Mohave Point, South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park. CC Image by Steve Dunleavy (Flickr).
The British television network BBC has made a list of 50 places to visit before you die.
How many have you been to? Which one is your favorite?
1. Grand Canyon -USA
2. Great Barrier Reaf – Australia
3. Florida – USA
4. The South Island – New Zealand
5. Cape Town - South Africa
6. Golden Temple – India
7. Las Vegas – USA
8. Sydney – Australia
9. New York – USA
10. Taj Mahal – India
11. Canadian Rockies – Canada
12. Uluru – Australia
13. Chichen Itza -Mexico
14. Macchu Pichu – Peru
15. Niagara Falls – Canada/USA
16. Petra – Jordan
17. The Pyramids – Egypt
18. Venice – Italy
19. Maldives – Maldives
20. Great Wall – China
21. Victoria Falls – Zambia/Zimbabwe
22. Hongkong – Hongkong
23. Yosemite National Park – USA
24. Hawaii – USA
25. Auckland – New Zealand
26. Iguasu Falls – Argentina/Brazil
27. Paris – France
28. Alaska – USA
29. Angkor Wat – Cambodia
30. Himalayas – India/Nepal/Tibet
31. Rio de Janerio – Brazil
32. Masai Mara – Kenya
33. Galapagos Island – Ecuador
34. Luxor – Egypt
35. Rome – Italy
36. San Fransisco – USA
37. Barcelona – Spain
38. Dubai – Arab Emirates
39. Singapore – Singapore
40. La Digue – Seychelles
41. Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka
42. Bangkok – Thailand
43. Barbados – Barbados
44. Iceland – Iceland
45. Terracotta Army – China
46. Zermatt – Switzerland
47. Angel Falls – Venezuela
48. Abu Simbel – Egypt
49. Bali – Indonesia
50. Bora Bora – French Polynesia
Great Blog..!!
Add Borneo in your must visit.
See photos on http://www.jollencephotography.com
Thank you! I’ll write my own list of must visits and then I will definitely add Borneo.
I’ve been to Florida (USA), Paris (France) and Rome (Italy) but would love to see those other 47 places too! :)
Erica,
I really like your blog!I’m sad to say I’ve only been to Niagara Falls – although I’ve been all over the US. Guess that gives me some traveling goals, doesn’t it?
Have a great day!
Lisa
Yes, it does. But that’s the beauty of traveling I think: there’s always new places to visit, it never ends.
Let’s see my count is 6 so far but plan to go to Alaska and Rome next year: Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, New York, Florida, Singapore, and Bali. Would definitely love to go see the pyramids in Egypt as well!
I love to see the places on the top 50 to visit and see how many I have been to and the ones I must venture to. I have been to 10 of the 50 so far and going to 2 more on the list in 2008, (Brazil). But as far as my favorite goes I would have to say Cape Town, South Africa or Thailand, but not Bangkok. That place is over rated and if you really want to see the beauty of Thaiand you must travel to some of the islands, partically in the Gulf of Thailand.
Hello
Great book. I just want to say what a fantastic thing you are doing! Good luck!
G’night
i have alraedy been to the places in india,singapore,bangkok,switzerland,himalayas,hongkong,srilanka……want to visit the other places…and its a fantastic thing you are into….gud luck!!!!
I’ve got 5 so far. But I should rack up another 5 on that list at the end of my six week tour to US/UK/Sri Lanka/India/Oz. Fine fine fine I say.
No doubt, Hong Kong! it’s got world’s number 1 skyline and the entertainment there is unbelievable. Anyway definitly a place you have to visit before you die
Sometimes its not just the place. It is the time. Like fall foliage season in Vermont. Or Autumn in Central Park. Or Petra at Sunrise.
Good sites for fall foliage:
http://www.tripcart.com
http://www.foliagenetworks.com
You are so right! It is often a season that makes a place (even more) special.
Let’s see. I have been to Grand Canyon, Florida, Las Vegas, Sydney, New York, Niagara Falls, Yosemite, Hawaii, Iguazu Falls, Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco. That makes it 11. Planning to go to #2 and #4. Long way to go….
I’ve been to Only 14 here. Some great places to go though!
Felipe
Erica,
I have to admit to liking lists even though I am a big picture person. I’ve been fortunate to have been to 11 and after Dec 2007 Galapagos will make 12.
I wonder what criteria BBC used to make this list.
Thanks for the interesting post.
Well, I’ve been to 24, and I’ll try to get to more next year, but like WalkinGates I’m curious as to what criteria they used. It’s a great list but it’s very Western-centric – there are some extraordinary umissable places that are missing, like Damascus in Syria, and Syria itself, Iran, and Yemen for instance. I’d also like to know what the criteria was.
WalkinGates and Lara, I will try to find out what criteria they used.
