Daily · 16 June 2026
Top 100 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Ranked from 100 down to 1. Generated by /lad, illustrated by /iad.
#1
Great Wall of China
Series of fortifications built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states, stretching over 21,000 km. Inscribed 1987. Among the largest construction projects ever undertaken.
#2
Pyramids of Giza & Memphis Necropolis
The Great Pyramid, Khafre, Menkaure and the Sphinx — the only surviving wonder of the ancient world. Inscribed 1979.
#3
Machu Picchu
15th-century Inca citadel in the Peruvian Andes, 2,430 m above sea level. Inscribed 1983. Built around 1450, abandoned a century later, unknown to the outside world until 1911.
#4
Petra
Rose-red Nabataean city carved into Jordanian sandstone cliffs around the 4th century BCE. Inscribed 1985.
#5
Taj Mahal
Ivory-white marble mausoleum commissioned in 1632 by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Inscribed 1983.
#6
Acropolis of Athens
Ancient citadel above Athens containing the Parthenon, Erechtheion, Propylaea, and Temple of Athena Nike. Inscribed 1987.
#7
Historic Centre of Rome
The city's historic core including the Forum, Colosseum, Pantheon and Vatican extraterritorial properties. Inscribed 1980.
#8
Vatican City
The world's smallest sovereign state and the spiritual centre of the Roman Catholic Church. Entire state is the WHS. Inscribed 1984.
#9
Venice and its Lagoon
City of 118 small islands built on wooden piles in a saltwater lagoon, defining canal-and-bridge urbanism. Inscribed 1987.
#10
Historic Centre of Florence
Birthplace of the Renaissance — Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, Uffizi, Accademia. Inscribed 1982.
#11
Galápagos Islands
Volcanic archipelago in the Pacific where Darwin's observations seeded the theory of evolution. Inscribed 1978 (one of the first 12 WHS sites).
#12
Great Barrier Reef
World's largest coral reef system off Queensland's coast, visible from space. Inscribed 1981.
#13
Serengeti National Park
Tanzanian savanna staging the annual migration of 1.5 million wildebeest and 250,000 zebra. Inscribed 1981.
#14
Yellowstone National Park
First US national park, geothermal heart on the supervolcano caldera. Inscribed 1978 (founding-12 site).
#15
Grand Canyon National Park
1.8-billion-year geological record carved by the Colorado River into the Colorado Plateau. Inscribed 1979.
#16
Yosemite National Park
Granite cliffs, waterfalls, and giant sequoias in the Sierra Nevada. Inscribed 1984.
#17
Mount Fuji
Japan's sacred volcano and pilgrimage focus; inscribed 2013 as a cultural site for its artistic + religious significance.
#18
Ancient City of Kyoto
Seventeen monuments across Kyoto, Uji, and Otsu reflecting Japanese imperial-era wooden architecture from 794-1868. Inscribed 1994.
#19
Itsukushima Shrine
Shinto shrine with the famous floating torii gate on Miyajima, Japan. Inscribed 1996.
#20
Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites
Megalithic complex of 5,000-year-old ritual landscape in Wiltshire. Inscribed 1986.
#21
Tower of London
Norman fortress on the Thames, William the Conqueror's 1066 White Tower at its core. Inscribed 1988.
#22
Westminster Palace and Westminster Abbey
Seat of UK Parliament + the coronation church since 1066. Inscribed 1987.
#23
Edinburgh Old and New Towns
Medieval Old Town and Georgian New Town juxtaposed across the Scottish capital. Inscribed 1995.
#24
Sagrada Família and works of Antoni Gaudí
Seven Gaudí properties in and around Barcelona — Park Güell, Casa Vicens, Casa Batlló, Casa Milà, Crypt of Colònia Güell, Nativity façade of Sagrada Família. Inscribed 1984/2005.
#25
Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín
Moorish palace-fortress complex above Granada showing Nasrid civilization at its peak. Inscribed 1984/1994.
#26
Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay
Tidal island Benedictine abbey off the Normandy coast, founded in the 8th century. Inscribed 1979.
#27
Palace and Park of Versailles
Louis XIV's seat of absolute monarchy, model for European courts. Inscribed 1979.
#28
Paris, Banks of the Seine
The river's left and right banks from the Eiffel Tower to Île Saint-Louis — Louvre, Notre-Dame, Hôtel des Invalides etc. Inscribed 1991.
#29
Chartres Cathedral
13th-century French Gothic landmark, exemplary stained-glass programme. Inscribed 1979.
#30
Mont Saint-Michel
Medieval island commune off Normandy, walled monastery rising from tidal flats. Inscribed 1979.
#31
Old Town of Dubrovnik
Walled medieval Adriatic city of Croatia, restored after the 1991-92 siege. Inscribed 1979.
#32
Plitvice Lakes National Park
Cascading lakes and waterfalls in karst landscape of Croatia. Inscribed 1979.
