So what’s different about this list of the world’s Top 25
attractions? This list represents actual trips taken by thousands of travelers, blended with data on what attractions were most
frequently visited by the 20+ million travelers who researched and
planned their travels on Viator in 2010.#25. Ayers Rock (Uluru)
Uluru – or Ayers Rock – is Australia’s proud symbol, and site of spiritual significance for the Anangu people. Like an iceberg, it’s believed that only a third of the big red rock lies above ground. What we can see measures 3.6 km (2.5 miles) long, 348 meters (1,141 feet) tall, so Uluru is an awfully big rock. Ayers Rock is known for its fabulous colors at dawn and sunset, when the pitted rock surface turns from ocher brown to a rich burnished orange. Walking tracks lead around the base of the rock, ranging from easy 45-minute strolls to the circumnavigation which can take up to four hours and passes caves, paintings and sacred sites.
Uluru (Ayers Rock) - #25 on our list of the world's top attractions
Paris is home to many world-class museums; few will deny the Louvre sits preeminently at the top of the list. The fruits of human civilization from antiquity to the Renaissance and French masterpieces of the 19th century, Michelangelo’s Slaves, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, and works by Raphael, Botticelli, and Titian among many, many, many others.
#23. Dachau Concentration Camp
The Dachau Concentration Camp memorial was established in 1965, 20 years after Dachau was liberated by American forces. A visit to Dachau (located not far from Munich, Germany) is a sobering excursion – and an extremely important one. You will find no more moving and informative Holocaust site than Dachau.
#22. Kennedy Space Center
You don’t have to be a space junkie to enjoy NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the only spot in the United States from which humans have been hurled into space. The plethora of hands-on exhibits, IMAX movies, and sheer magnitude of the shuttles will impress. It’s located near Orlando, Florida.
#21. The Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is Australia’s greatest natural treasure, and the world’s largest coral reef. This underwater wonderland stretches for 2,300 km (1,426 miles) from Bundaberg to Australia’s northernmost tip. The reef encompasses almost 3,000 individual reefs and is home to around 1,500 species of fish, 4,000 breeds of clams, 500 types of seaweed, 200 species of birds, 1,500 different sponges and half a dozen varieties of turtles. Diving or snorkeling the reef is a true highlight of any visit to Australia.
#20. Palace of Versailles
Not far from central Paris, the Chateau de Versailles (Palace of Versailles) is a work of wonder and excess created by King Louis XIV. He took his father’s hunting lodge, transformed it into a work of wonder and excess and moved the whole court and government of France from Paris to Versailles in 1682. After the French Revolution in 1789, Versailles was no longer the seat of kingly power and, after 1830, it became the Museum of the History of France. See it all from the Hall of Mirrors to the King’s Grand Chambers, extensive formal gardens to Marie-Antoinette’s famous estate.
#19. The Pyramids of Egypt
The sole survivor of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Pyramids of Giza still live up to more than 4,000 years of hype. Their extraordinary shape, geometry and age render them somehow alien constructions; they seem to rise out of the desert and pose the ever-fascinating question, ‘How were we built, and why?’
#18. Mont Saint Michel
The slender towers and sky-scraping turrets of the abbey of Mont Saint Michel are one of the classic images of northern France. Rising from flat white sands, the abbey sits atop a small island encircled by stout ramparts and battlements, connected to the mainland by an old causeway. The bay around Mont Saint Michel is famous for its extreme tides. Depending on the season and the gravitational pull of the moon, the difference between low and high tides can reach 50 feet (15 m), although the Mont is only completely surrounded by the sea during seasonal equinoxes.
#18 - Mont St. Michel
The Great Wall of China is the greatest symbol of ancient Chinese engineering and one of the world’s most famous structures. Its name in Chinese means ‘Long Fortress’, and it was built to protect the northern edge of the Chinese empire against invasions from Mongolian nomads. All up, the Great Wall, including trenches and natural defensive features such as rivers, stretches 8,850km (5,500mi). It was begun in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) on a very simple scale, and was expanded and fortified in the Ming Dynasty.
#16. Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam (also known as Boulder Dam) is one of the largest in America. It was built between 1931 and 1936 across Black Canyon and above the mighty Colorado River. It’s a national historical landmark with remarkable views of the Colorado River, Lake Mead, and the canyons and valleys surrounding it. Needless to say, Hoover Dam is a must-see attraction and is an easy day trip from Las Vegas.
#15. Grand Canal of Venice
The Grand Canal is the main street of Venice. Lined with beautiful, if aging, palazzo, you can hop aboard a gondola and imagine a time when these boats were the main means of transport (once there was 10,000 now there are 400). The impressive palazzo, homes to all the wealthy families, had highly decorated exteriors with colorful paintings and mosaics. These days they tend to have faded to one color but many still have the ornate, oriental facades influenced by the merchant trading with the East which made Venice rich.
#14. Alcatraz
The roster of Alcatraz inmates read like a Most Wanted list. America’s first military prison then maximum-security penitentiary is now a National Park, reached via a scenic ferry ride on San Francisco Bay. Alcatraz is one of the most iconic sites in one of America’s most iconic cities, so a visit is nearly mandatory.
#13. Dome of the Rock / The Western Wall
As both the oldest and most famous Islamic shrine in the world, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is one of the most sought pilgrimage destinations in the world. Constructed on top of the site of the Second Jewish Temple around 690 CE, its historical and religious value is unprecedented. Just below (though not mutually accessible) is the Western Wall, sometimes called the Wailing Wall. It is perhaps the most significant landmark of the Jewish people and symbol of the Old City of Jerusalem. Jewish pilgrims from all around the world visit the site and pray to the embodied spirit of the holy presence while mourning the fall of the temple by kissing the wall and putting notes into its crevices.
