Traveling is discovering a culture, landscapes, but also iconic monuments which leave us speechless. The Taj Mahal in India, the Sydney Opera House and the Eiffel Tower in France are all monuments that have made a country famous. Monuments are often among the most visited sites in a destination. So where can we discover the most beautiful monuments in the world? Here is a ranking of 20 best monuments to discover across our planet to make the most beautiful journey.
1. The Eiffel Tower (France)
Let's be a little chauvinistic to start this ranking! Built on the occasion of theParis Universal Exhibition in 1889, The Eiffel Tower is a 312m high tower, which welcomes more than 5 million visitors each year. When it was built, it was the tallest monument in the world for 40 years.
2. The Golden Gate Bridge (United States)
The Golden Gate is a suspension bridge located at the entrance to San Francisco, built in 1937. At the time of its construction, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world with its 2737m wingspan. Easily recognizable by its red/orange color, it is today a symbol of the city and an essential stopover for travelers passing through California.
3. The Forbidden City (China)
The Forbidden City is a vast palace complex spanning 72 hectares in the heart of Beijing. He was built in the Ming dynasty, at the beginning of the 15th century. Still perfectly preserved, the Forbidden City constitutes one of the most visited sites in China. Today there is a museum which preserves the treasures of this empire and numerous Chinese works of art. This nickname “Forbidden City” is due to the fact that this palace was the main residence of Chinese emperors. Its access was therefore prohibited to the people. However, in China, the site is rather called “Gugong” which means “the ancient palace”.
4. The statues of Vigeland Park (Norway)
Gustav Vigeland designed an incredible park, near Oslo, where there are more than 200 statues of men and women. On the theme of family and human relationships, we discover particularly expressive statues and funny and moving scenes of life. THE Monolith is the most famous statue. Showing precisely 121 intertwined bodies, it was built from a single block of stone.
5. The Duomo of Milan (Italy)
Milan Cathedral, often nicknamed “Duomo”, is a superb Gothic cathedral, located in the center of this Italian city. If it is among the most beautiful monuments in the world, it also constitutes one of the most imposing with its 11,700 m² surface area and its 157 m long. Dating from the Middle Ages, the construction of this immense Italian cathedral lasted 5 centuries.
6. Christ the Redeemer (Brazil)
Christ the Redeemer is a statue 38 m high, dominating the city of Rio de Janeiro. Located at the top of Mount Corcovado, it has become one of the emblems of Rio and more generally of Brazil. This statue was built by the French sculptor Paul Landowski and the Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida, between 1926 and 1931. Classified as a historic monument, the statue of Christ the Redeemer attracts nearly a million visitors each year.
7. Osaka Castle (Japan)
Osaka Castle is a famous building in Kansai, which has also played an important role in the unification of Japan. It was originally erected in 1583, but it has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Its last reconstruction dates from the end of the 20th century, which gives it a more modern appearance. The ramparts and moats surrounding the site have remained original. It is a relaxing place, surrounded by a large park, very popular when visiting Osaka. It is particularly attacked during the period of cherry blossoms in spring.
8. The Golden Bridge (Vietnam)
This 150m long bridge is located in the hills of Ba Na, Vietnam, at an altitude of 1400m. Open to the public in 2018it allows you to obtain a superb panorama of the surrounding nature. But what makes it so special are the two giant stone hands who seem to support him. A poetic monument to discover if you visit Vietnam soon!
9. Saint Paul's Cathedral (England)
According to one 2021 British study, Saint Paul's Cathedral in London would be mathematically one of the most beautiful monuments in the world. Indeed, its proportions, linked to the golden ratio, would be particularly aesthetic for the human eye. What is certain is that this 110 m high cathedral does not go unnoticed in the pretty city of London. Built between the 17th and 18th centuries, it is one of the oldest monuments in the English capital.
