UNESCO Sites

Visited UNESCO World Heritage Sites

There are currently a total of 1007 properties included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. These properties are considered of outstanding universal value by the World Heritage Committee and are composed of cultural as well as natural heritage. For me personally the cultural sites were always the most interesting, especially those involving historically significant architecture.

Of course, nature created very impressive sights around the world, but there is still something especially attractive about seeing structures of ancient civilizations. While nature seems to have a certain aspect of randomness about it, historical structures were always built with a special purpose. There is actually nothing random about historic architecture and it not only reflects the culture of a particular society, but also the technologies and the way people lived.

I visited the historically significant places listed here out of personal interest and most of the times did not even know that they were enlisted as UNESCO World Heritage sites. On the other hand, some places that I visited seemed historically or culturally significant, but they are currently not even part of the list. At least it is good to know that there is a great chance for them to be eventually enlisted, as the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is constantly evaluating additional properties from a long Tentative List of proposals.

The places listed here are the ones I have visited so far. The nomenclature and alphabetical order by country are taken directly from the Wold Heritage List of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre website. You can either read about all visited UNESCO Sites, or choose an individual one from the list below.

List of UNESCO Sites I have been to

Argentina

• Iguazu National Park
• Ischigualasto / Talampaya Natural Parks –

Australia

• Great Barrier Reef
• Wet Tropics of Queensland
• Shark Bay, Western Australia
• Fraser Island
• Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens
• Sydney Opera House

Austria

• Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg
• Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn
• Historic Centre of Vienna

Belgium

• Belfries of Belgium and France
• Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex

Bolivia

• City of Potosi
• Historic City of Sucre
• Tiwanaku: Spiritual and Political Centre of the Tiwanaku Culture

Brazil

• Historic Centre of Salvador de Bahia
• Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea

Cambodia

• Angkor

Canada

• Historic District of Old Quebec
• Rideau Canal

Chile

• Rapa Nui National Park
• Historic Quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaisos

China

• Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang
• The Great Wall
• Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa
• Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing
• Historic Centre of Macau

Colombia

• Port, Fortress and Group of Monuments, Cartagena
• Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia

Croatia

• Historic Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian
• Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basilica in the Historic Centre of Poreč

Czech Republic

• Historic Centre of Prague

Denmark

• Wadden Sea

Dominican Republic

• Colonial City of Santo Domingo

Ecuador

• City of Quito
• Galapagos Islands

France

• Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay
• Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments
• Roman Theatre and its Surroundings and the “Triumphal Arch” of Orange
• Paris, Banks of the Seine
• Bourges Cathedral
• Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge
• Belfries of Belgium and France
• The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes

Germany

• Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin
• Town of Bamberg
• Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar and Dessau
• Cologne Cathedral
• Classical Weimar
• Museumsinsel (Museum Island), Berlin
• Zollverein Coal mine Industrial Complex in Essen
• Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar
• Berlin Modernism Housing Estates
• Wadden Sea
• Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe
• Carolingian Westwork and Civitas Corvey

Greece

• Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus

Guatemala

• Antigua Guatemala
• Tikal National Park

Hungary

• Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, The Buda Castle Quarter and Andrassy Avenue

India

• Agra Fort
• Taj Mahal
• Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram
• Sun Temple Konarak
• Churches and Convents of Goa
• Fatehpur Sikri
• Khajuraho Group of Monuments
• Great Living Chola Temples
• Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi
• Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi
• Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi
• Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya

Indonesia

• Borobudur Temple Compounds
• Prambanan Temple Compounds
• Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra
• Cultural Landscape of Bali Province

Italy

• Historic Centre of Florence
• Piazza del Duomo, Pisa
• Venice and its Lagoon
• Historic Centre of San Gimignano
• City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto
• Crespi d’Adda
• Historic Centre of Siena
• Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico), Padua
• Cathedral, Torre Civica and Piazza Grande, Modena
• Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto)
• Archaeological Area and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia
• City of Verona

Japan

• Historic Monuments on Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)
• Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)
• Historic Monuments on Ancient Nara
• Shrines and Temples of Nikko

Korea, Republic of

• Hwaseong Fortress
• Gyeongju Historic Areas

Latvia

• Historic Centre of Riga

Lithuania

• Vilnius Historic Centre
• Curonian Spit

Malaysia

• Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straights of Malacca

Mexico

• Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco
• Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan
• Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza

Nepal

• Kathmandu Durbar Square, including Palace, Temples and Public Spaces
• Bhaktapur Durbar Square, including Palace, Temples and Public Spaces
• Patan Durbar Square, including Palace, Temples and Public Spaces
• Swayambunath
• Pashupatinath Temple
• Boudanath
• Changu Narayan
• Chitwan National Park
• Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha

Netherlands

• Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout
• Wadden Sea

New Zealand

• Tongariro National Park

Paraguay

• Jesuit Mission of La Santisma Trinidad de Parana and Jesus de Tavarangue

Peru

• City of Cuzco
• Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu
• Historic Centre of Limas
• Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana
• Historical Centre of the city of Arequipa

Philippines

• Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras

Poland

• Cracow’s Historic Centre
• Auschwitz Birkenau
• Historic Centre of Warsaw

Portugal

• Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belem in Lisbon
• Historic Centre of Evora

Romania

• Villages and Fortified Churches in Transylvania

Russian Federation

• Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments
• Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow
• Lake Baikal
• Curonian Spit

South Africa

• iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Spain

• Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzin, Granada
• Works of Antoni Gaudi
• Cathedral, Alcazar and Archivo de Indias in Seville

Sri Lanka

• Ancient City of Polonnaruwa
• Ancient Rock City of Sigiriya
• Sacred City of Anuradhapura
• Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications
• Sacred Tooth City of Kandy
• Cave Temples of Dambulla

Thailand

• Historic City of Ayutthaya
• Historic Town of Sukhothai and associated Historic Towns

Turkey

• Historic Area of Istanbul

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

• Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret’s Church
• Tower of London

United States of America

• Everglades National Park
• Independence Hall
• Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico
• Statue of Liberty
• Yosemite National Park

Uruguay

• Historic Quarter of the City of Colonia

Vietnam

• Complex of Hue Monuments
• Ha Long Bay
• Hoi An Ancient Town
• Central Sector of the imperial Citadel of Thang Long, Hanoi

Next Page:

North India

Paneer Dishes
Flavorful Curries
Vegetable Thalis
Roti, Naan and Chapati

.