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It's up to you how you want to spend your holiday, whether that's lazing on the beach at a Caribbean club hotel sipping Mai Tais. Or tending to the garden.

While I do enjoy the occasional Mai Tai on the beach, I prefer to see new things and travel to faraway places. I've read my fair share of travel guides to find out where to go and what to see. And I was often disappointed.

While many guidebooks spend an entire chapter extolling the virtues of a particular destination (e.g. a capital city), World Heritage Sites are different. They're as objective as it gets, and often take you off the beaten track. For example, I have fond memories of my taxi ride through a Czech winter landscape to visit Holasovice, a site that only World Heritage connoisseurs would appreciate. More often than not, WHS are great places.

Initially, I concentrated on visiting as many WHS as possible, which gave me a good overview. However, since I've reached the magic 300 (almost 600 now), I've shifted my focus to visiting the really great sites: quality over quantity.

Ultimately, I recommend that you travel as you please. However, if you find yourself in a country (even if it's just for a beach holiday), take a look at the map of World Heritage Sites on this site to see if any are nearby. You may have to travel a little off the beaten track, but I assure you it will be worth it.

Germany Last Update 02.04.24 603 WHS Visited 316 Reviews 603 WHS Rated 176 TWHS Visited

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Recent Reviews Nan

Echmiatsin and Zvartnots

Nan Germany - 08-Apr-24

In the summer of 2023, we visited Yerevan, Armenia, coming from Georgia. Yerevan, being the most westernized part of the country, served as our base for a few days to visit the nearby world heritage sites, including Echmiatsin and Zvartnots.

As the name suggests, the site has two principal components:

Echmiatsin: This is the active religious centre of the Armenian Church. It has some modern structures and is definitely worth a visit if you’re in Yerevan and interested in Armenian identity. While Paul compared it to Rome and Canterbury, those cities have a more developed urban fabric and are generally older. Zvartnots: Mostly a ruin, we initially skipped Zvartnots. On our last day due to having some spare time we managed to squeeze it in. We found it enjoyable and recommend a visit. From a World Heritage Site perspective, Zvartnots seemed like the better component. There are several other minor locations. But those don’t add much to the overall inscription

Read On

Paphos

Nan Germany - 04-Apr-24

During our visit to Paphos, we focused on two key components, beginning with the tombs. Although these structures are referred to as “tombs for kings,” they actually served as burial sites for the upper class during the Ptolemaic era, when Cyprus was under Egyptian influence. While some of the tombs are quite spacious, their ornamentation remains relatively minimal. Personally, I had anticipated more intricate stonework beyond the simple pillars. Still, the views you get and the location on the coast are nice.

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Painted Churches in the Troödos Region

Nan Germany - 04-Apr-24

In the Troödos region, you’ll find historic, medieval Painted Churches. Exploring these requires a car or multi-day hikes and luck to get the keys. We limited our exploration to Ayios Nikolaos tis Steyis near Kakopetria, the only church accessible by public transport with official opening hours.

The church, built with local resources, is simple and sturdy on the outside, protecting it against the elements. It looks more like a farmhouse than a church or chapel. Inside, though, it’s an opulently painted Byzantine church.

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Choirokoitia

Nan Germany - 04-Apr-24

Choirokoitia, by virtue of being a Palaeolithic site, doesn’t draw hordes of visitors. Recent efforts by the Cypriots have enhanced the visitor experience with updated amenities like parking, toilets, signs, and new trails. However, during our Easter holiday visit, we found ourselves as the sole explorers.

The site primarily comprises settlement foundations nestled on a hill slope, surrounded by walls that once enclosed a town housing around 500 inhabitants. A small river runs behind the hill.

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Dreams in Stone - the palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee (T)

Nan Germany - 13-Feb-24

Having read Hubert’s fabulous review, I wanted to add a bit of historical context to the proposed sites. Ludwig II’s main constraint as a monarch was not Bavaria’s constitution and people. The much greater constraint was German unification in 1870, which reduced Bavaria from a kingdom to a mere princely state within the larger German Empire governed by the Prussian King, now the German Kaiser.

To make Ludwig II accept his fate as a secondary prince, Bismarck smoothed the deal with substantial payments from the Prussian treasury to Bavaria; payments that went on to fund the construction of these “dreams in stone.” However, it wasn’t enough, as Ludwig spent lavishly, and several projects remain unfinished.

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Profile Data

Name: Nan
Country: Germany
Most Impressive: Petra, Machu Picchu, Angkor
Proposal: Seoraksan, Korea. Okefenokee, USA.

