Random Travel Destination Generator: 300 Real Places to Go

One press deals three of 300 real places to go, each with its country and one checked fact.

Random Travel Destination Generator: 300 Real Places to Go

  1. ChamonixFrance. At the foot of Mont Blanc, and host of the first Winter Olympics in 1924.
  2. Prince Edward IslandCanada. The country's smallest province, joined to the mainland by the Confederation Bridge.
  3. SeoulSouth Korea. Five grand palaces of the Joseon dynasty stand in a capital split by the Han River.
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Tip: the space bar makes new ones.

Next step Europe came up. Draw one of its 44 countriesWant a city only? Draw a world city

Random Travel Destination Generator: 300 Real Places to Go: how it works

Press New places and this random travel destination generator deals three real places from a checked list of 300: cities, islands, parks, heritage sites and coasts on six continents, each with one checked fact. Draw three, lock the one nobody argues about, and press again for the other two.

A random travel destination picker for a group vote

Three cards make a ballot. A card's padlock keeps the winner, and the next press replaces the other two. The Trip and Continent chips combine: Beach plus Oceania leaves 9 places, Mountains plus Africa leaves 3. City break alone is a random city generator for vacation weekends: 43 cities, Porto and Hanoi among them. Pressed chips stay in the address, so a shared link opens on the same pool.

What a card says and leaves out

A card opens with the country, then one fact read against the place's Wikipedia article or park service page on 19 September 2026. The card says what Banff is known for, not what a week there costs. There are no prices, flight times, visa rules, safety ratings or best months: a list checked once cannot keep those right. Victoria Falls is one card, though it belongs to Zambia and Zimbabwe both.

Tips

  • As a random vacation picker for a surprise trip, tap 1 and read only the fact aloud. Your partner guesses the place.
  • A random destination picker is fair only when nobody steers it: agree on the chips first, then let one person press.
  • Tap 10 and the random travel generator deals a longlist. Print it and cross places out until three are left.

Questions and answers

Why is Tenerife under Africa and Hawaii under Oceania?

Continents follow the ground, not the flag. Tenerife, Lanzarote and Madeira lie off north-west Africa, so they sit under Africa though Spanish and Portuguese. Hawaii and Easter Island are Polynesian, so they sit under Oceania. Istanbul is under Europe, the side of the Bosphorus where it was founded.

Is this a random country vacation generator or a city one?

Both, one level down. A random country generator for holiday plans stops at Japan; this list goes on to Kyoto, Nara and eight more places there. The 300 cards cover 80 countries and territories, and 86 are cities, so it doubles as a random city travel generator.

Does a card mean the place is safe to visit now?

No. One screen was run, as a rule of the list, not advice: on 19 September 2026 no card sat in a country that Canada's travel advisories page marked Avoid all travel for the whole country. It says nothing about one region or season. Read your own government's travel advice before you book.

