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Visited April, 2017

Interesting site. My guide provided a good explanation about why this site is considered the baptism site (archaeology dating from the first centuries after Jesus's death).

You're required to go on a tour with the visitor's center. There's a short walk to the actual site.

I saw the Jordan River, the baptism site, the new Orthodox church, and the gift shop. There were many religious groups there to celebrate and baptize each other.

The historic center of Telč consists of a castle and a triangular marketplace, both of which originate from the Renaissance. Most striking is the series of original houses at the square, built from stone at the end of the 16th century after a fire had destroyed their wooden predecessors. In the 17th century, baroque facades and gables were added to several of them.

Not a lot of people from the general travel audience will have heard from Telč. But tourists do come here in large numbers: upon entering the town by car you will be directed to one of the major parking lots around the old center. There are ample parking spaces for buses, and the parking has to be paid for.

From the parking, it is only a few minutes' walk to the city's main attraction: the market square. It is a very elongated square, approximately triangular in shape. On all three sides, there is a row of colourful buildings with arcades. They are all in different colours and with various types of gables. The square itself isn’t especially pretty, unlike for example the Grand Place in Brussels or the Piazza San Marco in Venice. Maybe because it isn’t fully enclosed – it opens out to 5 roads.

In almost every review of the Telc market square on this website or at Tripadvisor you will read about the eyesore of the place: the center of the square is literally filled with parked cars and larger vehicles, …

A wonderful place to reconnect with your spirituality... This beautiful sanctuary stands a few kilometers from Krakow and close to the birthplace of Saint John Paul II. The atmosphere that surrounds it creates a mysterious mood that is worth trying; I was there with my family in August and 19 August we had an unforgettable experience, taking part in the parade, which takes place (an almost 8 kms walk) for the veneration of Mary, and which was attended by hundreds of thousands of faithful. Besides the shrine, you absolutely must not miss visiting the various chapels dotted around the hillside surrounding the shrine.

Most visitors will visit Ellis Island as part of their ferry trip to the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately, for many visitors it seems like Ellis Island is an afterthought. However, for the countless Americans who had family arrive to the United States between 1892 - 1954, Ellis Island is an important pilgrimage. In fact, 12 million immigrants entered the United States through Ellis Island.

My visit was on an overcast day, with sprinkling rain, March 2015. I was excited to see the island and immediately made my way to the museum, which provides a window into immigration at the turn of the 20th century, it is much different today in 2017! I would love to tour the Hospital Complex, which is largely in disrepair, though restoration work is in the long term plans.

My Great-Grandfather immigrated to the United States and was processed at Ellis Island March 12th, 1909. He travelled from his home in Öland Island (just North of the WHS), Sweden to Liverpool, England. From there the ship (Mauretania) took him across the Atlantic to Ellis Island. He was 21 years old. My Great-Grandmother (young unmarried) arrived a year later and serendipitously met my Great-Grandfather in Chicago. 

Thinking back, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island both stand out as a worthwhile trip, which has special meaning for many Americans and the families of immigrants that remained. As world heritage, I feel the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island have enough difference in criteria to …

The lungs of NYC is perhaps one of the most visited and well known public areas in the world. It felt so familiar as I strolled through the seemingly endless urban park, probably because its been a popular filming location for many decades. I suppose the best time to visit is Spring through the Fall, but I had to make due with late Winter, Early Spring during my first visit in 2015. Luckily, the sun was out. Central Park is 843 acres and I quickly recognized my visit was going to be a work out! I walked from the South heading North. I enjoyed the arched bridges, many from the original design. The statues, fountains, ponds, and carrousel were all pleasant sites along the way. One of the highlights is surely the lakes, ponds, and massive reservoir. The later (looking South) provides stunning views of the Manhattan skyline. The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum are conveniently located to make Central Park a day well spent, albeit a full one!

I have since visited two more times, Summer 2018 and Spring 2023. Each time I visit, I tend to search for different areas of the park and the hidden nooks that make Central Park so special. During my last visit, I made an effort to see the newly renovated 'Belvedere Castle' (a folly castle) built in 1867, which was pleasant and offered scenic views. Another highlight is the Bethesda Terrace, which is probably the most …

In May 2009, the Baron Hotel in Aleppo organized a car and driver to take me and another guest on a day tour to visit Serjilla and Al-Bara, two of the Dead Cities, and Apamea. Since the other guest was continuing to Hama, we visited a few of the remaining 17 original norias (water wheels) before I returned to Aleppo.

The norias move water from a lower to a higher elevation and do not provide mechanical power to any other process, unlike the water wheels at mills.