Recently Visited WHS

Update 02.04.24: Choirokoitia

Painted Churches in the Troödos Region

Paphos

Visited WHS

Rating Stats

Ancient Thebes 5

Angkor 5

Florence 5

Iguazu National Park 5

Los Glaciares 5

Machu Picchu 5

Mesa Verde 5

Old City of Jerusalem 5

Palenque 5

Petra 5

Pyramids (Memphis) 5

Rapa Nui 5

Rome 5

Teotihuacan 5

Vatican City 5

Venice and its Lagoon 5

Acropolis 4.5

Amsterdam Canal Ring 4.5

Bukhara 4.5

Chichen-Itza 4.5

Cordoba 4.5

Dubrovnik 4.5

Fatehpur Sikri 4.5

Granada 4.5

Grand Canyon 4.5

Great Wall 4.5

Göreme NP 4.5

Loire Valley 4.5

Los Alerces National Park 4.5

Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor 4.5

Meteora 4.5

Nubian Monuments 4.5

Paris, Banks of the Seine 4.5

Piazza del Duomo (Pisa) 4.5

Ping Yao 4.5

Pompei 4.5

Prague 4.5

Ravenna 4.5

Samarkand 4.5

Sceilg Mhichíl 4.5

St. Petersburg 4.5

Te Wahipounamu 4.5

Vatnajökull National Park 4.5

Versailles 4.5

Vienna 4.5

West Norwegian Fjords 4.5

Yosemite National Park 4.5

Aachen Cathedral 4

Agrigento 4

Ancient Kyoto 4

Arab-Norman Palermo 4

Archaeological Site of Delphi 4

Berat and Gjirokastra 4

Brugge 4

Budapest 4

Castel del Monte 4

Classical Gardens of Suzhou 4

Cueva de las Manos 4

Dengfeng 4

Dolomites 4

El Escurial 4

Ephesus 4

Everglades 4

Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings 4

Guanajuato 4

Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Archipelago 4

Haeinsa Temple 4

Hal Saflieni Hypogeum 4

Hierapolis-Pamukkale 4

Himeji-jo 4

Historic Cairo 4

Humayun's Tomb 4

Iguacu 4

Imperial Palace 4

Istanbul 4

Itchan Kala 4

Itsukushima Shrine 4

Jantar Mantar 4

Kew Gardens 4

Kinderdijk 4

Kotor 4

Kremlin and Red Square 4

Laponian Area 4

Longmen Grottoes 4

Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve 4

Mont-Saint-Michel 4

Nasca Lines 4

Neolithic Orkney 4

Oaxaca and Monte Alban 4

Olympia 4

Peninsula Valdes 4

Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands 4

Rietveld Schröderhuis 4

Riga 4

Selimiye Mosque 4

Siena 4

Sintra 4

Skocjan Caves 4

South China Karst 4

Studley Royal Park 4

Surtsey 4

Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch 4

Teide National Park 4

Temple of Heaven 4

Trang An 4

Tugendhat Villa 4

Upper Middle Rhine Valley 4

Upper Svaneti 4

Valletta 4

Vicenza and the Palladian Villas 4

Wadden Sea 4

Wadi Al-Hitan 4

West Lake 4

Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines 4

Wooden Churches of Southern Malopolska 4

Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region 4

Works of Antoni Gaudí 4

Altamira Cave 3.5

Anuradhapura 3.5

Assisi 3.5

Auschwitz Birkenau 3.5

Bethlehem 3.5

Bordeaux 3.5

Bryggen 3.5

Brú na Bóinne 3.5

Calakmul 3.5

Caves of Yagul and Mitla 3.5

Central University City Campus of the UNAM 3.5

Cesky Krumlov 3.5

Champagne 3.5

Churches of Chiloé 3.5

Churches of Moldavia 3.5

Churches of Peace 3.5

Churches of the Pskov School of Architecture 3.5

Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape 3.5

Cuenca 3.5

Dacian Fortresses 3.5

Danube Delta 3.5

Edinburgh 3.5

El Fuerte de Samaipata 3.5

Fagus Factory 3.5

Fortified City of Carcassonne 3.5

Fujisan 3.5

Grand Place, Brussels 3.5

Great Spa Towns of Europe 3.5

Gyeongju 3.5

Göbekli Tepe 3.5

High Coast / Kvarken Archipelago 3.5

Hill Forts of Rajasthan 3.5

Huangshan 3.5

Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis 3.5

Kii Mountain Range 3.5

Kraków 3.5

L'viv 3.5

Lake District 3.5

Las Medulas 3.5

Malbork Castle 3.5

Masada 3.5

Matera 3.5

Megalithic Temples of Malta 3.5

Mexico City and Xochimilco 3.5

Mountain Railways of India 3.5

Museumsinsel (Museum Island) 3.5

Mycenae and Tiryns 3.5

