All our reviews

How to find among 758 sublocations those that are worth visiting? The problem is not only the large number, but also the fact that many sites are very difficult to access or are not accessible at all. And those that are accessible differ widely in the quantity and quality/visibility of the paintings. The information on the UNESCO website is not very helpful. Nevertheless, I was able to identify a few potentially worthwhile locations for my visit on Easter weekend 2024. And one of them, the Abrigo Grande de Minateda (not described in previous reviews), offered a guided tour that fitted into my itinerary.

I visited the Abrigo Grande de Minateda (photo) on a half-day trip from Elche. It is located around 100 kilometres east of Elche, a little over an hour by car. But the drive is definitely worth it. The paintings are on a panel about ten metres wide and one metre high: horses and bulls, but also many human figures. The paintings depict hunting scenes, possibly also dances or ritual ceremonies, but the interpretation is not always clear. The figures are not very large, but very filigree and detailed. I was amazed how well visible these paintings are. According to our tour guide, they were cleaned up about ten years ago. You can see the paintings quite well through the fence and can even take good photos (with zoom), the distance is about three metres. But of course, a guided tour is much better. You can see …

The announcement  that the Lincoln Memorial is to be added to the Civil Rights Movement T List entry has prompted me to post a review of my first visit to it EXACTLY 61 years ago on 28 Aug 1963 - the very day of the "March on Washington", the event which has led to the memorial's nomination! I was a 20-year-old UK undergraduate traveling and working in the US across his 3 month summer vacation. My diary observations, scribbled throughout the day, together with some additional research into both the March and the Memorial might be of interest.

There was significant concern that violence would erupt and my parents and employers cautioned against making the journey down from NYC. 1963 had already been a violent year and, just 18 days later, 4 young girls were to be killed in a KKK bombing atrocity at the 16th St Baptist Church in Birmingham AL (also included in this T List site).. As it turned out, Washington was relaxed and friendly on that glorious summer day. Large numbers of police had been deployed, but their presence was in no way oppressive - indeed, to me, it was hardly noticeable and no violence occurred. I made my way along the route of the March up to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial (photo). Unsurprisingly, there were relatively few “whites” in the crowd - but neither were they totally absent. I have often since perused the news videos of those long ago …

One more review to give a post-Covid view on how things are working today.

The temple lies about 15 km down the road from small town Champasak. I stayed in Champasak after coming from Ayutthaya. I took the night train to Ubon Ratchathani (About 9 hours, slim but comfortable beds with privacy curtain, about 20 USD, arriving at 06:15 a.m.) and then the Bus from Ubon to Pakse at 09:30 a.m. from the bus terminal in Ubon. You have to cross the city to reach the bus terminal from train terminal e.g. by Grab, Tuk Tuk or taxi. The bus waits at the border to Laos keeping the big luaggage inside where I got my 60 day Visa for 40 USD (I was expecting to only get 30 days). The bus reached Pakse bus station at shortly after 12. Basically it depends a bit on the amount of not Thai and Lao people in the bus as only 1 person was working on the Visa on arrivals and the more people are in need of the Visa, the longer it takes. In Pakse I switched to the Songthaew but it was neither easy nor comforable. As indicated by Els it leaves from the market called: "ตลาดดาวเรือง" in Google Maps. More precisely it leaves from close to the big 16W street leading back to Thailand. It´s an important information as I walked around through many alleys of the crowded and labrynthine market until I found it and also local people …

The Minaret of Jam is an almost legendary place. For at least 20 years, from 2001 to 2021 (though actually since the outbreak of the Afghan war in 1978), it was completely inaccessible to visitors. During the US intervention, the mountains around it were a Taliban hotbed and were not controlled by the Afghan government or US military. After the Taliban took power, it is open again, which I took advantage of by visiting this place in September 2024 with a group of seven like-minded travelers from Poland (including three women).

The minaret is very difficult to access. You can get to it from May to October via terrible roads. The road from Herat takes 13 hours (including breaks), the road to Bamyan takes up to 13.5 hours. And these are only 200 and 300 kilometers, respectively. Despite this, it is quite popular - our fixer announced that he has run his 25th group here in three years. But it is still a challenge, depending on the weather. In May 2024, a huge flood destroyed some of the access roads and bridges, and to get to the minaret it was necessary to cross the river on a rope. The road looks a bit better now, the bridge has been built in a different place... until the next spring flood?

