Les Plages du Débarquement, Normandie, 1944 (T)

Andrew_Kerr UK - 29-Mar-25

Les Plages du Débarquement, Normandie, 1944, are better known in English as the D Day Landing Beaches in Normandy.The five beaches that make up the D Day landings are (from west to east) Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword and they stretch along the Normandy coast from Isigny-sur-Mer in the west to Ouistreham in the east, spanning a total distance of 75 kilometers.It is possible to visit the most prominent sights in a single day with the use of a car. And along the way there plenty of significant things to visit. Every small seaside town and village seems to have a monument to the landings often in the form of a preserved tank or a pillbox

Desembarco del Granma National Park

3.00 Triath - 31-Mar-25

Visited in January 2023.

The national park is listed as a heritage site because of karst terraces and a lot of endemic wildlife, but it’s difficult to see it. Only one trail is available to tourists in the park (El Guafe archeological trail) on the tour from Bayamo, with some nature attractions included, a giant 400-year-old cactus is interesting, but birds fly here in the spring, during the rainy season. Local Indians used the caves for ritual purposes, including for offerings to the “water idol”.For lunch, the guide took us to Cabo Cruz fishing village, where we could eat freshly caught lobsters and fish, and at ridiculous prices

Petrified Forest National Park (T)

Lithobates Canada - 26-Mar-25

Visit date(s):         February 5, 2025

Nearby sites on trip: Grand Canyon 

Overnight locations: Flagstaff and Winslow. For people interested in the architecture of Mary Colter, there is a beautifully restored railway hotel in Winslow. It was a highlight of our week in Arizona. 

Location(s):

• Visitor Centers
• Giant Logs and Puerco Pueblo trails.                                                         (photo of petroglyphs at Puerco Pueblo)
• Almost all overlooks
• Blue Mesa drive
• Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark

Travel method(s):  car

Kitanglad and Kalatungan Mountain Ranges (T)

Boj Egypt - 04-Apr-25

I summitted Mt. Kitanglad in August 2024, after hiking more than 8 hours of steep, muddy, rocky, slippery terrain. It is the fourth highest mountain in the country, and graded 6/9 in terms of trail difficulty.  

It is nominated as a mixed site, to recognize the cultural heritage values of the indigenous cultural communities (ICC) living the mountain range. Few wooden altars can be noticed along the trail - a place of prayer for ancestors and mountain spirits; most are hidden from hikers and only the ICCs know where they are. 

Samar Island Natural Park (T)

Boj Egypt - 04-Apr-25

There are four areas comprising this property: (1) Sohoton Natural Bridge National Park, (2) Calbiga Caves Protected Landscape, (3) Jicontol Natural Park; and (4) Taft Forest Philippine Eagle Wildlife Sanctuary. In March 2025, I visited Sohoton Natural Bridge Park, arguably the easiest to visit among the four, given its proximity (only an hour or so) from Tacloban City, a major urban area of the Eastern Visayas region. 

Several studies already prove Samar Island Natural Park's biodiversity and geoheritage values. Instead I will commend the positive impact of engaging local communities (especially those living within the park), i.e., members of the cooperative serve as tour guides, entertainers, food caterers, kayak and boat drivers, etc

Umm Al-Jimāl

3.00 Els Slots The Netherlands - 10-Apr-25

Despite its relative obscurity, Umm Al-Jimāl has been praised as “an archaeologist’s dream”. It’s not hard to take pictures here that would make it look like a Roman-Byzantine site, and the even earlier Nabataeans passed here too, but 90% of the site consists of vernacular architecture based on locally available and finely cut basalt stones. The site museum glorifies the “indigenous people [probably Arab nomads who settled down].. who continued their traditions and were no puppets of the various rulers”; the OUV is also solely based on the rural lifestyle of these Hauranian people

Diyarbakir Fortress and Hevsel Gardens

2.50 Zoe United States - 30-Mar-25

This site covers a lot of ground and is hard to get a feel for on your own — just the walls of the city themselves are the 2nd widest and longest complete defensive walls (after only the Great Wall of China)! However, I found that visiting the Diyarbakir Archeology Museum first gave great contextualization for the rest of the city. Price is 3 euros for foreigners in Spring 2025.

Across from the museum, you can walk along a portion of the wall by climbing some steep stairs to reach the top. You can also get a view of the Hevsel gardens in the distance

Construction de la Co-principauté d’Andorre (A) (T)

Tony H. Finland - 31-Mar-25

I visited Andorra as a day trip from Barcelona in March 2025. The 7 hours I had in the country were enough to visit 2 of the locations of this TWHS, which compensated the fact that I couldn't visit the Madriu-Perafita-Claror valley WHS.

I first walked from Andorra La Vella to Santa Coloma, it's just a 30-minute walk, mostly along the river. On your way to Santa Coloma you get great views of the Roc d'Enclar, that is also part of this TWHS. The church of Sant Vicenç d'Enclar looks very picturesque on top of the rocky hill and the mountains rising behind it. I have no clue how you can get on top of the Roc d'Enclar where the church is, it must require some serious hiking!

Caves and Ice Age Art

4.50 Puessergio - 30-Mar-25

I visited both Geißenklösterle and Sirgenstein Cave. I went during off season, so the larger and more impressive cave in that section was closed to the public.

But for the other two: 

Really lovely place. At first glance the caves are underwhelming, they basically look like any other small cave that you have seen. However there's something fascinating about being in a place where people were making art 40k years ago. It blew my mind as soon as I entered the caves. 

The walk/run/bike between the caves is also very very beautiful and worth taking your time to connect with it. And the Blaubeuren museum is a must. 

Alejandro de Humboldt National Park

3.50 Triath - 31-Mar-25

Visited in January 2023.The park is the main center of endemic species (and all kinds, both flora and fauna) in Cuba, and in general the largest ecosystem of rainforests in the Caribbean region.It is located on the eastern edge of the island, near the city of Baracoa, with the foundation of which European colonization began here. Getting there is not so difficult, first you need to get from Santiago de Cuba to Baracoa. Initially, I planned to book a tour to the park from there, but the owners of Airbnb flat convinced me that there was no point in this, it was easier to take a taxi to the park and back. The road is very bumpy, you have to shake quite a bit

Palau de la Musica Catalana & Hospital de Sant Pau

5.00 Ming_9734 Taiwan - 30-Mar-25

The Palau de la Música Catalana, built between 1905 and 1908, is a masterpiece of Catalan Modernism and Art Nouveau. It is the crowning achievement of the renowned architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. Due to its contributions to architecture, music, and culture, it was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, along with the architect's other notable work, the Hospital de Sant Pau. It is also the only concert hall in the world to be listed as a World Heritage site.

The Palau de la Música Catalana was funded by the Orfeó Català, a Catalan choir, and designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, one of the three great architects of Barcelona. The design fully embodies the Modernist style of Barcelona, incorporating an abundance of colorful stained glass mosaics, ceramic tiles, wrought-iron art, and intricate sculptures. The building cleverly utilizes natural light and natural imagery. Compared to the more famous works of Antoni Gaudí, Domènech’s style focuses more on the use of mosaics rather than curving, irregular lines

Fortified Manasija Monastery (T)

Andrew_Kerr UK - 27-Mar-25

On a damp October day I visited the Manasija Monastery on the way back from a day out at Resava cave and Lisine waterfall which made for a very pleasant day of sightseeing.The monastery was okay, as a building it was functional, nothing particularly impressive about it, a typical Byzantine style, orthodox church and monastic buildings and the fortifications were quite interesting but I did detect a certain amount of negativity towards me, as a tourist, from the priests inside the monastery and an Irish nun who ran the gift shop. I mean, if you don't want tourists don't have a gift and souvenir shop.I love Serbia, it's one of my most visited countries but I have come across this negativity from the orthodox world several times there which is a shame

El Escurial

5.00 2Flow2 United States - 23-Mar-25

My visit to El Escorial was in November 2024 as a part of my nine months living in Madrid, Spain, and I have to say, El Escorial continues to stand out as one of my favorite sites in the country. The monastery is just massive and stunning beyond words... every time you think you've seen the final room, there is another one full of incredibly intricate, lavish detail sitting beyond the next doorway, and it continues on and on like this for hours. Frankly, a lot of the royal palaces in Spain are quite large and have a lot of distinct, highly decorated rooms, but El Escorial has them all beat. El Escorial was built both as a religious complex and a royal setting blended together

Ellis Island (T)

Carlo Sarion Philippines/New Zealand - 23-Mar-25

I visited Ellis Island along with the Statue of Liberty on a fine day in Dec 2024. I felt that it was timely to write a review of Ellis Island, given the current administration's stance on immigration, and I also think this site deserves a place on the World Heritage list.

