Only one of the original seven wonders of the world remains, but there are many more awe-inspiring places that astound and delight us.
From captivating ancient cities, medieval cathedrals and modern architectural gems, to biodiverse volcanic craters, thundering waterfalls and the world’s oldest landforms, these pictures will inspire you!
For five centuries under the Ming and Qing dynasties, ordinary Chinese people were banned from even approaching the walls of the Imperial Palace, hence its better-known name.
Today, the palace at the heart of the city welcomes visitors. Spread over 250 acres it’s a huge complex, grand in scale with well-preserved buildings. Inside there are objects and artifacts from thousands of years of Chinese history.
There are nearly 9,000 rooms to explore at this UNESCO World Heritage Site and you could easily spend the day here.
Most hotels can arrange an English speaking guide and help you book tickets in advance, as there is now a daily limit of 80,000 visitors. Ticket prices vary according to the season too, from $5.80 (£4.40) to $8.70 (£6.70).
Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
The world’s most famous wrought iron structure and symbol of Paris soars confidently above the elegant city.
It’s hard to believe that what’s now one of the most photographed landmarks in the world was only meant to be a temporary structure when it opened for the World Exhibition in 1889.
Many locals loathed it to begin with but it’s now the most-visited monument in the world that you have to pay for. It welcomes around seven million visitors each year.
Burj Khalifa, Dubai
A true wonder of the modern age, the world’s tallest building soars above the desert metropolis of Dubai. At a ground-breaking 2,717-feet-high, it dwarfs the surrounding skyscrapers.
The Burj lays claim to many other records too: being the tallest free-standing structure and having the most number of stories (160) in the world among them. Its striking design was inspired by minarets and a desert flower.
Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
Startlingly beautiful, this patchwork of lakes shimmers in varying shades of green, blue and turquoise. Connected by waterfalls and cascades, and surrounded by thick woodland, they’re a sight to behold.
You’ll find the phenomenally pretty lakes between Zagreb and Zadar. Not surprisingly, the national park has become one of the country’s top tourist destinations.
Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria
Austria is awash with lavish gilded palaces that hint at a bygone era and none more so than the magnificent Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna.
The Baroque masterpiece was the summer residence of the Habsburg emperors from the 18th century to 1918. UNESCO added the palace and its grand gardens to its World Heritage List in 1996 and it’s now Austria’s most-visited site.
Matterhorn, Switzerland and Italy
This imposing mountain that straddles the Swiss-Italian border isn’t the tallest but it’s the most mesmerizing peak in the Alps and one of Europe’s most beautiful natural spectacles.
Meaning “peak in the meadows” in German, its distinctive pyramid-shaped summit is nearly 15,000-foot-tall and a magnet for mountaineers (there’s no cable car to its summit).
Milford Sound, South Island, New Zealand
With soaring snow-capped mountains, dazzling waters and lush rainforest, the majesty of New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park gives Norway some stiff competition.
The jewel in this magical region in the island’s southwest corner is Milford Sound, one of the 14 fiords. Rudyard Kipling was onto something when he called it the “eighth wonder of the world”.
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, US
One of America’s most iconic structures, the Golden Gate Bridge is the world’s most photogenic bridge. Construction on the ambitious project began in 1933 and took four years to complete, with significant loss of life among the workforce.
Its 4,200-foot-long suspension span made it the longest bridge in the world until 1964. Its characteristic International Orange color was chosen to ensure visibility in the notoriously foggy Bay Area.
Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland
Witness nature at its most awe-inspiring from these towering cliffs on the west coast of Ireland. Reaching heights of up to 702 foot, these are some of the tallest cliffs in Europe and definitely the most majestic, as are the panoramas you get from the cliff edge: the crashing Atlantic ocean, surreal sea stacks and dramatic Irish skies.
Niagara Falls, Canada and US
This geological wonder that marks the border between New York and Ontario in Canada is the world’s most famous waterfall.
While it’s not the tallest or widest, Niagara Falls is a mightily impressive sight. It stands 167-foot-high with a water flow of over two million liters of water per second. In fact, it consists of three waterfalls on the Niagara River: Horseshoe Falls (or Canadian Falls), American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.
Geirangerfjord, Norway
When it comes to natural beauty, Norway has been blessed with more than its fair share of spectacular landscapes including its myriad beguiling fjords.
With its deep blue waters, tumbling waterfalls and vertiginous green slopes, the UNESCO-listed Geirangerfjord in western Norway is the most famously photogenic of them all.
The Golden Temple, Amritsar, India
The Golden Temple is one of India’s most holy and humbling sites, and among the world’s most beautiful places of worship. The 16th-century gilded temple appears to float above the Amrit Sarovar (reflective pool), shimmering majestically in the holy water. Thousands of people make the pilgrimage to this extraordinary and surprisingly serene place of worship in Punjab each year.
Lake Titicaca, Bolivia and Peru
Ethereal Lake Titicaca is South America’s largest lake and the highest navigable one in the world at 2,506 feet above sea level.
Straddling the border between Peru and Bolivia, its startlingly blue waters are a truly spectacular sight against the bright sky and snow-capped Andes.
The lake is incredibly sacred too: the ancient Incas believed it was the birthplace of the sun.
Winter Palace, St Petersburg, Russia
An absolute masterpiece of Russian Baroque architecture, the Winter Palace has to be seen to be believed. The lavish former residence of the Tsars in St Petersburg is now home to the Hermitage Museum and stuffed with incredible treasures.
Sitting on the banks of the Neva River, several different palaces were built in the 18th century, but the gleaming building that sits here today was built by Baroque architect Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli from 1754-62.
Alhambra Palace, Granada, Spain
Framed by the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, the Alhambra Palace is a Moorish masterpiece and one of Europe’s most stunning monuments.
Looming above the gorgeous Andalucian town of Granada, the Nasrid sultans ruled what was the last Spanish Muslim kingdom from this lavish royal palace for 250 years. They finally fell to Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile in 1492.
The Golden Temple of Dambulla, Sri Lanka
The largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka, Dambulla is crammed with countless vivid murals and precious golden statues of Buddha.
Constructed in the 1st century AD and inhabited by monks and hermits over the centuries, it has been a sacred pilgrimage site for a staggering 22 centuries.
Cologne Cathedral, Cologne, Germany
Cologne’s magnificent twin-spired cathedral, known as the Kölner Dom, is Germany’s largest Gothic church. Once the world’s tallest building, it took more than seven centuries to construct this ecclesiastical masterpiece. Work on the cathedral began in 1248 and was not completed until 1880, but it was worth the wait.
The Lake District, Cumbria, UK
Lofty fells, lakes, tarns, forests and waterfalls, this spellbinding landscape in the northwest of England is arguably the country’s most stunning and dramatic natural attraction.
Its extraordinary beauty has captivated and inspired many renowned artists and literary greats. The 885-square-mile Lake District National Park was awarded UNESCO world heritage status in 2017.
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Known as Mosi-oa-Tunya (“the smoke that thunders”) in the local language, this thundering curtain of water on the Zambia and Zimbabwe border is classed as the largest waterfall in the world, based on its width. It’s a whopping 5,604-foot wide and 354-foot long, a striking reminder of the power of nature.
Giant’s Causeway, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
It’s hardly surprising that this surreal rock formation on the coast of Antrim in Northern Ireland is steeped in magical legends.
The curious, near-perfect hexagonal columns are a marvel of nature. According to local legend, the causeway was built by Irish giant Finn MacCool so he could cross over to Scotland to confront his rival Benandonner.
However, scientists would have it that the basalt “steps” were caused by intense volcanic activity some 50 to 60 million years ago.