I’ve rarely been disappointed by a UNESCO heritage site, hence my quest to visit more of them. There are over 1200 World Heritage sites across the world – they are designated for their cultural, historic, scientific or other form of global significance.
Where did I visit?
1. Natural and cultural heritage of the Ohrid region, North Macedonia – August 2024
Ohrid is unusual as it’s listed for both natural and cultural reasons, the designation covering both the city and lake. We stayed in Ohrid, which is one of the oldest human settlements in Europe. It has the oldest Slav monastery and many Byzantine icons. However, most people will recognise it from photos of the St John of Kaneo church.
We explored the local villages on a tour and also took a boat trip on the lake, which had its interesting moments as the captain was easily distracted! Although there are environmental challenges the lake water was incredibly clear and full of life, including snakes…
2. Boyana Church, Bulgaria – August 2024
I had originally planned to visit Rila Monastery, another UNESCO site a couple of hours from Sofia but we were a little ‘bussed-out’ from our trip across the region. Instead we decided to visit Boyana church, which is UNESCO listed due to its frescoes which were painted in 1259. The site is one of the best preserved examples of East European medieval art.
It’s a small site, so most people visit on organised tourist buses as part of a longer day trip to Rila. However, we reached it by local bus and a walk along a woodland path from Dragalevski monastery. This made it all the more special, particularly as there were no tourist buses around when we there. No photos allowed inside the church but the frescoes were spectacular.
3. Historic fortified city of Carcassone, France – August 2024
Carcassonne is famous as a medieval fortified town, although a settlement has existed here since pre-Roman times. I’d been looking forward to visiting for several years but I was disappointed to find it overrun with tourists. The walled city itself, with its inner and outer ramparts, is amazing but it was hard to ignore so many tourists and tourist shops.
My highlight was actually watching a large piece of machinery trying to negotiate its way out of the fortification. It took about 20 minutes and a lot of shouting!
4. Historic centre of Cordoba, Spain – April 2025
I loved Cordoba. The centrepiece is the stunning Mosque-Cathedral, with its red and white arches. Initially constructed as a mosque, and then converted to a cathedral in the 13th century, it’s probably the most stunning building I’ve visited. The designation also covers other monuments in Cordoba, including the Roman bridge, which we crossed several times, and the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos.
As well as these sights we enjoyed visiting many flower filled patios and watching the sunset from our local rooftop bar. You can read more about this trip in my inter-railing post.
5. Fortress of Suomenlinna, Finland – August 2025
Suomenlinna Fortress is a short ferry ride from Helsinki. It’s listed as an example of 18th century military architecture. In its relatively short history it has already defended three different states – Sweden, Russia and now Finland.
The complex spans six (small) islands and comprises over 200 buildings. One of the most interesting parts of the fortress for me was the dry dock. This is one of the oldest in the world, and although it was once used to build Sweden’s fleet, it is now used to repair traditional ships. The area is overlooked by a large observation deck, and I spent a long time here watching the restoration work.
Challenge partly complete
Challenge partly completed. Pop over to read the full list of my 60 things to do before I’m 60.