Voluntary immigration

To my knowledge, UNESCO has not done a specific thematic study exclusively dedicated to potential World Heritage Sites associated with voluntary and large-scale immigration. In this context, voluntary immigration involved immigrants who sought better economic opportunities, escaped persecution, or wanted to reunite with family. 

Fortress of Suomenlinna

3.50 Andrew_Kerr UK - 06-Apr-25

A short ferry ride across the bay from Helsinki, Suomenlinna makes for a pleasant excursion from the Finnish capital.Apart from the many fortifications there is quite a lot to see on the island, or, more correctly, islands as Suomenlinna is spread across 3 or 4 closely connected islands, joined by bridges.Inside the fortifications there's a tranquil world of duck ponds, quaint houses, little inlets with boats and yachts moored and lighthouses. It's all very rural and a far cry from the city a few minutes away.The views back across the bay to the city are worth the trip too.I did find that the best views of the islands are from the Helsinki - Tallinn ferry that sails very close to the iconic, Kings Gate, the main entrance to the old military fort

Shiretoko

4.00 Lithobates Canada - 26-Oct-24

Visit date(s): September 25 & 26, 2024

Nearby sites on trip: Jomon prehistoric sites, although they are not very close. We saw our first one 3 days later.

Overnight location: Utoro

Location(s):           Shiretoko National Park: Goko lakes hike, Furepe waterfall hike, Cape Shiretoko sightseeing boat, Shiretoko pass drive, Rausu Kanketsusen Geyser (photo)

Travel method(s):   Car, foot, boat

Travel duration:  Less than 10 minute drive to the park.  Less than 2 hour drive to the furthest point on the other side of the peninsula.  We reentered the park at the field house on the north side.

Cittadella (Victoria - Gozo) (T)

Caspar Dechmann Switzerland - 21-Mar-25

Victoria has a few things going for it: Firstly the view from the elevated citadel all over Gozo and beyond is spectacular. The is, when you enter the town walls,  a nice compact square with stairs ascending to the Cathedral, with a cupola and impressive baroque tomb stones inside. Downtown, there is another basilica dedicated to St. George with a baldacchino which is an obvious smaller copy of the famous one in St. Peters in the Vatican by Bernini and a lovely, Byzantine chapel with mosaics. Like its sister-town of Mdina on Malta the high walls of the citadel are impressive site from far away and every direction. 

Old Town of Lijiang

3.00 Shwabb1 - 20-Mar-25

The previous reviews seem to focus on the components of Dayan Old Town and the Heilongtan Pool, both of which are located in the centre of Lijiang. I visited neither but had the opportunity to see Shuhe Old Town, a more distant part of the site. As a whole, it appeared to me as one of the many tourist-oriented Chinese old towns that are commercialized to such a degree that the authenticity becomes questionable. However, some things stood out to me about Shuhe specifically. Obviously, as the town represents the Naxi minority, its architecture is a bit different (I especially enjoyed the roofs)

Tilaurakot (T)

Jarek Pokrzywnicki Polska - 20-Mar-25

Site visited in November, 2024.

Nepali proposal for inscription in 2026. Once a capital of ancient Shakya capital city where Siddhartha Gautam spent his princely life before he became Lord Buddha. According to data presented on information board at the entrance Tilaurakot is the best preserved Early Historic city and hinterland in South Asia. Occupied between 900 BC and 1000 AC. Archaeologists revealed remains of early village transformed in the 6 century BC (Kushan Period) into a fortified grid-planned city with many later structures (temples, houses, palaces) constructed in brick

Oporto

3.50 2Flow2 United States - 18-Mar-25

Oporto! March 2025 visit. I think my expectations for this city were a bit too high. It's certainly nice and you won't regret visiting here, but in my opinion the experience wasn't mind-blowing. You can easily see all of the most important sites within one and a half days in the city and feel content. In general, everything is colorful and covered in tilework ("azulejos"). It's a city that pictures well, especially in the sun. Everything worth seeing is all in the city's center and can be walked to – no need for public or private transportation.

Cueva de las Manos

4.00 J_neveryes Canada - 20-Mar-25

My review will cover how we visited Cueva de las Manos from the south and also provide an update on the ticket price situation.  We visited the prehistoric site in March 2025.

El Chalten to Gobernador Gregores: Light rain causes detour

Our visit to southern Patagonia started in El Calafate, where we rented a compact car (automatic drive) for five days at the cost of 416,688 Argentinian pesos, which was $549.86 Canadian (or approximately $383 USD).  We decided to rent a car because bus tickets around Patagonia were very expensive.  For example, a return bus ticket between El Calafate and the town of (not the glacier) Perito Moreno would have cost as much as a whopping $728 Canadian (or approximately $508 USD) for the two of us.

Meteora

4.50 CugelVance Germany - 15-Mar-25

Visit: march the 14 and 15th,2025

Meteora is a first-class whs which plays in the top of the league.I visited all 7 monasteries ( 6 inside and one only from outside )

But first things first: on the 14th of march I took an ktel bus from Thessaloniki early in the morning to Kalampaka via Trikala where I arrived around 13.15. 

I went straight to the tourist information office to get a map of the area. However, I accidentally walked into a travel agency, Meteora Travel. Well, I got a map from them and an offer for a so-called sunset tour at 3 p.m. and a hiking tour at 8 a.m. for the following day. Each tour for 35€, combined 60€.

Bunce Island (T)

Mihai Dascalu Romania - 17-Mar-25

I am now on a Lupine tour in March 2025. Even though it was not on the schedule, five of us payed extra to get here and we're taken there by Bassie from Lupine West Africa +232 76 947442. From Freetown it is more than an hour on a speedboat (what the locals call a speedboat, just a bigger dingy with a Honda engine). You go up on Sierra Leone River, passing by the ferry loading, passing by a railroad that ends up half way above the river and it is used by Chinese to load the iron ore. Then passing by Tasso Island, much bigger and full of locals. 

San Juan de Ulua (T)

Little Lauren Travels USA - 16-Mar-25

In search of UNESCO sites, I have certainly visited more Spanish and Portuguese forts than any sane person would.  And there’s not much unique about this one.  However, it is similar to many enlisted properties and it was very historically important.   To be exact, this is the oldest Spanish fort in North America (started in 1535) and was one of the most important during the colonial era, since Veracruz was the main seaport connecting Central America and Spain during the colonial era.  Therefore I give this a thumbs up as a nomination. Given the revamped listing in 2022, I could see Mexico moving forward with a nomination

Bursa and Cumalikizik

3.00 Zoe United States - 16-Mar-25

Bursa is easily accessible by ferry and/or bus from Istanbul, making it worth a day trip or two to see. I used the Moovit app to navigate the public transportation system, for which you can use a contactless credit card to pay for. The sights in the city center are easy to walk from one to another, but if you want to go to the village of Cumalikizik you will need to use transportation. There are minibuses and city buses you can use -- note that minibuses can't be found online (ask around to find them) and you will need to pay in cash. I used the city buses, though, and it worked out just fine.