I think the number 51 country should be Tunisia.
WalkinGates and Lara,
I just contacted the folks at BBC re the criteria, hopefully they will reply.
I’d LOVE to see Sydney and New York!
I’ve been to Paris and Barcelona.
I have been to taj mahal india.:-)
I wanto to go to other places.
Thank you for entering my country sri lanka(#41) in the list.
Great list! I’m at 7.5 (I had less than 24 hours in Paris, so I’m only giving it a .5!)….my most recent was Auckland/South Island, NZ! And I must say, the South Island – specifically, the Fijordlands – was amazing! Nature at its best!
Ive been to all of the 50 states but texas cuz i dont think i would like it there very much. The best place ive been is Las Vegas and i’m only 14 years old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HE HE HE HE HE !
iv neve been to paris but i want to go so bad !!!!!!!!!
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wow great!!!!!!!!!!
i’ve been to Nepal, thailand, india and sydney so far.
Nepal is the best place to travel.
birth place of lord buddha, Mt. everest, many temples, sweet people and villages,
mountain flight, jungle safari, himalaya trekking, paraglyding in pokhara infront of a snowy mountain and over the fewa lake, bunjee jumping and river rafting in bhotekoshi(one of the top places for bunjee jumping and river rafting.) and many more.
one time is not enough to travel Nepal.
visit: welcomenepal.com
: nepalvista.com
so far 8, and i just turned 18 :)
Hawaii
Great barieer reef
Sydney
Bangkok
Singapore
Rome
HongKong
Venice
Becky,
Wow, impressing you’ve been to so many already. I want to travel to all the places you mentioned, especially Sydney and Bangkok :)
Definitely a strong list but I would have made sure to add Jerusalem. For history, it’s one of the world’s strongest destinations. Thousands of years of civilization.
If you’re not sure which to go to first, you might want to try http://www.tripbase.com .
They match you to a personalized destination based on the preferences that you select.
I love this list! I’ve been to about 10 of the places already. And i’ll consider the rest as my goal. One day I’ll get them all! I’d add the Badlands. I find that whole area to be so unique–desolate, intriguing, and beautiful. Definitely one of my favorite spots in the U.S.
@Olivia Donor,
The Badlands, great suggestion. I haven’t had the opportunity to visit yet, but it’s on my list.
Here’s a good website I found about Badlands National Park http://www.nps.gov/badl/
So far have been to 13: all over Florida, New York, Chichen Itza,
Machu Pichu, Niagara Falls, Venice, Iguazu falls, Paris,
Rio de Janeiro, Rome, San Fransisco, Barcelona, Zermatt.
Amongst those it is hard to say which impressed me the most,
maybe Iguazu Falls, absolutely the most stunning natural place
I have been to (it is next to my home country of Paraguay after
all). Perhaps Venice in the spring, with my wife we just
did not want to leave. Maybe some of the archeological sites not
listed here such as Teotihuacan outside Mexico City (Spent hours
at the top of the Pyramid of the Moon looking over the Avenue of
the Dead, breathtaking) or Monte Alban outside Oaxaca Mexico
(founded 500 BC, incredible site with pyramids from the Zapotec
culture, and next to the fantastic city of Oaxaca, we had some of
the best food of our lives in Oaxaca), Both Teotihuacan and
Monte Alban for us were even more impressive than Chichen Itza
and Machu Pichu. Maybe Rio de Janeiro, it has the most beautiful
bay I have so far seen, gifted by nature, more so even than San Fransisco
Bay or the Beautiful Bay of Naples (the whole Amalfi coast south
of Naples should be in this list, with small towns hanging from
clifs that crash into the many shades of blue of the Mediterranean
sea, we were intoxicated by the view, the lemon scented breeze,
and of course the wine…). Maybe the ancient city of Rome, too much
history to take in a lifetime in just one city, or maybee Paris, man
made beauty at its best…, Then there are the scenic drives, 3 so
far stand out for us: driving in a rented convertible mustang down
from San Fransisco to Santa Barbara along the coast in US 1,
driving from Miami to Key West, seems like you are floating on the
water going into the ocean, Driving down from Naples the Amalfi
coast. How can you choose a favourite place amongst all of
these wonders?.
This year we are planning 2 trips:
-Las Vegas and the the Grand Canyon
(talk about a contrast between banality and grandeur…)
-Egypt: Cairo (Giza Piramids) and a Luxor to Aswan
nile cruise (we have been planing this trip for a looong time)
So that would be 4 more, I can’t wait for both
There are a few places that are not in this list that we have
also found should not be missed: We have been to many
Caribbean beaches but the best so far have all been in Cuba
(Cayo Coco is simply paradise). The city of Granada was
the highlight of a trip we made to Spain; between the Alhambra,
the flamenco music, the narrow streets, the arab influenced
Albaicin neighborhood, the cathedrals, the food, the location
by the Sierra Nevada, the romance of Granada is hard to match.