The last dozen or so kilometers to the minaret is an extremely difficult road in the high mountains. Finally, IT emerged from behind the rock - an absolutely extraordinary …

Nanda Devi is closed. For tourists and mountaineers. You COULD go to the northern area as a scientist but it requires permits you won't get, and as you thus avoid the dangers (that's why it was closed) you are better off not going. You can't even see the peak from the Valley area. The Valley of Flowers is open and a majestic hike. It comes close to the "5 day to visit" and it could be seen as a tour-only visit but there are ways around it and you don't need a tour guide. It's better though - and not even expensive. I think overall I spent less than 100 dollars on all this.

To visit the Valley of Flowers you will first fly into Dehradun which is actually Jolly Grant airport that is closer to Rishikesh than the former. Your goal is Rishikesh, the birth of yoga, and there will be LOTS of Caucasian ladies on the flight (from Dheli mainly, although you can take a 6h bus from there and Dehradun is connected well with other cities). First I thought there are going to be lots of trekkers but they actually all come for the yoga. You will see a lot of yoga centers as you drive through the city. I can't say they are any good because honestly didn't try but in no way did people seem "fit" that I can recommend it or was there a "go to place". After Rishikesh there is no more …

Visited on a group tour to Syria in May 2023.Our Syrian guide was most nervous about visiting Palmyra, and he was very anxious to get us out of there while it was still light. ISIS has been pushed back to the mountainous regions of Syria, but it is precisely in this region that jihadists still make their forays from time to time, although tourism is slowly but reviving.Palmyra was once the largest trading center between Rome and Parthia, and this oasis literally bathed in money. But the inhabitants of the city managed to remain in history in a non-trivial way, through the creation of many necropolises of the local elite with a unique culture of posthumous portraits, which became the main witnesses of the phenomenal prosperity of this city for the whole world.Palmyra was ruined by political ambitions, the legendary queen Zenobia began to seize neighboring lands and mint her own coins. The Romans could no longer stand this, and under the emperor Marcus Aurelius Palmyra was captured by the Roman army and looted. The ruins of the once majestic city were also destroyed by Islamic fundamentalists from ISIS, another unexpected tragedy.A vivid reminder to us that barbarism has not gone anywhere in the contemporary era. Militants of the Islamic State captured the ancient capital of the trading kingdom twice, and they purposefully destroyed the monuments of the past.They blew up the temple of Bel, the triumphal arch, the massive tetrapylon, looted and destroyed the underground tombs. The chief archaeologist …

On my return flight from Rach Gia to Ho Chi Minh City after exploring the Oc Eo archaeological site with ICOMOS experts, I came across an intriguing inflight magazine article about Yen Tu, pronounced “Ian De.” Curious, I discussed it with our local guide upon landing and, without hesitation, decided to extend my Vietnam trip to explore this spiritual mountain. My original plan to fly back from Danang via Bangkok was changed, thanks to my guide’s swift coordination with her company, and I instead rerouted to Hanoi to begin a special program focused on Yen Tu. With little prior knowledge of this holy land of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism, I initially asked to visit Vinh Nghiem Pagoda along the way, inspired by what Els had done. However, the tour company recommended Con Son–Kiep Bac instead, and after confirming the site's mention on the UNESCO website, I agreed.

Nearly two hours from Hanoi Airport, we arrived at Con Son Temple, pronounced "Concern", via a new, well-paved road that clearly seemed part of a larger beautification effort in anticipation of World Heritage inscription. The driver dropped me off at a small lake near the outer entrance. Behind the arch gate, a stately pathway led to the temple, reminiscent of Hanoi’s Temple of Literature, evoking an imperial connection. Each temple hall was richly decorated with red-and-gold painted wooden panels, surrounded by corridors filled with the scent of offering flowers, fruits, and incense. Beyond the dignified layout and ornamental detailing, the roofs of Con …

I was visiting Utrecht University back in 2010 and to get to the university from my accommodation I cycled past Rietveld Schröderhuis daily. Unfortunately I didn't have time to visit it back then and it always bothered me how near miss this site was for me. But luckily in April 2024 I had finally chance to visit the house properly. I had pre-booked the house tour online and I arrived 15 minutes before my time slot. While waiting for the tour to start I was guided to watch a film about the house and interview of Truus Schröder-Schräder where she described how the life was in the house. I found the film very interesting and good introduction before the actual tour.