First Coffee Plantations

2.50 Triath - 01-Apr-25

Visited in January 2023.

Coffee is certainly not a native crop for Cuba, and even the Spaniards who arrived preferred cocoa for a long time, but from the mid-18th century they tried to grow coffee, though not very successfully on the western plains. Everything changed at the end of the same century. On the neighboring island of Hispaniola (Haiti), where coffee production was quite successful, a slave revolution occurred, and those French planters who were not slaughtered by the former slaves escaped, including through the Windward Passage to neighboring Cuba. There, with the Spaniards, everything was still the same. The slaves did not rebel, and it was possible to continue to exploit their sweat and blood

Risco Caido

2.00 Triath - 01-Apr-25

Visited in January 2024.

This object is dedicated to Guanche, original inhabitants of the islands, it is believed that they were Berbers who sailed from the lands of modern Morocco (although it is unclear how they sailed to the Canary Islands).The life of these aborigines was quite simple: they grazed sheep in the mountains, grew corn, used clay vessels, but did not own metals. They lived in caves, and this lifestyle was preserved even with the change of population until the 20th century.In the mountains of Gran Canaria, painted caves were also found, which were used for ritual purposes, since the carved triangles on the walls are recognized as symbolic vulvas, and the rituals are considered to be associated with the cult of fertility

Cienfuegos

3.00 Triath - 01-Apr-25

Visited in January 2023.

Cienfuegos, although founded late (1819), quickly became the center of the Cuban sugar industry, an important port through which the sweet gifts of the local nature were exported across the seas and oceans, enriching the local oligarchy. The city does not overlook the Caribbean Sea itself, but stands by the bay (just like Santiago or originally Havana), the narrow entrance to which was conveniently protected from pirates with the help of fortification systems. There is a small fortress here too. UNESCO, however, liked not the fortifications this time, but the urbanism. Cienfuegos is considered the first and one of the best examples of the embodiment of the urban planning ideas of the Spanish Enlightenment in Latin America

Workers’ Assembly Halls (Argentina) (T)

J_neveryes Canada - 17-Mar-25

On a Wednesday morning (March 2025), I observed that the CGT building was open.  I asked a man at the reception desk if my partner and I can take a look at the lobby.  After taking a few photos and as we were about to leave, the man at the reception asked it we would like to see the "salas" and directed another staff person - who spoke no English - to take us around.

The voluntold guide then took us up a flight of stairs to Salon Felipe Vallesse, which is a medium sized auditorium

Møns Klint (T)

Philipp Peterer Switzerland - 18-Mar-25

Møns Klint claims its OUV from the glacial landscape formation and being part of one of the world's largest glaciotectonic complexes. But much more significant what is described as “scenic value”, which means the cliff is simply nice to look at.

As the aesthetics are a big part of this, I selected a day for the visit I knew the sun would shine

Møns Klint (T)

Szabolcs Mosonyi Hungary - 14-Mar-25

I visited Møns Klint on a beautiful summer day in 2016, followed by Stevns Klint (WHS) later that same day. While both are impressive, I remember talking to my fiancée about how Møns Klint should be a WHS (it wasn't even a TWHS at the time). It brings me again to a question I often wonder: some sites really have it all, but what makes a great WHS otherwise? Is it more about being spectacular even to a visitor who lacks background knowledge about the site's significance? Or does real value lie in historic/scientific/religious importance? 

Tequila

3.00 ZCTLife USA - 30-Mar-25

The town of Tequila is only about an hour from Guadalajara, and there are many different distilleries to visit.  There are many tours, easily arranged but some seemed pricey to me.  I don’t drink as much as when I was younger, and I don’t like taking tour buses.  So I just did a solo day trip to one distillery, Tres Mujeres.  Even though I had toured a much fancier tequila distillery—with a Mariachi band—years before, I appreciated the simple working nature of this one.  There weren’t any tour buses, so I had the place almost to myself.  The guides spoke excellent English and answered all my questions.  

Birkenhead Park (T)

Caspar Dechmann Switzerland - 13-Mar-25

If you are in the Liverpool area, an excursion to Birkenhead is a must: It grew rapidly in the 19th century as an extension of Liverpool in the industrial revolution and was connected to Liverpool in 1886 by the Mersey railway tunnel, the most ambitious tunnel project of the age and you can still admire its splendid ventilation towers on both sides of the river. This could be a good nomination by itself. 

The wealth of the town is especially obvious around Hamilton square with one of the highest concentration of protected buildings in the UK. The classical town hall could stand in much larger cities. The check board street pattern is reminiscent of Edinburghs New Town. A visit to Birkenhead Park is pleasurable and even impressive but in a country with the greatest gardens in the world (besides Japan perhaps) it has too much competition to stick out. But it is well known that Frederick Law Olmsted, the architect of New York's  famous Central Park was greatly impressed and inspired by Joseph Paxtons Design. How about a double nomination of the world's first publicly funded park and England as an inspiration for Americas most famous Park

City of York (T)

Caspar Dechmann Switzerland - 14-Mar-25

Most countries can only envy England with their tradition and ability to preserve its rich heritage. There are certainly dozens of well-preserved medieval towns her and only Belgium, the Netherlands and parts of France may come close to it. Therefore, it is sad, that nowadays medieval heritage is lowly regarded as WH material and the UK thinks it has better cards nominating obscure wetlands or moors or a modest park than a great cathedral, a perfect town or a splendid palace that would be easily inscribed if it stood in other parts of the world. 

Bethlehem

4.00 S. Anril Tiatco Philippines - 11-Mar-25

Two years ago, my family and I embarked on what was publicized as a “life-changing journey” to the Holy Land. Our travel agency identified three countries belonging to the Holy Land cluster: Jordan, Israel, and Egypt. However, we actually visited four. The agency missed Palestine, which is literally and figuratively at a crossroad. Palestine encompasses the West Bank, which Israel currently occupies. This includes the Eastern section of Jerusalem and the very infamous Gaza Strip. Palestine shares most of its borders with Israel. Nonetheless, it also borders Jordan to the east and Egypt to the southwest. En route to Israel from Jordan, it is impossible not to notice the Palestinian territory

Ancient Greek Theatres (T)

Andrew_Kerr UK - 27-Mar-25

I don't envy the people who have to say which of the ancient Greek theatres deserve UNESCO listing because there are a lot and even some of the small ones I've been to are nonetheless impressive. For example, the huge theatre of Epidavros is famous and well known to most Greekophiles but there is also an absolutely charming and much smaller amphitheatre nearby called the Theatre of Palaia Epidavros. 
But I will stick to the script and mention a visit to the aforementioned huge theatre at Epidavros.
And it is indeed, hugely impressive and is still used for concerts even today.
There's also a very nice museum on site with some artifacts that wouldn't be out of place in the national museum in Athens.

Xanthos-Letoon

3.00 J_neveryes Canada - 15-Mar-25

Less visited sites of a lesser known ancient civilization, Letoon and Xanthos are more intriguing than they appear at a first glance.  For those visiting the Turquoise Coast of Turkiye, Letoon and Xanthos combine to make a worthwhile day trip.

Letoon

I based myself in Fethiye, which is a small city with good amenities.  From its bus station, I easily found a minibus to Kumluova village and let the driver know that I wished to visit Letoon.  From where he dropped me off, it was an easy 900 metres walk to the ancient sanctuary.  Letoon appeared to me to be well-cared for and had a modern administrative and ticket office on-site.  I was the sole visitor for most of my visit. 

Medina Azahara

2.50 2Flow2 United States - 09-Mar-25

I was pretty underwhelmed with this site during my March 2025 visit (apparently just days after Alikander99 was there!) but I believe this is because I did not hire a guide.

