The North Coast 500, which debuted in 2015, is frequently touted as a trek across pristine scenery. It stretches over 800 kilometers over the northern Highlands, connecting isolated coastal …

Before sunrise, Borobudur in Central Java appears almost unreal: a dark stone pyramid rising out of hazy rice fields and palm trees, with volcano silhouettes in the horizon. The ninth-century Buddhist temple is the …

Toronto, Canada's largest city, is sometimes described as a horizontal patchwork of communities rather than a single focal point, although its skyline is dominated by a single vertical symbol: the CN Tower. Completed …

In Split, daily life takes place inside the ruins of a Roman imperial palace. Diocletian, the Roman emperor, ordered the construction of a huge walled complex on the Dalmatian coast between 295 and …

The Wieliczka Salt Mine, near Kraków, is one of the world's oldest continuously exploited industrial sites, with rock salt production documented from the 13th until the late twentieth century. Inscribed on the …

Stone Town in Zanzibar is one of East Africa's most compelling UNESCO World Heritage Sites, representing centuries of cultural interchange. Designated in 2000 as the best example of a …

Vardzia, a stunning rock-cut monastery complex carved into a mountaintop in southern Georgia, is one of the country's most astonishing examples of Medieval engineering. It was founded in 1156 by …

The Delta Works, a massive system of dams, dikes, sluices, locks, levees, and storm surge barriers in the southwest, showcases Dutch water engineering at its best. Built in response to the catastrophic North …

The Rijksmuseum is the Netherlands' flagship museum, housing the world's most extensive collection of Dutch Golden Age art and history. The 19th-century edifice, designed by architect Pierre Cuypers, combines …

Rotterdam, extensively bombed during WWII, chose not to rebuild its devastated center as it was, but to embrace bold experimentation. Today, it stands as Europe's unofficial capital of contemporary …

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, located in Mtskheta, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Tbilisi, is Georgia's most sacred religious site and one of the world's most spiritually significant Orthodox cathedrals. It is …

Much of the Netherlands would not exist without polders—large expanses of land recovered from lakes, marshes, and the sea by enclosing them with dikes and pumping out the water. Engineers estimate that …

The Abu Simbel Temples, carved into a mountainside on the west bank of Lake Nasser, are Egypt's most famous monuments after the Giza Pyramids. Built by Pharaoh Ramses II (1303–1213 BCE) in the 13th …

Zaanse Schans, located north of Amsterdam, resembles a 17th-century painting with its windmills, green wooden cottages, and warehouses. During the Dutch Golden Age, the Zaan district was one of …

The Hofburg Palace in Vienna served as the Habsburg dynasty's primary residence and the political nerve center of their empire for over six centuries. This massive complex evolved from the 13th …

The Grossglockner High Alpine Road represents one of Austria's most spectacular engineering achievements, winding 48 kilometers (30 miles) through the heart of the Hohe Tauern mountain range. Completed …

Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) is one of the world's most outstanding specimens of Gothic architecture and Germany's most visited attraction. While construction began in 1248, the cathedral …

Schönbrunn Palace stands as one of Austria's most magnificent architectural treasures and Vienna's most visited tourist attraction, comparable in grandeur to France's Versailles. This sprawling complex …

Neuschwanstein Castle, perched spectacularly on a craggy mountaintop in Bavaria's Allgäu region, is the ultimate expression of 19th-century Romanticism. Built starting in 1869, it famously inspired the …

The Sydney Opera House is Australia's most well-known cultural landmark and a UNESCO World Heritage site recognized for human creativity. Perched impressively on Bennelong Point, which extends …