#33
Historic Centre of Prague
Largely intact medieval-to-Baroque core spanning the Vltava. Inscribed 1992.
#34
Historic Centre of Bruges
Medieval Flemish trading city preserved largely intact with canals and Gothic civic buildings. Inscribed 2000.
#35
Amsterdam Canal Ring
17th-century concentric canal system, defining example of urban planning of the Dutch Golden Age. Inscribed 2010.
#36
Old Town of Tallinn
Medieval Hanseatic trading town of Estonia, walls largely intact since the 13th-16th centuries. Inscribed 1997.
#37
Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow
The political-religious centre of Russia since the 13th century. Inscribed 1990.
#38
Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg
Peter the Great's 18th-century Baltic capital — Hermitage, Peterhof, related monuments. Inscribed 1990.
#39
Lake Baikal
World's deepest and oldest lake (25 million years), holding 20% of unfrozen freshwater on Earth. Inscribed 1996.
#40
Hagia Sophia / Historic Areas of Istanbul
6th-century Byzantine basilica → mosque → museum → mosque, plus Topkapı, Süleymaniye, Hippodrome. Inscribed 1985.
#41
Cappadocia (Göreme Valley)
Volcanic-tuff landscape of rock-cut churches and cave dwellings of the early Christian period. Inscribed 1985.
#42
Pamukkale / Hierapolis
White terraced thermal pools above the ancient city of Hierapolis in Turkey. Inscribed 1988.
#43
Ephesus
Greco-Roman city of western Anatolia, library of Celsus and Temple of Artemis (one of the seven ancient wonders) at its core. Inscribed 2015.
#44
Wadi Rum Protected Area
Sandstone desert in southern Jordan recording 12,000 years of human history through petroglyphs. Inscribed 2011.
#45
Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls
Sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — the Wailing Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Dome of the Rock. Inscribed 1981.
#46
Masada
Hilltop fortress overlooking the Dead Sea in Israel, Herod's palace and site of the famous Jewish revolt against Rome. Inscribed 2001.
#47
Ancient Thebes (Karnak, Luxor)
Egyptian temples and tombs of the 18th-21st-dynasty pharaohs on both banks of the Nile. Inscribed 1979.
#48
Abu Simbel and Ancient Nubian Monuments
Ramesses II's rock-cut temples relocated when the Aswan Dam was built — themselves the catalyst for the WHS Convention. Inscribed 1979.
#49
Lalibela Rock-Hewn Churches
Eleven medieval churches carved straight down into volcanic rock in Ethiopia. Inscribed 1978 (founding-12 site).
#50
Aksum
Ruins of the ancient capital of the Aksumite Empire in northern Ethiopia, monolithic obelisks. Inscribed 1980.
#51
Tikal National Park
Maya city in Guatemala with towering temple-pyramids rising above jungle canopy. Inscribed 1979 (mixed natural/cultural).
#52
Chichen Itza
Mayan archaeological complex on the Yucatán Peninsula, El Castillo pyramid as its centrepiece. Inscribed 1988.
#53
Teotihuacan
Pre-Aztec city north of Mexico City — Pyramid of the Sun, Pyramid of the Moon, Avenue of the Dead. Inscribed 1987.
#54
Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco
Aztec Tenochtitlan layered with Spanish colonial centre + the floating gardens. Inscribed 1987.
#55
Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu
(see #3)
#56
City of Cuzco
Former Inca capital adapted by Spanish conquistadors, mixing Inca foundations with Baroque architecture. Inscribed 1983.
#57
Iguazu / Iguaçu National Park
Massive waterfall system on the Argentina-Brazil border, 275 individual cascades. Two WHS inscriptions, 1984 + 1986.
#58
Christ the Redeemer / Rio de Janeiro Cultural Landscape
Carioca landscape — Sugarloaf, Corcovado, Tijuca Forest, Copacabana — first urban site inscribed for its landscape. Inscribed 2012.
#59
Ouro Preto Historic Town
Brazilian Baroque mining town founded in the late 17th century. Inscribed 1980.
#60
Cartagena (Colombia) Port, Fortresses and Monuments
Spanish colonial walled city on the Caribbean coast. Inscribed 1984.
#61
Statue of Liberty
Bartholdi's 1886 gift from France standing in NYC's harbour. Inscribed 1984.
#62
Independence Hall
Philadelphia building where the US Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed. Inscribed 1979.
#63
Mesa Verde National Park
Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings in southwestern Colorado, occupied 600-1300 CE. Inscribed 1978 (founding-12 site).
#64
Banff / Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks
Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Kootenay national parks plus Mount Robson + Hamber provincial parks — 23,000 km² of glaciated wilderness. Inscribed 1984.
#65
Old Quebec Historic District
Only fortified North American city north of Mexico to retain its walls. Inscribed 1985.
#66
L'Anse aux Meadows
Viking settlement in Newfoundland — the only confirmed pre-Columbian European presence in the Americas. Inscribed 1978 (founding-12 site).