The California Current Conservation Complex is an incredible, dramatic and ecologically important coastline and marine area stretching from Point Piedras Blancas in the South and Point Arena in the North. As the crow flies, 425 km separate these two points. In between, is a diverse mishmash of state parks, marine reserves, conservation areas, national seashores, national recreation areas, and a national monument that spans the whole California coast. The Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and California State Parks manage most of these special lands and seawaters.

The predecessor to this whole scheme called California Current Conservation Complex is the designation of the California Coastal National Monument in 2000, which was recently expanded twice by President Obama in 2014 and 2016. There are several gateway communities to begin exploring this vast coastline: Piedras Blancas - San Simeon, Pigeon Point, and Point Arena. To learn more information about this region, Monterey is the ideal starting point. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is splendid and certainly the best aquarium in California. From Monterey you can head south toward Big Sur or north to further explore Monterey Bay before arriving to Santa Cruz. Despite its more famous southern neighbor the North Coast and Coast Dairies are as dramatic, wild, and beautiful as any portion of the California coast.

Over the last decade, I’ve made dozens of excursions to different areas of this protected region. Each visit is rewarded with new discoveries that have increased my appreciation of “California’s [marine] Serengeti”. Exploring …

I can't really review this site as I went on a Monday. FYI: The site is closed Mondays as are many other museums in Indonesia. If you plan to visit do it on another day. Bribing the guards didn't work either (to walk the outdoor area).

I also recommend to combine this (not UNESCO) with a visit to : Ceto and Sukuh Temples. You won't be able to visit on a day trip by train; you need a (private) car then.

Preparing for our trip to Cyprus, we noticed that very little practical information (opening hours, ...) can be found about the painted churches, so maybe the below is useful for future visitors. Note that we visited all 10 churches mid March, so potentially the opening hours may be different in other months/seasons.

As mentioned in previous reviews, it's best to use GPS coordinates to find the churches - they are indicated below. Unlike Clyde, we never felt we needed a 4x4 vehicle but the difference might be that we used the 'avoid unpaved roads' option on our GPS.

We explored the Troodos mountains for 2 days. Visiting all 10 churches in one day could maybe be possible since we departed from Nicosia and also visited other sites (Kykkos, Fikardou, ...), but this will probably be rushed.

We particularly liked the churches located outside of a village (e.g. the ones in Nikitari and Platanistasa), but they are all worth a visit.

1. Nikitari: 35°02'45.4"N 32°58'24.5"E, open when we visited it on a Monday at 10 AM.

2. Lagoudera: 34°57'55.7"N 33°00'25.1"E, open when we visited it on a Monday at 10.45 AM.

3. Platanistasa: 34°58'44.8"N 33°02'48.0"E, closed when we visited it on a Monday at 11.30 AM. Coming from Lagoudera, a sign at a T-junction (right to Platanistasa, left to the church) indicates that the key can be picked up in Platanistasa. We did not do this taking into account that this would take about 30-45 minutes (back and forth) and that …

I absolutely loved my visit to the town of Sintra in the mountains outside Lisbon, Portugal. Sure, the weather was grey and brisk, and my warm layers were packed away in my lost luggage, but the day I spent there in the fall of 2012 was so memorable I would gladly return even under the same circumstances. Sintra's brightly colored town center is surrounded by castles -- the Royal Palace downtown, the Castle of the Moors on a nearby mountaintop, and the magnificent Pena National Palace, on another peak. Of those castles, I only had time to visit the Arabesque-Manueline hybrid that is Pena Palace; it was an amazing tour, with incredible views of the town, gardens, and surrounding cultural landscape from atop the towers and walls. The only other site I visited, was the unforgettable estate Quinta de Regaleira, designed by Carvalho Monteiro, a 19th century Portuguese millionaire. Monteiro was very interested in Freemasonry and the Knights Templar, and he incorporated their symbology throughout the house and gardens. As fascinating as the house was, I was thrilled to explore the gardens, which were replete with secret tunnels, grottoes, fountains, and spiraling wells. Sintra was marvelous, and reason enough for me to return to Portugal some day.

Logistics: Sintra is an easy train ride from central Lisbon, and there are several buses that operate on circuits connecting the train station to the castles and the town center. Buses are also available from Sintra to Cabo de Roca, the westernmost point …

I had visited the Church of Peace in Jawor before, so this time I visited the other one in Swidnica.

The photos speak for the difference between the two interiors.

From Wroclaw (where I currently live) I went there by mini bus, but would recommend going there by train. Mini Bus is cheaper but is not so comfortable, and it's not so easy to find where in Wroclaw the mini bus leaves for Swidnica.

The Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae comprise 10 archaeological sites in the far south of Egypt. They were the products of the pharaonic attempts to dominate Nubia.

