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Seven constructions within Nara have been designated as part of an official World Heritage Site. Although there are other things to see, together they form the best examples of the ancient capital and the religious and political significance of the city.

All of them can be seen in a day, if you rush. However my highlights are Todai-ji and Kasuga Grand Shrine.

I visited this site during my trip to Mexico in 2009 and found it fascinating: Just the largest pyramid in the world is an impressiv fact. But it is hidden under a large hill, crowned with a important pilgrimage church, supposedly destroyed several times by lightning as vengeance of the old, previously revered god. It is somehow a mystery to me why not more of the pyramid is excavated since it could be as important as Teotihuacan. The view at the hill with the Popocatepetl in the background is priceless even on pictures. I am curious it this site will ever make it back on the tentativ list on its own or as an extension of Teotihuacan?

On the way from Oaxaca to Mitla, both impressive WTS in their on right, we visited this incredible tree. Once a Zapotec sacred site, it is now adopted by the catholic church standing next to it. This tree is like a forest in itself, like a complete building block to walk around. You don't know if it is really one trunk or several grown around each other. It is hard to say if it is of universal importance but it is definitively worth a trip if you are in this fascinating area!

Within the city, there are 17 specific places that have been designated as part of the official Kyoto listing on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It’s impossible to see them all in a day. I think you’d be hard pressed to see them all in three days even. If you’re the kind of person who likes to explore things in depth then you’ll need to leave yourself enough time to properly understand a city as culturally-rich as Kyoto.

I gave myself just one day in Kyoto, which I now regret. It’s easy to get templed-out in this region of Japan and I fear that was beginning to happen to me. But I still managed to see some of the most important temples and shrines… and finished the day, as the sun set, at the most beautiful of all the sights, Kiyomizu-dera.

I went to Sukhothai Historical Park while the wake of the King was still ongoing, hence I was fortunate enough to have visited the sections without having to pay the entrance fees. Sukhothai stands as a more presentable ancient capital -- albeit being the older one -- compared to Ayutthaya. Its beauty emanates from its well-preserved temples, as well as the landscaping that has been done within this seemingly compact park (e.g., healthy ponds, trees along the roads, effective singages, etc). Highlights for me include Wat Saphan Hin, the temple on a hill which I had to arduously climb twice since I forgot something on top; Wat Si Sawai, the most obvious exponent of Khmer architecture influence; and Wat Phra Phai Luang, where I had the pleasure of enjoying the entire complex all to myself. Perhaps the biggest surprise in visiting this site is the unexpected "ticking off" of Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park, one of the associated towns known for its military and defensive importance, as the bus I took going back to Bangkok passed through this park. Sukhothai ranks as one of the most impressive, and best managed World Heritage Sites I have seen in the region. Bike seems the best way to explore it.

I visited the citadel and town of Mont-Louis, one of the inscribed Fortifications of Vauban, in the spring of 2013 as part of a day tour from Barcelona. Mont-Louis is located in the Pyrenees Mountains in southern France, and I thoroughly enjoyed wandering through the town and around the citadel. Vauban has been recognized as a superb military engineer, and it was fascinating to see the trenches separating walls in the fortified citadel, as well as turrets and towers providing line of sight and defense. As has been mentioned in another review, the main part of the citadel is closed, as it is currently a training ground for French Army commandoes. I was amused to see an obstacle course had been constructed along the rear rampart of the citadel in order to train the commandoes. Despite the closure of the central portion of the citadel, I was able to view quite a bit of the engineering Vauban employed in the construction of the citadel and the walled town, and it was well worth a visit. Also of note at Mont-Louis, but not recognized as part of the World Heritage inscription, is the world's first solar furnace, which is bright and visible upon arrival to the town.

Logistics: Mont-Louis can be visited via private transportation or tour, or via the French rail network's Little Yellow Train (le Petit Train Juane) which traverses the Pyrenees.

Somewhat by coincidence I ended up going to La Plata. My flight from Buenos Aires was the next day and I found Buenos Aires itself not that interesting on my previous day’s exploration to warrant one more day of sightseeing. Given I had a spare day left I figured I might as well take a look at another building of Le Corbusier’s oeuvre, Casa Curutchet.

I had been to two inscribed sites before: his buildings in the Weißenhofsiedlung in Stuttgart and the National Museum of Western Art in Ueno, Tokyo. Both failed to impress. I would not want to live in either of his buildings in Stuttgart, the hallways narrow, grey a predominant color and the furniture off putting. The museum, meanwhile, makes art look bad, grew quickly too small for its collection and fails at simple things such as providing adequate restrooms for visitors or a proper entry and ticket area.

Don’t call me a Le Corbusier fan. Indeed, you can go to the forum and you will find a heated discussion between me and meltwaterfalls on the subject at the time of the inscription. I still stand by most of what I wrote. But I had to revise my opinion upward after seeing the marvelous and breathtaking Casa Curutchet in La Plata.

