). All tickets were reserved well in advance. With gratitude, I am pleased to say all 7 components are open for visitors, no scaffolding or major ongoing renovations presently, and all can (and probably should be) reserved in advance. The order of components we visited was based on multiple considerations, sequential order, geographic location / public transit, and time of day. Previously referenced long lines seem to be largely relegated to the past at most sites, since tickets routinely sell out online. I personally witnessed disappointed travelers at 2 components who were turned away since they did not have reserved tickets. Based on Hubert's review in 2014, the aggregate cost of tickets has increased 40% in the past decade. 

Visited Order + Cost

- Palau Güell (1886-90) €12

- Casa Vicens (1883-85) €18

- Nativity Façade of the Sagrada Família (1884-1926) €26

- Park Güell (1904-16) €10

- Crypt at the Colònia Güell (1898-1905) €15

- Casa Batlló (1904-06) €29

- Casa Milà "La Pedrera" (1906-10) €28

Cost: €138 per person (€276 for 2 visitors)

Since we had 7 full days in Barcelona, the visits were spread out 1 or 2 sites per day. We also opted for only booking self-guided tours, which usually consist of a mobile audioguide device (multiple languages are available). I specifically chose …

For a long time, there has been some discussion on how to visit the "Core Zone" of this site properly. The maps on the UNESCO website certainly don't help and many who go to Jamaica on holiday don't go hiking through the Blue Mountains. This made getting information on how to get into the core zone a bit more difficult than anticipated. Luckily for me, Els wrote a nice review below that did most of the grunt work. With that in mind, I was able to focus in on Moore Town. However, multiple tour operators were not able to provide tours to the falls. So, with a little more searching, I was able to find Alex Moore-Minott (+1 876 495 7370) through the Granny Nanny Cultural Center, who was eager to take me to the falls and teach me about the culture of the Jamaican Maroons. The problem though, was getting there! 

Through a driver in Jamaica we settled on leaving Kingston at 7 AM. Winding up and down through the mountains via narrow and twisty roads was somewhat slower than I thought. Eventually we reached the coast to drive to Port Antonio and then back into the mountains to reach a jungle valley that Moore Town is situated. Make sure to download any maps before hand as you will lose signal on the way there! The villagers rope off any outsider vehicles and I had to check into the cultural center and wait for my guide. In the …

Mauritania’s Banc d’Arguin NP is rarely visited and has only been reviewed once, about 18 years ago. However, this is the number one place for waterfowl and migratory waders among the several "bird WHS" along the West African Coast. It is “better” than Djoudj and the Saloum Delta, and only the 2025 nomination Bijagos Archipelago in Guinea-Bissau comes close but still has only 50% of its numbers. We spent a full day and a night in its core zone, stretching 170km along the Atlantic Coast.

The Banc d’Arguin is so rich because it lies next to an ocean upwelling that produces nutrient-rich cooler waters. This sets a whole food chain of phytoplankton-filter feeders-fish-birds-marine mammals in motion. 

We approached it from the South, driving for 2.5 hours from the capital Nouakchott. This is mostly a good paved road, where our drivers even clocked 130km/h. The surrounding landscape is rather featureless, though you will see some dromedaries roaming around. We made a first stop at Mamghar, one of the seven fishing villages inside the park. The smell of fish is predominant here: the people leave their gutted fish drying out on the fences surrounding the corrals for the goats.

On the outskirts of town, you can walk onto the seabank and observe bird colonies that have found their nesting or resting spot right there. We saw two sandbanks right offshore fully covered by a variety of bird species, including larger ones such as pelicans. A bit more inland, there …

We arrived the park after nightfall - it’s a 14 hour drive from Brazzaville.

Camp Impalanga, one of the few camps in Odzala, is a small facility run by African Parks, offering just four cabin/tents. There is no luxury here, but perfect for a couple of days in the Congolese jungle, and we believe it will be an unforgettable adventure. We are staying four nights and hoping to see our first gorillas.

Odzala is one of Africa’s largest national parks, established as early as 1935. Today, the National park is also managed by African Parks.

Before breakfast the first morning, we hiked to the nearest bai—a natural forest clearing with water—for a quick look. It didn’t take long before a silverback gorilla appeared. He took his time, eating leisurely and enjoying the peaceful surroundings. Breakfast was delayed today. Afterward, we returned to the lookout tower again, but aside from spotting a red forest hog, there wasn’t much to see. Instead, the jungle treated us to a dramatic tropical thunderstorm.

After lunch, during our third visit to the bai, we first spotted a pair of red duikers, followed by another, slightly larger, silverback gorilla. Seeing two magnificent silverbacks in one day far exceeded our expectations. That evening, a cold beer by the campfire tasted particularly satisfying.

Day 2 Again before breakfast we again visited the bai, it is a 500-meter walk along jungle boardwalks. To our amazement, the same silverback returned. Watching him pock and wash …

N.B. I typically don't do reviews, but after being nudged by others-and the fact that it has been over 10 years since the last review, I decided to give in and write something.

When I was a young child I would go on this website in its early days and look up the reviews of Solivagant. I read/re-read those reviews and my heart would swoon thinking that I too would want to go to those places when I am older... So, are the ruins and the citadel any different? Has the visiting experience changed 23 or 11 years later? At the time of my visit in early Dec 2023, the border between the DR and Haiti was closed due to a canal dispute. This made the option of heading there by bus not available at the time, meaning that I would have to fly into Cap-Haïtien from Fort Lauderdale and catch another flight to Santo Domingo (leaving from Fort Lauderdale). Haiti has been in the news recently, and not for positive characteristics! Thankfully the problems are in Port-au-Prince away from the site and city of arrival. But, those who knew my plan were still nervous for me as there was still a risk for things to go wrong! 

Getting into the site, we took a tour (personalized and private as there wasn't anyone else sightseeing in Haiti at the time of visit) that arranged for transport to the two ruins from the hotel and the horses needed for …

These natural clearings filled with wildlife from the Congo Basin are the holy grail among mammal watchers. For me, Dzanga Ndoki (the Central African Republic part of this transnational site) was to be a splurge visit in March 2020 – but it became my Covid travel disaster. After the park reopened, I still wanted to go but the prices rose beyond belief. Fortunately, I found a group tour operator wanting to do it for much less by entering overland from Cameroon.

This site also had been unreviewed so far on this website. Sangha Trinational WHS consists of 3 parks, of which the one in the Central African Republic (C.A.R.) surprisingly is the best equipped to receive visitors. Lobéké in Cameroon is rundown, while Nouabalé-Ndoki in Congo is temporarily closed and rumours have it that they want to turn it into a luxury destination. I wrote a Getting There topic on the Forum to elaborate on the practicalities of visiting the park in the C.A.R. This review further deals with what you can expect there.

Our first day was spent at Dzanga Bai, the most famous forest clearing, known as ‘the Serengeti of the Forest’. It’s already a fine place to get to, starting with a drive through the forest of about 45 minutes and then an easy hike of the same duration. The latter includes a foot crossing of some flooded areas, where the water reaches just below the knee. Especially on the way back the cool water …