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Nikopolis is the ruin of a roman city north of Preveza, on the western coast of Greece. Surprisingly for such a little known site, the ruins are quite large - there is a mile-long city wall, two large fields with remains and lots of smaller artifacts. It looks as if the antique city was larger than the present one ! However, there are no buildings remaining on the whole. What is left is mostly brickwork, floor constructions and street plasterings. It is all typical roman stuff - mosaics, pillars, floor heatings. There seem to be not a lot of people who visit the site - I was there at a weekend in high season, and the place was almost deserted. The area is surrounded by low vegetation with no modern building in sight, which enhances the athmosphere of an abandoned place. On the bad side, the site does not seem to be fully developed - the two main fields are a mile apart, and there is no path between them but the dusty country road. The associated museum is another mile away. A private car seems to be the best choice of visiting - I came with a taxi but couldn't visit everything, as long walks in the scorching greek sun were not advisable.

The biggest problem of the site is that it is missing something spectacular, something special. Everything seems to be typical stuff you would expect from a roman ruin, and I have seen nothing that could not …

Thanks to Ryanair offering 30€ flights from Hamburg to Brussels I decided to finish Belgium by ticking off Spiennes. I contacted the museum and reserved a place for a Sunday afternoon visit. The visit includes the museum, an excavation site and a descent into one cave that covers several mines.

Flintstone was the key material in prehistoric times. The mines at Spiennes show to what lengths mankind would go to mine it. They would dig 10-20m deep holes with little to no light and only very primitive tools to use. It’s interesting to think about this as an early industrial site.

Similar mines are found all over Europe. The Polish tentative list even features one of them, Krzemionki. I am hard pressed to see why Spiennes would be special compared to the other mines. But seeing I am always arguing against serial nominations, I think having a flint stone mine on the list is fine. Even if the criteria was only that Belgium proposed this type of site first.

Getting There and In

Public transport options to Spiennes on the weekend are non existing. On my way to the museum I walked from Mons Trieux bus station (>1h). Another option would have been to go to Saint Symphorien.

On my way back the very kind guide gave me a ride and dropped me off in Mons. Maybe you can arrange for her to pick you up, too, if you call the museum ahead of …

The Galápagos Islands are a nature-lovers dream, home to giant tortoises, iguanas, sea lions, penguins, flamingos, pelicans, Darwin's famed finches, frigates, and, my favorite, the blue-footed booby. And that's just on land. Rest assured, if you are hoping to see wildlife, you will not be disappointed with the species endemic to these volcanic isles on the Equator. When planning a trip to the Galápagos, you have the choice of joining a multi-day boat tour of the islands or creating your own tour by flying or taking ferries between islands. I chose the latter when I visited the Galápagos in June. If creating your own tour, you also have to decide which islands you'll visit. I chose Santa Cruz Island, in the center of the archipelago, and Isabela Island, the largest of the islands. Santa Cruz Island is home to the Charles Darwin Research Station, on the east side of the main town of Puerto Ayora. The station is worth a leisurely visit (bring water), and also holds the UNESCO plaque for the Galápagos, the first World Heritage Site. Puerto Ayora is a great place to schedule day trips, with many options to visit other islands. Since the islands are a national park, you will always have a trained guide with you on any tour. Puerto Ayora has ferries to other islands, which is how I traveled to Isabela Island (be prepared for occasional rough seas). Both Santa Cruz and Isabela Islands have giant tortoise research stations, which are worth visiting …

Given the tourist masses passing through Bern, especially from Asia, one would assume to find the crowning jewel of Switzerland. Given the scarcity of reviews on this site by community members as well as the brevity of those by otherwise verbose travellers (including Els herself), I already figured that this wouldn't be the case.

Bern old town feels very Swiss and distinct from northern Italian cities it shares many features with. Not sure if it's the clocktowers or the abundance of fountains all over the city. Personally, I enjoyed the views of the rushing Aar river best and the tucked away gardens found all over the city.

As with many other old towns, Bern, too, would profit from finally kicking out the cars. They ruin the overall mood in the old town as well as many pictures.

Bern is nothing to call home about. But if you are in the area and need a place to stay, you can tick this off en passant and you will have a few pleasant hours in the process.

While You Are There

The clock tower tour (Zytglogge) seems to be the only unique thing to do. When I visited they only ran at 14:30h apparently, which didn't fit with my schedule. The tour can be reserved online.