There is a bus that runs twice a day up to this site from Córdoba (a WHS site in its own right) and it drops you off at a museum where you begin by watching a amateurly-animated (probably by a university group at some point), but very informative video in a small theatre. After the movie ends, you are released into the proper museum that they have with plaques, and artifacts, and the like. This part is great, I recommend the museum!

Cordoba

4.00 2Flow2 United States - 08-Mar-25

I did this as a joint-trip to Córdoba and Sevilla in March 2025 with my wife and a friend of ours, and while I wanted to like Córdoba more, I think Sevilla ultimately beat it out. (Perhaps to the chagrin of someone like Clyde here on the site.) However, Córdoba is still worth seeing!

Everyone raves about the Mezquita-Catedral ("Mosque-Cathedral") and they are right to – I recommend planning in a decent amount of time for yourself to spend here, at least two or three [...]

Ulcinj Old town (T)

Szabolcs Mosonyi Hungary - 14-Mar-25

Though I've read plenty of reviews here, this is my first one and I'm still a bit uncertain how to approach reviewing sites. It would be easy to just rate based on how I enjoyed a place and I certainly liked Ulcinj. It has a really nice location right by the Adriatic: there's a small sandy beach in the very centre, overlooked by a mosque, which gives it an exotic flair. Added to all this is the TWHS Old Town on a small rocky outcrop, once again spectacularly located. 

However, when visiting a WHS, I expect something spectacular and/or unique. I always check if there's a WHS or TWHS when planning a trip but I'll gladly skip, say, an industrial or prehistoric site and opt for an unlisted pretty town or scenic natural spot instead

Bordeaux

3.00 Dennis Nicklaus - 13-Mar-25

While the Basilica of St. Michael might be the most notable monument of Bordeaux, the most memorable part of our stay was an excellent bicycle tour that we took.  On our own, we probably wouldn't have dared attempting bike riding in the center of such a big city, but the guide knew the perfect route on lesser-used streets and bike paths. Walking around on our own, we had seen the basilica and some other grand monuments, but the bike tour took us to some other interesting parts, such as the ruins of the roman amphitheater and the unconventional Darwin shopping hall across the river from the main downtown area

Ancient Kamakura (T)

Lithobates Canada - 05-Oct-24

Visit date(s):  October 23, 2024 (Autumnal equinox holiday)

Nearby sites on trip: None nearby

Overnight location: Tokyo, less than half hour walk from Tokyo station

Location(s): This order is mostly downhill from kita-Kamakura station, returning to Tokyo via tram and Kamakura station:
Engaku-ji
Kencho-ji (photo)
Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu
Wakamiya Oji
Kotoku-in, including the Daibutsu

Travel method(s):  Train, tram and foot (9 km!). Most sites are built into hillsides, so there are a lot of hills and stairs. 

Kaiping Diaolou

3.50 Mo-han Je China & Finland - 13-Mar-25

I recently visited Kaiping Diaolou, and besides Zili Village, I made a point to visit Sanmenli Village (三门里). In practical terms, I couldn’t find any public transportation to Sanmenli, so I went by car with my friend. I wouldn’t recommend it for day-trip travelers without a car since there’s only one building to see, and the inside is closed to visitors.

However, I understand why Yinglong Lou (at Sanmenli Village) is considered a core part of this UNESCO World Heritage site. Yinglong Lou is a living testament to the site's OUV Criterion (iii): "The building of defensive towers was a local tradition in the Kaiping area since Ming times in response to local banditry." According to a local family living in a house next to Yinglong Lou, this tower is the oldest diaolou in Kaiping, with over 500 years of history. They take great pride in it, as it serves as a communal tower for the "Guan" lineage (关族). Every year, on the 5th day of the Lunar New Year, more than 100 families from the village gather inside for a feast and an ancestral worship ritual, possibly the only time it opens to the public

Mudejar Architecture of Aragon

3.00 2Flow2 United States - 23-Mar-25

This WHS is a little bit weird to "review" as are many of the dispersed-location sites that highlight "examples of" a certain style of something. (Whether that be something natural or man-made.) Like many of the reviewers here, I experienced this WHS (in March 2025) at its sites in the city of Zaragoza. I did not go to Teruel at all.

The trip to Zaragoza was a delightful one, which can easily be done in a day or less to see the Aljafería, the excellent four Roman ruins museums, and the famed column inside "El Pilar" Cathedral. To focus more specifically on the WHS itself, I'd say the Mudejar Architecture is a great introduction to learning about the history of Muslim rule in Spain for those who are unitiated. (A period from the 700s ~ 1400s in which Muslims controlled the majority of the peninsula and then fought to maintain control in the face of Catholic kings who pushed to take the territory back

Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz

4.00 Caspar Dechmann Switzerland - 13-Mar-25

This may well be the most underrated site in Germany if you look at the ratings on this website and indeed, it is a site that reveals its extraordinary value and charm perhaps only when you dive deeper in its history and ideas. Another reason may be that some of our members wrote reviews without having seen more than one component and not even the most important ones, in which case you wonder how a rating could make any sense.

The central figure here is Prince Leopold III of Anhalt-Dessau who famously introduced landscape gardening into continental [...]

Central Park (T)

Andrew_Kerr UK - 08-Mar-25

Across the River Mersey from Liverpool is the unassuming town of Birkenhead. What has this got to do with Central Park? You may be thinking, well, quite a lot actually.When Connecticut farmer, Frederick Law Olmsted, had his plan for Central Park accepted it was the world's first publicly funded park in Birkenhead that was his inspiration. I only mention it because most people are unaware of it.Begun in 1858, Central Park was an immediate success. Taking 15 years to complete at a cost of $14 million it incorporated 36 bridges or arches, 11 overpasses, a lake and over half a million trees and shrubs.Today the park is the green heart of Manhattan and offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city

Tallinn

4.50 S. Anril Tiatco Philippines - 08-Mar-25

Tallinn Old Town is cited as “among the most remote and powerful outposts of the colonizing activities of the Hanseatic League in the north-eastern part of Europe in the 13th-16th centuries, provided a crucible within which an international secular-ecclesiastical culture resulting from the interchange of Cistercians, Dominicans, the Teutonic Order and the traditions of the Hanseatic League, formed and was itself exported throughout northern Europe” and as a Medieval City that constitutes “a remarkable reflection of the coexistence of the seat of feudal overlords and a Hanseatic trading centre within the shelter of a common system of walls and fortifications

Enclos paroissiaux du Finistère (T)

Els Slots The Netherlands - 12-Mar-25

Brittany was the only region in mainland France where I had not been before, but the upcoming nomination of Carnac gave me a good reason to go. Helped by a cheap and direct flight from Djerba to Nantes, I combined it into a great Tunisian-French midweek trip comprising 1 new WHS and 2 strong TWHS.

I can’t say that Brittany felt much different from Northern France in general, although the bilingual signage gives it an exotic twist.  

On my second day there, I drove to the department of Finistère (one of the four Breton departments) as that is where these “Parish closes” can be found (“Enclos paroissiaux” doesn’t translate well into English). The amount of driving here should not be underestimated: Brittany is about the size of Belgium and Luxembourg combined. I was a bit hindered by the limited mileage of my rental car – some fine print that I had overlooked when booking (500km across 2 days is not enough)

The Television Tower Stuttgart (T)

CugelVance Germany - 12-Mar-25

Visit: march the 12th,2025

I had already been up on the top of Stuttgart's tv tower some 21-22 years ago but by pure accident I found myself again in Stuttgart where I had to kill two hours.I decided to revisit Germany's tentative whs again.

The TV tower in Stuttgart was the first of its kind in the world and triggered a kind of worldwide chain reaction in the tower construction.