Keep exploring

Random tool Browse Places

All 300 places

Europe 77

  • Algarve Portugal. The country's southernmost region, with Faro as its capital and Atlantic beaches below cliffs.
  • Alhambra Spain. A palace and fortress of the Nasrid emirs on a hill above Granada, begun in 1238.
  • Amalfi Coast Italy. Cliffside towns such as Positano and Ravello, listed as a World Heritage Site in 1997.
  • Amsterdam Netherlands. The 17th-century canal ring has been a World Heritage Site since 2010.
  • Athens Greece. The Parthenon, the most famous of its ancient monuments, stands on the Acropolis.
  • Azores Portugal. Nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic, about 1,400 km west of Lisbon.
  • Barcelona Spain. Gaudí's buildings, among them the unfinished Sagrada Família, are a World Heritage Site.
  • Bay of Kotor Montenegro. A winding Adriatic bay under steep mountains; the Kotor area is a World Heritage Site.
  • Bergen Norway. Bryggen, the old Hanseatic wharf, is a World Heritage Site, and seven mountains ring the town.
  • Berlin Germany. A wall split the city from 1961 to 1989, and Museum Island is a World Heritage Site.
  • Bruges Belgium. The medieval centre, threaded with canals, has been a World Heritage Site since 2000.
  • Budapest Hungary. Buda and Pest, on opposite banks of the Danube, became one city in 1873.
  • Capri Italy. An island in the Gulf of Naples known for the Blue Grotto, a sea cave lit from below.
  • Český Krumlov Czechia. A castle town in a loop of the Vltava, and a World Heritage Site since 1992.
  • Chamonix France. At the foot of Mont Blanc, and host of the first Winter Olympics in 1924.
  • Cinque Terre Italy. Five villages on a terraced Ligurian cliff coast, linked by footpaths, boats and trains.
  • Cliffs of Moher Ireland. Sea cliffs that run for about 14 km and reach 214 m near O'Brien's Tower.
  • Copenhagen Denmark. Tivoli Gardens, an amusement park in the middle of town, opened in 1843.
  • Cornwall United Kingdom. A peninsula that ends at Land's End, with surf beaches on its north coast.
  • Corsica France. Napoleon was born in Ajaccio in 1769, and the GR 20 trail crosses the mountains.
  • Cotswolds United Kingdom. Villages of golden limestone in rolling hills, protected as a landscape since 1966.
  • Crete Greece. The country's largest island, and the home of the Minoan palace of Knossos.
  • Dolomites Italy. Pale limestone peaks in the north-east; Marmolada is the highest at 3,343 m.
  • Douro Valley Portugal. Grapes for port grow on terraced slopes in a wine region first marked out in 1756.
  • Dublin Ireland. Trinity College, founded in 1592, keeps the Book of Kells.
  • Dubrovnik Croatia. Stone walls ring the old town, a World Heritage Site since 1979.
  • Edinburgh United Kingdom. The medieval Old Town and the Georgian New Town together make one World Heritage Site.
  • Eryri (Snowdonia) United Kingdom. Yr Wyddfa, or Snowdon, is the highest mountain in Wales at 1,085 m.
  • Finnish Lapland Finland. The country's northernmost region, with Rovaniemi as its capital.
  • Florence Italy. Birthplace of the Renaissance, with the Uffizi and the Ponte Vecchio in its old centre.
  • Geirangerfjord Norway. A 15 km fjord with the Seven Sisters waterfall, on the World Heritage list since 2005.
  • Giant's Causeway United Kingdom. About 40,000 interlocking basalt columns on the coast of County Antrim.
  • Hallstatt Austria. A lakeside salt-mining village that gave its name to the Iron Age Hallstatt culture.
  • Þingvellir National Park Iceland. The Althing, the national parliament, met in this rift valley from 930; World Heritage since 2004.
  • Isle of Skye United Kingdom. The largest island of the Inner Hebrides, with the Cuillin hills at its centre.
  • Istanbul Turkey. It straddles the Bosphorus, so part is in Europe and part in Asia, and was once Constantinople.
  • Kinderdijk Netherlands. Nineteen windmills built around 1740 to drain a polder, a World Heritage Site since 1997.
  • Kraków Poland. The Old Town was on the very first World Heritage list in 1978, and Wawel Castle stands over it.
  • Lake Bled Slovenia. A lake in the Julian Alps with a church on an island and a castle on the cliff above.