Getting There and Away

Bern is well connected by train to all parts of Switzerland. The closest site by distance would be the Jungfrau Aletsch Glacier. But …

I visited this WHS in August 2017. I visited on a long Sunday road trip from Luxembourg so as to be able to visit the Hohle Fels cave.

Hubert's review was the main source of useful concentrated info on the 6 caves that make up this WHS as well as on the nearby museums where most of the finds can be seen. In my review I'll try to give further information and tips for any future visitors. In the forum, he also gave me a very good link with a useful map.

At the point where the Swabian Alb (plateau) inclines towards the Alpine foreland, it is believed that an enormous leap occurred in the cultural development of humanity - the first figurine representations of animals and humans are believed to have been created here as well as the first musical instruments. This is why these 6 caves have been inscribed as a WHS as the oldest Ice Age art (Aurignacian-Gravettian-Magdalenian periods) was found here. In a way, through this newly inscribed series, Germany tries to make up for the lack of prehistoric rock art and paintings when compared to other European countries.

The original Ice Age art can be viewed in 5 museums: one in Stuttgart, another in Tubingen and three quite close to the caves themselves - the Archaeopark Vogelherd in Niederstotzingen (open 10:00-18:00; 7 euro which also gives you access to the Vogelherd Cave); houses a small mammoth and a lion figurine from Vogelherd, the Ulmer …

I visited this WHS in July 2017. I completed all Austrian WHS with this trainspotting visit so as such it will always have a special place in my memory.

The Semmering Railway was built between 1848 and 1854 under the supervision of Carl Ritter von Ghega. It is the world's first high mountain railway and is part of the Sudbahn which stretches from Vienna to Trieste. It reaches from Gloggnitz to Murzzuschlag over a distance of 41.8km, crossing the Semmering (984m).

The numerous gorges, rift valleys, rock faces and mountain ridges had to be made accessible for rail traffic by 15 tunnels, 16 viaducts and 100 bridges. By car (and some pleasant hiking trails), I saw the Haupt tunnel, the Kartner Kagel tunnel, the Weberkagel tunnel, the Polleres tunnel and viaduct, the Krausel tunnel and viaduct, the Semmering railway station, the Breitenstein viaducts and the Kalte rinne (790m) along the Semmering Hochstrasse and Bahnwanderweg.

The highlight of my visit was hiking along the Bahnwanderweg (around 1 hour hike on the Spiestal-Breitenstein trail) and trainspotting at the scenic 20 Schilling panoramic viewpoint of Breitenstein. I parked my car next to the Kunst + Technik Skulpturen Park and there is a small trail which starts right behind the small football pitch there. I was surprised to find out that trains (both passenger and cargo trains) pass through the single rail Breitenstein viaduct from both directions so they are timed to pass at different intervals to allow safe passage through the rather busy …

I visited this WHS in July 2017 as part of a road trip from Vienna combining several stops along the Semmering Railway WHS.

I parked my rental car in the convenient Pfauengarten Underground Garage which is half way between the heart of the historic centre of Graz and the Schlossberg with the famous clock tower. I walked up to the Schlossberg first to take in the panoramic view of the historic centre of Graz from the colourful gardens and visit the landmark of the city of Graz - the clock tower (photo).

The panoramic view is not extraordinary with several modern and high rise buildings competing with the church spires and belfries. The clock tower was the highlight of my visit even though it really isn't that special compared to other clock towers in Europe. It is one of the oldest buildings in Graz and was mentioned in old documents as early as 1265. After 1560, the characteristic wooden gallery was added to the tower as well as a clock with clockworks dating from 1712.

After a while, I went down the 260 stairs from the clock tower and then I walked towards Hauptstrasse and the City Hall. A marble UNESCO inscription plaque can be found at the entrance to the city hall.

I also made an extra effort to visit the Eggenberg Castle and Gardens. The courtyard is worth visiting but again nothing special compared to other castles in Europe. Graz is a lively city but overall I failed …

I visited this WHS in June 2017. I had already seen the snow capped Western Tien Shan mountains from afar in Turkestan, Kazakhstan and while crossing the border to Uzbekistan. However, since I had more free time available in Tashkent and since the best month to visit the inscribed reserves in Kazakhstan is in April/May (especially for flora), I opted for a very long day trip from Tashkent in Uzbekistan to the Bashkizilsay area of the Chatkal State Biosphere Nature Reserve.

