First off, the current conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran has spilled over into various other countries in the Middle East, and Iraq is one of them, particularly in capital Baghdad, parts of which have been targeted in retaliatory strikes by Iran and militias aligned with it. But while it´s definitely unsafe to travel to at the moment, once the crisis passes, this is a country that any curious traveler—particularly one interested in history—should visit. Because Iraq
UNESCO (24)
Guatemala´s "place of voices" is the largest of the ancient Mayan cities of the Classic period. Its monumental scale can still be admired, transporting us back in time to the era between 250 and 909 when it became one of the main cultural centers of the Mayan civilisation which today spans four other countries besides Guatemala (Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico).
It has more than 3,000 structures spread across an area of 16 square kilometres (just over six sq. miles) with
Virginia Humanities
Slow, lyrical, and deeply expressive, often described as "the sound of longing carried on Atlantic winds," morna emerged in the 19th century, particularly on the island of Boa Vista and later São Vicente, shaped by a blend of African rhythms, Portuguese song traditions, and even from Brazil and the Caribbean across the Atlantic. Over time, it evolved into a refined urban style, closely associated with cafés, salons, and small ensembles rather than large public performances.
Mus
Adam Smigielski
In good part because of its long civil war (from 1983 to 2009), this mostly Buddhist island nation of 22 million, located in the Indian Ocean to the southeast of India, is afflicted by overtourism yet is now attracting increasing numbers of visitors thanks to an amazing trove of sights and experiences, from coconut-palm-fringed beaches (some of which are great for surfing!); lush tea plantations; exciting wildlife-spotting safaris; a delectable cuisine; and friendly locals not
Zairon
This wealthy Persian Gulf kingdom - an archipelago of one large island and dozens of smaller ones off the coast of Saudi Arabia (and connected to it by causeway - is one of the Middle East´s smallest countries – packing a population of 1.6 million into a territory just a fifth the size of Wales and smaller even than the U.S. state of Rhode Island – you can drive across the main island in just under an hour. But it also boasts one of the region´s longest inhabited histories. stretching b
This landlocked country in South America´s Southern Cone is the continent´s biggest “blank space” for travelers. About the size of California and just under twice the size of Britain, but fairly sparsely populated, with a population of some seven million, it gets a fraction of the travelers welcomed by neighbors like Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru. The reason is that it doesn´t have the “star power” and marquee attractions that pull most first-time visitors. Paraguay’s appeal is d
UNESCO
An anomaly in South America, the continent´s only country where Dutch is spoken, and it’s also one of the continent’s smallest and least visited—roughly the size of the U.S. state of Georgia and a bit more than England and Wales put together — with a population of 630,000. Most Surinamese live along the Atlantic Ocean coast, especially in the capital Paramaribo, and the interior consists of vast Amazonian rainforest, sparsely populated and even roadless in many areas.