Also not to be missed is Morocco, the center (medina) of
the city of Fez is an assault on all of the senses, impossible to
forget is a trip from Fez across the Atlas mountains all the way to
the western edge of the Sahara, and then back to Marraketch,
the central square (Djama el Fna) in Marraketch’s Medina has
more activity per square meter than anywhere we have seen so
far. Then there is Buenos Aires, Argentina, I believe one of the
most culturally vibrant cities we have ever been to. We were
specially stunned also by two Medieval walled cities in Europe:
Carcassone in France, and Siena in Italy. And there are so many
other places…
I love to travel, there are so many of the places in this list that
I am aching to go to.
@Sebastian, You’ve seen a lot so far! Venice, Rio, the Amalfi coast, SF, Miami, Key West, Cuba, Granada, Morocco, Buenos Aires… they’re all great places. Just reading about your travels makes me want to hop on the next plane to any country other than Sweden.
Of all the places you mentioned I also think the Iguazu Falls is the most impressing. Have only seen it on film though (there’s one scene in Miami Vice in which they flew just over the falls) but I can imagine it must be hundred times more stunning in reality.
Thanks for sharing your travel experiences and I hope you’ll have a great time traveling this year. Vegas and Canyon can’t be anything else than fun and a Nile cruise is one of those trips one will never forget.
Great! The bad imitation of Elvis in Las Vegas is the place to visit and NOT the Parthenon. It’s only 2500 years old.
Great! The bad imitation of Elvis in Las Vegas is the place to visit and NOT the Parthenon. ( Athens Greece) It’s only 2500 years old.
@Erica, I just came back from the Grand Canyon, Vegas trip. Vegas is ok, a little too much plastic and fakeness to my taste, maybe that is the point of it. The Grand Canyon however is absolutely stunning, I came back absolutely mesmerized by it. If anyone is going to the grand canyon, I recommend to take one of the National Geographic hiking expeditions down the canyon, it was an incredible experience, and we learnt a lot with my wife, it was tough to get back up!. Can’t make it all the way down in one day, 2-3 days expeditions camping or staying at the ranch in the bottom (from the South Rim) are the best.
The Canyon now ranks among the most incredible places I have ever seen. Another recommendation is, if you are rafting the Colorado river (it takes at least 3 days and it is expensive) to take the Dorys (wooden boat), it seemed a lot more interesting than taking the inflatable rafts.
Then, if you go to the Canyon, rent a car to go around, there are some amazing places to visit, we specially liked Sedona, about 1.5 hours from the south rim, stayed a few days, the red rock formations are an incredible sight and the Oak Creek Canyon is beautiful. There are a bunch of jeep tours around the area that are well worth it. The drive from the South rim exiting on the east of the park to Sedona goes through the painted desert, very beautiful. Also interesting is Meteor Crater near Flagstaff (that is exactly what it is, a big meteor crater, looks like some sort of lunar landscape).
If driving from the Canyon South Rim to Vegas,we found that a good route to take (it is longer though) is route 66 from Williams, stop at Peach Springs to buy a car permit from the native american reservation in order to do a side drive up to the Colorado River through Diamond Creek. You will need to have rented a 4×4, but the drive through the side canyon is stunning, and rough, at one point you actually have to cross a shallow stream with your car (that was a little scary). This is the only place near the Grand Canyon where you can actually drive to the Colorado River. Then continuing on route 66 to Kingman, changing to route 93 takes you to Vegas through the Hoover Dam, which was more scenic than I expected.
The Grand Canyon is amazing, mind blowing, I am really out of words on how to describe it. Want to go back!, next time we will try to visit also Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park, instead of loosing a few days in Vegas. Vegas is interesting for different reasons, but next time will rather spend more time in the amazing natural scenery around the Canyon.
@Erica, by the way, Sweden must be interesting also, I have never been there though. You have a good location, Europe has so much to see, take a vacation, hop on a cheap flight, get a rail pass and go around Europe. I am sure you will not regret it.
@Sebastian, Great to hear from you. I get what you mean about Vegas, but I’m sure I’d enjoy the city anyway. Thanks for your excellent tips about the Grand Canyon. Much appreciated.
A hiking expedition and rafting the Colorado River would be great experiences. Sedona sounds amazing. As does driving through the side canyon. Hope you can visit Bryce Canyon and Zion NP next time!
And you’re right about Sweden. It’s a good base for travels in Europe.
That’s an interesting article. I just wondered if you could tell me where to find more info on this topic ?
just took my time to view the roman empire conservations and i can bet its worth my visit from Kenya-afriq to Italia-europe. those of u who want to visit africa, the maasai mara as stated in this site is wonderful. it will give u a good value for your cash. see all the big five in a single visit. and many more attractions in the kenyan great rift valley
Thanks for your recommendation. The maasai mara sounds like it’s well worth visiting. Hope you’re enjoying your trip to Europe!
