My travel bug has gotten SO strong recently. In talking with a friend from home last week I am not sure the last time I stayed put for this long but it has certainly been a while. I do not want to make definitive plans to travel again soon as I don’t want them getting cancelled so for at least the next few weeks my travel content on the blog with continue to be retrospective.
Since I started writing Sparkles & Shoes in August 2012 I have been to and blogged about UNESCO sites in more than 30 countries, that’s crazy! (Though in case you are new here, my country count is currently at 70) And for many countries I hvae been to a number of sites their but to keep this post from getting unbearably long, I picked just one. The best part? I did not upload a single photo this post – they are all covered in my travel diaries! In alphabetical order:
1 | Austria – Schönbrunn Palace
2 | Belgium – La Grand-Place In Brussels
3 | Canada – Niagara Falls
4 | Czech Republic – Old Town (Prague)
5 | Ecuador – Galapagos Islands
6 | Egypt – Pyramids of Giza
7 | Finland – Helsinki’s Suomenlinna Sea Fortress
8 | France – Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris
9 | Germany – Neuschwanstein Castle
10 | Hungary – The City of Budapest
11 | Iceland – Vatnajökull National Park
12 | Indonesia – The Cultural Landscape of Bali
13 | Italy – The City of Venice
(Italy has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites of any country as it is the birthplace of the Roman Empire)
14 | Ireland – Giant’s Causeway
15 | Kenya – Mount Kenya National Park
16 | Morocco – Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou
17 | Netherlands – Old Town Amsterdam
18 | Norway – Bergen
19 | Portugal – Sintra’s Pena Palace
20 | Russia – Red Square
21 | Scotland – Edinburgh Castle
22 | Singapore – The Singapore Botanic Gardens
23 | Spain – Basilica of the Sagrada Familia
24 | Sweden – Drottningholm Palace
25 | Tanzania – The Ngorongoro Crater
26 | United Kingdom – Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
27 | United States – Statue of Liberty
28 | Vatican – The Holy See
29 | Zambia – Victoria Falls
And then in addition to the list above, I have a handful of honorable mentions of countries with UNESCO sites not included above as they were before the official start of the blog including:
- Croatia – Old City of Dubrovnik
- France – The Palace and Park of Versailles
- Greece – Acropolis of Athens
- Guatamal – Mayan Ruins
- Mexico – Chichén Itzá
Barbados – Historic Bridgetown and the Garrison
Belieze – Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System
Having looked at some pretty extensive lists I am going to be crossing off a few more by end of year including
- Cambodia – Ha Long Bay
- England – Stonehenge
- Vietnam – Angkor Wat
And believe it or not I have not been to some of the most famous UNESCO World Heritage Sites including Machu Picchu in Peru, Taj Mahal in India, Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Cappadocia, the Great Wall of China, Old Havana in Cuba, Petra in Jordan, or even the Grand Canyon! I have some traveling to do!
What is your favorite UNESCO World Heritage Sites?
Bergen via the Norwegian Glaciers
Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou
The Seattle Space Needle and Chihuly Glass Museum
The Best Things to Do in Aswan, Egypt
Elizabeth says
Too hard to choose just one for me… my top four are the safari, Galapagos, Bali and Egypt. They are all so different but I think they would all be really cool.
What order do you rate them in? All different pricing too, I would think Bali would be the most reasonable and then I would have to see how the budget is for the others.
You sure do get to travel a lot. What is on your next up list when we can travel again?
Franicine says
Living in Canada you would have thought that I would have made it to Niagara Falls but I haven’t. Never seen a photo from quite that vantage point and now that I can’t get on a plane for a while I will have to make this trip as soon as things settle down.
So many other great choices you gave me, not sure what would be next or what I would put second, too many choices.
Casey says
So jealous that you have gotten to travel to so many places.
With all the down time and similar travel lusting I am going to sit down with my boyfriend tonight and come up with some travel plans and this list certainly helps.
The zebra shot literally took my breath away, we might save that one for a honeymoon spot, hint hint boyfriend.
Alison says
That photo in The City of Budapest is by far my favorite. The did a spectacular job lighting that magnificent, not sure what it is but building at night.
I have a had a lot of friends go there in the last few years and I remember reading your blog posts about the country but wow, it is really pretty.