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We visited Suomenlinna last Friday and did the guided tour in English from the museum. It cost 15 euro, took a bit more than the official hour, and was very entertaining and informative. While our (current) intro says that Suomenlinna was built "to guard the entrance to Helsinki's harbour", according to our guide, that wasn't its purpose. Helsinki was of no great importance back then and only gained in status after the fortress was built.

The archipelago that houses Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) is en route from St. Petersburg to Stockholm. When it became known that the tsar was building a fleet of ships that could sail along the coast with its many islands, Sweden felt threatened. They chose to build their own (secret) shipyard and Suomenlinna was to be the location. So it was actually a shipyard for relatively small naval ships. The fortress was defending the dock and hiding that there was a shipyard. And it was in the defence of Stockholm itself, more than Helsinki. (See about the dry dock, e.g. here: https://suomenlinna.fi/en/whs-suomenlinna/)

The dry dock is still there (photo), but has no military use anymore. But it is functional (with a changed entrance and pumping system) and is now used for private ships/boats. Tourists aren't supposed to go down into the dock, but there is an observation platform that provides a great view.

It may also be good to mention that the ferry ticket is a regular bus/tram ticket (single fare 3.40 euro, I think) and especially …

My visit to Milan was restricted by Saturday and Sunday only (6 and 7 December), so I was determined to get 2 tickets for these very touristic days (thanks God it was December, not August). And I've got them. So I want to collect here some useful technical info.

1. Tickets could be purchased (15 euro) on the official site. Every three months they start selling tickets for the next three months. For example, at 30.09.2025 (at local noon, always at noon) they started to sell Tickets for November-December-January. And you do not know exactly in advance when they start to sell tickets for the next quarter. So you need to check the official site periodically to get this date in a few days earlier.
2. I would strongly recommend you to register on this site and fill as many information (payment method, address and so on) as you can in advance. Cause when you select a particular tickets during a booking process they do not reserve them for long: after I put all necessary info during my first attempt, my tickets ("my preccccccious!") were not available anymore.
3. If you have failed to buy tickets on the start selling day you have one more attempt in a Wednesday (noon) of the week BEFORE your visit to Milan. They really provide some additional tickets for every time slot.

But what do I mean "for free"? The first Sunday of every month you can visit "The Last Supper" for free. The only problem …

The renovation of Finlandia Hall, as mentioned by Hubert, is finished. At the moment, there is still a temporary pavilion on the bay side of the building, waiting for a new destination.

However, the reason for this little review is to give some attention to the new permanent exhibition about the Aalto family, that opened last June in Finlandia Hall. I visited it yesterday and I liked it, therefore I do recommend a visit if you can spare one to two hours. It combines the life and work of the Aalto family with Finnish history. And, of course, it's not just about the architecture, but also the interior design, furniture, glass ware, that they designed.

Online tickets are 18 euro, at the service point in Finlandia 20 euro. All the information is also in English. https://finlandiatalo.fi/en/finlandia-exhibition/

The most southerly of the five New Zealand Subantarctic Islands, the Campbell Island group is volcanic in origin and also has glacial landforms, such as moraines. In the 19th century, it was exploited for sealing and whaling, and a sheep farm was established. All these activities and associated humans have since gone, and rats were eradicated in 2001. Ecologically, Campbell stands out as the most important breeding area of the Southern Royal Albatross and the reintroduced flightless Campbell Island Teal.

Perseverance Harbour zodiac cruise

Clouds gathered around Campbell's hilltops when our ship arrived in the early morning. We were scheduled to take a zodiac cruise in Perseverance Harbour, but it looked like it would be a wet one. So far, we have been very lucky with the weather on this trip, with sun and calm circumstances at the main stops such as Enderby Island and Macquarie Island. At Campbell, we were going to experience what the weather is usually like on the islands: foggy, windy, wet.