Mystras 3.5

Old City of Acre 3.5

Padua’s fourteenth-century fresco cycles 3.5

Pergamon 3.5

Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple 3.5

Reims 3.5

Rhodes 3.5

Sambor Prei Kuk 3.5

Schönbrunn 3.5

Stari Ras and Sopocani 3.5

Sydney Opera House 3.5

Syracuse 3.5

Tallinn 3.5

The trulli of Alberobello 3.5

Tongariro National Park 3.5

University of Coimbra 3.5

Villa Romana del Casale 3.5

Villages with Fortified Churches 3.5

Visby 3.5

Westminster 3.5

White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal 3.5

Wooden Churches of Maramures 3.5

Xidi and Hongcun 3.5

Çatalhöyük 3.5

Aggtelek and Slovak Karst 3

Agra Fort 3

Albi 3

Amiens Cathedral 3

Ancient Nara 3

Antequera Dolmens Site 3

Aphrodisias 3

Aquileia 3

Archaeological Site of Aigai 3

Arequipa 3

Arles 3

Arslantepe Mound 3

Avignon 3

Avila 3

Bamberg 3

Belem 3

Bellinzone 3

Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe 3

Bursa and Cumalikizik 3

Canterbury 3

Cathedral of St. James in Sibenik 3

Caves of Maresha and Bet Guvrin 3

Central Highlands 3

Changdeokgung Palace Complex 3

Churches and Convents of Goa 3

Cilento and Vallo di Diano 3

City of Bath 3

Coa Valley and Siega Verde 3

Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands 3

Cologne Cathedral 3

Costiera Amalfitana 3

Cuzco 3

Derwent Valley Mills 3

Dorset and East Devon Coast 3

Falun Great Copper Mountain 3

Flemish Béguinages 3

Fontainebleau 3

Forth Bridge 3

Fortifications of Vauban 3

Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz 3

Gelati Monastery 3

Genoa 3

Giant's Causeway 3

Grand Canal 3

Great Smoky Mountains 3

Greater Blue Mountains 3

Gwynedd Castles 3

Haghpat and Sanahin 3

Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town 3

Hiraizumi 3

Hoi An 3

Horyu-ji Area 3

Hué 3

Hwaseong Fortress 3

Imperial Tombs 3

Isole Eolie 3

Jaipur City, Rajasthan 3

Jesuit Missions of Trinidad and Jesus 3

Jongmyo Shrine 3

Kaiping Diaolou 3

Kutna Hora 3

Kyiv Cathedral and Lavra 3

Luang Prabang 3

Luis Barragán House and Studio 3

Lyon 3

Macao 3

Maritime Greenwich 3

Maulbronn Monastery 3

Mostar 3

Mount Athos 3

Necropolis of Bet She'arim 3

Nikko 3

Ohrid Region 3

Old Rauma 3

Oporto 3

Plain of Jars 3

Plitvice Lakes 3

Poblet Monastery 3

Pont du Gard 3

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal 3

Potosi 3

Potsdam 3

Preah Vihear Temple 3

Qhapaq Ñan 3

Quedlinburg 3

Rammelsberg and Goslar 3

Rjukan / Notodden 3

Rock Carvings in Tanum 3

Rock Drawings in Valcamonica 3

Royal Joseon Tombs 3

Røros 3

Salamanca 3

San Miguel de Allende 3

Santiago de Compostela 3

Segovia 3

Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple 3

Seville 3

Shirakawa-go and Gokayama 3

Silk Roads Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor 3

Silk Roads: Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor 3

Sinharaja Forest 3

Southern Öland 3

Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District 3

Split 3

Statue of Liberty 3

Stevns Klint 3

Stonehenge 3

Strasbourg 3

Studenica Monastery 3

Su Nuraxi di Barumini 3

Sucre 3

Summer Palace 3

Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona 3

Taj Mahal 3

The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier 3

Tower of London 3

Trebic 3

Trinity Sergius Lavra 3

Urbino 3

Urnes Stave Church 3

Uxmal 3

Valparaiso 3

Vegaøyan 3

Villa d'Este 3

Vilnius 3

Völklingen Ironworks 3

Warsaw 3

Wartburg Castle 3

Würzburg Residence 3

Xochicalco 3

Yaroslavl 3

Zollverein 3

Abbey of St Gall 2.5

Ancient Jericho 2.5

Asturian Monuments 2.5

Australian Convict Sites 2.5

Banska Stiavnica 2.5

Bardejov Town 2.5

Bauhaus Sites 2.5