Many trip reports from the past about Abu Simbel start with the compulsory convoy that has to be taken to travel there from Aswan, effectively limiting arrival times to two times a day. The convoy has been discontinued however since October 2016. So after leaving my dahabiya near Aswan, I was picked up by a car and driver at 9 a.m. for the 3-hour drive south. The drive is incredibly boring, just a desert road with maybe one or two gas stations. There are road signs however to temples in the desert – two of them are Amada and Wadi es-Sebua which are also part of this WHS.

I was staying overnight to be able to visit the temples without tour groups being there, and also to get a hint of the Nubian feel of the town of Abu Simbel. My latter wish was completely satisfied by the Eskaleh Lodge, an oasis of friendliness where hypnotizing Sudanese music was played all day long. At 3 p.m. I was picked up by a driver and guide for my scheduled visit to the temples. Somehow the tour company had found it necessary to send a guide, although it isn’t of much use (they are not allowed inside the temples). But well, he bought the tickets and explained the essence of the …

The Ptolemies ruled over Egypt from 304 to 30 BC. They were descendants of Macedonian Greeks, whose leader Alexander the Great had conquered the pharaonic lands and set up his capital in Alexandria in the far north. The Ptolemies (all their kings were named Ptolemy) did however contribute their own set of temples to the already existing landscape of sacred sites upstream along the Nile. Four of these temples are combined on the Tentative List under the name Pharaonic temples in Upper Egypt from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. They are located in Dendera, Esna, Edfu and Kom Ombo. I visited the latter two as side trips from a dahabiya cruise along the Nile.

Edfu is a mid-size commercial town without any charm. Together with my 5 shipmates I crossed it quickly by horse carriage, the traditional form of taxi transport that also still can be found in Luxor. The temple’s parking lot even has a shaded section to park the horses.

The temple at Edfu is dedicated to the falcon-headed warrior god Horus. His image is the trademark of this temple, and the various granite sculptures of his face that stand guard at the site are especially picturesque. Due to having its roof intact, the temple itself feels more like a complete building than the ones I visited so far in Egypt. Inside there are dozens of separate rooms that were used for storage and as chapels. All of its walls are decorated with bas-reliefs. They have lost most …

When I planned to visit Carcassonne, I made sure that our group must stop at the highway rest area outside the city to see the famous view of the medieval fortifications, and when I saw it, I was really pleased that the first view of this World Heritage Site was indeed impressive and deserved its famed reputation as one of the best walled cities in the world. My friends and I decided to stay at Carcassonne for one night, at first, we were in dilemma between stay in the old city or in the newer area, at the end we decided to book an apartment in the new city but within short distance to the old quarter.

The view of city wall together with its old Pont Vieux from Pont Nerf was really amazing. From here we could see that the fortifications were actually really complex in design which different from other famous walled cities like Avila and Dubrovnik which have almost similar pattern on the whole system. Its complexity reminded me Segovia’s Alcazar, but Carcassonne was much bigger and grander. One of the things that made Carcassonne looked even more special was its conical witch hat roofs on its many towers, again similar to Segovia’s Alcazar. While these creations of Viollet le Duc were controversial, they really made the fortifications more interesting and has visual impact more than other city walls. After we admire the outside fortifications, we walked to see inside. The pathway from the new town …

I visited the Caves of Maresha and Bet Guvrin the day after I arrived in Israel. The flights from the Netherlands arrive passed midnight and the next day i drove from the airport to Jerusalem but first visited the Caves of Maresha and Bet Guvrin.

It's a nice park; and best to go around by car. The Roman parts are outside the park and free to visit. In the park there are 4 places to park the car and see the caves around there.

It looks small if you're at the entrace, but once you go underground some complexes are very big. I really enjoyed my visit. Do take a pick nick lunch! Lots of places to eat but not much available in the park.

Recommend to go from Tel Aviv or Jerusalem; easily reached in a day by car. Photo's see the link below.

Thebes, what we now call Luxor, is one of the most ancient “tourist” destinations in the world. Already the ancient Greeks came here to marvel at the temples that were built by the Egyptian pharaohs. Later Christian and Muslim generations had much less respect for their forefathers, so it wasn’t until the 19th century that these sites were rediscovered by Europeans. The 21st century has brought Asian tourism to the spectrum: the Chinese are the only nation that dares to come here today en masse. It became especially popular since a visit of president Xi Jingping to president Sisi in 2016, which partly took place in the inner courtyard of Luxor Temple.

The site was already inscribed as a WHS in 1979, with epithets such as “splendid”, “monumental” and “unique and unequaled”. It is also part of our Top 200. Not much has been written about it yet among our reviewers though (sorry guys). Important to know is that it comprises 3 locations: the temple of Karnak and the temple of Luxor on the East bank of the Nile, and the Necropolis on the West Bank. Especially the latter is a collection of many temples and tombs, scattered around a rural area and at the foot of a barren mountain ridge.