Today there are countless tv towers all over our planet.The Stuttgart pioneer is considered an architectural and aesthetic masterpiece by many experts with its timeless design.It was opened in feb.1956 after 20 months of construction.The total height from the ground to the top of the antenna is 216 meters.As a groundbreaking structure, the TV tower served as a model and prototype for TV towers around the world. Even the world's tallest TV tower, the Tokyo Skytree, is considered an offshoot of the Stuttgart original, and experts consider the Stuttgart TV tower to be the most beautiful and safest in the world. Due to its innovative public use ( a cafe inside a tv tower for example) , it has been imitated architecturally and stylistically in many places around the world

Seville

4.50 2Flow2 United States - 08-Mar-25

Sevilla! Gorgeous! In our Sevilla/Córdoba trip, I had wanted to like Córdoba more, but Sevilla was just too darn good. Visited March 2025.

The other reviews already describe well what there is to do here, so I'll leave those as bullet-points down below for what we covered in our trip. Our trip was made easier by pre-buying all of our tickets online before coming to the city – no line-waiting needed.

Reales Alcázares - Fantastic audioguide that takes you through this massive complex with a super great built-in map and everything. You can spend a lot of time here, it's definitely the largest attraction in the city! Archivo de Indias - Easy to pop in and out, neat to see the central nervous system that the Spanish government administered their colonial interests in the Americas from

Frontiers of the Roman Empire

3.00 Puessergio - 10-Mar-25

I visited the Ostkastell in Welzheim, Germany, and it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The site is vast, and while I only explored a single fort, it was still an interesting experience. The walk through the area was enjoyable, with informative signposts and a few statues adding to the atmosphere. I wrapped up my visit with a run through the nearby woods, which made for a great combination of history and nature.

Blenheim Palace

3.50 DannyB Australia - 11-Mar-25

Our first UNESCO site visit since commencing our www.twobaconsandaboston.com journey.  I was not going to do a review until I noticed that the last review was 2 years ago.  Prices have also increased from this time with an entry fee now of 41 pounds.  Whilst expensive, it also provides you 12 months of unlimited attendance, so we will come back for some return visits. Hopefully with some better weather for nature walks.

Renovations work as commenced on the exterior of the main building in January 2025 and this is expected to go for at least 2 years.  It is good to see an investment in the maintenance and restoration of this UNESCO site.

Qoahito Cultural Landscape (T)

Mihai Dascalu Romania - 09-Mar-25

Seen in February 2025 on a Lupine groups trip to Eritrea. The group had a bus, but the bus broke down just outside Dekemhare, 38 km out of Asmara. We waited in a “pub” for 2.5 hours, until they found and brought from Asmara three 4WD cars to load us all up. With a few more stops we eventually got to Qohaito at 3 pm, where we visited the following sites: the ancient dam (maybe 2500 years old, see picture, Aksum civilization??), the viewpoint over the canyon, the Egyptian Tomb, Temple of Mariam Wakiro columns and eventually the Adi Alauti cave paintings

Anatolian Seljuks Madrasahs (T)

Zoe United States - 16-Mar-25

I visited both Madrasahs in Erzurum and it was a worthwhile experience. Double Minaret Madrasah has a free museum inside, whereas the Yakutiye Madrasah museum is paid. Both involve going in and out of small rooms in the original buildings to look at various displays, artwork, and artifacts. There is little English signage, though, so expect to use google translate if you don't speak Turkish.

Odunpazari Historical Urban Site (T)

Zoe United States - 16-Mar-25

Odunpazari is a picturesque neighborhood of Eskisehir, a mid-size city easily accessible by train from Ankara. It is very walkable once you arrive, and you can wander around the colorful houses, eat ciborek, and buy handicrafts. There are a lot of museums in the area; I visited the glass arts museum, hamam museum, OMM (modern art museum), and the meerschaum museum. I would recommend spending half a day here and checking out the rest of Eskisehir after. 

Melaka and George Town

5.00 ReallyDeepThoughts Singapore - 07-Mar-25

In my opinion, the twinning of these two places into one WHS was brilliant as together, they present a coherent historical narrative of colonial development in the region. The architecture and artefacts in both cities are testament to a culture and townscape resulting from a blend of external influences (European and Asian) on local conditions. Each site has its own lovely ensemble of fabled historical buildings and old streets, telling the story of colonialism in this part of the world.

I had been asked which one would I recommend a tourist short on time to visit; honestly, I am incapable of answering the question. Once there, both cities are lovely and easy, comfortable places to visit, with their respective WHS zones conveniently covered on foot

Sites mégalithiques de Carnac (T)

Els Slots The Netherlands - 15-Mar-25

The 2025 WHC will probably bring us the inscription of number 31 on our Missing List: Carnac. Carnac is on the T List as ‘Megalithic Sites of Carnac’, but the nomination has been renamed ‘Carnac and Shores of the Morbihan megaliths’. It has been put forward as a Cultural landscape and comprises four components with thousands of standing stones and tombs. 

Carnac is a representative of the European megalithic tradition since the Neolithic, which also includes the Megalithic Temples of Malta and multiple sites in the UK and Ireland, such as Stonehenge and Brú [...]

Gola-Tiwai complex (T)

Bill Maurmann USA - 09-Mar-25

I visited Tiwai Island on a Lupine Travels tour in June 2023. The intent was to stay overnight at a community center dormitory in the middle of the island. Rugged road going in. Vehicle was parked and local guides loaded our luggage onto small boats. We drifted downriver about ten minutes before banking on the opposite shore. We  followed a short trail to the center where we had dinner, were entertained by locals doing traditional dances and a role play involving a demon. The next morning a guide took us through island trails. The jungle was dense. Most impressive vegetation were the banyan trees. We didn’t see any animals other than a large impressive spider, but there were plenty of birds. 

La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle

2.50 2Flow2 United States - 08-Mar-25

I visited this WHS in July 2023. We were staying in Geneva with a cousin who was working at CERN, and I had heard about La Chaux-de-Fonds being famous as the place of origin for Switzerland's rich watch-making history, so we planned an entire daytrip around going out to the town in the North. I'm sad to say that it is dubious whether all of the effort was worth it.

The main goal of our trip was to see the watch-making museum. According to the Internet it was to be open and operating at the hours we were visiting. However, after multiple hours of travel getting out to this town and navigating on foot from the train station to the museum – we found the museum closed. Apparently, the town had endured a huge windstorm a couple of days before which had knocked down trees and branches all over the city. There was tape covering one stairway that lead to the museum, but nothing offically blocking off the ways of accessing it. Curiously, there were no signs or anything indicating the museum was properly closed, and we couldn't tell for sure whether it was not operating or we were just looking at the wrong location for an entrance

Forts and Castles Gold Coast

4.00 S. Anril Tiatco Philippines - 08-Mar-25

Jamestown and Usshertown are the oldest districts of Accra, the capital city of Ghana. According to Emmanuel, our tour guide slash driver during our visit in Accra in 2023, these towns were the origin of the Accranian people, the fishing people called Ga. Once upon a time, Accra was known as A-ga-ra.

These districts in the Greater Accra Region possess a certain charm that I thought comparable with Melaka, Georgetown, and Ipoh in Malaysia and Little India in Singapore

Historical Lisbon, Global City (T)

Andrew_Kerr UK - 05-Mar-25

I've been to Lisbon a couple of times and enjoyed both visits. There's a lot see in the city that I once saw described as looking more like the Americas than Europe. I thought that was a fair comment with the huge suspension bridge spanning the Tagus river, the statue of Christ looking down at the city and the steep hills and trams that are all reminiscent of famous places in the New World.But this is a European city steeped in history, the most westerly city on the mainland of Europe in fact

Ksar of Aït Ben Haddou

3.50 Andrew_Kerr UK - 11-Mar-25

I'm probably being overly harsh giving it 3.5 stars because it was enjoyable and I've never been anywhere like it before or after. I guess the rating I gave it reflects the workmanship/artistic content of the site, there isn't much to be fair. It's a fortified village made out of mud in the high Atlas mountains of southern Morocco which means function over anything else.
Possibly the best part of my visit was getting there on the amazing highway that zig zags and snakes through the mountains with fantastic views around every bend.
Once at the village itself, an hour was plenty of time to take in the layout, the construction, explore the myriad alleyways and avoid all the souvenir sellers and snake charmers.