We started the Zodiac cruise in light rain, but we still enjoyed it enough to look out for the Campbell Island specials. First, we dropped by a group of sea lions hanging out together. A bit further down the coast, we saw a large male trying to push a female into a rock so she could not escape him to mate.

Along the shore, we saw a few Campbell shags and some interesting megaherbs. This natural harbour is also home to an odd tourist …

Time of the visit: the 26 and 27th of nov.,2025

Fujian Tulou are large, fortified earthen buildings in mountains, built between the 15th and 20th centuries for communal living and defense. A whole clan could live in one structure.They gained UNESCO World Heritage status for being exceptional examples of a building tradition that showcases communal living, defensive organization, and a harmonious relationship with the environment.

My accomodation was in Tianluokeng.I traveled by public transport from Xiamen to the Tulou region.Surprisingly,everything went smoothly without any major problems.I took the train from Xiamen to Nanjing early in the morning.Several taxi sharks were waiting for the arriving passengers.One even followed me to the bus stop asking for 250 yuan at the end of our one-sided conversation. Several buses go from there to Nanjing's bus station like bus nr. 1 and 2 and some more.After two minutes waiting bus nr.1 took me to the bus station.There I had to wait around 15 min. for the bus (around every 30 min) to the Shayang bus hub and visitor center( all shuttle buses start from there).

Of course, everything is geared towards domestic tourists.

I couldn't manage to leave my baggage with the electronic baggage lockers( everything in Chinese).Therefore I could leave my baggage in the office for free.

First I bought a ticket for the Tourist Line A 100 yuan (includes Tianluokeng Tulou cluster, Yuchang Building, and Taxia Village).The ticket is valid for 2 days. Then I asked if there is a tulou near …

Macquarie (pronounced like “mac-QUARRY”, spoken with an Australian accent, and shortened as “Macca”) Island lies about halfway between mainland Australia and Antarctica. For the birds and sea mammals, it is the last place where they can land that is not permanently covered in ice and snow. Like the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands, I visited it as part of an expedition cruise. The Australians are very picky about who they let in; companies have to bid for a quota and show their educational tourism ethos. Recent winners have been Heritage Expeditions (which I used), Ponant and Aurora Expeditions.

As a World Heritage Site, Macquarie has a messy history: IUCN did not really see it ("international geological heritage only") and rejected it in 1992, and "if they insist, they should team up with the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands". In the end (1997), without much supporting documentation available, it was inscribed on both geological and natural beauty criteria:

• It’s a geological unicorn, as it is the only place in the world where a part of the oceanic crust pops out above the sea. It has risen at its spot where the Indo-Australian tectonic plate and the Pacific plate collide.
• It has wild, natural beauty, with vast congregations of wildlife, particularly penguins, during the breeding season.

Notably lacking is criterion X, the floral and faunal diversity, for which it was never proposed but should easily qualify. With the NZL Subs, it has the Centre of Plant Diversity and the megaherbs in common. …

The volcanic Auckland Islands lie close to each other, separated by narrow channels, and the coastline is rugged, with numerous deep inlets. Traces of Polynesian settlement, possibly dating to the 13th century, have been found here. There are current research efforts, including with drones using LIDAR, to uncover more evidence of this. The Europeans later used some of the islands as a base for whaling and sealing, and altered the ecosystem via the introduction of invasive species. A massive eradication project is ongoing.

We had a rough night and morning getting there from The Snares, as there was a wind of up to 70 km/h. I slid from one side of the bed to the other all night long, but fortunately did not get seasick. The Aucklands are a much larger island group than The Snares. We first went into Carnley Harbour – but the weather was rough here too. The expedition team killed the time with some presentations, including one by albatross researchers, which we then dropped off on lonely Adam’s Island. The ship then sailed back to the Northern part of the islands, where we first set foot on the Subs on the main Auckland Island. The soil is very peaty, so we were happy with the gumboots provided. This island is covered in trees, mostly one species (Southern Rata). It has seen some unsuccessful attempts at human habitation, notably at Hardwicke settlement. We visited the small cemetery, which is a grim reminder of …

It appears that Brussels' World Heritage Sites are increasingly getting de-Stoclet-ified! Having noticed that no-one appears to have reviewed the Major Town Houses since the Hotel van Eetvelde was opened to the public, it seems pertinent to share my experience.

