Galapagos Islands

Galapagos Islands UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ecuador

From the Galapagos Islands World Heritage inscription: Situated in the Pacific some 1,000 km from the South American continent, these islands and the surrounding marine reserve have been called a unique ‘living museum and showcase of evolution’. Located at the confluence of three ocean currents, the Galápagos are a ‘melting pot’ of marine species. Ongoing …

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San Cristobal de La Laguna

San Cristobal de La Laguna UNESCO World Heritage Site, Spain

From the World Heritage inscription for San Cristóbal de La Laguna: The historic ensemble of San Cristóbal de La Laguna has outstanding universal value is an urban design that represents the concept of the ‘town-territory’ as the first example of an unfortified town laid out and built according to a complete plan based on navigation, …

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Visiting Teide National Park

Teide National Park - UNESCO World Heritage Site, Spain

Mount Teide is the highest point in all of Spain, and it sits at the center of Teide National Park on Tenerife in Spain’s fascinating Canary Islands. The park itself is a giant caldera with geologically recent lava flows from the Teide volcano, and a desert-like environment stretching far into the distance, wherever you look. …

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Visiting the Wachau Cultural Landscape, Austria

Visiting the Wachau Cultural Landscape, Austria

The Wachau Wachau Cultural Landscape is an Austrian World Heritage Site location along the Danube River approximately between the towns of Krems and Melk. It is one of the most popular world heritage sites in the country attracting thousands of riverboat passengers each year, as well as visitors from the nearby capitals of Vienna, Bratislava, …

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The Old Town of Cáceres

The Old Town of Cáceres UNESCO World Heritage Site

From the Old Town of Cáceres World Heritage inscription: The Old Town of Cáceres is an urban ensemble of 9 hectares surrounded by a wall of 1,174m, located in the Autonomous Community of Extremadura in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Cáceres has been a trade route city and a political center of the local …

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Visiting the Roman Ruins of Tarragona, Spain

Archaeological Ensemble of Tárraco - UNESCO World Heritage Site, Spain

Tarragona, formerly the Roman city of Tárraco, is the former capital of the Roman province of Hispania Citerior. It was also the first Roman city in the entire Iberian Peninsula. It was visited by such notable named of antiquity as Julius Caesar, Augustus, Pompey the Great, and Hannibal. Unlike other notable Roman ruins, the city …

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La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site

La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site UNESCO Site

From the World Heritage inscription for the La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site: The main elements of the massive fortification of San Juan are La Fortaleza, the three forts of San Felipe del Morro, San Cristóbal and San Juan de la Cruz (El Cañuelo), and a large portion of the City Wall, built …

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Blue and John Crow Mountains: Jamaica’s First UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Blue Mountains: Jamaica's first World Heritage Site

Most people associate Jamaica with reggae music, white sandy beaches, or the fact that it is the home of the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt. Few people, however, know that in 2015 the Blue and John Crow Mountain National Park in the southeastern region of Jamaica became the first site in the Caribbean …

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How to Visit the Monasteries of Meteora, Greece

Monasteries of Meteora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Greece

What to say about Meteora, Greece … This is one of the most photogenic places I’ve ever visited—and I’ve visited a lot of places. The monasteries of Meteora—and those imposing rock formations peeking through the mist—are incredible. When you visit Meteora, you have the chance to see something unlike anything else in the world and …

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