  • Lake Como Italy. A glacial lake shaped like an upside-down Y and more than 400 m deep.
  • Lake District United Kingdom. Holds Scafell Pike, England's highest mountain, and Windermere, its largest lake.
  • Lauterbrunnen Switzerland. A valley named for its many waterfalls; the Staubbach Falls drop 297 m beside the village.
  • Lisbon Portugal. Built on hills above the Tagus, and largely rebuilt after the earthquake of 1755.
  • Lofoten Norway. An archipelago north of the Arctic Circle, where mountains rise straight out of the sea.
  • Loire Valley France. Châteaux such as Chambord and Chenonceau line the river, a World Heritage Site since 2000.
  • London United Kingdom. Four World Heritage Sites in one city: the Tower, Kew Gardens, Westminster and Greenwich.
  • Madrid Spain. The Prado, the Reina Sofía and the Thyssen-Bornemisza make up its Golden Triangle of Art.
  • Mallorca Spain. The largest of the Balearic Islands; its Serra de Tramuntana range is a World Heritage Site.
  • Matera Italy. The Sassi, cave dwellings cut into a ravine, have been a World Heritage Site since 1993.
  • Meteora Greece. Monasteries built on top of rock pillars; six of the original 24 are still in use.
  • Mont-Saint-Michel France. An abbey on a tidal island off the coast of Normandy, a World Heritage Site since 1979.
  • Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba Spain. A mosque begun in 785, with a cathedral nave set into its middle in the 16th century.
  • Neuschwanstein Castle Germany. Ludwig II of Bavaria began this hilltop castle in 1869 and never saw it finished.
  • Paris France. Twenty arrondissements spiral clockwise out from the centre, with the Seine through the middle.
  • Plitvice Lakes Croatia. Sixteen lakes joined by waterfalls, in a national park founded in 1949.
  • Pompeii Italy. A Roman town buried under ash when Vesuvius erupted in AD 79.
  • Porto Portugal. Port wine takes its name from the city, and the old centre by the Douro is a World Heritage Site.
  • Prague Czechia. Charles Bridge crosses the Vltava below a castle that dates from the 9th century.
  • Provence France. Roman monuments at Arles and Orange, the papal palace at Avignon, and fields of lavender.
  • Reykjavik Iceland. The northernmost capital of a sovereign state, at 64 degrees north.
  • Rome Italy. Legend dates its founding to 753 BC, and Vatican City, a separate state, sits inside it.
  • Salzburg Austria. Mozart was born here, and the baroque old town has been a World Heritage Site since 1996.
  • San Sebastián Spain. La Concha, a bay shaped like a shell, is the town beach.
  • Santorini Greece. The rim of a volcano that blew apart in the Minoan eruption, about 3,600 years ago.
  • Sardinia Italy. The second-largest island in the Mediterranean, dotted with Bronze Age towers called nuraghi.
  • Scottish Highlands United Kingdom. Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles, stands here.
  • Seville Spain. The Alcázar, the cathedral and the Archive of the Indies form one World Heritage Site.
  • Sicily Italy. The largest island in the Mediterranean, with Mount Etna, an active volcano, in the east.
  • Sintra Portugal. The hilltop Pena Palace is the best-known part of a World Heritage landscape listed in 1995.
  • Stockholm Sweden. Spread over 14 islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic, with Gamla stan as its old town.
  • Stonehenge United Kingdom. A ring of standing stones on Salisbury Plain, built in phases between about 3100 and 1600 BC.
  • Tuscany Italy. Chianti vineyards and hill towns between Florence, Siena and Pisa.
  • Valletta Malta. Built by the Knights of St John after the Great Siege of 1565, and a World Heritage Site.
  • Vatnajökull National Park Iceland. Built around the country's largest ice cap, and a World Heritage Site since 2019.
  • Venice Italy. Built on small islands in a shallow lagoon, with canals for streets and bridges between them.
  • Vienna Austria. Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert all worked here, and Schönbrunn was the Habsburg summer palace.
  • Zermatt Switzerland. A car-free village at the foot of the Matterhorn.