#67
Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata
Roman cities buried by the 79 CE eruption of Vesuvius. Inscribed 1997.
#68
Amalfi Coast
Cliff-clinging Mediterranean villages of Campania — Positano, Amalfi, Ravello. Inscribed 1997.
#69
Cinque Terre
Five Ligurian fishing villages clinging to a 15 km stretch of Italian Riviera coast. Inscribed 1997 as part of Portovenere/Cinque Terre/Palmaria-Tino-Tinetto.
#70
Historic Centre of San Gimignano
Tuscan hilltown of medieval tower-houses, 14 of the original 72 still standing. Inscribed 1990.
#71
Historic Centre of Siena
Tuscan city built around the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo, twice-yearly Palio horse race. Inscribed 1995.
#72
Sassi di Matera
Cave dwellings carved into a southern Italian limestone ravine, occupied continuously since the Palaeolithic. Inscribed 1993.
#73
Alhambra (#25 see above)
(see #25)
#74
Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba
8th-century Great Mosque of Córdoba converted to a cathedral after the Reconquista, hypostyle of 856 columns. Inscribed 1984 as part of the Historic Centre.
#75
Seville Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias
Three iconic buildings on the Andalusian capital's central square. Inscribed 1987.
#76
Santiago de Compostela Old Town
Galician pilgrimage destination — end of the Camino, Romanesque-Baroque cathedral. Inscribed 1985.
#77
Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture
Phoenician-era necropolis, 16th-century fortifications, and Posidonia seagrass meadows of the Balearic island. Inscribed 1999.
#78
Historic City of Toledo
Castilian medieval city of three cultures (Christian, Jewish, Muslim) on a Tagus-river promontory. Inscribed 1986.
#79
Mont Perdu / Monte Perdido (Pyrenees)
Calcareous massif on the France-Spain border, dramatic ravines and traditional pastoral landscapes. Inscribed 1997.
#80
Banc d'Arguin National Park
Mauritanian coastal park of sand dunes, marine vegetation, and mass-migratory bird stopover. Inscribed 1989.
#81
Sundarbans
World's largest mangrove forest at the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta on the Bangladesh-India border, last Bengal-tiger stronghold. Inscribed 1987 + 1997.
#82
Kakadu National Park
Aboriginal-managed park in Australia's Northern Territory with 65,000 years of rock-art tradition. Inscribed 1981 (mixed).
#83
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Sacred Aboriginal sandstone monoliths in central Australia. Inscribed 1987 (mixed).
#84
Tasmanian Wilderness
1.6 million hectares of temperate rainforest and alpine wilderness in Australia. Inscribed 1982 (mixed).
#85
Te Wahipounamu
South-West New Zealand fjordland and Southern Alps, last Gondwanan flora-fauna refuges. Inscribed 1990.
#86
Sydney Opera House
Jørn Utzon's 1973 expressionist landmark on Bennelong Point. Inscribed 2007.
#87
Angkor
Capital of the Khmer Empire 9th-15th centuries — Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon. Inscribed 1992.
#88
Borobudur Temple Compounds
World's largest Buddhist monument, 9th-century Mahayana stupa on Java. Inscribed 1991.
#89
Prambanan Temple Compounds
9th-century Hindu temple complex on Java, near Yogyakarta. Inscribed 1991.
#90
Komodo National Park
Indonesian park preserving the Komodo dragon habitat across three volcanic islands. Inscribed 1991.
#91
Ha Long Bay
Vietnamese gulf of 1,600 limestone karst islands and islets. Inscribed 1994.
#92
Mount Huangshan
Granite peaks and sea-of-clouds landscape in eastern China, central to Chinese landscape painting tradition. Inscribed 1990 (mixed).
#93
Mount Wuyi
Chinese tea-growing biosphere reserve with Han-era cliff-tomb culture. Inscribed 1999 (mixed).
#94
Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor
Site of the Terracotta Army near Xi'an — 8,000+ life-sized soldiers buried with Qin Shi Huang in 210 BCE. Inscribed 1987.
#95
Mogao Caves
1,000 years of Buddhist mural and sculpture art along the Silk Road oasis of Dunhuang. Inscribed 1987.
#96
Old Town of Lijiang
Yunnan trading town of the Naxi people with intact 800-year street and canal layout. Inscribed 1997.
#97
Potala Palace
Dalai Lama's winter palace in Lhasa, Tibet — 1,000 rooms across 13 storeys on a 130 m hill. Inscribed 1994.
#98
Persepolis
Ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (518 BCE), Iran. Inscribed 1979.
#99
Bagan
Buddhist temple-city on the Irrawaddy in Myanmar — 3,500 surviving temples and pagodas from 11th-13th centuries. Inscribed 2019.
#100
Easter Island / Rapa Nui National Park
Polynesian island of 887 monumental moai statues, isolated 3,500 km west of Chile. Inscribed 1995.