The tour around the house is self-guided audio tour. You first walk around the downstairs before moving up to the second floor. The whole house is full of fun details that were many times ahead of its time. You'll understand fast why this house was so groundbreaking in architecture and why it's a WHS now. When everyone in your group are upstairs the guide will demonstrate how the walls move. We got to see how the walls open and create a spacious room with lots of natural light. The group after us then got to see how they close the walls creating smaller rooms that were the bedrooms of Schröder's children. The transformation of space is amazing. You are otherwise allowed to photograph inside the house but you're …

Sighisoara is one of those medieval towns that has you head scratching about it's inclusion as a WHS where many more impressive medieval towns fail. I can think of many in France and Italy that are more impressive but fail to get a listing.It's nice and it's worth the trip, especially if you are interested in the history of Vlad the Impaler, as he was born in a large yellow house (a restaurant when I visited in 2012) in the pretty main square.There are lots of little cobbled alleyways and typical Saxon buildings but it is quite small compared to many other similar cities (Bruges or Riga for example).Combine the visit with a few of the fortified churches, as I did, and it really is worth the journey.

I visited Crespi D'Adda on the 20th of December this year. I had been thinking about this day trip for quite a while and, now that I have finished my exams, I took a day for myself to explore this little town just over an hour from where I live. I got off at the wrong bus stop and walked half an hour to reach it (a time it would have taken me even at the right stop). First advice: don't visit in December like I did because you're going to miss much of the experience! Most of insude spaces (like the hydroelectric central or the Crespi house) are closed from December to February and are only available through guided tours from March to November. Still, I had quite the good time. Since the day was sunny, I walked around most of the day and got to see some of the key sites of the town (although only from the outside) like the church, the main buildings of the factory, the Crespi family house, the graveyard (with an absurdly big mausoleum for the Crespi family) and of course the single-family houses. 

In a day you should manage to see just about everything in the town, even better if you go by car and don't have the time costraints I had. A few practical tips: I suggest stopping by the Crespi Cultura association in the eastern part of the town which can give you a map of the city with …

I guess most WHS travellers take interest in knowing a bit about the history of the sites they visit, and you can’t visit Romania, without understanding a little bit about the former kingdoms / princedoms that make up what we now know as Romania, and the many occupations and changing borders of the regions. While Transylvania is probably the most well-known part of Romania, the southern part is Wallachia. Curtea de Argeș once was its capital, reaching its greatest importance in the 13- and 14-hundreds.

I visited Curtea de Argeș back in 2012 and was not particularly focused on sites being listed as tentative WHS. I have no memories of visiting the remains of the princely court, so we probably didn’t. But the slightly younger cathedral of the former monastery is a gracious building, with the two twisted towers (or cupolas) being among its remarkable outside features. The UNESCO website doesn’t say much more than that its architecture has had a big influence. 

Legend has it that there were structural problems with the walls in the building stages. This could only be solved by making an offer by following the (absolutely normal?) tradition of placing a living woman in the structure, which in the end was the wife of the chief builder himself.

Being a TWHS since 1991 doesn’t necessarily give hope that this will become a WHS. But I did like it, as apparently do all 10 others who have voted here on the website so …

My previous (and first) visit to Mumbai was in 2009, and I didn't see much of the city then because I was there for a work visit. This time I was staying in the area of ​​the old fort, within walking distance of the city's main attractions.

The street in front of the hotel has been dug up, and that applies to several parts of this area: a metro is being built. The more luxurious buildings, dating from the late 19th and early 20th century when Mumbai was flourishing, already can be found here. They belong to the university, banks or trading offices. The style with turrets and arches is known as Victorian Gothic.

This style continues in the official buildings around the Oval Maidan - a large field where cricket is now mainly played. Here lie the Supreme Court and several university buildings. You can only admire them from the street side, everywhere there is a guard who prevents you from entering. At the government buildings, these are also heavily armed. 