I managed to fit three of Brussels' four World Heritage sites (and two of its tentative sites) into a six-hour layover. Had my inbound flight not been delayed, I would have made an effort to cram in the Sonian Forest(s) too, but there are no shortage of beech forests for me to make a pilgrimage to at some point in the future.

In 2023, set to coincide with the 130th anniversary of Art Nouveau in Brussels, the Brussels government funded LAB-AN to be a permanent centre for the promotion of the city's Art Nouveau heritage, located in the former rental annex directly next to the Hotel van Eetvelde.

They also engaged in legal battles with the private owners of Horta Houses and Stoclet House to make them open to the public. The Hotel van Eetvelde is now open three days a week and booking is available online. There is the option of a guided tour, but I asked the staff there and they said that many days it does not run from lack of interest. LAB-AN has several permanent exhibitions about the Hotel van Eetvelde that you walk through before gaining access to the building itself, so I felt it was well illuminated. I booked a couple hours before arriving …

The New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands (shortened to NZSAI by scientists, or The Subs by its admirers) are a seldom-visited collection of five island groups lying between New Zealand’s South Island and Antarctica. Their climate is mild and wet: you will find no permanent snow, and icebergs are only encountered floating by once every few years. What they do have is an exceptional diversity and abundance of birds, high levels of endemism due to their isolated locations, ‘megaherbs’ and rich flora in general, and also outstanding marine fauna species.

The only way to visit them is on an expedition cruise. Two larger companies offer one or two sailings yearly. I went with Heritage Expeditions on their “Galapagos of the Southern Ocean” cruise in November 2025. We visited 3 out of the 5 included island groups: The Snares, Auckland Islands, and Campbell Islands.

The Snares

Although closest to the New Zealand mainland, the Snares have the highest conservation status (unaltered by man or invasive species) and landings are forbidden. Key natural features include extensive forests (its landmass is actually a geological extension of the South Island’s Alps, and the flora resembles what the mainland looked like before human settlement) and significant seabird breeding populations.

We approached the islands around lunchtime on our first day of cruising. I had spent some hours in the morning with the birding crew, and managed to get pictures of the most common seabirds that hang around here such as the Pintado Petrel and the first albatrosses. The …

Time of the visit: the 20th and 21st of nov.,2025

All in all I spent almost 10 hours,(both late afternoons of my stay )in Fuzhou 's historical block+ 30 min.observing it from above in the nearby Dongbei Department Store(top floor,not easy to find,you have to go through a tea shop). I enjoyed every minute of my spent time there.

Sanfangqixiang (Three Lanes and Seven Alleys) in Fuzhou is a fantastic destination where you can immerse yourself in history. While some of the former residences and museums charge an entrance fee, most of the state-run historic houses don't; the area's unique atmosphere and the exteriors of its magnificent historic buildings can be enjoyed for free as you explore the ancient lanes and alleys. Just by strolling through SanFangQiXiang and entering quite a lot of the countless historic houses showcasing a wide range of topics of Fuzhou 's history like traditional food or its link with the maritime world for example, I got a good impression and overview of the historical and cultural block in Fuzhou City, which is often called a "living fossil of the ancient city street system" and an "architecture museum of the Ming and Qing dynasties".

The district is structured with "three lanes" (Yijin, Wenru, and Guanglu) to the west and "seven alleys" (such as Yangqiao and Langguan) to the east, all branching off from the central and very touristy Nanhou Street which is packed with souvenir shops and crowded till 21/22.00. The area is characterized …

Kaipingnan Station is just about an hour’s train ride from Guangzhounan, making it a convenient day trip. From the station, a 20‑minute taxi ride brings you to Zilicun, and along the way you’ll spot numerous diaolou and even modern buildings mimicking the look of the diaolou.

