UNESCO World Heritage Sites

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

There are currently 1,154 UNESCO World Heritage listed sites in the world. Across 2020 and 2021, thirty-four sites were added to the official list, which can be seen here. The committee usually meet annually but the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee, initially scheduled from 19 – 30 June 2022, is postponed.

We are not overly obsessed with seeing as many UNESCO sites as possible during our travels but if we are near one, we certainly make the effort to go and see it.

To date, we have visited 327 sites between us (Mark 293 and Kirsty 260) in 86 countries and territories worldwide.

There are just 13 countries where we have visited all of the UNESCO sites; Albania, Armenia, Belize, Cambodia, Guatemala, Holy See, Laos, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal and Singapore.

Our highest tally to date is India (with 28 out of 40 sites visited), whereas some of our least impressive counts are very close to home – France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom itself!

Of the 1,154 sites, 897 are defined as cultural, 218 are natural and 39 are mixed properties. The accolade of being the country with the most number of sites (if you include sites shared with other countries) is goes jointly to Italy which has 58 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. China ranks seconds with 56 listings.

There are currently 167 countries and territories in the world with at least one UNESCO World Heritage listed site, so we’ve still got quite a way to go!

If you are interested in UNESCO World Heritage Sites and details such as what’s involved in getting listed by UNESCO as well as the pros and cons of inscription, read our post: UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Backgrounder.

Number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites Visited by Kirsty

Number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites Visited by Mark

Below is a list of all the countries that have UNESCO World Heritage Sites that we have visited. Click on the country to expand and see the sites within that country. And if we’ve written about the site, click on the link to read more.

Albania (4 sites/4 visited)

Butrint

Historic Centres of Berat and Gjirokastra

Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe

Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region

Argentina (11 sites/4 visited)

Los Glaciares National Park

Iguazu National Park

Península Valdés

Quebrada de Humahuaca

Armenia (3 sites/3 visited)

Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin

Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots

Monastery of Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley

Australia (20 sites/12 visited)

Great Barrier Reef

 

Kakadu National Park

Tasmanian Wilderness

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

Wet Tropics of Queensland

Shark Bay, Western Australia

Fraser Island

Macquarie Island

Greater Blue Mountains Area

Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens

Sydney Opera House

Australian Convict Sites

Austria (12 sites/2 visited)

Historic Centre of Vienna

Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg

Valletta Malta-12
Valletta, Malta
Bangladesh (3 sites/2 visited)

Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat

The Sundarbans

Belgium (13 sites/2 visited)
La Grand-Place, Brussels

 

Historic Centre of Brugge

Belize (1 site/1 visited)

Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System

Bolivia (7 sites/3 visited)
 

City of Potosí

Historic City of Sucre

Tiwanaku: Spiritual and Political Centre of the Tiwanaku Culture

Bosnia and Herzegovina (4 sites/2 visited)

Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar

Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad

Brazil (23 sites/1 visited)

Iguaçu National Park

Bulgaria (10 sites/2 visited)

Rila Monastery

Ancient City of Nessebar

Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Sundarbans National Park Bangladesh
Sundarbans National Park, Bangladesh
Cambodia (3 sites/3 visited)
Angkor

Temple of Preah Vihear

Temple Zone of Sambor Prei Kuk, Archaeological Site of Ancient Ishanapura

Canada (20 sites/1 visited)

Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks

Chile (7 sites/2 visited)

Rapa Nui National Park

Historic Quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaíso

China (56 sites/17 visited)

Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang

Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

Mogao Caves

The Great Wall

Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa

Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area

Ancient City of Ping Yao

Old Town of Lijiang

Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing

Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing

Longmen Grottoes

Yungang Grottoes

Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas

Historic Centre of Macao

South China Karst

Xinjiang Tianshan

Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor

Colombia (9 sites/1 visited)

Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments, Cartagena

Croatia (10 sites/5 visited)

Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian

Old City of Dubrovnik

Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – western Stato da Mar (also in Italy and Montenegro)

Historic City of Trogir

The Cathedral of St James in Šibenik

Cuba (9 sites/5 visited)

Old Havana and its Fortification System

Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios

Viñales Valley

Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos

Historic Centre of Camagüey

Czech Republic (16 sites/2 visited)

Historic Centre of Prague

Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc

Cyprus (3 sites/1 visited)

Paphos

Corfu Town Corfu Greece UNESCO
Corfu Old Town in Corfu, Greece
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (2 sites/1 visited)

Historic Monuments and Sites in Kaesong

Denmark (10 sites/1 visited)

Kronborg Castle

Ecuador (5 sites/3 visited)

City of Quito

Galápagos Islands

Historic Centre of Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca

Egypt (7 sites/4 visited)
Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis

Historic Cairo

Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur

Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae

Estonia (2 sites/1 visited)

Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn

Ethiopia (9 sites/4 visited)

Simien National Park

Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela

Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar Region

Aksum

France (49 sites/9 visited)

Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay

Palace and Park of Versailles

Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Rémi and Palace of Tau, Reims

Paris, Banks of the Seine

Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge

Chartres Cathedral

Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley

The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes

Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera

Leptis Magna Libya UNESCO

Leptis Magna, Libya

Stelea of the Great Plaza Copan Archaeological Site Honduras UNESCO

Stelea of the Great Plaza, Copan Archaeological Site, Honduras 

Borobudur Temple Borobudur Java Indonesia (45)

Borobudur Temple, Java

Georgia (4 sites/3 visited)

Gelati Monastery

Historical Monuments of Mtskheta

Upper Svaneti

Germany (52 sites/1 visited)

Cologne Cathedral

Greece (18 sites/5 visited)

Acropolis, Athens

Archaeological Site of Delphi

Medieval City of Rhodes

Archaeological Site of Olympia

Old Town of Corfu

Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessalonika

Meteora

Guatemala (3 sites/3 visited)
Antigua Guatemala

Tikal National Park

Archaeological Park and Ruins of Quirigua

Holy See (2 sites/2 visited)

Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura

Vatican City

Honduras (2 sites/1 visited)

Maya Site of Copan

Hungary (8 sites/1 visited)

Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue

India (40 sites/28 visited)

Agra Fort

Ajanta Caves

Ellora Caves

Taj Mahal

Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram

Sun Temple, Konârak

Keoladeo National Park

Churches and Convents of Goa

Fatehpur Sikri

Group of Monuments at Hampi

Khajuraho Group of Monuments

Great Living Chola Temples

Sundarbans National Park

Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks

Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi

Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi

Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi

Mountain Railways of India

Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus)

Red Fort Complex

The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur

Jaipur City, Rajasthan

Western Ghats

Hill Forts of Rajasthan

Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat

Historic City of Ahmadabad 

Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai

Indonesia (9 sites/4 visited)

Borobudur Temple Compounds

Komodo National Park

Prambanan Temple Compounds

Cultural Landscape of Bali Province: the Subak System as a Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana Philosophy

Iran (26 sites/8 visited)

Meidan Emam, Esfahan

Persepolis

Bam and its Cultural Landscape

Pasargadae

The Persian Garden

Masjed-e Jāmé of Isfahan

Golestan Palace

Historic City of Yazd

Israel (10 sites/3 visited)

Masada

White City of Tel-Aviv — the Modern Movement

Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls

(*) Officially, Israel has 9 sites but Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls was nominated by Jordan

Italy (58 sites/8 visited)

Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie with “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci

Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura

Historic Centre of Florence

Piazza del Duomo, Pisa

Venice and its Lagoon

City of Verona

Historic Centre of Siena

Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – western Stato da Mar (also in Croatia and Montenegro)

Bodhgaya India UNESCO

Mahabodhi Temple at Bodhgaya, India

Rinca Island Komodo National Park Indonesia UNESCO

Rinca Island in Komodo National Park, Indonesia

The Yungang Caves Datong China 20

The Yungang Caves in Datong, China

Japan (25 sites/9 visited)

Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area

Himeji-jo

Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)

Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama

Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)

Itsukushima Shinto Shrine

Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara

Shrines and Temples of Nikko

Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration

Jordan (5 sites/2 visited)
Petra

Wadi Rum Protected Area

Kyrgyzstan (3 sites/2 visited)
Western Tien-Shan

Sulaiman-Too Sacred Mountain

Laos (3 sites/3 visited)

Town of Luang Prabang

Vat Phou and Associated Ancient Settlements within the Champasak Cultural Landscape

Plain of Jars

Latvia (2 sites/1 visited)
Lebanon (5 sites/4 visited)

Anjar

Baalbek

Byblos

Tyre

Libya (5 sites/4 visited)

Archaeological Site of Cyrene

Archaeological Site of Leptis Magna

Archaeological Site of Sabratha

Old Town of Ghadamès

Lithuania (4 sites/1 visited)
Luxembourg (1 site/1 visited)

City of Luxembourg: its Old Quarters and Fortifications

Angkor Thom Bayon Angkor Siem Reap Cambodia 222
Angkor Thom in Cambodia 
Malaysia (4 sites/3 visited)

Gunung Mulu National Park

Kinabalu Park

Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca

Mali (4 sites/3 visited)
Timbuktu

Old Towns of Djenné

Cliff of Bandiagara (Land of the Dogons)

Malta (3 sites/1 visited)
City of Valletta
Montenegro (4 sites/2 visited)

Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor

Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – western Stato da Mar (also under Italy and Croatia)

Morocco (9 sites/7 visited)

Medina of Fez

Medina of Marrakesh

Historic City of Meknes

Rabat, Modern Capital and Historic City: a Shared Heritage

Medina of Essaouira (formerly Mogador)

Archaeological Site of Volubilis

Medina of Tétouan (formerly known as Titawin)

Myanmar (Burma) (2 sites/2 visited)