If you walk further towards the coastal promenade (Marine Drive), another style from the beginning of the 20th century takes over: Art Deco. I think that about 80% of the buildings in this area are Art Deco-ish, although it usually is limited to curved balconies and some other round shapes. Here too, the rule is: don't go inside anywhere! These are mostly apartment buildings.

One can walk quietly in this area, the sidewalks seem to have been renovated …

I visited this site for a half-day in the fall of 2023 from Kyoto. This visit was near the end of my trip to Japan, and both my friend and I were both feeling a little bit overwhelmed with the possibility of visiting another WHS composed of several locations. But after an invigorating visit to the Fushimi Inari shrine earlier that morning, during which I hiked to the top, we decided to go for it anyways since neither of us were too tired by that time. We got lunch at a local Nara-zushi restaurant, which was one of my culinary highlights of the trip because the sushi was so unique. The sushi was pressed into a block and wrapped up by some kind of leaf, and it was pretty sour (YUM!).

After our lunch break, we walked over to the Todai-ji temple. We encountered quite a few wandering deer on the way, but as it was the male deer rutting season, we both decided not to invest in the popular deer crackers. That turned out to be a good decision as we saw other travelers getting harassed by gangs of angry and potentially horny deer because they had the crackers. 

The buildings of Ancient Nara come from a period of history where Nara was the capital of Japan. Nara was the first capital of Japan hundreds of years before Kyoto, and the differences are visible even to an untrained eye. Unlike Kyoto, which is famous for Zen, Shingon, …

August 2024 - After spending the night in Hunedoara, we took smaller roads with the goal to visit the Fortress of Sarmizegetusa Regia. It was hot that day and the roads really bad. Thus we decided to stop at Costesti. On the map it looked like a small hike, but my family decided to stay at the parking lot.

Damn, the hike was more strenous than anticipated and hard on my lungs. I did not meet anybody on the hike, and I was expecting to meet bears. Eventually I arrived at the fortress and climbed around the stones for a bit. Very mystical place, especially when being alone.During the descent I met the first visitors, who had the same idea.

After 1.5 h I was back at the parking lot, lucky about the tick-off. As Sarmizegetusa is reconstructed, for me the visit of this authentic component ist considered good enough.

Visited in June 2024 just before the site was added to the WH list. On this review I will focus on the parts of the axis that are not inscribed otherwise, so I'm skipping Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City and Wanning Bridge in this review.

After visiting Temple of Heaven I exited it through the western gate. From here starts Yongdingmen Park and I was surprised to see almost immediately a map of the Beijing Central Axis that showed the core zone and the buffer zone of the WH site! On the map Yongdingmen Park was marked as "Southern Section Road Archeological Sites". Walking bit further into the park there were other maps showing the exact spots of these archaeological sites. Of those 3 marked sites I only saw the one titled as "Stone Road Site North of the Yongdingmen Gate" which according to the information sign is "the material evidence that irrefutably show the location, orientation, engineering techniques, and history of continuous use of the central road, and bear witness to the state ritual traditions that has continued on Beijing Central Axis to this day." Big words for what is essentially now couple stone slabs on the ground. Next to this these stone slabs is however the magnificent Yongdingmen Gate. I was then surprised to learn that this gate was rebuilt in 2005 and nothing around it is original construction (except those stone slabs). Best part of visiting the park and the gate was that there was almost …

A beautiful city! My wife and I visited here in December 2024, so outside of "peak season" for Malta. (Which is during the Summer, for the beaches.)

The first activity my wife and I did was take a popular walking tour of Valletta. I'd recommend this as a fantastic way to introduce yourself to the city and its history, and to get yourself acquainted with what important sites exist within the city, how they are connected, and why they are important.

Other reviewers here have covered what great things there are to see. I second all of their recommendations, from the overwhelming Co-Cathedral, to the stunning Barrakka Gardens, to the grim Underground Valletta tour opened in 2021. All of these can begin to get pricey (especially the co-cathedral!) but Malta offers a 🎫"Multipass" that I would recommend as a way to make the most of your time on the island. As of 2024 it gives access to five sites in Valletta, plus twenty others across the country.

