So I’ve been motivated by a couple of other bloggers who have successfully chronicled their adventures visiting the designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites around the world and I have decided to do the same.
In 1972 the UN, through the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, began recognizing important sites around the world that they consider vital in order to maintain the cultural and natural heritage we have all inherited. Even though I haven’t even scratched the surface of visiting the nearly 1,000 sites in every corner of the planet, I have been to quite a few and want to add these important areas to my future travel plans.
What follows is a list of the sites I have visited to date with links to my site and the UNESCO site. This is also a living document though and I will update it as I visit new areas.
Are UNESCO World Heritage Sites important to you? Which one is your favorite?
Total Number of Sites Visited: 200
Australia
- Australian Convict Sites
- Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
- Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens
- Shark Bay, Western Australia
- Sydney Opera House
- Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
- Wet Tropics of Queensland
Austria
- Historic Center of the City of Salzburg
- Historic Center of Vienna
- Palace and Gardens of Schonbrunn
- Wachau Cultural Landscape
Belgium
- Belfries of Belgium and France*
- Flemish Beguinages
- Historic Center of Brugge
- La Grand-Place, Brussels
- Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta (Brussels)
Belize
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar
Cambodia
Canada
- Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
- Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks
- Dinosaur Provincial Park
- Historic District of Old Quebec
- Old Town Lunenburg
- Joggins Fossil Cliffs
China
- Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang
- Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing
- The Great Wall
- Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries
- Historic Centre of Macao
- Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing
- South China Karst
Colombia
- Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia
- Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments, Cartagena
Croatia
- Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian
- Old City of Dubrovnik
- Plitvice Lakes National Park
- Historic City of Trogir
- The Cathedral of St James in Šibenik
- Stari Grad Plain
- Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th Centuries
Czech Republic
Denmark
- Kronborg Castle
- The Wadden Sea
Dominican Republic
- Colonial City of Santo Domingo
Ecuador
Egypt
- Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis
- Historic Cairo
- Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur
- Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae
Estonia
- Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn
Finland
- Fortress of Suomenlinna
France
- Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments
- Belfries of Belgium and France*
- Canal du Midi
- Climats, terroirs of Burgundy
- Episcopal City of Albi
- Historic Center of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge
- Palace and Park of Fontainebleau
- Palace and Park of Versailles
- Paris, Banks of the Seine
- Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct)
- Jurisdiction of Saint-Emilion
- Bordeaux, Port of the Moon
- Historic Site of Lyons
- Routes of Santiago de Compostela
- Strasbourg – Grande île
- Taputapuātea
Germany
- Museumsinsel (Museum Island), Berlin
- Berlin Modernism Housing Estates
- Old town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof
- Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe
- Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District with Chilehaus
- Cologne Cathedral
- Speyer Cathedral
- Town Hall and Roland on the Marketplace of Bremen
- Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany
- Upper Middle Rhine Valley
- Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier
- Town of Bamberg
- Würzburg Residence with the Court Gardens and Residence Square
- Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar and Dessau
- Classical Weimar
- Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg
- Wartburg Castle
- Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin
- Water Management System of Augsburg
Greece
Holy See
- Historic Center of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura*
- Vatican City
Hungary
Iceland
- Thingvellir National Park
- Vatnajökull National Park – dynamic nature of fire and ice
India
- Agra Fort
- Elephanta Caves
- Fatehpur Sikri
- Hill Forts of Rajasthan
- Humayun’s Tomb
- Qutb Minar and its Monuments
- Taj Mahal
- Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai
- The Jantar Mantar
Ireland
- Brú na Bóinne – Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne
Israel
Italy
- Archeological Area of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata
- Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie with ‘The Last Supper’ by Leonardo da Vinci
- Costiera Amalfitana (Amalfi Coast)
- Historic Center of Florence
- Historic Center of Naples
- Historic Center of Rome*
- Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscapes*
- Venice and its Lagoon
- Crespi d’Adda
- Mantua and Sabbioneta
- Rock Drawings in Valcamonica
- The Dolomites
- Piazza del Duomo, Pisa
- Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna
- Cathedral, Torre Civica and Piazza Grande, Modena
- Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – western Stato da Mar
Japan
Jerusalem (Site proposed by Jordan)
Jordan
Kyrgyzstan
- Sulaiman-Too Sacred Mountain
- Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Luxembourg
- City of Luxembourg: its Old Quarters and Fortifications
Malta
- City of Valletta
- Megalithic Temples of Malta
- Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum
Mexico
- Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen Itza
- Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California
Montenegro
- Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor
Morocco
Myanmar
- Bagan
Netherlands
- 17th-Century Canal Ring Area inside the Singlegracht, Amsterdam
- Defence Line of Amsterdam
- Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout
- Historic Area of Willemstad, Curacao
New Zealand
- Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand
Norway
- Rock Art of Alta
- Struve Geodetic Arc
Palestine
- Palestine: Land of Olives and Vines – Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir
Peru
- City of Cuzco
- Historic Centre of Lima
- Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu
Portugal
- Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon
- Cultural Landscape of Sintra
- Historic Centre of Oporto
- Alto Douro Wine Region
- University of Coimbra – Alta and Sofia
San Marino
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Singapore
- Singapore Botanical Gardens
South Africa
- Cape Floral Region Protected Area
- Robben Island
- Maloti-Drakensberg Park
Spain
- Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boi
- Palau de la Musica Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona
- Works of Antoni Gaudi
- Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada
- Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville
- Historic Centre of Cordoba
- Monastery and Site of the Escurial, Madrid
- Old City of Salamanca
Switzerland
Tanzania
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area
- Serengeti National Park
- Kilimanjaro National Park
Turkey
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- City of Bath
- Frontiers of the Roman Empire*
- Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast
- Old and New Towns of Edinburgh
- Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites
- Tower of London
- Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret’s Church
- The Forth Bridge
- Gorham’s Cave Complex
- The English Lake District
USA
- Everglades National Park
- Glacier Bay National Park
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Great Smokey Mountains National Park
- Independence Hall
- La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico
- Mammoth Cave National Park
- Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville
- San Antonio Missions
- Statue of Liberty
- Taos Pueblo
- The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright
Zambia
Zimbabwe
*Denotes multi-country sites