Zilicun itself felt like the more tourist‑oriented of the two villages I visited, though even then there were fewer than twenty visitors during my time there. The wide, flat fields and clusters of diaolou create a picturesque setting. Most of the towers were closed to entry, but the one I did explore offered a glimpse into how life once unfolded inside. While the interiors were nice, I found the exteriors far more interesting—the blend of Chinese and Western architectural influences, expressed through imposing towers is truly unique.

From Zilicun, another 15–20 minutes by taxi brought me to Majianlong. This village felt more lived in with residents still inhabiting the houses surrounding the diaolou. I even passed a dragonfruit farm and saw numerous plump chickens, adding a rustic charm to the experience. The number of diaolou here was fewer than in Zilicun, but their placement among dense bamboo thickets gave them a hidden, secretive atmosphere. The contrast between the two villages made visiting both worthwhile.

Finally, a 25‑minute taxi ride returned me to the train station, where I caught my train back to Guangzhou. Do eat before coming here as there was barely anything but a convenience store here.

I grew up in Al Ain for 15-or-so years, so I decided to compile a list of the UNESCO locations in Al Ain, categorised by type, with additional locations in and around them that may be of interest.

Locations in bold are part of the inscribed UNESCO WHS (on the official website) and those in italics are not accessible using Al Ain's bus system (so you'd have to drive or take a taxi). Some may require a 20-minute walk from the nearest bus stop, so be mindful of the heat!

I no longer live in the UAE so information could grow outdated over time.

SUMMARY (TL;DR):

• Al Ain Oasis for an oasis
• Al Ain Palace Museum for some royalty
• Beehive Tombs for tombs
• Hili Archaeological Park for more tombs
• Qasr Al Muwaiji for a fort with a museum
• Jahili Fort for a fort with cultural events (check visitabudhabi's Events page)
• Mubazzarah and Jebel Hafeet for a relaxed day out
• Qattara and Jimi Oases for more secluded forts, more oases and more events
• Check to see if Bidaa Bint Saud ever opens. I'd be curious to know

OASES:

• Al Ain Oasis - The main, central oasis. Free to enter (as is all oases), it not only provides examples of Aflaj (ancient irrigation system, like in Oman's WHS), but it acts as a shortcut between Al Ain Museum and Al Ain Palace Museum, all while the palm trees shade you from the scorching Sun, its thin prongs allowing some sun-rays to gleam …

Time of the visit: the 9th of nov.,and the 10th of nov.,2025

On the 9th of nov. I entered a section of the Nanjing wall through the entrance next to the Zhongshan gate.The entrance fee was 5 yuan.I turned left and walked on the wall for around 5 mins min. encountering a checkpoint and a closed iron door with a sign saying "military area" .I turned around and walked for around 3 km till I passed the Biaoying gate.I kept walking,but after around 10 min I came to a death end.I turned around and left the wall through the exit next to the Biaoying gate. There were almost no other people on the wall.

The following day I visited the Zhonghua gate,the largest and most complex castle-style gate in the world. A massive fortress with four layered walls and hidden chambers for troops, designed to trap invading armies.

The gate was illuminated, music could be heard, various light scenes were projected on various walls. I had to pay a hefty entrance fee.. 100 yuan. The advantage was that only a few people were in the gate itself, where there were well-inspired light spectacles with actors in the various chambers. Admittedly impressive, but all in Chinese, so I wasn't as fascinated as the locals.

