Nan

Germany \ Member since April 2014

#34 646 162 38

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.

Standing on the shorelines of the Pacific Ocean at Rialto Beach.

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.

My most impressive sites (the usual):

  • Petra
  • Machu Picchu
  • Angkor

From the tentative sites I have seen I feel strongly for:

  • Okefenokee NP, USA - Riding canoe in the swamp with snakes and crocodiles.
  • Unjusa temple, South Korea (my title picture) - Korea's best temple.
  • Desert Castles in Uzbekistan.

Several aspiring sites in Sri Lanka also come to mind Bawa's modernism and the painted buddhist temples are something to behold.

Recent Visits
  • 24
    6
    Oct. 1, 2025
    China and Thailand: Archaeological Sites of the Ancient Shu State, Ayutthaya, Beijing Central Axis ...
  • 1
    0
    June 7, 2025
    Weekend in Warsaw: Warsaw
  • 6
    0
    June 1, 2025
    Brückentag in Baden-Württemberg: Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch, Great Spa Towns of Europe, Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt …
Completed Countries

About nan

Member since
April 2014
Country of Origin
Germany
Visits
Rank
#34
WHS
646
Tentative Sites
162
Website Participation
Reviews
326
Ratings

Ratings

World Heritage Sites
Tentative Sites
646 184
Locations
360
Zones
2
Reserved for members.

Reviews by nan

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Machu Picchu by Nan

Machu Picchu (Inscribed)

Machu Picchu by Nan

It was nighttime in Cusco, the day before I would travel to Aguas Calientes via Ollantaytambo, when it dawned on me: A childhood dream was about to come true. …

Cuzco by Nan

Cuzco (Inscribed)

Cuzco by Nan

Cusco is a unique blend of a colonial city with the traditions of the Inkas. The colonial buildings often are set on top of Inka foundations and the city has …

Nasca Lines by Nan

Nasca Lines (Inscribed)

Nasca Lines by Nan

The Nasca Lines never featured high on my bucketlist. Yes, as a kid I had seen some of the pseudo documentaries asking (just asking, right?) if the locals hadn’t built …

Pachacamac by Nan

Pachacamac (Removed from tentat…)

Pachacamac by Nan

As first stop on my visit to Peru, me and a friend set off to Pachacamac. I wanted to get the vibe of the country and see how public transport …

Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch by Nan

Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch (Inscribed)

Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch by Nan

Following Kintante's recommendation in the forum, I set out to go to Eggishorn. Leaving my apartment in Hamburg at 5 a.m. I stood on the top of the mountain at …

Bellinzone by Nan

Bellinzone (Inscribed)

Bellinzone by Nan

If you are looking for an early version of a toll booth, the castles of Bellinzona should give you a good idea. They were built at a strategic location, a …

Old City of Berne by Nan

Old City of Berne (Inscribed)

Old City of Berne by Nan

Given the tourist masses passing through Bern, especially from Asia, one would assume to find the crowning jewel of Switzerland. Given the scarcity of reviews on this site by community …

Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes by Nan

Neolithic Flint Mines at Spie… (Inscribed)

Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes by Nan

Thanks to Ryanair offering 30€ flights from Hamburg to Brussels I decided to finish Belgium by ticking off Spiennes. I contacted the museum and reserved a place for a Sunday …

Gwynedd Castles by Nan

Gwynedd Castles (Inscribed)

Gwynedd Castles by Nan

After a series of two industrial WHS, it was nice to see a more traditional WHS in the form of the Gwynedd Castles. These are 13th century castles built …

Western Stone Forts by Nan

Western Stone Forts (Removed from tentat…)

Western Stone Forts by Nan

As our last stop on the Irish West Coast, we boarded the ferry to Inishmore. The Aran Islands had gotten raving reviews in Lonely Planet and while I am generally …

Sceilg Mhichíl by Nan

Sceilg Mhichíl (Inscribed)

Sceilg Mhichíl by Nan

When we departed Portmagee we couldn't yet see the island, just the top. While we made our way the island kept rising from the sea and we felt as if …

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal  by Nan

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Can… (Inscribed)

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal by Nan

First things first, travelling in Wales made me feel like I was back in elementary school: “Could you repeat that?” was a common reply to me trying my utmost best …

Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin by Nan

Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Bas… (Inscribed)

Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin by Nan

Coming in from Arras by train I immediately ticked off this site when I stepped off the train in Lens; the Gare de Lens is part of the inscription. From …

Ironbridge Gorge by Nan

Ironbridge Gorge (Inscribed)

Ironbridge Gorge by Nan

When I stepped off the bus in Ironbridge and got my first glimpse of the bridge I was already smitten. It’s a picturesque site, embedded in a lovely river valley …

Belfries by Nan

Belfries (Inscribed)

Belfries by Nan

I fondly remember a comment made by Ian in his review of Telc: In a country that has plenty of pretty town squares this one has to take the …

Tarnowskie Góry Lead-Silver-Zinc Mine by Nan

Tarnowskie Góry Lead-Silver-Z… (Inscribed)

Tarnowskie Góry Lead-Silver-Zinc Mine by Nan

After a stop over in Wroclaw at a friend's I was stuck with the question, what to visit on my trip towards Cracow. Seeing Tarnowskie was on the way and …

Białowieża Forest by Nan

Białowieża Forest (Inscribed)

Białowieża Forest by Nan

For most Poles I know the bisons of Bialowieza are a symbol of their country. The core zone of the park is a fully protected nature reserve housing the last …

The Augustow Canal (Kanal Augustowski) by nan

The Augustow Canal (Kanal Aug… (On tentative list)

The Augustow Canal (Kanal Augustowski)

In 1821 when Prussia started putting high tariffs on Polish goods shipped via Prussian harbours Poland started to look for alternatives. They built a canal to connect to Lithuania and …

Malbork Castle by Nan

Malbork Castle (Inscribed)

Malbork Castle by Nan

I am always happy to visit a site that featured prominently in one of my high school history books. Malbork Castle (or the Marienburg in German) is one of them. …

Gdansk - Town of Memory and Freedom by nan

Gdansk - Town of Memory and F… (On tentative list)

Gdansk - Town of Memory and Freedom

Gdansk (or Danzig as it’s named in German) is your typical Baltic Sea hanseatic trading town in the mould of Wismar, Lübeck or Riga. The unfortunate distinction Gdansk has is …

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