Not a bad list – it is easy to spot things that you’d persoanlly include and exclude. I’ve been to roughly half of these (28 at a quick count). It is good to see so many natural sights including 3 waterfalls. For me, seeing the mountain gorillas is the single finest wildlife experience that I’ve had.
Roughly half, that’s a lot. I remember reading about the mountain gorillas on your blog a while back. A beautifully written post, which made me even more interested in doing a similar trip.
great list, glad to see the entire state of florida on it, i feel the same way (see my own blog) !
found you through commentluv search and will be througroughly exploring your website!
Hi Greg, Thanks for taking the time to comment! I’ll check out your blog. Been wanting to visit Florida (especially Miami) for a long, long time.
So far been to 10
-Florida
-Cape Town
-New York
-Petra
-Venice (But Florence is MUCH nicer)
-Angkor Wat
-Paris
-Rome
-Bangkok
-Bali
40 MORE TO GO!!!!!
hm have been to 17 of the 50 places… but im only 21yo :)…I alrdy planned at least 10 more.
I have been to 6 out of 50, but someday I hope to have seen all of them!
Well you missed my country Albania. check the video on YOUTube. http://youtu.be/LYTtny0OP2k
we have the most beautiful virgin beaches ever.
It will no longer be virgin once the world comes to rape her
Great list. All the best to you with rest.
I’ve done 13 below (30 slightly amended).
9. New York – USA
10. Taj Mahal – India
15. Niagara Falls – Canada/USA
16. Petra – Jordan
17. The Pyramids – Egypt
30. Himalayas – India (from various states)
34. Luxor – Egypt
35. Rome – Italy
36. San Fransisco – USA
38. Dubai – Arab Emirates
41. Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka
42. Bangkok – Thailand
48. Abu Simbel – Egypt
Why Nepal? ……….serously check this out ……..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqgZvb37NX0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMepnXkqgqk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIDZNMc3eIE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MX1Tn5sOpM
and many more ……….. you can’t just imagine to be so close with the nature in any other country naturally ……
MT. Everest ??? Mt Annapurna ??/ Depest george in the World ??? Highest place of world where Rice is grown??? …………. Nothing can fulfil Nepal… and I think the above mentioned places are nice but its totally wrong because 50 places cannot be completed without Nepal…. and another thing not a himalaya range of India/Nepal and Tibet…Its the Himalaya Range of Nepal because Mountains are all over the world but Nepal consists of 8000 Mt above peaks…… A place where lord Buddha Born, Where is this all, A only country which have Living Goddess.. Where is this one ????……. So I think who wrote above place as 50 places to visit before you die havent visit properly…..
Himalayas – India (from various sides) ??? ..According to some coments below.
It would be better you say Himalayas – Nepal because out of 14 highest peak in the world 8 are in Nepal. I know India is big country but you have to know the geography as in between two giants (India and China) there is one small but incredible country Nepal with below given things :
01 : Extremly varied Landscape02 : Where Relegion is a way of Life.03 : As many Temples as Houses.04 : As Many Gods as Peoples.05 : More festivals than days in the year.06 : Ever lasting Smiling Faces.06 : Bhaktapur -City of Devoties.07 : Patan – City of Fine Arts. 08 : Kathmandu – City of Temples09 : Birth Place of Lord buddha.10 : 8 of the World’s 14 Highest peaks.11 : 92 Spoken Language.12 : 60 Ethnic Groups.13 : Over 3000 Temples.14 : Over 1200 Monastries.15 : 10 World Heritage Sites and 7 are within an area of 20 km.16 : 848 spices of Birds.17 : 319 Spices of Exotic Orchid.18 : 11 of the world’s 15 families of butterfly.19 : The melting point of Hindusam and Buddhisam.20 : 35% Land covered by forest.21 : Rakshi a Nepali Wine is worlds 50 most delicious drink according to CNN.
been there done that. i’m running out of places to go!
been to 32, yay!
Very USA heavy. Yes New York is Great, and Florida is fun but as a top 50, the BBC not includng anywhere in England when they ave included other whole countries is a bit poor. And nowhere in Eastern Europe, there is some stumming countryside there, not to mention the history.
I’m old, but I think Israel should have been on this list. My trip there was amazing…..
I have not seen many places so i have to start create the list from today :) but i wish to explore Paris – France before i die.
35…and counting…yay! So fun.
Hey, thanks for the post. I am going to bookmark this one as i found lots of useful places in this list. Especially Orlando, Florida in USA is a great place for visitors. It’s fun destinations are really awesome and hotels are also very close to the fun spots that makes the fun spots easily accessible.