Asia 68

  • Angkor Wat Cambodia. A 12th-century temple built for King Suryavarman II, and pictured on the national flag.
  • Ayutthaya Thailand. Ruins of the Siamese capital that a Burmese army destroyed in 1767.
  • Bali Indonesia. A mostly Hindu island whose subak rice-terrace irrigation system is a World Heritage Site.
  • Banaue Rice Terraces Philippines. Rice terraces the Ifugao people cut into the mountains of Luzon, listed in 1995.
  • Bangkok Thailand. The Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun stand along the Chao Phraya River.
  • Beijing China. The Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace are all here.
  • Boracay Philippines. A small island whose White Beach runs about 4 km down the west side.
  • Borobudur Indonesia. A 9th-century Buddhist temple with 504 Buddha statues and 2,672 relief panels.
  • Bukhara Uzbekistan. A Silk Road city whose historic centre has been a World Heritage Site since 1993.
  • Cappadocia Turkey. Rock cones called fairy chimneys, with homes and churches carved into the soft stone.
  • Chiang Mai Thailand. Founded in 1296 as capital of the Lan Na kingdom, with a moat around the old city.
  • Chitwan National Park Nepal. The country's first national park, set up in 1973, and home to one-horned rhinoceroses.
  • Dubai United Arab Emirates. The Burj Khalifa here is the tallest building in the world.
  • Ephesus Turkey. An ancient Greek and Roman city with the Library of Celsus, a World Heritage Site since 2015.
  • Fansipan Vietnam. The country's tallest mountain, at 3,147 m, with a cable car to the top from near Sa Pa.
  • Galle Fort Sri Lanka. The Portuguese began the fort in 1588 and the Dutch fortified it in the 17th century.
  • George Town Malaysia. A colonial trading port on Penang Island, listed with Malacca as a World Heritage Site in 2008.
  • Goa India. Portuguese until 1961; the churches and convents of Old Goa are a World Heritage Site.
  • Great Wall of China China. The Ming-era walls alone measure 8,850 km; a World Heritage Site since 1987.
  • Gyeongju South Korea. Capital of the Silla kingdom for nearly a thousand years.
  • Ha Long Bay Vietnam. A bay of limestone islands and islets, a World Heritage Site since 1994.
  • Hampi India. Ruins of the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, a World Heritage Site since 1986.
  • Hanoi Vietnam. A capital since 1010, with an Old Quarter beside Hoàn Kiếm Lake.
  • Himeji Castle Japan. A white hilltop castle of 83 buildings, among the country's first World Heritage Sites in 1993.
  • Hoi An Vietnam. A trading port from the 15th to 19th centuries, with a Japanese covered bridge.
  • Hokkaido Japan. The country's second-largest island and its northernmost prefecture, with Sapporo as capital.
  • Hong Kong Hong Kong. Victoria Harbour lies between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon peninsula.
  • Huangshan China. Granite peaks and twisted pines; Lotus Peak is the highest at 1,864 m.
  • Itsukushima Shrine Japan. Its torii gate stands in the sea and seems to float at high tide.
  • Jaipur India. The Pink City, founded in 1727 by Jai Singh II, and a World Heritage Site since 2019.
  • Jeju Island South Korea. A volcanic island; Hallasan, at its centre, is the country's highest mountain.
  • Jiuzhaigou China. A valley of coloured lakes and waterfalls in Sichuan, a World Heritage Site since 1992.
  • Kandy Sri Lanka. Home of the Temple of the Tooth, and a World Heritage Site since 1988.
  • Kathmandu Nepal. The capital, home to several World Heritage Sites, among them Durbar Square, Swayambhu and Boudhanath.
  • Kerala backwaters India. Lagoons, lakes and canals behind the Arabian Sea coast, toured by houseboat.
  • Kinabalu Park Malaysia. Mount Kinabalu rises to 4,095 m in the country's first World Heritage Site, listed in 2000.
  • Komodo National Park Indonesia. Founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon, and a World Heritage Site since 1991.
  • Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. The Petronas Towers here are the tallest twin towers in the world.
  • Kyoto Japan. The seat of the imperial court from 794, founded as the planned city of Heian-kyō.
  • Ladakh India. A high, dry region between the Karakoram and the Himalayas, with Leh as its largest town.
  • Langkawi Malaysia. An archipelago of 99 islands off the coast of Kedah, and a UNESCO Global Geopark.
  • Li River China. Flows 164 km through Guangxi between karst hills, past Guilin and Yangshuo.
  • Luang Prabang Laos. A town of Buddhist temples and a former royal palace on the Mekong, a World Heritage Site since 1995.
  • Maldives Maldives. A chain of 26 atolls in the Indian Ocean, and the lowest-lying country in the world.
  • Mount Bromo Indonesia. An active volcano, 2,329 m high, inside the Tengger caldera in East Java.
  • Mount Fuji Japan. The country's highest mountain at 3,776 m, and a cultural World Heritage Site since 2013.
  • Nara Japan. The national capital from 710 to 784, where tame deer roam Nara Park.
  • Okinawa Island Japan. The largest of the Ryukyu Islands, once the seat of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
  • Osaka Japan. Osaka Castle, the Dōtonbori district and the Tsūtenkaku tower are among its best-known sights.
  • Palawan Philippines. Home of the Puerto Princesa underground river, a World Heritage Site.
  • Pamukkale Turkey. White travertine terraces below the ruins of the ancient spa town of Hierapolis.
  • Petra Jordan. The Nabataean capital, carved into rose-red sandstone, and a World Heritage Site since 1985.
  • Phi Phi Islands Thailand. Six islands between Phuket and the mainland; Maya Bay is on the smaller Phi Phi Le.
  • Phuket Thailand. The country's largest island, joined to the mainland by a bridge.
  • Ranthambore National Park India. A tiger reserve since 1974 and a national park since 1980, around a hilltop fort in Rajasthan.
  • Sagarmatha National Park Nepal. The Nepali side of Mount Everest, and a World Heritage Site since 1979.
  • Samarkand Uzbekistan. Timur's capital, with the Registan square, the Gur-e-Amir mausoleum and the Bibi-Khanym Mosque.
  • Seoul South Korea. Five grand palaces of the Joseon dynasty stand in a capital split by the Han River.
  • Shanghai China. The Bund faces the towers of Pudong across the Huangpu River.
  • Shirakawa-go Japan. Mountain villages of steep thatched gasshō-zukuri farmhouses, listed in 1995.
  • Sigiriya Sri Lanka. A granite column about 180 m high; King Kashyapa, who ruled 477 to 495, built his palace on top.
  • Singapore Singapore. A city-state on an island; its Botanic Gardens are a World Heritage Site.
  • Taj Mahal India. A white marble tomb that Shah Jahan commissioned in 1631 for his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
  • Terracotta Army China. More than 8,000 clay soldiers buried with the first emperor, found by farmers in 1974.
  • Tokyo Japan. Called Edo until 1868, when the imperial capital moved here from Kyoto.
  • Varanasi India. Pilgrims bathe from stone steps called ghats along the Ganges.
  • Wadi Rum Jordan. A desert valley cut into sandstone and granite, and a World Heritage Site since 2011.
  • Zhangjiajie National Forest Park China. Tall sandstone pillars in what became the country's first national forest park in 1982.