#12. La Sagrada Familia
Its multicolored towers piercing the blue sky, La Sagrada Familia is no doubt the most iconic structure in Barcelona. The church, located in L’Eixample, has been a fixture in Barcelona since construction commenced in 1882 and as building continues on today the structure’s fame only grows. Though still a work in progress, the church already is an amazingly intricate structure. Antoni Gaudí spent 43 years on this project and since his death in 1926 the duty to finish it has been passed on to several architects. Though the responsibility continues to change hands over the years, the architects have all respected Gaudí‘s vision and have made additions with his design in mind.
#11. Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace has been the Queen’s official residence since 1837 (when Queen Victoria decided St James’s Palace, just down the road, was too small and unimpressive). Nowadays Buckingham Palace is where the Queen holds her most important parties, gives out her annual awards, and meets and greets important people from other countries. Most of the year Buckingham Palace is closed to the public. However in summer, when the Queen heads on holiday to Balmoral Castle in Scotland, it’s possible to step inside Buckingham Palace. You can wander through 19 lavishly furnished staterooms.
#10. Keukenhof Gardens
Amsterdam’s Keukenhof Tulip Gardens cover some 79 acres (32 hectares) and are the world’s largest flower garden. Come springtime, the meandering, wooded gardens are visited by some 800,000 flower-lovers, who come to soak up the blaze of color that envelops the park, its greenhouses, brooks and shady ponds and winding paths. It’s truly a memorable sight.
#10 - Keukenhof Tulip Gardens in Amsterdam
Around 3,500 years old, Stonehenge is a massive circle of standing stones and earthworks in the middle of a green field in Wiltshire. Whoever built the monument, Stonehenge is Britain’s most important ancient monument. Since 1986, Stonehenge (together with nearby Avebury Henge) has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
#8. The Colosseum
Rome’s Colosseum is one of the world’s best known sites from antiquity. It was here that the Roman emperors liked to watch gladiators stage to-the-death battles as well as to hunt and kill wild animals. Gladiatorial games were banned in 438 AD; the wild beast hunting continued until 523.
#7. Grand Canyon Skywalk
The Grand Canyon Skywalk is an exhilarating experience, suspended 4,000 feet (1,219 m) above the canyon floor. The Skywalk is a glass-bottom “U”-shaped bridge that overlooks the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon’s West Rim, and is the world’s highest man-made structure! Part of the draw, no doubt, is simply the magnificence of the Grand Canyon itself – truly one of the most remarkable natural settings in the USA.
#6. Moulin Rouge
The Moulin Rouge is the world-famous cabaret venue which opened in 1889. This was the time known as the Belle Epoque – France was not at war for a change, a century was coming to an end, creativity was blooming, and people were filled with the joys of life. What better time to launch a dance-hall of beautiful showgirls? The fact that Toulouse-Lautrec was obsessed with drawing them didn’t hurt, either. Opened by Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler, who were confident their place would outshine everywhere else, the Moulin Rouge had a huge dance floor, mirrors everywhere, and an atmosphere of total euphoria. Here aristocrats came to mingle with the riffraff and women of easy virtue. There were even donkeys for the ladies with an adventurous spirit. Today there are no donkeys, but the euphoria continues.
#5. Mt Fuji
The legendary Mount Fuji is 12,388 feet tall (3,776 meters) and is Japan’s highest mountain. With spectacular 360-degree views of Lake Ashinko, the Hakone mountains, and the Owakudani Valley, climbing Mt. Fuji is an unforgettable experience. Over one million people hike to the top of Mount Fuji each year. Mount Fuji is located in the heart of Hakone National Park. The climbing season is from July to August, when the weather is the mildest and there is the least amount of snow on the mountain. Named after Buddhist fire goddess Fuchi, Mount Fuji is a holy mountain: at its peak is a Shinto Shrine dedicated to the goddess Sengen-Sama.
#4. Neuschwanstein Castle
Commissioned as the private refuge for Ludwig II of Bavaria and now one of the most popular castles in Europe, the fairytale Neuschwanstein Castle is nestled into the idyllic scenery of the Bavarian Alps. It’s now recognizable as the inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle. During the winter, some of the best views of the snow-capped mountains can be seen from the palace grounds.
#3. Eiffel Tower
Built by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 World Fair, the Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel) in Paris was the world’s tallest structure at 1,050 feet (320 m) until Manhattan’s Chrysler Building was completed. Initially opposed by Paris’ artistic and literary elite, the Eiffel Tower was almost torn down in 1909. The tower’s salvation came when it proved an ideal platform for the antennas needed for the new science of radiotelegraphy. Today, the highlight of a visit are the views over Paris. When you’re done peering upward through the girders, three levels are open to the public.
#3 - The Eiffel Tower in Paris
The world’s tallest building from 1931 to 1977, the 102-story Empire State is currently the tallest building in NYC. The iconic skyscraper is topped with a stepped Art Deco pinnacle that’s floodlit at night and boasts holiday and commemorative colors throughout the year. The views from the building’s observation deck are superb.
#1. The Vatican
The popes were among the very first royalty to open their vast art collections to public viewing. Pope Julius II (1443 – 1513) began collecting sculpture during the Renaissance and, ever since, most popes have taken an active interest in art and in commissioning the best artists of their time. Today you can view the Vatican’s incredible collection while touring the so-called ‘Vatican Museums’, a huge complex of galleries and museums showcasing painting, sculpture, frescoes, tapestries and classical antiquities. Any visit to the Vatican should also include the famous Sistine Chapel and Raphael’s Rooms.
Adventure Traveler - Viator Team