Belfries 2.5

Berlin Modernism Housing Estates 2.5

Białowieża Forest 2.5

Biblical Tells 2.5

Blaenavon Industrial Landscape 2.5

Blenheim Palace 2.5

Bom Jesus do Monte 2.5

Boyana Church 2.5

Burgos Cathedral 2.5

Burgundy 2.5

Butrint 2.5

Caceres 2.5

Camino Real 2.5

Chartres Cathedral 2.5

Choirokoitia 2.5

Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay 2.5

Convent of Christ in Tomar 2.5

Corfu 2.5

Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland 2.5

Diyarbakir Fortress and Hevsel Gardens 2.5

Durham Castle and Cathedral 2.5

Echmiatsin and Zvartnots 2.5

Elvas 2.5

Engelsberg Ironworks 2.5

Euphrasian Basilica in Porec 2.5

Evora 2.5

Fortress of Suomenlinna 2.5

Fray Bentos 2.5

Gammelstad 2.5

Gamzigrad-Romuliana 2.5

Genbaku Dome 2.5

Gorham's Cave Complex 2.5

Graz 2.5

Grimeton Radio Station 2.5

Hallstatt-Dachstein 2.5

Heritage of Mercury 2.5

Hollókö 2.5

Incense Route of the Negev 2.5

Independence Hall 2.5

Ironbridge Gorge 2.5

Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos 2.5

Jodrell Bank Observatory 2.5

Kalwaria Zebrzydowska 2.5

Kandy 2.5

Keoladeo National Park 2.5

Koh Ker 2.5

Laurisilva of Madeira 2.5

Le Havre 2.5

Liangzhu Archaeological Site 2.5

Longobards in Italy 2.5

Lübeck 2.5

Mantua and Sabbioneta 2.5

Margravial Opera House 2.5

Medici Villas and Gardens 2.5

Medina of Tétouan 2.5

Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge 2.5

Melaka and George Town 2.5

Modernist Kaunas 2.5

Monastery of Alcobaça 2.5

Monastery of Batalha 2.5

Monastery of Geghard 2.5

Mount Carmel Caves 2.5

Mtskheta 2.5

Muskauer Park 2.5

Nancy 2.5

Naples 2.5

Nesvizh 2.5

New Lanark 2.5

Notre-Dame Cathedral in Tournai 2.5

Old Town of Galle 2.5

Orange 2.5

Painted Churches in the Troödos Region 2.5

Palau de la Musica Catalana & Hospital de Sant Pau 2.5

Palmeral of Elche 2.5

Panamá 2.5

Paphos 2.5

Petäjävesi Old Church 2.5

Pilgrimage Church of St. John of Nepomuk 2.5

Plantin-Moretus Museum 2.5

Popocatepetl monasteries 2.5

Provins 2.5

Puebla 2.5

Qutb Minar 2.5

Red Fort 2.5

Rhaetian Railway 2.5

Rila Monastery 2.5

Rock Art of Alta 2.5

Roman Walls of Lugo 2.5

Route of Santiago de Compostela 2.5

Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans 2.5

Roșia Montană 2.5

Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy 2.5

Saltaire 2.5

San Gimignano 2.5

Santa Maria delle Grazie 2.5

Sarazm 2.5

Sian Ka'an 2.5

Sighisoara 2.5

Singapore Botanic Gardens 2.5

Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution 2.5

Skogskyrkogarden 2.5

Speyer Cathedral 2.5

Spissky Hrad and Levoca 2.5

Stralsund and Wismar 2.5

Tarraco 2.5

Telc 2.5

The Four Lifts 2.5

Thessalonika 2.5

Tiwanaku 2.5

Toledo 2.5

Tomioka Silk Mill 2.5

Tower of Hercules 2.5

Trier 2.5

Trogir 2.5

Troy 2.5

Val d'Orcia 2.5

Val di Noto 2.5

Van Nellefabriek 2.5

Vat Phou 2.5

Villa Adriana (Tivoli) 2.5

Vizcaya Bridge 2.5

Vlkolinec 2.5

Wachau Cultural Landscape 2.5

Western Ghats 2.5

White City of Tel-Aviv 2.5

Wooden Churches of the Slovak Carpathians 2.5

Alcala de Henares 2

Archaeological site of Philippi 2

Benedictine Convent of St. John 2

Canal du Midi 2

Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust 2

Centennial Hall 2

China Danxia 2

Christiansfeld 2

City of Luxembourg 2

Curonian Spit 2

Daphni, Hosios Loukas and Nea Moni of Chios 2

Epidaurus 2

Ferrara 2

Funerary and memory sites of the First World War 2

Gardens and Castle at Kromeríz 2

Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa Dolmen 2

Guimarães 2

Holy Trinity Column 2

Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine 2

Jelling 2

Karlskrona 2

Kernavė 2

Kladruby nad Labem 2