North America 52

  • Acadia National Park United States. On the coast of Maine, mostly on Mount Desert Island, with Cadillac Mountain at its top.
  • Antigua Guatemala Guatemala. The colonial capital until earthquakes ruined it in 1773; a World Heritage Site since 1979.
  • Arches National Park United States. In Utah, with more than 2,000 natural stone arches, Delicate Arch among them.
  • Arenal Volcano Costa Rica. A cone-shaped volcano that erupted without warning in 1968 and stayed active until 2010.
  • Banff National Park Canada. The country's first national park, set up in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta.
  • Bay of Fundy Canada. Between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with the highest tidal range in the world, about 16 m.
  • Big Sur United States. A stretch of California where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise straight from the Pacific.
  • Chicago United States. On the shore of Lake Michigan, where the first steel-framed skyscraper went up in 1885.
  • Chichen Itza Mexico. A Maya city in Yucatán; the stepped pyramid El Castillo stands at its centre.
  • Copper Canyon Mexico. Six canyons in the Sierra Madre Occidental, crossed by the Chihuahua al Pacífico railway.
  • Denali National Park United States. In Alaska, around the highest mountain in North America, which stands 20,310 ft tall.
  • Everglades National Park United States. A subtropical wetland at the tip of Florida, and a World Heritage Site since 1979.
  • Exuma Bahamas. A district of more than 365 islands and cays.
  • Florida Keys United States. A chain of coral islands linked by the Overseas Highway, ending at Key West.
  • Glacier National Park United States. In Montana on the Canadian border, crossed by the Going-to-the-Sun Road.
  • Grand Canyon National Park United States. All in Arizona; the park takes in 278 miles of the Colorado River and a canyon a mile deep.
  • Great Smoky Mountains National Park United States. On the ridge between Tennessee and North Carolina, and a World Heritage Site since 1983.
  • Gros Morne National Park Canada. Fjords and exposed mantle rock on the west coast of Newfoundland, listed in 1987.
  • Guanajuato Mexico. A silver-mining city in a narrow valley, with streets that run through tunnels.
  • Havana Cuba. Founded by the Spanish at its present site in 1519; Old Havana is a World Heritage Site.
  • Jasper National Park Canada. The largest national park in Alberta's Rocky Mountains, reached by the Icefields Parkway.
  • Lake Atitlán Guatemala. The deepest lake in Central America, at 340 m, with three volcanoes on its southern shore.
  • Lake Tahoe United States. A lake in the Sierra Nevada on the line between California and Nevada, 1,645 ft deep.
  • Manuel Antonio National Park Costa Rica. A small park on the Pacific coast, set up in 1972, where sloths and three kinds of monkey live.
  • Mexico City Mexico. Built on the Aztec island city of Tenochtitlan, at 2,240 m above sea level.
  • Miami Beach United States. A barrier-island city; its Art Deco Historic District was listed in 1979.
  • Monteverde Costa Rica. A mountain district known for the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve.
  • Montreal Canada. On an island in the St Lawrence River, and named after Mount Royal, the hill at its centre.
  • Monument Valley United States. Sandstone buttes up to 1,000 ft tall on Navajo Nation land at the Arizona and Utah line.
  • Negril Jamaica. A resort town at the island's far western end, known for its Seven Mile Beach.
  • New Orleans United States. Founded by the French in 1718, and the birthplace of jazz.
  • New York City United States. Five boroughs, with Central Park in the middle of Manhattan.
  • Niagara Falls Canada and the United States. Three waterfalls on the Niagara River: Horseshoe, American and Bridal Veil.
  • Oaxaca Mexico. The city and the Zapotec ruins of Monte Albán above it are one World Heritage Site.
  • Palenque Mexico. A Maya city in the forest of Chiapas, with the tomb of Pakal in the Temple of the Inscriptions.
  • Panama City Panama. At the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal; the old quarter is a World Heritage Site.
  • Prince Edward Island Canada. The country's smallest province, joined to the mainland by the Confederation Bridge.
  • Quebec City Canada. Founded by Champlain in 1608; the walls around Old Quebec still stand.
  • San Blas Islands Panama. About 365 islands and cays, of which 49 are inhabited, home to the Guna people.
  • San Francisco United States. Cable cars climb its hills, and the Golden Gate Bridge crosses the mouth of the bay.
  • Santo Domingo Dominican Republic. Founded in 1496; its Colonial City holds the first cathedral in the Americas.
  • Teotihuacan Mexico. The Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon stand along the Avenue of the Dead.
  • Tikal Guatemala. A Maya city in the rainforest of Petén, and a World Heritage Site since 1979.
  • Toronto Canada. On the shore of Lake Ontario, under the 553 m CN Tower.
  • Trinidad Cuba. A colonial sugar town, listed with the Valley of the Sugar Mills in 1988.
  • Tulum Mexico. A walled Maya port on 12 m cliffs above the Caribbean.
  • Vancouver Canada. A Pacific port between the sea and the mountains, with Stanley Park beside its downtown.
  • Viñales Valley Cuba. A valley of tobacco farms among steep limestone hills called mogotes, listed in 1999.
  • Washington, D.C. United States. The National Mall runs from the Capitol past the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial.
  • Yellowstone National Park United States. Set up in 1872, mostly in Wyoming, with Old Faithful among its geysers.
  • Yosemite National Park United States. In California's Sierra Nevada, with El Capitan, Half Dome and giant sequoia groves.
  • Zion National Park United States. In Utah; the Virgin River cut Zion Canyon through red and tan Navajo Sandstone.