Hwaseong Fortress

4.00 S. Anril Tiatco Philippines - 11-Mar-25

Seoul is the most popular destination for many in South Korea. My colleague and I asked our Korean friend to take us somewhere else. We did not want to be entangled with several tourists doing the same sightseeing in popular Seoul destinations. So our friend brought us to Suwon, some 35 km south of Seoul, to visit the infamous Hwaseong Fortress. 

Located in Suwon, the nearest city to the south of Seoul, Hwaseong Fortress is a fortification built between 1794 and 1796. Like the other heritage sites in South Korea, it was constructed by another powerful figure belonging to the Joseon dynasty: King Jeongjo, to commemorate and use as the final resting place of his father, Prince Sado.

Djerba

1.50 Els Slots The Netherlands - 11-Mar-25

This is the first review of a visit to the Djerba WHS after its inscription. The site has received horrible reviews and an exceptionally low rating from our community, but I thought maybe it would all make more sense with the help of an OUV-frame. It’s about a dispersed but homogenous settlement and land-use pattern, characterized for example (but not limited to) self-sufficient rural communities with their own water supply, palm groves and tiny mosques. That’s why it includes 22 rather featureless and abandoned neighbourhood mosques.  

Maltese Catacomb Complexes (T)

Caspar Dechmann Switzerland - 26-Feb-25

The catacombs on Malta are surprisingly numerous and the highest concentration can be found in Rabat where you find four that are accessible to visitors. I visited two of them: The largest is the catacomb of St. Paul and it is surprising how large they are: After visiting a decent introductory museum you can enter the catacombs via twenty or more separate (modern) entrances, each leading to a seperat underground complex of various sizes. They are impressive but since there is very little decoration left after a while they resemble each other. But in some you can find inscriptions or carvings that give hints about the roman, Christian or Jewish religion of their owners. For a second visit I chose the St

Taxila

3.00 Shombob United States - 05-Mar-25

I visited Taxila from Islamabad a few days ago. I would recommend the trip to anyone who is spending more than a few days in Islamabad, but I did much prefer Makli and the Mughal sites in Lahore (I haven't visited Rohtas Fort, Moenjodaro, or Takht-i-Bahi). The positives of visiting Taxila are the ease of getting here, the large number of sites, and how unique it is to see ancient Buddhist artifacts in Pakistan. The negatives were the visible degradation, the lack of helpful signage to understand what you are seeing, and the too persistent guides.

Great Spa Towns of Europe

3.00 NoahFranc Germany - 01-Mar-25

As a resident of Germany, I decided to grant myself this check only after I made it to all 3 German components. And that day is finally here! Here is a collection of my experiences and thoughts: 

Baden-Baden:
I got here the Spring after inscription and we had absolutely perfect weather with the first flowers of Spring everywhere. Unfortunately the historical spa house was closed for renovations, but the other inscribes buildings around the river were open and I found the whole setting very pleasant. During our stay we walked along the river to the Lichtental monastery, which made for a great daytime experience. On another evening we took the Merkurbergbahn up for the view and watched the sunset. It was a lovely and very active city, but not too big. 

Knights Fortifications around the Harbours of Malta (T)

Caspar Dechmann Switzerland - 25-Feb-25

There is no doubt that his should have been part of the Valletta inscription from the start. While the inscribed town is very nice, it is certainly not as spectacular as the former, older seat of the Order of St. John in Rhodos. While there are many must-visits in Valletta, such as the Archeological and the Art Museum, the Grandmasters House, Fort St. Elmo and several churches full of remarkable art,  there is no single building in Valletta with real OUV. It is mainly the stunning townscape with the two bays, the fortifications and the many church towers and  large domes that make this an unforgettable place

Hollókö

3.00 Ilya Burlak USA - 26-Feb-25

Visited in November of 2024. Something that is 300 years old and deliberately well-preserved always piques my interest, even if it has a reconstructed-for-museum-purposes feel. In any case, Hollókő is very photogenic and pleasant to walk through.

That old village core is literally just a few hundred meters long, with the homogenous nature of construction seen on every step. The signature sight is the town church, dedicated to St Martin, which sits at the fork of the only street in the village, splitting it into a main artery and an auxiliary loop. The door was locked, and I did not make extra efforts to find somebody to let me in.

Medina of Fez

4.00 2Flow2 United States - 23-Feb-25

Wow, I can't believe this site hasn't had a new review in nearly seven years! However, it's not as if this 1,000+ year old medina has changed much in such a relatively short amount of time. The existing reviews sum up the medina well so in relating my February 2025 experience I won't repeat what has already been said. Do know, however, that the residents of the medina choose to take a day of rest on Fridays, so the streets are significantly less busy that day of the week, and many of the shops are closed.

Region Lacan-Tún - Usumacinta (T)

Dennis Nicklaus - 24-Feb-25

This site includes two of my favorite Maya ruins of Yaxchilan and Bonampak -- two very unique sites among the many Maya ruins I have visited. 

Yaxchilan

You reach the site by a 45 minute boat ride down the Usumacinta River, which is the border between Mexico and Guatemala here, and kind of a fun experience by itself. Once you arrive at Yaxchilan, you enter the site proper through the small Labyrinth building. Moss-covered stones are everywhere, contributing to the jungle atmosphere of these ruins.  The Great Plaza has a large number of structures, ball courts, and stelae.  The stelae still have very visible hieroglyphics on them.  Stele 11 is a particularly noteworthy one. It's considered one of the best examples of sculptural monuments, carved during the reign of King Bird Jaguar IV (752-772 AD), it now rests on the ground in the Great Plaza, but it survived an earlier failed attempt to move it to Mexico City

Luis Barragán House and Studio

1.00 GeorgeIng61 Canada - 25-Feb-25

Had the chance to visit this site many years ago and was disappointed.

A much better bet is to do a free, self guided walking tour of Barragan's early Tapatia works in Guadalajara. 

It takes you on an approximately two hour walk around the Colonia Americana where you can see his evolving style.

You can visit the Gonzalez Luna  (Jesuit University) House, the Casa Cristo House and the Casa Franco for free..

You can find this tour by searching for:  "Revisiones de Guadalajara".

Coastal Cliffs (T)

Caspar Dechmann Switzerland - 25-Feb-25

Beside the extension of Valletta, that should have been inscribed decades ago, the Coastal Cliffs are certainly the most interesting tentative site of Malta but, as Ralf writes, it needs more precision. Nonetheless, about half of the coast of the two main islands consists of very impressive high cliffs reaching up to 130m above sea level, mainly along the southern coast. These huge cliffs are impressive from every angel: from the boat, from the plane or from various viewpoints and they contribute a lot the Malta’s history as an island fortress. The high cliffs extend often for kilometers and seems hard and undestructable but at their bottom you find everywhere seacaves of various sizes that show that the unrelenting sea over time dissolves even this hard limestone. 

Medina Azahara

2.50 Alikander99 Spain - 25-Feb-25

Well, unfortunately I missed the short window to visit the salon rico, so I won't be adding much new to the fray. 

  This is a rather polarizing site, with some ultimately disregarding it, while others give it a passing score.

Now that I've visited I understand why. The site itself is poorly preserved, and as pointed out there are some rather terrible past reconstructions standing in the park.

At the same time however, the site has, I think, a lot of unfulfilled potential.

First thing we have to remember is that the city is from the late 10th century. Its state of conservation is not that bad once you take into account its age.

