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I visited this WHS in May 2012. This Baroque palace with its gardens is one of the largest and most beautiful in Germany. The architectural symmetry of this Bavarian palace was the highlight of my visit.

Miners' Centre, Lewarde, France -

As an Australian coal mining historian I attended the 2010 Lewarde Colloquium. This centre is an absolute marvel in terms of its presentation of the life and hard times of coal miners and their communities. It is a living link with Zola's Germinal. It is well-managed, welcoming and not to be missed.

For professional mining historians, students or family visitors, Lewarde is a treasure and a credit to all who continue to remind us of the debt the present owes to the past.

Alan Murray, Australia.

Calling this WHS a beauty is an understatement. I visited the Taj Mahal in December 2011 and spent 2-3 days exploring and taking in this wonder. The first morning rays of sunrise lifting the thick mist off the Taj Mahal is an unforgettable experience. The Taj appears before your eyes gradually almost as if it were floating in the air. A pair of Egyptian Vultures were soaring in the sky above the main white marble dome. The symmetry and architecture of the whole site is mind-bogging and it is so huge that it never seems to be overcrowded. Don't go there with an organised tour for a quick rush through the site. Take your time to admire one of the wonders of the world!

I visited this WHS in July 2012 and I was lucky to pick a sunny day in the usually rainy Summer in Ireland. The only way to visit this site is on one of the few fishing boats that have a permit to land 12 passengers each on the remote island. In the past, this WHS was considered to be the most remote place on Earth! After braving the high waves of the Atlantic Ocean for about 50 minutes (one-way), I arrived on Skellig Michael. Close to it is the jagged Little Skellig island with a colony of around 200,000 Northern Gannets. On Skellig Michael, I climbed 600+ steep steps (with no railings) which led to a 6th century "bee-hive" monastery. Hiding in burrows all over the island were thousands of cute Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills and Guillemots and basking in the sun on the rocks were some seals. This WHS is by far my favourite so far even though less famous or grandiose than the Pyramids of Giza, the Taj Mahal or Petra!

Very interesting to visit is the Church of the Nativity. However, the highligh of this WHS is that so many different or closely related faiths interact with one another in the main square and use the same place to worship the same God! Apart from the WHS though, the situation in the region is very sad and I won't be visiting Israel or Palestine again before the Disgraceful Walls are demolished.

This WHS is home to the largest seed in the world. I'd suggest to visit early in the morning on weekdays to avoid most tourist groups and be able to spot several indigenous birds such as the Seychelles Blue Pigeon, Madagascar Turtle-Dove, Seychelles Bulbul, Seychelles Sunbird and above all the rare Seychelles Black Parrot. I was extremely lucky to see about 4-5 pairs on one Coco de Mer tree from the 100 breeding pairs !!! The lush vegetation and tall trees are truly unique and the different trails give you a great view of the place. Do not miss the high viewpoint from one of the trails with a birds eye view of all the reserve. Moreover, the reserve houses both UNESCO certificates for Seychelles' 2 WHS including the Aldabra Atoll.

I visited this WHS in July 2012 and was expecting Newgrange to be the highlight of my trip. By all means, Newgrange is well kept and the triathlon entrance, spiral engravings and the watertight interior make it an incredible site. The young local guides are making a good job there. They also switch off the light inside to simulate the winter solstice sun rays creeping in and lighting the whole place. However, the surprise and real highlight of my visit was Knowth. Knowth comprises a series of well-restored prehistoric passage tombs which really show that this place was considered to be a very special and important place. I could notice the many similarities with the neolithic temples of Malta and indeed several studies were made and are still being made to compare these extraordinary sites. In the main passage tomb of Knowth, an ornate flint macehead or pendant was found and it can be seen in the National Museum of Archaeology in Dublin. It is almost impossible to even make a scratch on flint without machinery but incredibly enough this artefact was neatly engraved and decorated!

I visited this WHS in May 2012. Although the Roman arena was the highlight of my visit, still I felt Arles had seen better days and now was pretty much neglected. It was quite dirty and the whole place didn't feel very safe in general. Nearby Nimes, is not a WHS but its Roman arena and other remains are better kept and looked after and overall the city has much more to offer.