South America 35

  • Aconcagua Argentina. The highest mountain in the Americas, in Mendoza Province.
  • Arequipa Peru. Built of sillar, a white volcanic stone; the centre has been a World Heritage Site since 2000.
  • Atacama Desert Chile. The driest non-polar desert in the world, and home to the ALMA and Very Large Telescope observatories.
  • Buenos Aires Argentina. The birthplace of tango, with the Teatro Colón opera house.
  • Cartagena Colombia. A Caribbean port founded in 1533; its walls and fortress are a World Heritage Site.
  • Chiloé Island Chile. The country's second-largest island, with more than 150 wooden churches, many of them World Heritage.
  • Colca Canyon Peru. One of the deepest canyons in the world, where Andean condors ride the updrafts.
  • Colonia del Sacramento Uruguay. Founded by the Portuguese in 1680, across the Río de la Plata from Buenos Aires.
  • Cotopaxi Ecuador. An active volcano in the Andes, 5,897 m high, south of Quito.
  • Cusco Peru. The capital of the Inca Empire, at about 3,400 m, and a World Heritage Site since 1983.
  • Fernando de Noronha Brazil. An archipelago of 21 islands and islets, 354 km off the mainland coast.
  • Galápagos Islands Ecuador. Volcanic islands about 1,000 km west of the mainland that Darwin visited in 1835.
  • Huascarán National Park Peru. Holds Huascarán, the country's highest peak at 6,768 m; a World Heritage Site since 1985.
  • Iguazu Falls Argentina and Brazil. About 275 drops along 2.7 km of the Iguazu River; the Devil's Throat is the biggest.
  • La Paz Bolivia. At about 3,650 m, with a cable car network, Mi Teleférico, as public transport.
  • Lake Titicaca Bolivia and Peru. At 3,812 m in the Andes, and often called the highest navigable lake in the world.
  • Lençóis Maranhenses Brazil. White sand dunes with freshwater lagoons between them in the rainy season.
  • Machu Picchu Peru. A 15th-century Inca citadel on a ridge 2,430 m up, and a World Heritage Site since 1983.
  • Medellín Colombia. Called the City of the Eternal Spring, in the Aburrá Valley of the Andes.
  • Nazca Lines Peru. Huge figures scratched into the desert between 500 BC and AD 500, listed in 1994.
  • Ouro Preto Brazil. A gold-rush town of baroque churches in the mountains, and a World Heritage Site since 1980.
  • Pantanal Brazil. The largest tropical wetland in the world, mostly in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul.
  • Paraty Brazil. A colonial port between the mountains and the sea, and a World Heritage Site since 2019.
  • Península Valdés Argentina. A breeding ground for southern right whales, and a World Heritage Site since 1999.
  • Perito Moreno Glacier Argentina. A glacier 30 km long and 5 km wide in Los Glaciares National Park.
  • Quebrada de Humahuaca Argentina. A mountain valley about 155 km long in Jujuy, and a World Heritage Site since 2003.
  • Quito Ecuador. At 2,850 m in the Andes; its old centre was among the first World Heritage Sites listed, in 1978.
  • Rio de Janeiro Brazil. Christ the Redeemer looks down from Corcovado on Copacabana and Ipanema beaches.
  • Sacred Valley Peru. The valley of the Urubamba River, with Inca sites at Pisac and Ollantaytambo.
  • Salar de Uyuni Bolivia. The largest salt flat in the world, at 3,656 m above sea level.
  • Salvador Brazil. The country's first capital, founded in 1549; the Pelourinho quarter is a World Heritage Site.
  • Tayrona National Park Colombia. Caribbean beaches at the foot of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
  • Torres del Paine National Park Chile. Named after three granite towers in Chilean Patagonia; a park since 1959.
  • Ushuaia Argentina. On the Beagle Channel, and widely called the southernmost city in the world.
  • Valparaíso Chile. A port city of steep hills served by funiculars, and a World Heritage Site since 2003.

