1. Statue of Liberty, New York, United States
Best time to visit: April-June, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City
- The copper statue, a gift from the people of France, its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel
- The statue was dedicated in 1886
2. Sydney Opera House, Australia
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Multi-venue performing arts center in Sydney
- Often regarded as one of the world’s most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of expressionist 20th century architecture
- Opened in 1973
Featured in The Best of Australia
3. Acropolis, Greece
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense
- Acropolises were used as religious centers and places of worship, forts, and places in which the royal and high-status resided
- Acropolises became the nuclei of large cities of classical ancient times, and served as important centers of a community
Featured in The Best of Greece
4. Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, that consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around 13 feet (4.0 m) high, seven feet (2.1 m) wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connecting horizontal lintel stones
- The whole monument, now ruinous, is aligned towards the sunrise on the summer solstice
- The stones are set within earthworks in the middle of the densest complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred tumuli (burial mounds)
Featured in The Best of England
5. Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
Best time to visit: June-Oct
Cost: $
- Iron lattice tower constructed from 1887-1889, as the entrance to the World's Fair
- Initially it was criticized by some of France's leading artists and intellectuals for its design
- Now it is one of the most recognizable structures in the world
- 81 stories, it's the tallest structure in Paris
Featured in The Best of France
6. Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
Best time to visit: May-Sept
Cost: $
- Campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of Pisa Cathedral, known for its nearly four-degree lean, the result of an unstable foundation
- The tower began to lean during construction in the 12th century, due to soft ground which could not properly support the structure’s weight
- It worsened through the completion of construction in the 14th century
- By 1990, the tilt had reached 5.5 degrees
- In 2001, the structure was stabilized by remedial work which reduced the tilt to 3.97 degrees
Featured in The Best of Italy
7. Colosseum, Rome, Italy
Best time to visit: Jan-April, Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- Oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome
- It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world today
- Construction began under the emperor Vespasian (69–79 AD) in 72
- The three emperors that were patrons of the work are known as the Flavian dynasty, and the amphitheatre was named the Flavian Amphitheatre by later classicists and archaeologists for its association with their family name (Flavius)
Featured in The Best of Italy
8. Golden Gate Bridge, California, United States
Best time to visit: Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km) strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean
- Recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Wonders of the Modern World, the bridge is one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco and California
Featured in The Best of California
#2 in Best Landmarks in the USA
#12 in Best Attractions in the USA
9. Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany
Best time to visit: late May-early June
Cost: $
- 19th-century historicist palace on a rugged hill of the foothills of the Alps in the very south of Germany
- King Ludwig II of Bavaria felt the need to escape from the constraints he saw himself exposed to in Munich, and commissioned Neuschwanstein Palace on the remote northern edges of the Alps as a retreat but also in honour of composer Richard Wagner, whom he greatly admired
- Construction began in 1869 but was never completed, and it was opened to the public shortly after King Ludwig II's death in 1886
Featured in The Best of Germany
10. Big Ben, London, England, United Kingdom
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London
- The name is frequently extended to refer also to the clock and the clock tower
- The official name of the tower in which Big Ben is located was originally the Clock Tower, but it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II
Featured in The Best of England
11. Mount Rushmore and Presidential Trail Loop, South Dakota, United States
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Best time to visit: June-Aug
Cost: $
- National memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills
- Sculptor Gutzon Borglum designed the sculpture, called Shrine of Democracy, and oversaw the project's execution from 1927 to 1941 with the help of his son
- The sculpture features the 60-foot-tall (18 m) heads of four United States presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln
- The four presidents were chosen to represent the nation's birth, growth, development and preservation
Featured in The Best of South Dakota
#4 in Best Landmarks in the USA
#19 in Best Attractions in the USA
12. Mont-Saint-Michel, Normandy, France
Best time to visit: June-Aug
Cost: $
- Tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy that lies approximately 0.6 miles off the country’s north-western coast
- The commune’s position on the island made it accessible at low tide to the many pilgrims to its abbey, but defensible as an incoming tide stranded, drove off, or drowned would-be assailants
- The island remained unconquered during the Hundred Years’ War; a small garrison fended off a full attack by the English in 1433
- Louis XI recognized the reverse benefits of its natural defense and turned it into a prison
Featured in The Best of France
13. Empire State Building, New York, United States
Best time to visit: April-June, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, built from 1930 to 1931
- Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the state of New York.