When I entered the building it quickly came together: Plenty of space, a full grown tree in the middle of the building, nested layers, a huge sun protected terrace/balcony, great furniture as …

I visited this WHS in November 2016. It is an hour away from Bhopal and two hours away from Bhimbetka.

The Great Stupa is the oldest stone structure in India and the main highlight of this stupa as well as of Stupa 3 are the elaborately carved toranas or ornamental gateways.

They are truly of OUV and almost in pristine condition. There are also other minor remains of pillars, temples and unfinished stupas as well as an informative museum down hill from the stupas so allow at least 3 hours to visit thoroughly.

There are 2 UNESCO inscription plaques (one in brass similar to the others in Karnataka and one in marble) near the entrance to the site. Best time for photography is in the late afternoon.

November 2016. The whole site is divided into 3 different clusters. Due to reconstruction process at Mireuksa Temple I decided to focus on Gongju and Buyeo areas.

Gongju - two different sites: Gongsanseong Fortress and Royal Tombs in Songsan-ri. At first do not buy combine ticket to the sites - separate are a little bit cheaper (local Gongju Archeological Museum mentioned on a combined ticket may be visited free of charge).

Gongsanseong Fortress - well preserved fortress walls but there is not much inside (only a few reconstructed temples or pavilions). Some reconstruction works are still in progress (including huge area around Lotus Pond). Not to be missed - nice views of a city from different spots while strolling on the walls.

Royal Tombs in Songsan-ri - walking distance from Gongsanseong Fortress. There is a small museum with copies of some royal tombs including the most famous tomb of king Muryeong and vast area of real tombs (locked, impossible to visit). Some excavations are also available on a way to Archeological Museum (around one km from the last tomb, the path is well signed)

Buyeo - Busosanseong Fortress - much bigger than the fortress in Gongju but also less preserved (at least the walls), also contains some (mostly) reconstructed buildings (temples). Do not miss Nakhwaam Rock (the cliff of falling flowers) where royal ladies of Baekje Kingdom jumped off to kill themself during the invasion of Shilla army. Allow at least 2 hours as the area is quite huge. In …

Site visited July 2013. Kamyanets-Podilsky was a pleasant surprise. This site really deserves to be inscribed. It is not to be missed if you travel in Western Ukraine.

Kamyanets-Podilsky is one of the best, or at least one of the most interesting, sights in Ukraine but unfortunately many people haven’t even heard of it because it is clearly off the tourist track. There are three things that make this place worth a visit: the old town, the castle, and the most importantly, the breathtaking landscape.

I made a day trip to Kamyanets-Podilsky from Chernivtsi. A trip by marshrutka takes less than two hours. Along the route it is possible to visit another impressive castle, Khotyn fortress. From the Kamyanets-Podilsky bus station it is about three kilometers to the old town and the castle.

At the site the landscape is dramatic and almost fairy-tale-like. It has a great setting with deep and lushly vegetated river canyon which completely encircles the old city. It makes the area of the old city a natural fortress. The old town is located in the loop of the River Smotrych. At the bottom of the loop is the castle and the old bridge.

The castle, the oldest parts of which are from the 14th century, is in a quite poor condition but it is a good place for enjoying the sceneries. From the towers there are panoramic views over the old city and the river canyon. I had a lunch in the courtyard of the castle …

Visited Kulangsu in 2009. This island not far away from modern China City Xiamen (Amoy). The island is full of tourists by the time I visited and I believe the island itself became more and more heated over the years.

Away from the crowds you may find some peaceful beaches, architectures with obvious western influence. In general this is a popular place in China local love to travel.

Having now visited the site in Weimar I can now understand the lukewarm reviews of what is one of my favourite German WHS.

If you are just visiting to tick it off then it really isn't much more than some well-designed academic buildings. Architecturally interesting but not spectacular, it sort of feels like any other European university, and whilst there are real links to the schools artistic heritage I just didn't feel like I was somewhere particularly important.

It wasn’t until we were walking through the the central building that we discovered there were tours offered, perhaps the site would have made more sense with them.

On the whole it isn't really that interesting and when it is viewed as a detour from central Weimar is somewhat underwhelming.

My advice, if you are wanting to get the best out of this World Heritage Site, make the trip to Dessau.

Site 4: Experience 3

This is not an easy place to get to but I did not regret the effort to get here. If you have your own car, then you can drive here on your way between other parts of Patagonia. For me, I found a tour operator that stopped here between Puerto Madryn and El Calafate (two other WHS).

The caves here are incredible and it's likely you'll almost have the place to yourself. The hand paintings are really vivid and you can get quite close to them.

There is a lot to the region that the WHS includes - it's easy to spend weeks here if you really wanted. I loved spending some time based in El Chalten and hiking around Mount Fitzroy, for instance

But I think the highlight is the Perito Moreno Glacier - one of the most popular tourist stops in southern Patagonia. Busloads of people come in and out of the site every day and it’s one of the main reasons travellers bother to stop in the nearby town of El Calafate (although it is actually quite a nice place in its own right). In fact, the whole region seems to be going through a tourist boom at the moment and visitor numbers are definitely on the rise.