I climbed the stairs to the actual wall, enjoying the great night-time view of the Baoen Temple Tower and the observation tower behind it, all colorfully illuminated. In fact, the entire wall was illuminated from the …

Chaco Culture was one of my first destinations on my quest to visit all the national park units in the US in my zero carbon emission vehicle. While a WHS visitor could just visit Aztec Ruins, my ZCT.Life quest requires me to visit both sites. Since I was driving through Navajo Nation from Gallup to Farmington where the chargers are, the park entrance from the south requires 33 miles of dirt roads before driving out northeast on 16 miles more dirt roads, plus 125 miles of paved road for the whole trip. I visited in 2022, and I didn’t realize that driving on heavily washboarded dirt roads would use up so much range and time. Even driving very slowly, I think I lost 2 miles of range for every mile I drove. The site is still sacred to the Navajo Nation and other native tribes, so I suppose the road conditions help keep the site remote.

Chaco Culture is not at all like the misnamed Aztec Ruins (that have nothing to do with the Aztecs). Chaco is huge; its ancient roads and irrigation are studied from space. The major sites are spread out over 10 miles, so you will see ruins on the top of bluffs miles away. The largest complex of buildings sits at the base of a cliff, which partially collapsed in 1941, so the place is inseparable from the dramatic natural landscape. Unlike Aztec Ruins which has an exceptionally beautifully restored kiva, Chaco’s kivas and other buildings …

Te Wahipounamu comprises a range of protected areas in South West New Zealand. Here, tectonic and glacial processes have shaped a mountain landscape dotted with fjords, glacial lakes, glaciers and moraines. All parks and reserves are free to enter and visitor access is well-managed by the Department of Conservation.

Find below my highlights while traversing the area from North to South. I exited via the Haast Pass, so I skipped Fiordland, trying to avoid the crowds and costs of Queenstown and the cruises, as I soon would be on a ship for 10 days on end. In general, I found the South West the most touristy and expensive region of NZL.

Okarito Lagoon

Before I left on my Big Trip, I saw a documentary on TV highlighting Okarito Lagoon and its White Herons. This is a wetland area in the far north of Te Wahipounamu. I was completely fascinated by it and put this lagoon at the top of my to-do list for the area. The waters are home to the New Zealand white heron. This is a very elegant bird that grows long plumes on its back during the breeding season. Obviously, the documentary was shot at exactly the right time and with all access necessary. As a casual visitor, you have to join a guided tour to enter their Waitangiroto breeding colony.

I went by myself to Okarito Lagoon, which was a big disappointment. First, there is a boardwalk trail that leads across a heavily reeded wetland to …

On my initial preparations for my New Zealand trip, I discarded the Kahurangi National Park TWHS early on as being “too difficult and too far away”. What made it on my itinerary was a short detour to the Te Waikoropupū Springs (a.k.a. Pupu Springs), located about an hour northwest of Abel Tasman National Park. The day before visiting, I suddenly found out, however, that these Springs are actually mentioned in Kahurangi’s TWHS description. And that they were meant to be a part of a future nomination is confirmed by this case study.

Above, I wrote “an hour northwest of Abel Tasman NP” – but there’s a nasty mountain pass in between the two. It twists and turns, and on both ways I had to stop for 20 minutes as they closed the road for repairs. Despite the effort to get to the Pupu Springs, they are a popular sight. There were at least 20 cars/campers present in the parking lot when I arrived. Statistics come up with some 50,000 visitors yearly.

These Springs are special because they are the largest cold-water springs in the Southern Hemisphere, and also due to their exceptionally high water quality. It is also a sacred place for the Maori. One visits via a boardwalk trail of one km, which passes several very clear springs and from where you can watch the water flowing by rapidly. The water comes from underneath the region’s karst formations, where rainwater is held for up to 10 years before …

Modena was a daytrip visit from our base in Bologna. A 30-minute train trip. The previous review by Michael in 2023 is spot on and there is little I can add. We had the good fortune of a clear day in a week of light rain when visiting the Cathedral located in the Piazza Grande. It is only a 5 - 10-minute walk from the Train Station. The main church was open for viewing; however the crypt and lower part of the church was closed to tourists at the time of our visit. The Cathedral and Bell tower were striking within the Square, and it appeared that the church was on a lean in comparison to the Bell Tower, but not sure if this is attributed to the level of the Piazza. Although the OUV is a small area contained within the Piazza itself, it is also a lovely town to wander an explore. In hindsight, we probably should have based ourselves here and day tripped to Bologna. Christmas markets were in the process of being set up around the Piazza on the day of our visit in mid-November 2025. There was no cost to enter the Cathedral or Crypt (when open)