We left Tashkent with a private driver very early before sunrise heading towards Nevich on a 4x4 vehicle. We arrived near Nevich after 90 minutes on tarmac roads as it is only 65km from the Uzbek capital. The 4x4 vehicle came in handy from there onwards as we drove offroad, zigzagging uphill on what seemed like tractor trails on semi-cultivated hills. The blue glacial streams from the still snowy Tien Shan mountain peaks (35+ degrees when we visited in June!) got bigger and the small dwellings and ski 'resorts' got smaller the further on we drove. We stopped at around 900-1000m above sea level and started a moderate 9 hour loop hike up to around 1500-1600m in the Bashkizilsay area with a local mountain guide we had picked up near Nevich.

The UNESCO nomination file map and coordinates came in handy when organizing the trip and the guide took us on a moderate loop hike to appreciate the coniferous trees, gorges, small waterfalls, Tien Shan mountain scenery (bottom left …

I visited this WHS in June 2017 and spent 4 days here (1 of them I spent to visit the tentative site Desert Castles of Khorezm).

Again, this is a top WHS even though it is more of a museum-city nowadays. 3000 people are still believed to be living inside the Itchan Kala itself and in fact they have special permits 'to drive home' and park their vehicles inside the city walls! All the sites of the Itchan Kala (inner fortified city) can be visited by buying a cumulative ticket + camera fee from the gate closest to the Unfinished Minaret. It will give you access to 16 different sites but I agree that a local guide for 1 day would be essential to give you more information and context to what you will be visiting - otherwise, it will seem like a nonsensical list of sites most of which now house different kinds of museums. The most interesting was indeed the Khorezm Museum and the Local Photography Museum to see photos of the several buildings and desert castles of Khorezm before the earthquakes and videos of how life was like up to less than 100 years ago!

The only other sites where you'll have to pay again are to climb the 32 metre high Djuma Minaret, the 45 metre high Islam Khadja Minaret, the Kunya Ark viewing platform (photo) and the Pahlavan Mahmoud Complex interior with the Khiva Khans necropolis (worth viewing!).

The best interiors with incredible architecture, art, …

After a series of two industrial WHS, it was nice to see a more traditional WHS in the form of the Gwynedd Castles. These are 13th century castles built over a relatively short time period. Their purpose was to pacify the area after the recent English conquest by King Edward I.

Of the castles I managed to see two: Beaumaris and Conwy. Conwy as pointed out by previous reviewers is a walled city with a castle towering the town. Beaumaris meanwhile is the last one in the series of castles. It was never finished. Personally, I preferred the seaside charm and the larger scale of Beaumaris castle over Conwy town and castle. The tourist masses tended to go the other way. To me this was another advantage of Beaumaris.

On a more general note, I find it interesting, that WHS sites often tend to be sites on the periphery that fell out of fashion and were stuck in one time period. In the case of the Gwynedd castles Edward I attention wandered North as he had to deal with the Scots. He also ran out of money. While there were rebellions for the next centuries Wales has been British ever since.

Getting There and Around

I found the information on google maps for the area correct and very helpful. Please cross check before you go.

There is a direct train line from Birmingham to Holyhead with stops in Conwy and Bangor. You …

I visited this tentative WHS in June 2017. Uzbekistan was very crafty with this tentative site. They left the very obvious Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva out of the Silk Roads Sites (no double listing), but then they included all the separate tentative sites put forward in 2008! A sort of fallback position, seeking a series if individual inscription fails!

Of the list I visited the ones near Bukhara: Chasma Ayub Mausoleum and Chor Bakr Necropolis (already reviewed) + Bahoutdin Naqshband Necropolis (photo). I think it would be interesting and useful to have all these sites + other sites in Asia work together to have 1 transnational inscription for all these sites instead of having one series for every country.

I visited this WHS in June 2017 and spent 4 nights here. Like Samarkand, to me it is one of the top WHS on the list and certainly Uzbekistan most lively WHS. Unlike Samarkand, the medieval atmosphere is still alive and if you wake up just after sunrise and wander through the residential areas or market area you will notice that not much has changed. I really enjoyed watching the local children meet up just after sunset in front of the active Miri Arab Madrasah (photo) to play football beneath the Kalyan minaret.