The region was exp
A British Overseas Territory with a land area of just 21 square miles – the size of a middling city anywhere in the world – and a population of 73,000, Bermuda is named after its original discoverer, Spanish explorer Juan de Bermúdez. It has been settled for 412 years and has been a popular tourist destination – especially for those in the United States, for whom it´s a flight of just over two hours from the East Coast – since the 1880´s, when the Hamilton Hotel (now the Fairmont
Some of the world’s most famous ruins can be found in this expansive, steamy lowland peninsula covering the southern Mexican states of Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo (as well as, many people don’t realise, northern Belize and the Guatemalan state of Petén, home to Tikal). The two best known, Chichén Itzá and Tulum, are celebrated for a reason. But if you’re particularly fascinated, as I am, with the Mundo Maya, you’ll want to add several more days to your visit here, as the
by Pamela Acosta Ruiz
Even in a hemisphere full of spots with unique appeal to visitors, Xochimilco in Mexico’s Federal District (about an hour from downtown Mexico City’s main square, the Zócalo) can claim a special place.An Aztec town dating back to the 10th century, today Xochimilco (“field of flowers” in the local Nahuatl language), it largely has the feel of a Mexico City suburb it's become, but with one major exception, for which it is justly famous: its 170-square kilometre (66-square-m
In southern Jordan, just under three hours from capital Amman, one of the most recognisable ancient sites in the MIddle East - and indeed, the world - was rediscovered by archaeologists in 1812. But it dates back to at least the 2nd century BCE and probably earlier, settled by an ancient Bedouin Arab tribe called the Nabataeans, who spoke Aramaic rather than Arabic and grew into a wealthy, powerful kingdom which at its height - and until it was absorbed by the Roman Empire in the
ERCC
A bit smaller than England and a bit larger than New Mexico this chunk of West Africa (formally known in French as Côte d'Ivoire), gets only some 670,000 visitors a year but deserves many more, as a fascinating mix of natural, cultural, and historical attractions. Here are its top draws:
Abidjan
The country's largest city as well as sub-Saharan Africa´s sixth largest (pop. around 5.7 million), the former political and still economic capital is a bustling metropolis with a mix of
Luca Galuzzi - www.galuzzi.it
The territory of what is today Libya, along with Algeria and Tunisia, was once part of ancient Rome´s second most prosperous region after Italy itself, beginning with the Roman Republic´s conquest of Carthage and the rest of the Punic Empire in 146 BCE and lasting until 439, when it was in turn conquered by Germanic Vandals. Its legacy (as well as that of ancient Greece, which had its own colonies along this coast) lives on today in some extraordinary archaeologic
José Balido
Congratulations are in order! UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) has just this summer honored Spain's capital city with its first World Heritage Site designation, elevating Madrid to the ranks of destinations with districts or monuments worth preserving for future generations (the larger Madrid community surrounding the capital already had UNESCO sites, including the royal complexes of El Escorial and Aranjuez, which make marvelous day
La baia di Halong è una bellissima meraviglia naturale nel nord del Vietnam, vicino al confine con la Cina. La baia è costellata da 1.600 isole e isolotti calcarei e si estende su una superficie di oltre 1.500 kmq. Questa straordinaria area è stata dichiarata patrimonio dell'umanità dall'UNESCO nel 1994.
Il modo migliore per raggiungere Halong è in auto, minibus o autobus da Hanoi, che dista solo 170 km. Se il budget non è un problema, è disponibile anche un trasferimento con la macchina privata
Dieter Mueller
When I started visiting one of Cuba´s earliest settlements (founded in 1514), down in the central south coast some five or so hours from Havana. in the late 1990s, Trinidad was a sleepy little colonial gem in the rough – as in, fairly shabby like most other Cuban towns, seemingly trapped in amber, even smaller feeling than its population of a little over 70,000.
The colonial quarter was all about cobblestone streets lined with those retro old U.S. cars parked in front of low-s
I will never forget, nearly 40 years ago, laying eyes for the first time on my first ancient archaeological site. About an hour’s drive north of Mexico City, this UNESCO World Heritage complex of temples absolutely electrified my imagination and became a driving force in my fascination with not just archaeology but travel and world cultures in general. Teotihuacán has that kind of impact.
Even after decades of study, archaeologists still aren’t quite sure who (Toltecs? Otomi? M
When it comes to tourism in Central America’s largest country, the city that tends to get most of the attention is Granada (while ironically, capital Managua is pretty much avoided by all but business people). But in many ways I find its traditional – and less tarted up for tourists/expats – rival Santiago de los Caballeros de León, even more fascinating, beginning with the fact that despite its somewhat lower contemporary profile among foreigners, Nicaragua's second largest city (aft
This legendary site tucked into the sandstone canyons of a valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba – one of those places, in fact, you could almost believe was invented as a set for an exotic Indiana Jones movie. And while Petra did in fact make a key and dramatic appearance in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, this is no film set. Instead, this fabled UNESCO World Heritage Site is a city hewn out of the living rock, with a history stretching back to the 2nd century CE but aband
