There are some people who love lists, and others who don’t bother. If you’re an important cultural or natural place, however, then you really do want to be on the list. The UNESCO World Heritage List, that is, where positions are sought after like gold dust. Not only do they have to work hard to be given the UNESCO accolade, but they have to keep those laurels in good condition to stay on it. Being de-listed from the UNESCO list often gets more PR than winning it, sadly. From wine regions to nature reserves, ancient city centres to lost city ruins, if you are one for travel lists, here are some of our top UNESCO sites to add on there.
Albania
It’s like doing a Peleton scenic ride on our Albanian cycling holidays around this country’s historic UNESCO sites. It starts in Tirana and finishes in Radhimë, on the Ionian Sea. World Heritage Sites along the way include the remote town of Gjirokastër, with its Ottoman stone architecture, fortress and superb views, and the impressive Greek and Roman ruins in Butrint National Park. And you can’t miss Lake Ohrid, which has gained UNESCO recognition for both its natural and cultural importance. You can do this tour in a guided small group, or self-guided. Neither has a Peleton instructor yelling in your ear. You also spend a night at Gjirokastër on our walking holiday in southern Albania.
Armenia
Geghard Monastery is top of the list for most travellers to Armenia, which isn’t just one building but a collection of colossal churches, sacred spaces and tombs cut into rock. The rock being the cliffs of the Azat Valley which is also recognised as part of the same UNESCO listing. It’s a fitting finale to our ten day Armenia Explorer trip, although on day one you are driven to the UNESCO-listed Echmiadzin Cathedral, just 20km away but a journey heading back many centuries. For more ancient wonders, you can combine Georgia and Armenia on this tour, with two additional Armenian monasteries to hike to in the Tumanian region, namely Sanahin and Haghpat, both important centres of sacred learning.
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Blagaj Tekija Monastery is one of many architectural and ecclesiastical gems that you spot along the country’s Ciro Trail, a cycling route that takes you between Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Dubrovnik in Croatia. But this one, just outside Mostar, takes your breath away. It’s perched on a 200m cliff, and really worth a visit to learn about the dervish spiritual practices that started here in the 16th century, at the height of the Ottoman Empire. Thanks to its elevation, you also get some superb views of the river. And thanks to its preservation, it was awarded UNESCO status as recently as August 2024.
Bulgaria
The Pirin Mountains in Bulgaria are not only protected by national park status, but are also on the UNESCO list. UNESCO deals with the least developed parts of the range, far from ski resorts and hotels. It protects the heart of its elevated landscapes where ancient Macedonian and Bosnian Pine thrive, and an array of Balkan endemic plants are well ensconced in the glacial terrain. On our walking holiday in the Pirins, you can trek reasonably easily to the range’s highest peak, Mt. Vihren, (2,914m), and to other remote spots that are list-worthy.
For those who like to keep their foot on the pedal rather than on mountain terrain, this holiday ups your UNESCO game, covering all of Bulgaria’s sites over nine days. Start and end this cultural circuit in Sofia, with a first stop at nearby Boyana Church, made up of three buildings boasting perfectly preserved medieval art. Other Bulgaria UNESCO sites included en route are Rila Monastery, the Thracian tombs of Kazanlak and Sveshtari, as well as Ivanovo Rock Monastery.
Cyprus
At the heart of Cyprus is a UNESCO Geopark, another UN designation but this one focuses on great geological formations. Cyprus’ geo-greatness is the Troödos Mountains, the island’s largest range, a landscape peppered with juniper, ancient olive and black pine trees as well as snow-capped peaks. Our walking holiday in Cyprus takes you through the Troödos Mountains on a superb collection of trails over eight days, as well as to the island’s UNESCO-listed painted churches, one of the most spectacular collections of Byzantine churches and monasteries in Europe.
Czechia
Czechia has the gift of a UNESCO Geopark running through it, namely Bohemian Paradise, which you can cycle or hike through on our tours. Known locally as Cesky Raj, these are epic landscapes of naturally eroded sandstone rock towers peeping up over forest canopies, waterfalls tumbling into vertical cracks in the rock and trails through rock labyrinths or ancient rock ‘towns’. Our cycling tour here starts in the UNESCO-listed town of Český Krumlov, where you spend the night, so you have plenty of time to explore this medieval and Renaissance town, where its castle takes centre stage. You also get a chance to explore the UNESCO Holašovice village, just outside the town, protected because of its traditional farmsteads all located around a village green, in a style known as Folk-Baroque.