Kronborg Castle 2

Krzemionki prehistoric flint mines 2

La Lonja de la Seda 2

Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces 2

Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape 2

Lima 2

Litomysl Castle 2

Major Town Houses 2

Mining Sites of Wallonia 2

Modena 2

Monastery of Horezu 2

Monte San Giorgio 2

Morelia 2

Mudejar Architecture of Aragon 2

Mérida 2

Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes 2

Nessebar 2

Nice 2

Novgorod 2

Novodevichy Convent 2

Peking Man Site 2

Pienza 2

Pilgrimage Church of Wies 2

Plečnik's Ljubljana 2

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings 2

Residence of Bukovinian & Dalmatian Metropolitans 2

Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo 2

Roskilde Cathedral 2

Royal Palace at Caserta 2

Saint-Emilion 2

Salzburg 2

Sammallahdenmäki 2

San Marino and Mount Titano 2

Santa Maria de Guadalupe 2

Shakhrisyabz 2

Sigiriya 2

Stećci 2

Struve Geodetic Arc 2

Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae 2

Thracian tomb of Sveshtari 2

Town Hall and Roland, Bremen 2

Venetian Works of Defence 2

Verona 2

Zamość 2

Úbeda and Baeza 2

Žatec – Landscape of Hops 2

Aranjuez 1.5

Bahá’i Holy Places 1.5

Beemster Polder 1.5

Birka and Hovgarden 1.5

Botanical Garden, Padua 1.5

Campeche 1.5

Caves and Ice Age Art 1.5

Church of the Ascension, Kolomenskoye 1.5

Classical Weimar 1.5

Colonia del Sacramento 1.5

Crespi d'Adda 1.5

Donana National Park 1.5

Drottningholm 1.5

Fertö/Neusiedlersee 1.5

Frontiers of the Roman Empire 1.5

Hedeby and Danevirke 1.5

Holasovice 1.5

Ir. D.F. Woudagemaal 1.5

Ivrea 1.5

La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle 1.5

Luther Memorials 1.5

Madara Rider 1.5

Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt 1.5

Medina Azahara 1.5

Mining Cultural Landscape Erzgebirge 1.5

Mount Etna 1.5

Naumburg Cathedral 1.5

Par force hunting landscape 1.5

Pirin National Park 1.5

Portobelo-San Lorenzo 1.5

Primeval Beech Forests 1.5

Querétaro 1.5

Regensburg 1.5

Reichenau 1.5

Residences of the Royal House of Savoy 1.5

Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France 1.5

Semmering Railway 1.5

Thingvellir 1.5

Torun 1.5

Verla Groundwood and Board Mill 1.5

Viking Age Ring Fortresses 1.5

Xanthos-Letoon 1.5

Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch 1

Battir 1

Colonies of Benevolence 1

Corvey 1

Danube Limes 1

Dutch Water Defence Lines 1

Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs 1

Eisinga Planetarium 1

Evaporitic Karst and Caves 1

Hildesheim Cathedral and Church 1

Lower German Limes 1

Medieval Monuments in Kosovo 1

Messel Pit 1

Mir Castle 1

Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin 1

Old City of Berne 1

Pannonhalma 1

Polonnaruva 1

Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin 1

Schokland 1

ShUM Sites 1

Stari Grad Plain 1

Stoclet House 1

Tarnowskie Góry Lead-Silver-Zinc Mine 1

Thang Long 1

The Porticoes of Bologna 1

Tokaji Wine Region 1

Water Management System of Augsburg 1

Western Tien-Shan 1

Alto Douro 0.5

Hortobágy 0.5

Jewish-Medieval heritage of Erfurt 0.5

Mafra 0.5

Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro 0.5

Srebarna Nature Reserve 0.5

The Prosecco Hills 0.5

Tlacotalpan 0.5

Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont 0.5

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Nan Profile

Visited Sites Nan

Legend

Recent Reviews Nan

Echmiatsin and Zvartnots

Paphos

Painted Churches in the Troödos Region

Choirokoitia

Dreams in Stone - the palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee (T)

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