UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe

Skogskyrkogården is a huge woodland cemetery in Stockholm. It was enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994 due to its unique landscape and chapels. The cemetery was created between 1917 and 1920 by two young architects, Asplund and Lewerentz. Their design blends vegetation on sites with architectural elements, taking advantage of the topography of the site. Additional chapels, each designed by Asplund or Lewerentz, were added between 1923 and 1940. The design was groundbreaking due to lack of symmetry and order. There are only a few footpaths and graves were laid out within the forest without excessive alignment, apparently inspired by ancient Nordic burial sites. Asplund and Lewerentz’s design has since had a profound influence on landscape architecture afterwards.

UNESCO enlisted Visby is perhaps the coolest town in Sweden, and certainly one of the most pleasant. For one thing, it’s enclosed by a thick stone wall, with several relatively intact portals and towers, dating back to the 12th and 13th century. The town itself consists of cute little stone and wooden houses, cobble-stone streets (only residents may drive here in summer), an abundance of roses and gorgeous views of the Baltic Sea. Add a host of cafes, restaurants, craft and deli shops and nearby beaches, and you’ve got your perfect summer destination. Because that’s what it is: a summer destination. In July, downtown Visby never sleeps as the party moves here from Stockholm, and in August the town goes medieval-crazy. But quiet corners are never far away, and if you visit in winter, although far gloomier, the snow-covered stone ruins are no less beautiful.

A landscape so imaginary and weird that it's hard to believe it's made by nature. The soft underlaying volcanic rock has been shaped by time, wind and water and left in the most fantastic formations with harder boulders balancing on top of tall rock chimneys. To add further magic to the place the mountain sides and underground have been dug out for housing, monasteries and even whole underground cities for thousands of years. It was in these multi levelled underground complexes where the Christians hide from the Romans to escape their prosecution. Some of the cities are more than 80 meters deep with eight floors and could accommodate more than 20.000 people. It's a truly unique place and you can even sleep in some of the many cave hotels in the area.

Nemrut is a mountain in eastern Turkey. So far nothing special, but in the first century B.C. king Antiochus build something mind blowing on the dusty summit. Huge statues of up to 9 meters tall of himself and a number of Greek, Armenian and Persian gods, and to top it of, an artificial peak of stone rubbles which is believed to be his tomb (but nobody knows). Today the statues are broken into pieces that are scattered on the mountain top, but the giant heads are still gazing proudly over the plateau below.

Underneath several gold-domed churches are two monastery caves, upper Lavra and lower Lavra. Each is an underground pathway with several niches where coffins and mummified monks are on display for public curiosity and worship. It is a strange religious tourist attraction where candle sellers also boast kitsch souvenirs like plastic icons. The passageways are pitch dark so you need to buy a candle to light your way, which can seem a bit dangerous when the tunnels get jam-packed with pilgrims. Though some visitors just come for the novelty factor, most consider it holy and a place for miracles. They cross themselves, kneel down for a short prayer and some might even kiss the glass cases containing a dressed corpse of a deceased monk. Photographing in the caves is not allowed, as you would have guessed from the above ground picture.

Bath was first established by the Romans as a spa, built around hot springs, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Roman Baths are the major draw card of this large town, you will pay a bit to get in, however it is well worth it. Most locals come to Bath to shop, but for the traveller, there are numerous other things to see that are not too costly: Bath Abbey, Pulteney Bridge, The Royal Crescent, The Circus, The Pump Room and for all of you whose heart skips a beat for Mr Darcy, there is the Jane Austen Centre complete with costumes to try on. If you have a few hours and aching muscles, then find your way to the Thermae Spa, where you can soak in the naturally hot spring waters of the town. If you are lucky enough to be there on a Saturday, there are markets and buskers on Stall street, otherwise marvel at the Edwardian architecture and appreciate the wonders of the Roman Empire.

Durham is a small but elegant university town dominated by England's finest Norman cathedral. You might have the feeling that you have seen this grand 11th century cathedral before, for it was used in the Harry Potter movies as the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - a fact they are strangely shy about. Both the gorgeous cathedral and the next-door Durham Castle are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and are the centre for the cobblestone old Durham town. It would have been picture-perfect, if it wasn't for the collection of drab concrete extensions of the university. For the best views of the cathedral and its massive towers, take a stroll through the woods on the other side of River Wear.

The Giant's Causeway is a surreal area of packed naturally-made hexagonal rock columns. There are more than 40,000 of them, formed some 60 million years ago when lava from an ancient volcano cooled off. They are stacked together in such a way that they stick right into the air, making a natural giant stepping stone pathway stretching out to the sea, hence the name. It has of course led to myth and legends involving giants. The same rock formations can also be seen at the island of Staffa in Scotland (Fingal's Cave) across the sea. You are welcome to walk on the columns, but be careful not to get too close to the crashing Atlantic waves. It's fascinating to see how well-defined the geometrical shaped columns are from the rest of the otherwise ordinary rocky shore. If you can take your eyes off the wonder, the view of the Northern Ireland coastline is almost equally spectacular. The Giant's Causeway is well-deserved an UNESCO World Heritage Site - and Northern Ireland's only.