- The Empire State Building was the world's tallest building until the first tower of the World Trade Center was topped out in 1970; following the September 11 attacks in 2001, the Empire State Building was New York City's tallest building until it was surpassed in 2012
- As of 2022, the building is the seventh-tallest building in New York City, and the sixth-tallest freestanding structure in the Americas
14. Notre-Dame de Paris, France
Best time to visit: June-Oct
Cost: $
- Medieval Catholic cathedral widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture
- Contains relics such as the purported Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross, and one of the Holy Nails
- A 2019 fire damaged the cathedral and the landmark is currently closed, but is to be reopened in 2024
Featured in The Best of France
15. Giant's Gate and Causeway Coast Circular, Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: June-Aug
Cost: $
- Area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption
- The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea
- Most of the columns are hexagonal, although some have four, five, seven, or eight sides
Featured in The Best of Northern Ireland
16. Blue Domes of Oia, Greece
Best time to visit: April-May, Sept-Oct
Cost: $
- Town noted for its white and blue domed houses
- The houses are painted in white lime water so that the rainwater which falls over it runs down and can be collected
- The other reason for painting the houses white is for aesthetic purposes
- Impressive houses in the town are those "cliff houses" built in the niches carved into the caldera slopes with provision of air-filled pumice which provides insulation benefits to the building, keeping it warm in winter and cool in summer
Featured in The Best of Greece
17. St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Italy
Best time to visit: Jan-April, Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- Italian Renaissance church in Vatican City, the papal enclave partially completed with Michaelangelo
- Largest church in the world
- Completed in 1626
- The burial place of Saint Peter, one of Jesus's Apostles and also the first Bishop of Rome
Featured in The Best of Italy
18. London Eye, England, United Kingdom
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London
- It is Europe's tallest cantilevered observation wheel, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom
- When it opened to the public in 2000 it was the world's tallest Ferris wheel
Featured in The Best of England
19. Alcatraz Island, California, United States
Best time to visit: Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Small island 1.25 miles (2.01 km) offshore from San Francisco
- The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military prison
- In 1934, the island was converted into a federal prison
- The strong currents around the island and cold water temperatures made escape nearly impossible, and the prison became one of the most notorious in American history
- The prison closed in 1963, and the island is now a tourist attraction
Featured in The Best of California
#10 in Best Landmarks in the USA
#48 in Best Attractions in the USA
20. Times Square, New York, United States
Best time to visit: April-June, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City
- It is brightly lit at all hours by numerous digital billboards and advertisements as well as businesses offering 24/7 service
Featured in The Best of New York
#34 in Best Attractions in the USA
#36 in Best Landmarks in the USA
21. White House, Washington D.C., United States
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Official residence and workplace of the president of the United States
- It has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800 when the national capital was moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.
Featured in The Best of Washington D.C.