An interesting footnote not specifically associated with the OUV, but located in Piazza Grande is the famous Ringadora Stone, a large block of marble that was used as a public forum (stage) in medieval times. It also was used to display bodies of unknown deceased persons, who were …

As I am counting down to my 1000th visited WHS, the goal is so near now that I cannot afford to lose a ‘tick’ in these last steps before the perfect plan falls apart. So you can imagine my worry when I heard about the devastating wildfire that started at Tongariro National Park less than a week before I wanted to visit it as my #997. Fortunately, the official park website helped point out the things you could and could not do, so I still had a worthwhile visit, although it lasted only one day, where two days would be advisable under normal circumstances.

What we know about the Fire so far:

• The fire started on November 8, 2025.
• It quickly spread across 3,000 of the park’s 79,596 hectares.
• 52 hikers and locals had to be evacuated from huts along the Tongariro Northern Circuit and Whakapapa village (source).
• The fire died out after heavy rains on November 12 and 13.
• The north-central part of the park remained closed until November 17 and two rāhui were put in place.

On November 16, I drove past the affected area, which is visible around the turnoff to the start of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. It is remarkable how close it is to the main road and to the tourist facilities, so it would not surprise me if a human act eventually turns out to be the cause.

The Southern Route

One of the things that I could do is drive the …

I arrived in Corfu by ferry from Sarandë in Albania, a short crossing across the glittering Ionian Sea. The ferry terminal stands some distance from the historic center, so I took an Uber to my hotel in the city. As we drove past the imposing New Fortress, its massive stone walls rising beside the lively old town crowded with cars and tourists, I immediately understood why Corfu is one of the most popular destinations in Greece, vibrant, historic, and full of summer energy.

Stepping into the Old Town, I was greeted by a burst of life. After dropping off my luggage at my hotel, conveniently located next to Spianada Square, I set out to explore. The area around the hotel felt surprisingly peaceful, shaded by trees and filled with the soft chorus of cicadas. But as soon as I walked toward the Liston, the atmosphere changed. The quiet charm gave way to crowds, lively conversation, and the sound of coffee cups clinking beneath the famous arcades. The Liston is one of the most elegant promenades in all of Greece. Built by the French in the early nineteenth century and modeled after the Rue de Rivoli in Paris, its graceful arches and lanterns lend Corfu a distinctly Parisian character. I enjoyed the lively scene and the excellent people watching, though the prices were unexpectedly high. Even a simple cup of coffee cost more than anywhere else I had visited. It was wonderful to see, but I quickly decided …

Rani-ki-vav (The Queen's Stepwell) is one of the best places in India to visit. It's not big but the small amounts you see are "massive" and will stay in your head for a long time. Most people would just do this as a daytrip from Ahmedabad as it's only 2h away but seeing that there are other enjoyable things in Gujarat I added it to my trip overall.

First off you MUST buy your ticket online which is rather annoying for us foreigners. I didn't have a local SIM card for the 3 days in India and my driver already went to lunch so he couldn't give me a hotspot. Luckily the security guard gave me a hotspot. I was then worried that foreign credit cards wouldn't be possible to purchase the ticket (which is often the case for Indian security on the websites) but that wasn't an issue. So I got the ticket and could enter. There was a whole rush of people trying to navigate this online purchase but I managed to finish off within 3 minutes.

After ending up inside it's only a short walk to the actual site. The park itself itself is nice but what's worthy to come here. I'll say it now that I did walk around the entire area, which includes a toilet, but mainly because my driver was still out for a while and the temple doesn't take long to see either. In fact most of the time spent here was taking …