Ian Cade

United Kingdom \ Member since December 2005

#134 328 54 8

I discovered the World Heritage list whilst studying in the Czech city of Olomouc in 2003, and since then I have spent a fair bit of my time visiting the sites and boring people with information about them. World Heritage Sites provide a great way to hunt out the best bits of countries and can give you a look at some great parts of a destination that you would otherwise not see. A few of my favourite sites have been the ones that I have made a special effort to get to see because of their place on the list; Sceilg Mhichíl, Guanajuato and Preah Vihear

I mostly take short trips around Europe, making the most of budget airlines special offers, seeing some of the continent's great cities, visiting friends and dragging them to some pretty obscure places.
I try to travel outside Europe at least once a year and hope to tick off a few of the places on my wish list when money, politics and time enable this.

It's not about the shark!:
Whilst the World Heritage Sites themselves are the focus of my travels, they are more a means to an end, the real joy of travelling comes from interacting with people, waiting for trains at hitherto unknown corners of the world then eating and drinking the tasty (and not so tasty) delights on offer.

My most impressive site: Angkor

My proposal for a new site: Major Buildings of the Chicago School of Architecture

Check out my website: https://letterboxd.com/meltwaterfalls/

Recent Visits
  • 5
    1
    Nov. 5, 2025
    Southern Finland: Aalto Works, Fortress of Suomenlinna, Old Rauma ...
  • 0
    0
    Aug. 17, 2025
    South Western Utah national parks: Bryce Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Zion National …
  • 4
    0
    Feb. 23, 2025
    Cilento and Vallo di Diano, Naples, Pompei, Royal Palace at Caserta
Completed Countries

About Ian Cade

Member since
December 2005
Country of Origin
United Kingdom
Visits
Rank
#134
WHS
328
Tentative Sites
54
Website Participation
Reviews
317
Ratings

Ratings

World Heritage Sites
Tentative Sites
323 66
Locations
22
Zones
71
Reserved for members.

Reviews by Ian Cade

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Gardens and Castle at Kromeríz by Ian Cade

Gardens and Castle at Kromeríz (Inscribed)

Gardens and Castle at Kromeríz

The Palace and Gardens are a reasonably interesting half day trip from Olomouc. The Palace is just off of the main square and there are regular tours. The interior is …

Auschwitz Birkenau by Ian Cade

Auschwitz Birkenau (Inscribed)

Auschwitz Birkenau

This is not a place that should be visited light heartedly, I was a little distressed to see that some people had come here just as casual tourists; it really …

Major Town Houses by Ian Cade

Major Town Houses (Inscribed)

Major Town Houses

These four houses are some of the finest city residences in Europe, and in my view the finest works of the Art Nouveau movement. The main problem is that the …

Works of Antoni Gaudí by Ian Cade

Works of Antoni Gaudí (Inscribed)

Works of Antoni Gaudí

The works of Gaudi are possibly the biggest tourist attraction in Barcelona so these sites are very busy but still very impressive.

Unfortunately Palacio Güell was closed when I was …

Blenheim Palace by Ian Cade

Blenheim Palace (Inscribed)

Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace is the quintessential English stately home, with vast landscaped grounds and a central building dripping with extravagance. I must admit palaces bore me rigid as they remind me …

Kew Gardens by Ian Cade

Kew Gardens (Inscribed)

Kew Gardens

Over the years Kew has been one of the World Heritage Sites I have visited most regularly. Moving from a place I enjoyed for chasing ducks as a child, through …

Palau de la Musica Catalana & Hospital de Sant Pau by Ian Cade

Palau de la Musica Catalana &… (Inscribed)

Palau de la Musica Catalana & Hospital de Sant Pau

The two buildings on here are quite a way apart from each other in Barcelona but can both be seen easily if you want to spend a couple of hours …

Flemish Béguinages by Ian Cade

Flemish Béguinages (Inscribed)

Flemish Béguinages

Having travelled pretty extensively in Flanders, I have managed to see quite a few Begijnhofs. The most impressive one I have seen so far is the Groot Begijnhof of Leuven. …

Dougga/Thugga by Ian Cade

Dougga/Thugga (Inscribed)

Dougga/Thugga

This is one of the best UNESCO sites I have visited, it is on a huge scale and very well preserved. The theatre and Capitol are almost entirely intact! And …

Kerkuane by Ian Cade

Kerkuane (Inscribed)

Kerkuane

This is a really nice site to visit, it is out of the way and situated on a great piece of coastline. There is not much left (everything is less …

Skogskyrkogarden by Ian Cade

Skogskyrkogarden (Inscribed)

Skogskyrkogarden

This probably isn’t top of most people’s lists of Stockholm’s ‘must sees’, even down to the name which I thought I had managed to get my tongue around until the …

Amphitheater of El Jem by Ian Cade

Amphitheater of El Jem (Inscribed)

Amphitheater of El Jem

The Coliseum at El Jem is pretty fantastic and it has a capacity that was probably greater than the population of the town that now surrounds it! The site is …

Carthage by Ian Cade

Carthage (Inscribed)

Carthage

There is not much left to see of Carthage which really is a testament to the Romans who totally obliterated their biggest rival of the period. It is pretty important …

Grand Place, Brussels by Ian Cade

Grand Place, Brussels (Inscribed)

Grand Place, Brussels

As a square, there are few more beautiful examples in the world. La Grande Place/Grotemark is hemmed in by exceptionally attractive buildings, the highlight of which is the Hotel de …

Belfries by Ian Cade

Belfries (Inscribed)

Belfries

I have now seen many of the Belfries inscribed, 15 I think. Perhaps the most impressive is the Belfry of Onze Lieve Vrowkathedraal in Antwerpen (pictured) which contains four major …

Brugge by Ian Cade

Brugge (Inscribed)

Brugge

I had heard a lot about Brugge before I went there and was not disappointed in what I saw. There were a lot of other tourists there but if you …

Museumsinsel (Museum Island) by Ian Cade

Museumsinsel (Museum Island) (Inscribed)

Museumsinsel (Museum Island)

This group of museums at the end of an Island in the Spree are one of the premier attractions of Berlin. The reason for its inclusion on the list is …

Oporto by Ian Cade

Oporto (Inscribed)

Oporto

It was a dull and grey day that I was in Porto, and it fit the atmosphere of the city so well. This is not the most aesthetically appealing of …

Sintra by Ian Cade

Sintra (Inscribed)

Sintra

Sintra was perhaps the highlight of my time in Portugal and that is saying a lot as I loved it there, and I didn't even get to see the highlight …

Belem by Ian Cade

Belem (Inscribed)

Belem

Lisbon was a revelation, I went there expecting a second rate city and left with the feeling that it is one of Europe’s best capitals. Firstly the UNESCO sights in …

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