🚗We ended up opting for a rental car. (Part of a longer story, with the original intention having been to exclusively use public transport.) Beware this option! While it provides a lot of flexibility, is cheap, and we had a positive experience with it while visiting in the Winter, parking in Valletta is very limited, with at least half of the spots being reserved for island residents. (Indicated with 🟩green outlines instead of ⬜white.) The existing "free" parking …

From 1845 to 1853, the SS Great Britain was the largest passenger ship in the world, it was designed by the extraordinary engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, it was the first ship to be made of iron and incorporate a screw propeller and lastly, she was the first iron ship to cross the Atlantic which she did in 14 days. In short, this ship revolutionized trans-Atlantic travel and would be deserving of a WHS Listing to commemorate this achievement.

Almost as remarkable as the ship itself is the story of how she was brought back from the Falkland Islands in 1970 having been scuttled in 1937 and abandoned for 33 years having served the intervening time there since 1884 as a warehouse.

The SS Great Britain's saviour was the millionaire property developer and philanthropist, Sir Jack Hayward, who financed the ship's recovery and restoration and the finished result we see today in Bristol gives a wonderful insight into the golden years of passenger travel and migration from Europe to the New World.

Occasionally, I think UNESCO let one slip away when a listing was declined and I think the SS Great Britain is one of those "one's that got away". Nevertheless, it remains a site worth visiting in a vibrant city that has a cathedral, one of the most impressive parish churches in the whole of the UK and the historic docks and Clifton suspension bridge. The city may not have a UNESCO listing but it's a lot …

I visited Riga in December 2023. It was a magical place. When I was there it was snowing and an absolute joy to wander the narrow, cobbled streets of the old town popping in and out of the many atmospheric bars and cafes as a break from the cold, snowy weather.My wife and I both had the same thoughts about Riga, it reminded us of Bruges, minus the canals of course, maybe it was the volume of cosy bars, cobbled streets or the maze of interconnecting alleyways, I don't know, I just know it did.I'm not sure why everyone makes comparisons between the three Baltic capitals, they are all different and all have there own unique qualities, but of the three, Riga is my personal favourite.The main square in Riga is the jewel of this city and the House of the Blackheads is the most interesting building in the square. The original building dates from the 14th century but was sadly destroyed as a result of the war. It speaks volumes for the Latvians that they rebuilt it exactly as it was, all credit to them for that.There's an impressive brick built cathedral but I think that the Church of St Peter is a more interesting building and the views over the old town from the bell tower are worth the modest entrance fee.A 20 minute walk from the old town takes you to the Jugendstil area when the city underwent rapid expansion in the late 19th - early 20th …

It sounds like a great idea, include the area where you can see the famous university buildings from a public place, except it's actually very limited in terms of what you do see.The only way to properly see the famous college backs is to pay for a punt, either as part of a group or, if you're feeling adventurous and don't mind the thought of falling in the River Cam, hire one to take out yourself.The problem with both these options is they are not free, they are worthwhile, I've done it twice but you really need a nice day and it's advised to arrive early during peak times and holidays.The best sight from the punt is The Bridge of Sighs and that is one of the sights you don't see from the footpath that follows the backs.Don't misunderstand me, you still get a magnificent view of Kings College Chapel (picture) and St John's College but the views to many sights are limited.For that reason alone I agree with UNESCO's decision not to award a full listing.On my many visits to Cambridge I have been to a lot of the various campuses, my philosophy is to saunter in for a nose around and leave if I'm told to.Playing dumb often pays dividends.

I visited this site in February 2023. I think I understand why others have rated this site as low as they have, but I personally would give this a bit higher rating.

My wife and I entered through the main enterance that is accessible from the parking lot. There is a person sitting at a booth that you can wave to and get your informational pamphlet from, and then you're off and free to explore the fort on your own. This site is not as good as Jabreen Castle (which others have mentioned in their reviews, and sadly is not a World Heritage Site) and the main reason for that is the lack of information that the site provides you. Everything that you will learn is from within the pamphlet they hand you at the beginning, but the site would be greatly improved if there were permanent standing signs or even an audio guide to help you along through the fort. As it is, you're stuck using the map in the pamphlet to navigate around the complex and see the "named" locations. (Albiet without context of why they are important.)

Despite the lack of signage and context for what you're seeing, the reason I give this site as high of a rating as I do is because the place feels very well-preserved, especially since the recent renovations. Even without context the place feels a bit magnificent and you can imagine what was going on there.