8. Chichen Itza, Mexico
Chichen Itza was the first historical place we visited. I remember working in the film industry and we booked an all-inclusive trip to Cancun. My boss told me that I had to go to Chichen Itza. So I did!
This UNESCO World Heritage Site blew my mind. We actually visited Chichen Itza a few years ago when you could still climb to the top of El Castillo. This is where we became fascinated with Mayan culture and ancient civilizations. After visiting this ancient city on the Yucatan Peninsula, we decided to see them all in the future.
If you can rent or hire a car to visit before the tour buses arrive, we highly recommend it. The place is very busy. Chichen Itza – Chichen Itza is a long drive from Cancun, so combine it with a full tour with stops in Cenote and the colonial city of Valladolid. Chichen Itza has also been named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
9. Italian Colosseum
9. Italian Colosseum
I’m not going to lie, we were spoiled for choice when we visited the Colosseum for the first time. We lived in a luxury apartment across the street from this ancient ruin and looked out our bedroom window every morning at the Colosseum. What we woke up to was an extraordinary sight. The giant amphitheater (also known as the Flavian Amphitheater) in the heart of Rome is a top tourist attraction in Rome
Dating back to 72 AD, the Colosseum was used by gladiators to fight to the death. Much of Rome is a UNESCO protected area, as it is filled with monuments and museums, including the nearby Palantini Hill, Piazza della Roma, the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps.
10. Greek Acropolis
I’ll admit, our first visit to the Parthenon in Athens, Greece was a bit of a bust because Dave was suffering from diarrhea. (That’s how travel works sometimes). But we did succeed and it was worth the wait. I think it was during our second visit that we really fell in love with the ancient sites of Athens. After receiving passes to six archaeological sites, we spent three days exploring their monuments. This monument, which has stood in Athens for over 2,000 years, is a tribute to ancient Greece.
Enjoy the beautiful views as you stand at the most famous Parthenon complex. Dedication to the goddess Athena dates back to the mid-4th century B.C. Nike Temple and Herodes Atticus Theater of the Odeon.
11. India’s historical sites – Taj Mahal
12. Chinese Monuments – Terracotta Warriors and Horses
The Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an, China, are fascinating. After being rediscovered only in the 20th century, they have been carefully reconstructed. The underground army was founded around 2200 by Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor to unify China.
The underground monument took 38 years to build and cost 700,000 people. The craftsmen who built this masterpiece were killed to keep the location a secret. It worked because no one knew where the entrance to the tomb containing 8,000 terracotta warriors and horses leading bronze chariots was buried until it was discovered by a farmer in 1974.
13. Myanmar Monuments – Bagan
Dave and I have seen many pagodas and temples in Asia, from Borobudur to Angkor Wat, but it was the historic city of Bagan that took our breath away. Located on the banks of the Irrawaddy River in Burma, Bagan is a huge temple complex built between the 11th and 13th centuries.
There were once over 10,000 temples, and 3,500 still exist today and today. Bagan barely made it onto the UNESCO World Heritage List after the Burmese military government restored many of the temples in a shoddy manner, but once the restrictions were lifted, it eventually made the list. Read more
14. Stonehenge, England
Stonehenge in England is one of the best places to celebrate the winter solstice. It made a lot of news this week when it displayed a brilliant sunrise after the longest night of the year. UNESCO historical sites date back 5,000 years, but no one really knows what they were used for. Theories range from cemeteries, places of worship and places of religious ritual. I’ll stick with aliens.