10. Pyramids of Giza (Egypt)
The Giza Pyramids are located on the Giza Plateau in the heart of Egypt. They were included in the world heritage of humanity in 1979 and constitute one of the most visited sites in the world. Among them, the Cheops pyramid, built in the 3rd millennium BC, is known to be one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Today, it is the only one of these 7 wonders which is still visible. These pyramids are as fascinating for travelers as they are for archaeologists. In fact, we ifalways questions about their construction methods.
11. Saint Balise the Blessed Cathedral (Russia)
The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God, today more often called “Saint Basil's Cathedral”, is located in Moscow, in the heart of the Red Square. Built between 1555 and 1561, it is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful monuments in the world with its various colorful towers.
12. The Taj Mahal (India)
This monument, which is the most famous in India, is known to be a symbol of unconditional love. After the loss of his wife, Emperor Shah Jahan decided to erect a mausoleum in his honor, the construction of which took many years (between 1632 and 1648). It is located in Agra and constitutes, with its 6 million tourists per year, one of the 10 most visited monuments in the world.
13. Cologne Cathedral (Germany)
Cologne Cathedral is a gothic style cathedral which remains one of the most fascinating monuments in Europe. Built between 1248 and 1880this imposing building, 157m high, was one of the tallest monuments in the world at the time of its inauguration. Its black color is due to the fire that devastated the city in 1945 and whose traces we refused to hide in order to keep it in memory.
14. Sydney Opera House (Australia)
This opera constitutes theone of the most famous monuments built at the end of the 20th century. Its construction lasted 14 years! With its shell shape, it was designed by Jorn Utzon and is a major tourist spot in Sydney. This, especially since it is located near the Harbor Bridgea particularly famous city monument as well.
15. Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany)
This castle is famous for inspiring Walt Disney in order to create the castle of “Beauty and the Beast”. Located on a 200 m rocky spur in height, Neuschwanstein dominates the valleys of Bavaria. Every year, more than a million tourists rush to visit it. However, the best way to discover it is undoubtedly to gain a little height in order to have a good overview of its unique setting.
16. The Dancing House (Czech Republic)
This building located in Prague was nicknamed “dancing house”, because it seems to want to circumvent the laws of gravity with its rounded shape. Built by Frank Gehry and Vlado Milunić at the end of the 20th century, it is one of the most original monuments to discover in the Czech Republic.
17. The Brandenburg Gate (Germany)
This imposing building located in the heart of the German capital was built in the 18th century. For years it was a symbol of division in the city, since it was an integral part of the Berlin Wall. It is thus an important historical place, which has become over time a symbol of freedom and the triumph of peace.
18. Chichén Itzá (Mexico)
Located in the Yucatan Peninsula, Chichén Itzá is not a monument like any other since it actually represents an ancient Mayan city that lived there around 600 AD, until the 13th century. There we find a huge pyramid called “El Castillo”, which is undoubtedly the most famous Mayan temple in the world. This site, unique in its history and architecture, is among the 7 new wonders of the world.
19. Sheikh Zayed Mosque (UAE)
This mosque built between 1995 and 2007 is located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. With his 22,412 m² surface area, it is among the 20 largest mosques in the world. Visitors will be charmed by the white color of its walls, due to Carrara marble. It is known to be one of the whitest in existence. This monument also has a Islamic architecture both traditional and modern. We thus find numerous arches, domes, towers and various details which enhance this building.
20. The Buddha of the Spring Temple (China)
This statue of Buddha Vairocana is located in the Henan province, in China. It was built in 2008 and, for almost ten years, it was the tallest statue in the world at 208 m high. Today, this record has been surpassed by the Statue of Unity, erected in India in 2018. But this statue of Buddha nonetheless remains one of the most beautiful monuments to visit in China.
Difficult to make a ranking of the most beautiful monuments in the world when we know to what extent all the countries of the world are full of wonders. Of course, I could also have mentioned the Tower of Pisa, the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, the Great Wall of China, the Statue of Liberty or even the temples of Angkor in Cambodia… So don't hesitate to share in the comments one of the most beautiful monuments you have discovered while traveling (or near you) to complete our ranking.