Djoudj

3.00 GerhardM Austria - 24-Feb-25

We visited this Site in February 2025. We did it whith an organised tour and booked it at home via a tarvel agency in connection with a Senegalese partner agency. 

Several tour agencies in Saint Louis organise daily tours to Djoudj Reserve. The trip usually takes half a day. We started at 07 00 am and finished around 14 00 p.m. But you have to consider that the boat in Djoudi wait till the boat is full (ore almost) with tourists before it starts. 

The National Park is around 60 km from Saint Louis town (40 km is a good asphalted road, while the rest is on dirt, local roads. It takes about 90 mininutes. 

Historical city of Izamal (T)

Dennis Nicklaus - 24-Feb-25

Izamal is worth a visit for two primary reasons:  Kinich Kak Moo -- ruins of an enormous Maya pyramid, and the convent of San Antonio de Padua.  It's otherwise a nice enough small city to stop by, and there are remants of a few other Maya structures scattered through the town center.  We drove in, and guided by Google Maps to Kinich Kak Moo, started looking for a parking space. We were soon amazed to discover that the block we were driving around was the huge temple itself.  It's base measures roughly 200 x 180 meters.  It's not a full on pyramid going up from those dimensions now, but there is still a pretty significant temple in the center of the broad raised tableau that you can ascend. 

Poblet Monastery

4.00 Andrew_Kerr UK - 23-Feb-25

I seem to be bucking the trend here by awarding Poblet 4 stars but I really enjoyed my visit there. It's a very impressive 14th century Cistercian abbey, set among the rolling foothills of the Prades mountains.I usually find an hour is plenty when visiting most cathedrals and abbeys but I happily spent half a day here exploring the various features.Poblet Abbey or to give it its proper name, The Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poblet was founded in the 12th century by French Cistercian monks along with 2 other abbeys at Vallbona de les Monges and Santes Creus.Although the building we see today reflects the splendour of the 14th century Gothic abbey, much of it is restored, the building having fallen into disrepair in the 19th century

Rabat

3.50 2Flow2 United States - 23-Feb-25

Rabat is a solid WHS worth seeing. (I visited in Feb 2025.) It's not the most amazing tourist destination compared to other cities, but it holds its own as a decent spot that I would recommend adding to your trip if you have time. Everything can easily be fit into one day with time to spare.

Some items worth experiencing are:

The newly-reopened Chellah is fantastic with great signage, beautiful pathways, and a perfect-length audioguide that tours you through the entire thing. The Chellah is a mix between an ancient archeological site (that you can walk right into!), a beautiful garden, and a tour of more recently historical, fully-intact buildings. The Kasbah is the biggest attraction of the city and is an excellent little enclosed space that is preserved as an ancient "downtown" area but with modern vendors selling there. (You can also haggle there

Royal Seats in Esztergom, Visegrád (T)

Ilya Burlak USA - 18-Feb-25

I visited Esztergom and its castle in November of 2024 on a day trip from Budapest by car. The direct driving distance between Budapest and Esztergom is a little bit over an hour, and most auto-enabled people will combine the visit here with at least one other place. In my case, I drove to Pannonhalma in the morning and then spent most of the afternoon in Esztergom.   

Esztergom Castle is located next to the Esztergom Basilica at the highest point in town. The part of the description related to the castle emphasizes its medieval architecture and artistic value, as well as the influence of the Italian Renaissance

Southwest Coast (T)

CugelVance Germany - 20-Feb-25

Time of the visit: the 19th of feb.2025

Twice a year I stay for some weeks near Tavira,in the south of Portugal.

Apart from the tentative whs "Southwest Coast" and "Mertola" I have already visited every whs and tentative whs in a radius of 200 km.

Yesterday morning I travelled from Tavira to Sagres and Burgau to visit two of the components of the tentative whs southwest coast.My plan was to spend most of the day in and around Sagres and hike for 1-2 h along the cliffs near Burgau.

Around 11.00 I arrived in Sagres where I visited the Fortaleza de Sagres,some viewpoints and took some pictures from the cliffs there.Sagres didnt impress me much.I dont know why but the entire area around Sagres didnt appeal to me that much .I decided to shorten my stay there and spend more time in and around Burgau which turned out to be a good decision

Les « coules » de Petite Valachie (T)

Jakob Frenzel Germany - 28-Feb-25

August 2024 - after visiting the Horezu Monastery we made a small detour to still visit the coules. Although the architectural style may be unique, the nomination is rather a joke. You can visit one coules and the Museum for 2€ on the opposite site there was another, which was only viewable from outside. From my pespective nothing noteworthy 

The Historic Centre of Sibiu (T)

Jakob Frenzel Germany - 27-Feb-25

August 2024 - After visiting Alba Iulia, we still drove all the way to Sibiu and stayed at at a campsite next to the airport. We had been too tired to visit that evening but did so next morning.

Hermannstadt was always on our itinerary since it claims the status of Europes Cultural Capital in 2007. But it seems to have become a destination for budget  flights with gastronomic offers aiming for this specific group.

Architecture wise it is very typical habsburgian with only few Transylvanian specificities around the bridge of liars. After the stroll through the centre we continued to Shigishoara.

Jewish-Medieval heritage of Erfurt

2.00 Philipp Peterer Switzerland - 20-Feb-25

The site itself and its components have been covered extensively in the previous reviews. I will focus on the visitor experience in 2025.

All three components are right in the center of Erfurt next to its landmark, the Krämerbrücke. One day in Erfurt is enough to visit everything of interest, including a former Stasi prison and the churches (former tentative site). Erfurt was much nicer than I expected and deserves a stop, regardless of the WHS.

The old synagoge is now a museum only, meaning its open in Saturdays. Opening hours are 10:00-18:00, except Monday. The Germans seem to hate Mondays so much, the close the whole country that day.

Rock Art in the Hail Region

5.00 Tarquinio_Superbo Italy - 20-Feb-25

The rock paintings that you can visit are located in the town of Jubbah. The settlement itself is a very nice village with many buildings in the traditional style. I rented a car at the Hail Airport and drove 1.5 hours to the Visitor Center, located on the outskirts of Jubbah. The first thing that impresses is the surrounding landscape, it is simply amazing. Beautiful mountains surrounded by an endless desert. 

At the Visitor Center, I was greeted with coffee and dates. After a short tour with three videos, you can go to see the inscriptions. Right next to the center are two mountains literally filled with them, it is simply impossible to tear yourself away. It took me more than an hour to climb them all. 

Berlin Modernism Housing Estates

2.50 Nan Germany - 07-Feb-25

In 2012, while visiting Berlin for a job interview, I took the opportunity to visit three locations of the Modernism Housing Estates before my interview. The interview was at lunchtime, so I had ample time in the morning. I began my visit at Schillerstraße, then walked to Weiße Stadt before taking a bus and train to Wohnsiedlung Carl Legien.

My impression of these sites at the time aligns well with Ian's summary: In the suburbs of post World War 2 Germany, they look pretty common place, a testament to the significant influence of the architects (most notably Taut and Scharoun) and ideas [...]

Leuven (T)

Astraftis Italy - 18-Feb-25

The celebrations for the 600 years of Leuven's university (KU Leuven) have just started (on February 14-15th), so I feel this is the best occasion for a new review to shed more light upon this slumbering proposal! 

There is [...]

Pannonhalma

2.50 Ilya Burlak USA - 13-Feb-25

I visited Pannonhalma in November of 2024 by car from Budapest - the drive is about an hour and a half long. The only other visitors that I eventually saw were a group of high schoolers on a field trip, but the upper parking lot did not have a single available space. I was about to drive down the hill to the parking lot near the "visitor information center" when I noticed someone who looked like a repairman employed by the abbey getting into his car parked in the slightly lower-lying area by the south side of the building. That smaller lot is probably not meant for visitors, but there are no impediments to exit or entry, so I counted myself lucky to be able to park that close on a rainy day.