The restoration works were much better than Samarkand and much of the historic centre has been preserved (not only single sites or monuments). In Samarkand, I wasn't able to find one single mention of UNESCO anywhere. Here every inscribed building (as well as those on the tentative list!) have a plaque and then there is a bronze plaque with the inscription certificate engraved just in front of the Hoja Nasruddin statue.

During one of the days I visited, on the last day of Ramadan, many Muslims came from all over the province for the community Iftar, the evening meal when Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset. The Kalyan mosque was full of people eating and celebrating during that evening but apart from that time, in Summer locals seem only to go out early in the morning to buy local produce at the market and after sunset.

Another highlight during my visit were the local hammams …

I visited this tentative WHS as a day trip from Khiva. I wanted to see the remains of these castles/fortresses in the Kyzyl Kum desert, Karakalpakstan to try to appreciate further the importance of the ancient Khorezm empire. Not much is left, but much more than the fortresses of Turkmenistan's inscribed Ancient Merv and Nissa combined!

I visited the remains of the fortresses in Ayaz Kala and the ancient settlement of Toprak Kala (top left photo). The latter is quite similar to the remains in Nissa, Turkmenistan in a way with more desolate surroundings than the mountain scenery near Ashgabat.

To explore the fortresses in Ayaz Kala well, a great deal of climbing is involved either on sand dunes, on dry mud mounds or on more dangerous rocky hills. Bring sturdy shoes and plenty of water here. The panoramic views from the different fortresses are similar to the US national parks on the west coast, mostly Monument Valley (top right photo).

The Ayaz Kala desert castles (bottom right photo) are interesting as unlike other castles of ancient Khorezm, there are unfortified rural settlements and residential buildings, each enclosed by a low brick wall. These indicate that the process of separation of individual households from a tribal community had already begun at that time (I-VI century AD).

Among dozens of unfortified farmhouses in the Ayaz-Kala complex, three fortresses-buildings stand out for their significant size. These are Ayaz 3, a giant fortress with a large courtyard surrounded by strong walls with towers …

Budapest was my first foray into Eastern Europe beyond Russia, and it was an unforgettable city. I traveled to the city by train from Vienna with family and friends in the fall of 2003, and was thus able to consecutively visit both capitals of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. We stayed on the Buda side of the city, west of the Danube, where we spent much of the first day exploring the heights of the Buda Castle district. I particularly enjoyed Matthias church and the glorious view of the Danube from Fisherman's Bastion, an unforgettable overlook. Directly across from the river on the east bank of the Danube is the amazing Hungarian Parliament Building; this view is featured prominently in American advertisements of European river cruises. Just as spectacular are the views of the bridges, which are brightly lit at night. While on the Buda side, we also enjoyed visiting the cave church in Gellért Hill, near the Gellért Baths. Across the river on the Pest side was the impressive Great Market Hall, the grand boulevard of Andrássy Avenue, and the Dohány Street Synagogue, the largest synagogue in Europe. There is almost too much to see in Budapest in just one weekend visit, and I would gladly return to spend more time in this great European capital.

Logistics: Budapest can be easily navigated by foot or by public transportation, including a subway, trams, and buses. There is also a funicular on Budapest Castle Hill, connecting the castle with the Széchenyi Chain …

Site just visited, July, 2017. As Paul carefully described Aksu-Zabagly National Park I will focus on Sary Chelek Nature Reserve in Kyrgyzstan, which comparing both sites I found much more interesting.

Sary Chelek is accessible by public transport. From Osh Bus Station (new one, north of the town centre) there is an everyday bus (marszrutka) to Sary Chelek (Arkit village) - 400 Kyrgyz som per seat, in theory it goes around 7.40 in the morning, when full goes earlier so it is advisable to be there around 7.20. You arrive in Arkit around 4 p.m.

Arkit seems to be well prepared for extensive tourism, many of village buildings are homestays, campsites, there are shops with basic food in the village. According to WHS website, being in Arkit, you are already within the borders of National Park, but the most interesting and scenic part of it lies a little bit more further, around the lakes.

To get there you should pass a toll both (price for foreigners to enter the reserve is 400 Kyrgyz som, no discounts for students or children), there is also a 400 Kyrgyz som fee for a car but locals seem to avoid that. There are around 8 km (road is not paved) from Arkit village to Sary Chelek lake, although local people tend to double that distance. Official price for the car to get to the lake is around 1000-1500 som (both ways, including waiting time), if walking it should be around 2 hours, one way.