#26 in Best Landmarks in the USA
#61 in Best Attractions in the USA
22. Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France
Best time to visit: June-Oct
Cost: $
- Honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its surfaces
- Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I
Featured in The Best of France
23. Louvre, Paris, France
Best time to visit: June-Oct
Cost: $
- Most visited art museum in the world
- World's largest art museum with approximately 38,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century
- Originally a museum housed in the Louvre Palace
24. Milan Cathedral, Italy
Best time to visit: April-May, Sept-Oct
Cost: $
- Cathedral church of Milan dedicated to the Nativity of St Mary, and it is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan
- The cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete: construction began in 1386, and the final details were completed in 1965
- It is the largest church in Italy, the larger St. Peter’s Basilica is in the State of Vatican City
Featured in The Best of Italy
25. Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy
Best time to visit: Jan-April, Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- 18th-century fountain in the Trevi district in Rome
- It is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world
Featured in The Best of Italy
26. Tokyo Tower, Japan
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Communications and observation tower in the Shiba-koen district of Minato, Tokyo, built in 1958
- At 332.9 meters (1,092 ft), it is the second-tallest structure in Japan
- The structure is an Eiffel Tower-inspired lattice tower that is painted white and international orange to comply with air safety regulations
Featured in The Best of Japan
27. Palace of Versailles, France
Best time to visit: June-Oct
Cost: $
- Royal château in Versailles that is now a museum
- Village dating back to the 11th century, now a wealthy suburb of Paris
- Building the château and maintaining the court there was phenomenally expensive, but did a good deal to establish the dominance of French style and taste in the whole of Europe, giving French luxury manufacturing advantages
Featured in The Best of France
28. Westminster Abbey, London, England, United Kingdom
Best time to visit: March-May, Oct
Cost: $
- Westminster Abbey is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London
- Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 39 English and British monarchs, and a burial site for 18 English, Scottish and British monarchs
- At least 16 royal weddings have occurred at the abbey since 1100
Featured in The Best of England
29. Brandenburg Gate, Germany
Best time to visit: May-Sept
Cost: $
- 18th-century neoclassical monument in Berlin, built on the orders of Prussian king Frederick William II after restoring the Orangist power by suppressing the Dutch popular unrest
- One of the best-known landmarks of Germany, it was built on the site of a former city gate that marked the start of the road from Berlin to the town of Brandenburg an der Havel
- Throughout its existence, the Brandenburg Gate was often a site for major historical events and is today considered not only a symbol of the tumultuous histories of Germany and Europe, but also of European unity and peace
Featured in The Best of Germany
30. The Little Mermaid, Denmark
Best time to visit: March-May, June-Aug
Cost: $
- Bronze statue depicting a mermaid becoming human
- The sculpture is displayed on a rock by the waterside at the Langelinie promenade in Copenhagen
- Based on the 1837 fairy tale of the same name by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, the small and unimposing statue is a Copenhagen icon and has been a major attraction since its unveiling in 1913
Featured in The Best of Denmark
31. Buckingham Palace, London, England, United Kingdom
Best time to visit: Jan-May, Nov-Dec
Cost: $
- Buckingham Palace is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom
- Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the center of state occasions and royal hospitality
- It has been a focal point for the British people at times of national rejoicing and mourning
Featured in The Best of England
32. Tower Bridge, London, England, United Kingdom
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894
- It crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and is one of five London bridges owned and maintained by the Bridge House Estates, a charitable trust founded in 1282
- The bridge was constructed to give better access to the East End of London, which had expanded its commercial potential in the 19th century
Featured in The Best of England
33. Chrysler Building, New York, United States
Best time to visit: April-June, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Art Deco skyscraper on the East Side of Manhattan in New York City, it is the tallest brick building in the world with a steel framework, and it was the world's tallest building for 11 months after its completion in 1930
- As of 2019, the Chrysler is the 11th-tallest building in the city, tied with The New York Times Building
Featured in The Best of New York
34. Ellis Island, New York, United States
Best time to visit: April-June, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States
- From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 million immigrants arriving at the Port of New York and New Jersey were processed there under federal law
- Today, it is part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and is accessible to the public only by ferry
Featured in The Best of New York
#40 in Best Landmarks in the USA
35. Cloud Gate, Illinois, United States
Best time to visit: April-May, Sept-Oct
Cost: $
- Public sculpture that is the centerpiece of AT&T Plaza at Millennium Park in the Loop of Chicago
- Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" because of its shape
- Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams, and is inspired by liquid mercury
Featured in The Best of Illinois
#43 in Best Landmarks in the USA
36. Space Needle, Washington, United States
Best time to visit: Sept-Oct
Cost: $
- Observation tower in Seattle, considered to be an icon of the city
- It was built in the Seattle Center for the 1962 World's Fair, which drew over 2.3 million visitors
Featured in The Best of Washington
#9 in Best Landmarks in the USA
#85 in Best Attractions in the USA
37. Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: late April-May, Sept-early Oct
Cost: $
- Largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, after Frying Pan Lake in New Zealand and Boiling Lake in Dominica
- Grand Prismatic Spring was noted by geologists working in 1871, and named by them for its striking coloration
- Its colors match most of those seen in the rainbow dispersion of white light by an optical prism: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue
Featured in The Best of Wyoming
#2 in Best Attractions in the USA
#2 in Best National Parks in the USA
#8 in Best National Parks in the World
#11 in Best Attractions in the World
#15 in Best Landmarks in the USA
38. Twelve Apostles Overlook, Australia
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- The Twelve Apostles are a collection of limestone stacks off the shore of Port Campbell National Park, by the Great Ocean Road in Victoria
- The Twelve Apostles are located on the traditional lands of the Eastern Maar peoples
- Seven of the original eight stacks remain standing at the Twelve Apostles viewpoint, after one collapsed in 2005
- Though the view from the promontory by the Twelve Apostles never included twelve stacks, additional stacks—not considered part of the Apostles group—are located to the west within the national park
Featured in The Best of Australia
39. Palace of Westminster, London, England, United Kingdom
Best time to visit: Jan-May, Nov-Dec
Cost: $
- Serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Its name, which derives from the neighbouring Westminster Abbey, may refer to several historic structures but most often: the Old Palace, a medieval building-complex largely destroyed by fire in 1834, or its replacement, the New Palace that stands today
Featured in The Best of England
40. The Shard, London, England, United Kingdom
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- 72-story skyscraper, in Southwark, London, that forms part of The Shard Quarter development
- Standing 309.6 metres (1,016 feet) high, The Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, and the seventh-tallest building in Europe
- Construction began in 2009; and inaugurated in 2012
- The tower's privately operated observation deck, The View from The Shard, was opened to the public in 2013
Featured in The Best of England
41. Alhambra, Spain
Best time to visit: May-June, Sept-Oct
Cost: $
- Palace and fortress complex located in Granada, it is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Islamic world, in addition to containing notable examples of Spanish Renaissance architecture
Featured in The Best of Spain
42. Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain
Best time to visit: May-July
Cost: $
- Museum of modern and contemporary art located in Bilbao, Basque Country, opened in 1997 by King Juan Carlos I of Spain, with an exhibition of 250 contemporary works of art
- The museum features permanent and visiting exhibits of works by Spanish and international artists, and is one of the largest museums in Spain
Featured in The Best of Spain
43. Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, Spain
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Córdoba dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and located in the Spanish region of Andalusia
- Due to its status as a former mosque, it is also known as the Mezquita and as the Great Mosque of Córdoba
Featured in The Best of Spain
44. Tower of London, England, United Kingdom
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- The Tower of London, is a historic castle on the River Thames in central London
- The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078 and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new Norman ruling class
- The castle was also used as a prison from 1100 until 1952, although that was not its primary purpose
- As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat
- The general layout established by the late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site
Featured in The Best of England
45. One World Trade Center, New York, United States
Best time to visit: April-June, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City
- One World Trade Center is the tallest building in the United States, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, and the seventh-tallest in the world
- The supertall structure has the same name as the North Tower of the original World Trade Center, which was destroyed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001
- The new skyscraper stands on the northwest corner of the World Trade Center site, on the site of the original 6 World Trade Center
Featured in The Best of New York
46. Niagara Falls, New York, United States
Best time to visit: June-Aug
Cost: $
- Group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States
- The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, which straddles the international border of the two countries
- Bridal Veil Falls is separated from Horseshoe Falls by Goat Island and from American Falls by Luna Island, with both islands situated in New York
Featured in The Best of New York
#5 in Best Attractions in the USA
#6 in Best Landmarks in the USA