In a region full of well-visited historical and natural sites, these are some of the best that impressed UNESCO.
[Editor’s note: I’m using the definition of “Western Europe” given by National Geographic (and Wikipedia). For more info on these and the rest of the 900 World Heritage Sites around the globe, visit the UNESCO website.]
The name refers to five small, cliffside towns strung along several miles of the Ligurian Coast, connected by a hiking trail and local train line. The area was also declared a national park in 1999. Pictured above is Vernazza, the second-northernmost town of the five.
This area is the most glaciated of Europe’s Alps and is named after the 4,150m (13,640ft) peak of Jungfrau. It is one of the premier trekking and climbing destinations in Europe.
Bryggen is the name of the old wharf in the coastal city of Bergen. Its UNESCO value lies in its rows of traditionally constructed and brightly colored wooden structures.
Surtsey is a volcanic island just south of the Icelandic mainland that didn’t even exist until 1963, when an undersea eruption built up the square-mile landmass. It’s never been peopled, so it’s like an unspoiled natural laboratory.
Solstice brings the party to Stonehenge. For more quiet, head down the road to the Avebury circle or other Neolithic stone sites in the area, all of which are included in the UNESCO listing.
This central Italian town, seen here in panorama dominated by the Basilica of San Francesco, is the birthplace of St. Francis, the patron saint of animals and the environment. A complex of Franciscan-related landmarks make up the World Heritage Site.
Over 40,000 black basalt columns interlocked along the coast of County Antrim gave rise to legends of an ancient roadway used by giants to move between Ireland and Scotland. Today, we just call it a really cool natural phenomenon.
Following the Moorish conquest of Spain, Cordoba was hyped as a metropolitan peer to Constantinople, Damascus, and Baghdad in the Muslim world. Much evidence of this history survives today, such as the Great Mosque.
The best known sites in this ancient French city are the Papal Palace, the Episcopal Ensemble, and the 12th-century stone bridge, seen here behind a field of lavender blossoms.
Venice, Italy
Photo: a href=”https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/ride-on-gondolas-along-gand-canal-1276780198″>givaga/Shutterstock
From the UNESCO site: “Founded in the 5th century and spread over 118 small islands, Venice became a major maritime power in the 10th century. The whole city is an extraordinary architectural masterpiece in which even the smallest building contains works by some of the world’s greatest artists…
This island, 12km off the southwest coast of Ireland, was used as a monastic getaway for Irish Christian monks starting in the 7th century. It’s a hard place to get to, so even though it’s been on the UNESCO books since 1996, it sees few visitors apart from puffins.
The history of Brugge goes back to medieval times, and like many cities in the region, its system of canals has earned it the nickname “Venice of the North.”
Once the home of Portuguese kings, Evora’s history goes back much further, as demonstrated by the well-preserved Roman temple ruins that stand in the city center.
This Channel-facing coast is lined with limestone cliffs displaying 180 million years of geologic history. Visitors can hike the length of the World Heritage Site via the South West Coast Path, and its beaches are popular with surfers.
Probably founded by the Etruscans several hundred years before Christ, Siena came into its own during medieval times. The World Heritage Site includes the tower and adjacent Piazza del Campo, which was recently featured in the James Bond flick Quantum of Solace.
The Palace of Versailles and its exquisitely manicured gardens hosted the French royal court for different periods during the 18th and 19th centuries. These days, it’s pretty much a suburb of Paris.
Geirangerfjord (shown above) and Nærøyfjord “are considered as archetypical fjord landscapes and among the most scenically outstanding anywhere,” according to UNESCO. “Their exceptional natural beauty is derived from their narrow and steep-sided crystalline rock walls that rise up to 1,400 m from the Norwegian Sea and extend 500 m below sea level.”
Northern lights at Þingvellir National Park, Iceland
Iceland‘s first national park is now one of its most visited tourist attractions. It includes the rift valley that marks the edge of the tectonic Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and is obviously a nice place to catch the Northern Lights.
Once a peninsula, then an island, and now a peninsula again, Schokland has always existed at the mercy of the Dutch floodwaters. Human settlement was abandoned in 1859, so the area now offers a well-preserved look into the past.