Joshua Tree National Park (T)

Kyle Magnuson California - United States of America - 09-Feb-25

Suggestion for an updated nomination: future tentative list

Joshua Tree National Park may qualify for world heritage status on its own, but the possibility of something far greater has been proposed to World Heritage USA and not only by me. I break down the protected lands in the links near the bottom, which by the way have expanded significantly since the creation of the biosphere reserve in 1984. Moreover, newly designated areas of the Mojave have greatly improved the connectivity of these diverse habitats and protected lands.

Singapore Botanic Gardens

5.00 ReallyDeepThoughts Singapore - 25-Feb-25

This is going to be a totally biased review since it is about the only WHS (to date) in my country.

Amongst its claim to being deserving of WHS status was that it is the only tropical botanical site and institution meeting the requisites for listing, which seems to be fair when a comparison is made with other tropical gardens. Its relatively young age might detract from its worthiness, though. That said, it is a pleasant, easy visit as it is a literal walk in the park, with modern amenities and public transportation within easy reach. 

Camp de concentration de Tarrafal (T)

Els Slots The Netherlands - 16-Feb-25

Like Cidade Velha WHS, the Tarrafal Concentration Camp lies on the main island of Cabo Verde: Santiago. It can be reached by public minibus (aluguer) from the capital Praia; they leave when full from a street near the Estado da Varzea. The 1.5h drive (600escudos) is quite pretty, as it crosses a landscape full of volcanic peaks and the Serra Malagueta Natural Park. The former Concentration Camp lies next to the main road, 2km before the town entrance of Tarrafal. 

The [...]

Ripa Pannonica in Hungary (T)

Ilya Burlak USA - 10-Feb-25

While in Budapest in November of 2024, I stopped by two of the locations of this serial submission.

Aquincum archaeological site marks the location of the capital of the Roman province of Pannonia in the 1st-4th centuries CE. The site is mainly about neat outlines of city structures, with a few columns and portals thrown in. One covered pavilion contains recovered mosaics. Unfortunately, there are a couple of defined components of the site – including the reconstruction of a Roman building called House of the Painter – that can only be visited on a very limited schedule which did not coincide with my plans for the day. So I only perused the onsite museum, which has a reasonable collection of artifacts dating back to Roman times.

Paris, Banks of the Seine

5.00 Aitia France - 17-Feb-25

Hasn't everything already been said about this WHS? In fact, 2 events took place in 2024 that are worth looking at Paris again (and nothing to do with the Olympics!). First of all, the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris in December 2024. On the headlines of the media around the world, many of us have seen these images of Notre-Dame fully restored

Rosenborg Castle (T)

Kyle Magnuson California - United States of America - 05-Feb-25

Suggestion for an updated nomination: future tentative list

Copenhagen remains without a world heritage site, though that may change in a few years. Rosenborg Castle would have been a prime candidate if it was put forward in the mid-1990's. However, today as a standalone monument? Despite its merits, a new approach is needed.

I would propose a Dutch Renaissance Castles of Denmark nomination centered on Rosenborg Castle and Frederiksborg Castle. In fact, the Dutch architect Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger was a favorite architect of Christian IV and played a significant role in both Rosenborg and Frederiksborg. 

Çatalhöyük

4.00 Wojciech Fedoruk Poland - 16-Feb-25

After reading the reviews of other users of the site, I realized that visiting Çatalhöyük is completely different now and requires a new review. In the end of 2023, a completely new museum was opened (although the name ‘interpretive center’ sounds better, since there are very few original artifacts here). Because of this, the place is no longer free, foreigners pay the equivalent of 5 euros - but believe me, it will be money well spent. The museum is well constructed and presents the history of the excavations and their importance very well. In an interactive way, you can learn a lot about archaeology, discoveries in the area of Çatalhöyük, and even how scientists came to specific conclusions

Caves of the Buda Thermal Karst System (T)

Ilya Burlak USA - 10-Feb-25

I visited Pál-völgyi Cave during my stay in Budapest in November 2024. I did not plan to see more than one cave in this serial submission, and based on my research, Pál-völgyi provided the best balance of accessibility and interest of the six of them. The roughly half-kilometer subterranean walk takes about an hour to complete.The visit is always guided and always in Hungarian. Foreigners are directed to download an app with an audio guide in several languages. The English version is narrated in such a boring and tedious fashion that I put the phone away after the second stop. The live guide was occupied by a group of local teenagers on a school field trip

Mount Vernon (T)

Carlo Sarion Philippines/New Zealand - 07-Feb-25

It just seems appropriate to visit and write a review of Mount Vernon after doing so with Monticello, as both were the residences and plantations of two prominent American presidents in Virginia. We visited the site in Dec 2024 as a side trip while visiting family for Christmas. Whether it has the potential to be inscribed or not and regardless of our opinions about George Washington as a slave owner, I'd recommend a visit here.

The mansion tour

At the time of our visit, the mansion was undergoing significant renovation (see photo, with the facade obstructed by tarpaulin) and only a very limited part of the mansion could be accessed. It was helpful to attend the free virtual tour at the Ford Orientation Centre. We entered the mansion through the door that opens to the New Room. This multi-purpose room is the most interesting (to me) of all the rooms in the mansion. Its walls are painted in pastel green, and it has a Palladian window with composition ornament and a ceiling with stuccowork

Poverty Point

2.00 Jason Boulette United States - 06-Feb-25

I'll admit, I recognize their historical importance, but I have a hard time truly appreciating the earthworks sites such as Poverty Point (I've visited two of the three in the United States, having also visited Cahokia Mounds but not yet visiting Hopewell). It's one thing to recognize on an intellectual level that these required tremendous planning and effort to build these structures, but on a visceral level, I hate to say it, but it feels like you're just looking at or climbing a small hill. I think my visit to Poverty Point was also marred by the fact that, as I perused the small visitor's center to try to understand the cultural significance of the site, the loudspeaker was blaring Vanessa Williams singing The Color of the Wind from Disney's Pocahontas movie. 

Alvaro Siza's Architecture Works (T)

Els Slots The Netherlands - 13-Feb-25

In 2020 I visited two of Siza’s works in Northern Portugal: a bank in Vila do Conde (something white and Le Corbusier-ish with many windows in a street with mainly traditional buildings) and the Casa Carlos Beires in Pavoa de Varzim (a yellow family house located in a residential area with other interesting modern buildings, looking very run down). Both have since been dropped from the shortlist of this nomination, so I had to return to Portugal to reclaim my ‘tick’. 

The Pavilhão de Portugal serves this purpose very well, as it [...]

The Historic City of Dublin (T)

Kyle Magnuson California - United States of America - 25-Aug-18

Suggestion for an updated nomination: future tentative list

I do not see a particularly strong justification for Dublin to become a world heritage site, but Trinity College stood out. While my experience seeing Trinity College was brief, I was impressed and the literary history here is legendary. The Library of Trinity College Dublin is stunning in its own right and a book-lovers dream.

Therefore, I would suggest something far grander

Enclos paroissiaux du Finistère (T)

Aitia France - 09-Feb-25

The parish enclosures of Finistère were added very recently to the French indicative list, and this nomination file should be put forward soon by France (perhaps 2029?). It was entrusted to a former French Minister of Culture, residing in Brittany, who contributed to the successful inscription of the city of Nice in 2021.
One might wonder why France chose a bid focused once again on Christian architecture. In fact, this choice is more judicious than it seems.

First, these parish churches are very original. Modest in size but very decorated, they are made up of several elements: a decorated monumental porch, a surrounding wall, with a monumental entrance and an "échalier" (to prevent animals from accessing this sacred space), a sculpted calvary, and an ossuary.