England
Hadrian’s Wall is one of the UK’s largest historic sites, not only listed but also loved by hikers from across the world. Although it once had its own special place on the list, it’s now part of a larger UNESCO umbrella, joining forces with many other sites to become a transnational listing called Frontiers of the Roman Empire. Hikers rather than historians know it for the Hadrian’s Wall Path, a Roman ramble of 135km that starts in Newcastle on the North Sea and finishes at Solway Firth on the Irish Sea. It’s a journey not only to historic sites such as Vindolanda and Housesteads Roman forts but also through natural triumphs such as Northumberland National Park.
France
With a vast acreage of its capital city is on the list, along with greats such as Avignon, Lyon and Bordeaux, France could be said to be greedy in its cultural kudos. So, we are picking out just two of the greats, one with a cultural duo and the other with a natural phenomenon. The first one has to be our cycling holiday between Fontainebleau and Versailles, topped and tailed with two ultimate UNESCO treats. Head south for the other UNESCO wonder of the Mont Perdu region, which is listed as an Outstanding Mountain Landscape, and is on the border with Spain. Hikers seek out the three cirque walls on the massif’s northern slopes which you can explore on our Pyrenees High trails walking holiday and Lavedan Valleys and villages trekking tour.
Georgia
In addition to the aforementioned tour that takes you to UNESCO sites in both Armenia and Georgia, we have another walking holiday that takes you through one of Georgia’s most special regions: the Upper Svaneti in the Caucasus Mountains, valued particularly for its traditional tower houses, but also for the fact that it was untouched by external influences for centuries, due to its geographic isolation. On our walking holiday there, you spend time in Ushguli, one of the highest continuously inhabited settlements in Europe and part of the UNESCO site, along with many other villages that you visit on your hikes. Such as Chazhashi, which has over 200 of these traditional houses, all with views across the superb mountain scenery.
Germany
There’s one spot on our Moselle Trail holiday that is UNESCO-worthy, and that is Trier. This is Germany’s oldest city having been established by the Romans. On this holiday your last three nights are spent in Trier, not only so that you can explore its incredible array of Roman monuments and other ancient architecture, but also to enjoy some trails around it, such as up Petrisberg, with top views across the city and valley.
Heading to another river, the Elbe, you can take in some very cool UNESCO sites on our cycling holiday between Hamburg and Dresden. Such as the Bauhaus buildings which were home to Kandinsky, Klee and Feiningerin in Dessau. Or the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz, famous for its landscape and design dating back to the 18th century, otherwise known as the Age of the Enlightenment. The River Elbe and its floodplain is also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, but that’s a whole other list.
Greece
Given that it’s a land of deities, it’s not surprising that Greece is revered by UNESCO, with sites like the Acropolis, the medieval city of Rhodes and the Archaeological Site of Delphi topping the list. We are going to focus on two UNESCO sites, the first being the fortified Old Town of Corfu, which dates back to the 8th century BC. On both this cycling tour and walking holiday you spend two nights there, giving you plenty of time to explore the three Venetian forts of the town as well as its fortified Mediterranean port.
Our other Greek choice is described by UNESCO as the Zagori Cultural Landscape, which is a collection of small stone villages in the Pindus Mountains, connected by cobbled paths, ancient staircases and stone bridges. All of which make it perfect terrain for trekkers, as you can explore on our Zagori walking holiday.
However, it’s the nearby mystical Meteora rock formations, with ancient monasteries built on top, that may well take the prize for most jaw-dropping UNESCO moment. On these holidays, you get to visit two of them and we were honoured to host award-winning travel writer, Duncan Craig, for National Geographic Traveller recently, who wrote two features about the magnificence of both Zagori and Meteora.
“It’ll likely just be you, your thoughts and the soporific whir of the chicadas.” – Duncan Craig, National Geographic Traveller, April 2025 on our Zagori walking holiday.
Italy
Like France, Italy’s map of UNESCO sites is a busy one, with the historic centres of Florence, Naples, Siena, Rome and Venice, as well as its lagoon, taking centre stage. So, we’re just singling out two places that don’t get so much attention but where you can combine walking and world heritage in one superb tour. The first is in Puglia, where the UNESCO towns of Matera and Alberobello feature on just about all of our holidays in the region. Matera and Alberobello are listed and loved for their respective ancient rock churches and trulli stone houses, just a few of the unique spots that you come across along the prettiest of Puglian trails.
In contrast, we take you to the Dolomites, where they don’t mess around with specific peaks or valleys, as UNESCO includes all 18 peaks over 3,000m on its lofty list. Whether you are hiking or cycling there in summer or winter, you will see that these godfathers of Italy’s natural heritage deserve every accolade coming their way.