Africa 39

  • Abu Simbel Egypt. Two temples of Ramesses II, cut out and moved in 1968 to escape the rising Lake Nasser.
  • Avenue of the Baobabs Madagascar. Grandidier's baobabs about 30 m tall line a 260 m stretch of dirt road.
  • Cairo Egypt. On the Nile; Islamic Cairo, its medieval core, has been a World Heritage Site since 1979.
  • Cape Town South Africa. Founded in 1652 below the flat top of Table Mountain.
  • Chefchaouen Morocco. A town in the Rif mountains founded in 1471, known for its blue-washed walls.
  • Chobe National Park Botswana. The country's first national park, from 1967, known for its elephants.
  • Diani Beach Kenya. A beach on the Indian Ocean about 30 km south of Mombasa.
  • Drakensberg South Africa. The eastern Great Escarpment, up to 3,482 m, with San rock paintings and a World Heritage park.
  • Erg Chebbi Morocco. A sea of Saharan sand dunes up to 150 m high, beside the village of Merzouga.
  • Essaouira Morocco. A fortified Atlantic port once called Mogador, and a World Heritage Site since 2001.
  • Etosha National Park Namibia. Built around the Etosha pan, a salt pan of 4,760 square km; proclaimed in 1907.
  • Fes Morocco. The University of al-Qarawiyyin here was founded in 859, inside a walled medina.
  • Fish River Canyon Namibia. The largest canyon in Africa: about 160 km long, up to 27 km wide and 550 m deep.
  • Garden Route South Africa. About 300 km of coast from Mossel Bay to the Storms River.
  • Giza pyramids Egypt. The Great Pyramid, the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure, and the Great Sphinx.
  • Great Zimbabwe Zimbabwe. The stone ruins of a city built from the 11th century, and a World Heritage Site since 1986.
  • iSimangaliso Wetland Park South Africa. About 280 km of KwaZulu-Natal coast around Lake St Lucia, a World Heritage Site since 1999.
  • Kruger National Park South Africa. The country's first national park, from 1926, and home to the Big Five.
  • La Digue Seychelles. The country's fourth-largest granite island, where Anse Source d'Argent beach is.
  • Lamu Kenya. Listed in 2001 as the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa.
  • Lanzarote Spain. Eruptions from 1730 to 1736 made the lava fields of Timanfaya National Park.
  • Le Morne Brabant Mauritius. A basalt mountain 556 m high where escaped slaves took shelter, listed in 2008.
  • Luxor Egypt. On the site of ancient Thebes, with Karnak in town and the Valley of the Kings across the Nile.
  • Maasai Mara Kenya. A game reserve next to the Serengeti; wildebeest herds cross into it each year.
  • Madeira Portugal. Its laurel forest, the laurisilva, is a World Heritage Site, and Funchal is the capital.
  • Marrakech Morocco. Founded around 1070; the Jemaa el-Fnaa square and the medina are a World Heritage Site.
  • Mount Kilimanjaro Tanzania. A dormant volcano and the highest mountain in Africa, at 5,895 m.
  • Ngorongoro Crater Tanzania. A volcanic caldera 610 m deep with a floor of 260 square km, full of wildlife.
  • Okavango Delta Botswana. An inland delta whose water never reaches the sea; the 1,000th World Heritage Site, in 2014.
  • Robben Island South Africa. Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 prison years here; a World Heritage Site since 1999.
  • Serengeti National Park Tanzania. More than 1.5 million wildebeest migrate through it; a World Heritage Site since 1981.
  • Sossusvlei Namibia. A salt and clay pan ringed by tall red dunes in Namib-Naukluft National Park.
  • Tenerife Spain. Mount Teide, at 3,715 m, is the country's highest mountain; its park is a World Heritage Site.
  • Toubkal Morocco. The highest peak in the Atlas Mountains and in North Africa, at 4,167 m.
  • Tsingy de Bemaraha Madagascar. A forest of sharp limestone needles called tsingy, part of a World Heritage Site.
  • Vallée de Mai Seychelles. A palm forest on Praslin where the coco de mer grows, a World Heritage Site since 1983.
  • Victoria Falls Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Zambezi drops 108 m over a lip 1,708 m wide.
  • Volcanoes National Park Rwanda. Home of mountain gorillas, and the base of the researcher Dian Fossey.
  • Zanzibar Tanzania. Islands in the Indian Ocean known for spices; Stone Town is a World Heritage Site.