I think the authorities have done an excellent job of protecting the peninsula and making it accessible for tourists. There are a lot of information booths and good viewing points so you can see the animals and the landscapes. But visitors are also kept a respectful distance so as to not disturb the wildlife.

I organised a tour through my accommodation in Puerto Madryn and was happy doing it that way.

This is one of those WHS that truly deserve a trip of their own and contain so many parts and places that even with a week at your disposal, you'll be able to just cover couple of those places. I visited the Kamchatka peninsula this August with my husband Ivan. It consists of numerous nature parks/reserves and places. We started with the ascend to Avachinskiy volcano (2000m altitude hike over 8 km track), hiked around Dachniye springs (by the Mutnovskiy geothermal station), did a helicopter tour of the Valley of Geysirs and hiked the Gorelyi volcano. The nature is marvellous and out of the three "top" mainland Russia natural UNESCO WHSs, Altai, Lake Baikal, and Kamchatka, I have to hand it to Kamchatka as the most wonderful of the three. It's a beautiful place that will leave even seasoned nature lovers amazed.

As for the technical part of all of the tours, you get your plane ticket, if it's from Moscow, check a stopover in Yakutsk as an option, it will reduce the price of the overall ticket significantly. The return way is cheaper as it's subsidised. The accomodation and trip is arranged by one of the local travel agencies, we chose Kamchatintour. The service is quite mediocre, not very well organised, pickups don't arrive on time and the length of the ride with Kamaz (which is required for most of the destinations) depends on the driver on duty that day. What we covered in mere three hours one day …

Eight years ago I wrote about how, for fans of modern art and architecture, a trip to the Bauhaus is less 'a visit' and more 'a pilgrimage'. In the intervening period it has been the greatest delight in my life to have met and married someone who shared my giddy excitement about this building. As such the night we spent staying in the former student accommodation was one that will stay long in our memory.

It was near impossible to wipe the smile off of our faces when we checked in at the nice cafe and realised we had been given the keys to the front door of the Bauhaus!

The whole evening consisted of us wandering around anywhere in the building that we could access with our set of keys, we were like kids in a candy-shop. We excitedly wondered who may have lived in our room, Josef and Anni Albers perhaps? I was also struck by how similar it was to my own Central European university dorm room, again showing the effect this institution has on everyday life.

Every aspect of the building seemed to enthral us from the Gropius handles to the stools in the Mensa it is fair to say that we were giddily geeking out at the smallest details but as Mies would say that is where God resides.

But beyond appealing to those already converted I felt that the audio guide and museum exhibits did a great job of explaining the importance …

I grew up in Sydney and never really appreciated what a magnificent WHS was just an hour's drive away. The main road that goes through the mountains offers easy access to lots of walks and viewpoints. The most famous one is of the Three Sisters. Personally, though, I like to start there but do a long hike that takes you down into the valley and along the bottom of the cliffs, past waterfalls, and then back up further along.

The Dorrigo National Park is popular partly because it is a perfect example of the ancient rainforests but also because it’s easily accessible from coastal holiday towns like Coffs Harbour. It takes about 90 minutes to drive from the beach, through small villages like Bellingen and rural bush. The final road up the hill towards the entrance to the park gives you a taste of what is to come with ancient trees creating a tunnel in parts and then occasionally opening up for a wide view across an army of trunks.

At the visitors centre at the entrance to the park is a skywalk that takes you out above the forest so you can see the extent of its reach. The faint sounds of animals drift up from below but they are protected under the green canopy. To get a closer look, you need to take one of the several tracks that lead you to different parts of the rainforest. The walk to the waterfalls is one of the most popular.

Fray Bentos is situated at the first river crossing between Argentina and Uruguay of Rio Uruguay. The main town on the Argentinian side is Gualeguaychu. And that’s where I found myself stuck after my bus from Buenos Aires ran late. Again. As all other busses in Argentina. So I missed my connection. Instead I ended up hitchhiking across the border.

The town itself is a somewhat sleepy backwater nowadays. But this wasn’t always the case. While I was making my way to Barrio Ingles (English Quarter) I crossed several nice squares and buildings. For instance, Fray Bentos has a theater, impressive for a town this size. The buildings could use some paint, but they point to the high time of the town when the meat processing plant was active.

The world heritage itself, the Barrio Ingles with the meat processing plant, is on the edge of town on the river for shipment. The plant used to supply the UK with food, the name being synonymous with corned beef. Fray Bentos was especially important during both World Wars. Operations were moved to the UK around 1960 and it’s astonishing to see how quickly the plant fell into disrepair. The brand, though, is still in use in the UK, most people not knowing what Fray Bentos actually refers to.

If you are looking for a great photo opportunity, Fray Bentos will deliver. There are plenty of great shots of ruins and decay to be taken. In addition you have …