This WHS is one of my favourite and deserves at least 3 full days to get a glimpse of such an immense site. There are several trekking trails to follow and others for you to discover and complete and peaceful solitude. The Treasury from the Siq is jaw-dropping but so is The Monastery (Deir). The colourful rocks close to the public toilets are incredible and the whole archaeological site is huge. Be on the lookout to spot the striking Light Blue Lizard that lives in the valley - really unique.

I visited this WHS this Summer 2012. It can only be viewed from the outside as it is a private residence. The main entrance is being restored but the rest of the site is in a very good shape. It looks quite strange and unpleasant to the eye at first but it was built this way on purpose to deter passers-by from the artistic treasures it houses inside. The fact that it was inscribed as a WHS prevented the owners from altering or demolishing the whole site to sell the land for some multi-storey building or yet another embassy to be built. It is truly unique and hopefully in the near future the owners will decide to open parts of this WHS to the public.

This WHS was a great interesting surprise compared to the other Belgian WHS. When I visited in August 2012 on a hot sunny day I experienced 2 of the 4 lifts first-hand with the boat trip from the Italian Canteen. I was the only "tourist" to be seen, the rest where locals. Then I walked along the canal trail to see all the lifts and went by car to visit the huge new funicular lift of Strépy-Thieu. This was a great afternoon and a "hidden" WHS in Belgium.

I had visited Antwerp twice and didn't know that this WHS museum was there! It is really interesting and well worth a visit although quite expensive.

I visited the cathedral in Tournai in 2011 and was really impressed by the town in general. Clean, not so many tourists when I visited, quiet, lots of bars and restaurants. The Cathedral is really a highlight together with the nearby belfry (also a WHS).

I was lucky enough to visit some of the Horta houses in October 2011 when they were opened to the public. I can see a Horta house from my window since I'm lucky to live close to one of them. The trail by walk or by bike is really worth it!

I've visited Bruges 6-7 times at least and I was never let down. A boat trip through the canals is well worth IMO as it gives you an overall view of Bruges. My favourite visit was in Winter when everything was covered with snow - every photo I took was like a Xmas card!

Since I have been living in Brussels for the past 4 years, I tend to forget that I have such a beautiful WHS close to my doorstep. Perhaps because it is always packed with tourists and noisy groups. However, it is the heart of the city and a true spectacle when it is embellished with the flower carpet for a few days in Summer (every 2 years). A must-see.

I agree with others who say that you can easily tick 2 WHS off your list when visiting belfries & beguinages. I have visited 6 out of the 13 inscribed sites and I think that Ghent and Leuven will give you a very good overview of what the beguinages' purpose was. Moreover, they are well kept and looked after.

This has to be one of the easiest WHS to tick off your list if you only intend to view one or a few of the 33 Belgian sites + 23 French sites in this entry. However, it is quite a task to visit all of them since they are scattered all over both countries. I have visited 16 sites in total (14 in Belgium and 2 in France) and climbed most of the belfries where this was possible. My favourite one is that of Tournai, adorning the square below and the cathedral nearby (another WHS), closely followed by the belfries of Antwerp and Bruges for their architectural beauty and importance.

I visited this WHS this Summer 2012 by car on a splendid sunny day. I went there early before the crowds and I was practically alone, climbing the hexagonal basalt rocks close to the sea. The Audioguide from the Visitor Centre is very informative and quite interesting. I did the whole trekking trail to The Organ and right to The Chimney where I spotted several Fulmars and Kittiwakkes nesting on the cliffs. The Antrim Coast and Causeway Road are very scenic and on the way back I stopped several times to take incredible pictures. Visit the small fishing towns along the coast for some good food and a pleasant atmosphere.

I visited this WHS by 4x4 and stopped at various natural bridges, canyons and rock formations. There are also several old rock drawings scattered throughout the valley. The highlights are the Seven Pillars of Wisdom used as a set in the film Lawrence of Arabia amongst others and the reddish sand hills. Beautiful!