Oceania 29

  • Abel Tasman National Park New Zealand. The country's smallest national park, founded in 1942, with a coast track along golden beaches.
  • Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park New Zealand. Named after the country's highest mountain, Aoraki / Mount Cook, which stands inside it.
  • Bay of Islands New Zealand. 144 islands in the far north, near where the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed in 1840.
  • Blue Mountains Australia. Sandstone plateaus west of Sydney, with the Three Sisters rock formation at Katoomba.
  • Bora Bora French Polynesia. An island ringed by a lagoon and a barrier reef; Mount Otemanu, at its centre, is 727 m.
  • Cradle Mountain Australia. In the highlands of Tasmania, where walks along the Overland Track usually begin.
  • Daintree Rainforest Australia. About 1,200 square km of tropical rainforest that runs down to the sea in Queensland.
  • Easter Island Chile. Nearly 1,000 moai statues carved by the Rapa Nui people, in a park listed in 1995.
  • Fiordland National Park New Zealand. The country's largest national park, with Milford Sound among its fiords.
  • Great Barrier Reef Australia. More than 2,900 reefs and 900 islands stretched over 2,300 km off Queensland.
  • Great Ocean Road Australia. A 240 km road built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932, past the Twelve Apostles.
  • Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park United States. Holds Kīlauea and Mauna Loa, two active volcanoes; a World Heritage Site since 1987.
  • Honolulu United States. The capital of Hawaii, on Oahu, with Waikīkī beach below Diamond Head.
  • K'gari Australia. The largest sand island in the world, 123 km long; a World Heritage Site since 1992.
  • Kakadu National Park Australia. Wetlands and Aboriginal rock art in the Northern Territory, in a World Heritage park.
  • Kauai United States. Hawaii's Garden Isle, with Waimea Canyon and the Nā Pali Coast.
  • Mamanuca Islands Fiji. A chain of about 20 islands west of Nadi; about seven are covered by the sea at high tide.
  • Maui United States. The second-largest Hawaiian island, topped by the volcano Haleakalā.
  • Melbourne Australia. Known for its laneways and for the largest urban tram network in the world.
  • Queenstown New Zealand. A resort town on Lake Wakatipu, under a range called The Remarkables.
  • Rarotonga Cook Islands. The largest and most populous of the islands, 32 km around, with Te Manga at 658 m.
  • Rotorua New Zealand. Known for geysers and hot mud pools, and for Māori culture.
  • Rottnest Island Australia. An island 18 km west of Fremantle, and the home of the quokka.
  • Sydney Australia. The Sydney Opera House, a World Heritage Site, stands on the harbour beside the Harbour Bridge.
  • Tahiti French Polynesia. The highest and largest island of the territory; Mont Orohena rises to 2,241 m.
  • Tongariro National Park New Zealand. The country's oldest national park, around the volcanoes Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro.
  • Uluru Australia. A sandstone rock 348 m high that is sacred to the Anangu, in a World Heritage park.
  • Waitomo Caves New Zealand. Caves lit by glowworms of a species found nowhere else.
  • Whitsunday Islands Australia. 74 islands off the coast of Queensland, with Whitehaven Beach on the largest.

How this list was compiled: A hand-picked list of 300 well-known places to travel to, written for this site. How the rows were chosen: places a traveller can name and book a trip around, spread over six continents (at least 25 cards each), at most 25 cards for any one country, at most 100 cities, 80 countries and territories in all. The continent follows where the ground is, not the flag: the Canary Islands, off the north-west coast of Africa, and Madeira, which its article places on the African plate, 520 km west of Morocco, are under Africa; Hawaii and Easter Island, both in Polynesia, are under Oceania; Istanbul, founded on the European side of the Bosphorus, is under Europe; the Azores stay under Europe and the Galápagos under South America. Each card's line was checked on 2026-09-19 against the English Wikipedia article named in the card's x.src, read through the MediaWiki API (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php, prop=revisions and prop=coordinates); every number, date and superlative on a card had to appear in that article, and a claim that did not was cut. Two distances are unit conversions of the article's own figures: Fernando de Noronha, 191 nautical miles to 354 km, and Fish River Canyon, 100 miles to 160 km. Coordinates are the article's primary coordinates; ten articles carry none, and those come from the Wikidata item (P625), https://www.wikidata.org/ , checked 2026-09-19. Grand Canyon National Park's line is from the US National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm , and the other ten US national parks were also read against their nps.gov pages (yell, yose, zion, glac, grsm, acad, arch, ever, dena, havo); Banff, Jasper and Gros Morne were read against Parks Canada, https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/banff , https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper and https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/nl/grosmorne ; all checked 2026-09-19. World Heritage status is as stated in the article's UNESCO infobox or lead on that date. A rule of the list, not advice: no card is in a country that the Government of Canada's travel advisories page, https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories , listed as 'Avoid all travel' for the whole country on 2026-09-19. The list holds no prices, flight times, visa rules, safety ratings or best-month claims. Licence: own work (selection, kinds, trip types and wording); facts checked against Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0, facts only, no text copied), nps.gov and parks.canada.ca