Lithuania
As you will discover on a walking holiday on the Curonian Spit, this 98km-long sandy peninsula is a very special place. It feels almost Pacific in its prettiness and, given that human habitation here dates back to prehistoric times, it’s also earned a place on the list. It’s high on our Lithuanian lineup of beautiful places to visit too, with its fragile ecosystem of pine groves, wetlands, vegetation-covered dunes and the drifting Parnidis Dune. You can also visit the Spit on a Lithuanian and Latvian walking holiday combo or on our Lithuanian coastal cycling holiday.
Montenegro
Durmitor is the doyenne of natural drama in Montenegro, earning both national park designation and a UNESCO listing. Located in the north of this small but stupendous country, there are no less than 48 limestone peaks over 4,800m. This is a walking wonderland, and one that you can climb up to the heights of Previja Pass (2,145m) and Skrka Pass (2,112m), or go for a gentler circular trek of three Durmitor Lakes – Barno, Zminje and Crno. Durmitor is also home to an iconic avenue of adventure, Tara Canyon, which cuts through the park and is perfect for white water rafting. Go Montenegro, go UNESCO.
Northern Ireland
The UNESCO-listed Giant’s Causeway is Northern Ireland’s most visited site, and not surprising as its conglomeration of basalt columns that emerge from the sea is a miracle of nature. What most people don’t realise is that the Causeway Coast where it is located, is also part of the UNESCO site, its cliffs and exposed strata considered to be of great geological importance. And yet, only a handful of the Giant Causeway’s visitors explore the surrounding coast on foot, even though the clifftop paths around the likes of Dunseverick or Dunluce Castles, the wide sands of White Park Bay and the wild beauty of Rathlin Island are also giants of gorgeousness. You can, though, on our self-guided walking holiday of the Causeway Coast.
Portugal
One of the most colourful and masterful UNESCO sites in Portugal must be Pena Palace at Sintra, which is just one of several palaces and grand houses on a Sintra-Cascais walking holiday. The UNESCO listing describes it as the Cultural Landscape of Sintra, as there are so many buildings worthy of credit and protection. By walking it, you get to immerse yourself fully in the landscape.
Our other favourite Portuguese listing is on its Atlantic archipelago of Madeira. On the main island of the same name, you can hike to the Madeira Peaks which are home to the UNESCO Laurisilva forests. These are unique and ancient forests that are considered to be some of the best-preserved and largest laurel forests in the world. When we say ancient, we mean millions of years, dating back to the Tertiary period. You walk through parts of the forest on both our coastal and levada trails and our flower island of Madeira walking holidays.
Romania
The painted monasteries of Bucovina, or painted churches of Moldavia as they are classified by UNESCO, take centre stage on this walking holiday. And these Byzantine beauties earn their place in the cultural limelight, painted externally with the most magnificent and colourful array of religious icons and religious themes. They really are masterpieces of Romania’s mountainous north and, as they are scattered across the Moldavia and Bucovina regions of northern Romania, you can trek between them. This nine day Romania tour includes a few days in the Piatra Craiului Mountains, as well.
Sweden
On this hiking holiday on Gotland, Sweden’s largest island, you are based in Visby, which is UNESCO-listed because it’s one of the country’s best preserved fortified and Hanseatic towns. You have plenty of time to explore its former warehouses, trading centres and impressive merchant’s houses, as all Baltic trading passed through here in the 12th century.
UNESCO Wine Regions
In addition to its various sites and landscapes, there’s a rather fine wine list at UNESCO, many of which we have tucked away in our cellar of natural adventures. Some of the vintage vias to explore on foot or by bike include cycling through UNESCO’s Saint-Émilion Wine Region in France’s Dordogne Valley. Or the Prosecco region of Italy, where Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene is the specific UNESCO site. This is where small vineyards have been grown on narrow hilly terraces, known as ciglioni, since the 17th century. Another Italian UNESCO wine region is the Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato, which you can savour on our Piedmont Wine Region walking holiday. Starting and finishing in Alba, one of the main towns in the UNESCO site, this is vineyard beauty on steroids. And finally, you can’t miss a taste of UNESCO’s Alto Douro Wine Region in Portugal, listed because wine has been produced here for over two millennia. Sample its greatness over eight days on this walking holiday.
That’s a lot of heritage to hike or bike through, we appreciate that. But it may help you gain a good overview of the important work that UNESCO does, and the gifts that it lays along many of our trails. For more cultural information, you may enjoy these blogs: The best wine routes in Europe, Levadas in Maderia, Mount Olympus is the ultimate Greek odyssey and Hiking in Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains. For any more information on any of our tours, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our adventure specialists.