Pyu Ancient Cities
Bagan

Old Town Warsaw Poland-4
Castle Square, Old Town Warsaw in Poland
Netherlands (12 sites/1 visited)

Seventeenth-Century Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht

Nicaragua (2 sites/1 visited)
León Cathedral
North Macedonia (2 sites/1 visited)

Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region

Norway (8 sites/2 visited)
Bryggen

Struve Geodetic Arc

Oman (5 sites/1 visited)

Bahla Fort

Pakistan (6 sites/2 visited)
Taxila

Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore

Palestine (3 sites/2 visited)
Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem

Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town

Peru (13 sites/4 visited)

City of Cuzco

Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu

Historic Centre of Lima

Historical Centre of the City of Arequipa

Poland (17 sites/7 visited)

Historic Centre of Kraków

Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines

Auschwitz Birkenau

Historic Centre of Warsaw

Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork

Medieval Town of Toruń

Centennial Hall in Wrocław

Republic of Korea (15 sites/1 visited)

Gyeongju Historic Areas

Romania (9 sites/2 visited)

Historic Centre of Sighisoara

Danube Delta

Russian Federation (30 sites/2 visited)

Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments

Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow

Basilica de la Asuncion (Leon Catedral) Leon Nicaragua (120)
Leon Catedral in Nicaragua
Serbia (5 sites/4 visited)

Medieval Monuments in Kosovo

Studenica Monastery

Stari Ras and Sopocani

Gamzigrad-Romuliana, Palace of Galerius

Singapore (1 site/1 visited)

Singapore Botanical Gardens

Spain (49 sites/5 visited)

Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada

Historic Centre of Cordoba

Works of Antoni Gaudí

Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville

Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida

Sri Lanka (8 sites/7 visited)

Ancient City of Polonnaruwa

Ancient City of Sigiriya

Sacred City of Anuradhapura

Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications

Sacred City of Kandy

Golden Temple of Dambulla

Central Highlands of Sri Lanka

Switzerland (13 sites/1 visited)

Old City of Berne

Syrian Arab Republic (6 sites/5 visited)

Ancient City of Damascus

Ancient City of Bosra

Site of Palmyra

Ancient City of Aleppo

Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din

Tajikistan (2 sites/1 visited)

Tajik National Park (Mountains of the Pamirs)

Tanzania (7 sites/2 visited)

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Serengeti National Park

Thailand (6 sites/3 visited)

Historic City of Ayutthaya

Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns

Ban Chiang Archaeological Site

Tunisia (8 sites/6 visited)

Amphitheatre of El Jem

Archaeological Site of Carthage

Dougga /Thugga

Medina of Sousse

Medina of Tunis

Kairouan

Turkey (19 sites/13 visited)

Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia

Historic Areas of Istanbul

Nemrut Dağ

Hierapolis-Pamukkale

Xanthos-Letoon

Archaeological Site of Troy

Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape

Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape

Ephesus

Archaeological Site of Ani

Selimiye Mosque and its Social Complex (Edirne)

Hattusha: the Hittite Capital City of Safranbolu

Cappadocia Turkey UNESCO
Gulludere (Rose) Valley, Cappadocia in Turkey
Ukraine (7 sites/4 visited)

Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

L’viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre

Primaeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians

Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans (Chernivtsi University)

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (32 sites/15 visited)

Durham Castle and Cathedral

Ironbridge Gorge

Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites

City of Bath

Frontiers of the Roman Empire

Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including Saint Margaret’s Church

Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine’s Abbey, and St Martin’s Church

Tower of London

Maritime Greenwich

Old and New Towns of Edinburgh

Dorset and East Devon Coast

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape

The Forth Bridge

The English Lake District

United States of America (24 sites/3 visited)

Grand Canyon National Park

Statue of Liberty

Yosemite National Park

Uruguay (3 sites/1 visited)

Historic Quarter of the City of Colonia del Sacramento

Uzbekistan (5 sites/3 visited)

Historic Centre of Bukhara

Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz

Samarkand – Crossroad of Cultures

Vietnam (8 sites/4 visited)

Complex of Hué Monuments

Ha Long Bay

Hoi An Ancient Town

My Son Sanctuary

Zimbabwe (5 sites/2 visited)

Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls

Matobo Hills

Halong Bay Vietnam UNESCO
Halong Bay, Vietnam
Dormition Cathedral Kyiv-Pecherskaya Lavra Kyiv Ukraine

Dormition Cathedral Kyiv-Pecherskaya Lavra in Kyiv, Ukraine 

Wat Mahathat Sukhothai Historical Park Thailand 29

Wat Mahathat in Sukhothai Historical Park, Thailand

The Capitol Dougga Tunisia-9

Dougga, Tunisia

UNESCO World Heritage Sites Mapped Out

This is a fantastic map for identifying the locations and exploring of all UNESCO World Heritage Sites. You can zoom in a particular country and also use the toggle function to show tentative sites.

Easter Island Chile UNESCO