…

I visited this WHS in June 2017 over 4 days. It certainly is one of the best destinations in the world and certainly one of the top WHS on the list, not only for the exquisite beauty of all the single inscribed locations but also for the incredible ensemble this place must have been when constructed!

That said, I believe that Samarkand should be immediately put on the WHS in danger as the 'modern' and unprofessional patchwork of restorations/reconstructions risk ruining if not destroying the gems of Registan. That would certainly have a much stronger effect than delisting Shakhrisyabz as Uzbekistan's tourism is mainly based on Registan's allure. If I were to post the mortal sins I've photographed from Registan, I could easily have a negative impact on their tourism which is heavily dependent on European travellers. Instead I sent a letter to UNESCO and ICOMOS and I hope that they will take swift action to address such shoddy restoration works in the future. Still, the 3 madrasahs of Registan alone would be worthy of inscription and are hands down one of the best sites the WH list has to offer.

At night, if tour group/agencies pay around 1000 dollars (so I was told), a sound, light and laser show is put up - this equipment has led to some of the shoddy restorations! If you're not so lucky (or if like me you cherish visiting without too many tour groups, no show most probably means less people around), still …

I visited this WHS in June 2017. The 'iconic' picture with Timur standing between what is left of the Ak Saray Complex (14th century - top left photo) is the starting point of most visits from tourists and locals alike. All the sites of this inscription have recently been resprayed in a golden colour with black letters. Unfortunately (or deliberately?), the UNESCO symbols on each sign are barely visible as they have not been filled in with black. Perhaps this was done on purpose, knowing that the site could be be delisted or else it's a coincidence. The mosaics and turquoise tiles with Koranic script on the remains of the palace (which used to be higher than the Kalyan minaret in Bukhara!) are worth the effort to get here. All the sites are now in a sort of open-air museum/garden with a partially reconstructed wall on one side and the panoramic mountain landscape in the distance.

From Ak Saray to the other cluster of sites, I took a small electric cart (just a few som) instead of walking in the desert-like heat. The next stop was at the Dor At-Tilyavat Complex with the Kok-Gumbaz or Blue Dome (bottom right photo), a madrasah, marble tombs, and the mausoleum of Shams Ad-Din Kulyal. After that, I visited Dor-As Siadat or House of Power with its peculiar conical shaped dome (bottom left photo) which is now surrounded by a well-kept garden with places to sit down in the shade (top right photo). It's …

I visited this tentative WHS in June 2017. It is in the outskirts of Bukhara and is practically the 'poorer' equivalent of the inscribed Shahi-Zinda Necropolis in Samarkand.

Nonetheless, it would be a very valid extension to Bukhara in my opinion (instead of a separate inscription). Again there is a plaque wrongly stating that this site is already inscribed as a UNESCO WHS.

As our last stop on the Irish West Coast, we boarded the ferry to Inishmore. The Aran Islands had gotten raving reviews in Lonely Planet and while I am generally distrustful of Lonely Planet recommendations, the pictures sure look nice. With some excessive driving through Connemara we made it in time for the noon ferry.

Staigue which we had seen before on the Ring of Kerry had not impressed me too much. It's a fairly small site. Interesting to see, but putting it into historical context (300-400 CE), you realize how backwards this area really was.

Dùn Aonghasa, meanwhile, is just stunning. Situated on a cliff with the Atlantic Ocean just beneath you it is a site to behold and well worth the praise it receives. If you are in the area, e.g. to visit Skellig Michael, you should find time for this.

I tried to visit more of the proposed locations, but they were literally impossible to find. I am pretty sure we were within a kilometer of Benagh on the Dingle Peninsula (that's at least where out map puts it), but there were no signs to be found whatsoever and we drove on.

OUV

If I had only seen Staigue, I would give a rather dubious review. Yeah, a stone fort. I could see inscription chances, but only as a niche nomination. Dùn Aonghasa has a superior, more general quality and I would heavily favor inscription. However, the Irish list hasn't …

I from Odisha, India and i have visited Konark Temple many times, there are lots of things that the researchers need to figure out as its not only a temple but it has many hidden secrets.... People think that Dinosour existed on Earth millions of years ago, but if you have a keen look at the the stone architecture on some places at the base of the temple, you will find some Dinosour looking like stone sculpture