On my first day, after having visited the excellent Luxor museum as an appetizer, I started with Karnak Temple. Heavy security measures are in place at this and Luxor Temple: cars are searched, and trunks have to …

On my last day in Sofia, I went to Boyana Church. It’s a small church with very nice frescos on the outskirts of Sofia facing the mountains. The original church built in the 10th century was extended repeatedly. Repeatedly new layers of frescos were added atop of the previous frescos. The key frescos of the church are from the 12th century. Interestingly, you can see the different layers at some spots in the church due to missing parts.

The visit itself is rather quick. It’s a tiny site and I would be surprised if you spend more than 30min here.

Getting There

On my way up I took a tram (#4 or #5, same line you need to go to the bus stop for Rila). From the closest station I simply walked to the church (30min or so). On my way back I took bus #64, but I don’t think it takes you fully into town.

While You Are There

Sofia isn’t a beauty, not even a sleeping one. It’s a bit surprising considering the long history of the city. I did appreciate the Roman ruins and the Sweta Sophia, an early Christian church (4th-5th century).

Boyana Church itself is a good starting point for hiking into the mountains. You can follow the Boyana Cascades up, but it’s quite a climb and partially a very rough trail.

Late antiquity, the rise of Christianity and the early Byzantine empire are periods of history I have grown fond of. When you come from a site like the Pantheon in Rome or Diocletian’s palace in Split and go to a church like San Vitale in Ravenna, you actually see the epic change that took place in late antiquity. Thessaloniki is part of the transition and you will find plenty of sites from the late Roman (300 CE) period as well as early Byzantine period.

Thessaloniki functioned as my hub during my exploration of the Northern Greek WHS. So most of the site seeing was done at late hours and I did not manage to see all I had set out to visit. But possibly due to the upcoming Easter holiday, church services were held mostly in the evenings allowing me to sneak into most. Of the churches I found St Demetrios the most impressive. Also the tiny chapels gave a good impression of early Christianity.

Comparatively, though, Thessaloniki is a bit underwhelming. To me Ravenna offers the better early Byzantine churches. I also found the paleo Christian sites in Italy more appealing (e.g. St Ambrosius in Milan, not a WHS). And the ruins scattered across the city are similar to a site like Merida in Spain. I did wonder why the Roman forum and the palace of Galerius are not included.

Generally, I approve of the reduced scope of the inscription. Sure, Thessaloniki has a nice coast …

Rila Monastery is a nice day trip from Sofia taking you into the mountains where you will find a colorful monastery. It does feel special and I can’t quite fathom the bad evaluation it got by Unesco.

The site spans multiple locations with the monastery in the center. If you want to see the other parts you will have to do some hiking (or bring a car). For your efforts you will be rewarded with nice nature and mountain views.

It took me 1:15h to make it to Saint Ivan’s cave. On my way up I wasn’t able to spot the start of the trail and walked along the road. The sign posting leaves much to be desired; it’s also mostly in Bulgarian. From the cave it’s quite straightforward following the trail back, though. But the trails were still rather rough. I assume they will do some maintenance before the hiking season starts in earnest. Given the ubiquity of camping sites and barbecue areas I would guess the area is rather popular in summer.

Getting There

There are daily busses from Sofia departing the western bus station Ovcha Kupel (Tram Line #5) at 10:20h. Tickets are bought on the bus and cost around 6€ one way. Be advised that the bus may be crowded. So if you prefer to have a seat for the next three hours of bus ride, it’s best to queue early.

The return by direct bus is already at 15:00h, giving …

Who could have known that a skiing region would still be snow covered in Mid-April? Apparently everyone but me and two Spaniards, because we were the only ones hiking in Pirin National Park that day.

The trails were covered by snow and hard to find. It was quite a strenuous effort just getting to Vihren hut which normally would be the start pointing for a proper exploration of the park. And it took me 30min just figuring out where the trail actually started. On the upside it was a pleasure hiking in the snow covered landscape for myself.

I get Solivagant’s comment about the OUV of the site. If this is inscribed, every second mountain valley in Switzerland should be on the list. But well, it was a nice contrast to the sunny coast in Greece.

Getting There

Bansko is well connected by bus. As stated in my Philippi review you can also travel onwards to Kavala in Greece. The train connection sounds fantastic, but is very time consuming. Also the schedule didn’t work out for me. Bansko in general is fairly pleasurable as skiing resort towns go.

Getting In

To get into the National Park from Bansko you can take the cable car. It seems it also operates during summer months for hikers. You will be in the park, but in the ominous buffer zone due to the area being developed for skiing. From there you can hike on to the huts. Banderitsa …