Massachusetts holds a central place in American history as the birthplace of the American Revolution and the site of events like the Boston Tea Party. It’s where the Mayflower landed, setting the stage for centuries of cultural and societal evolution. The state is home to some of the nation’s most historic cities, like Boston and Salem, as well as prestigious institutions such as Harvard and MIT. The state’s museums reflect this diversity and offer a deep dive into everything from fine arts to the story of space exploration. Whether you’re a lifelong resident or just visiting, these 10 museums are worth a visit.

1. Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston

Established in 1870, the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston opened its doors on July 4, 1876, in Copley Square, initially housing 5,600 artworks. By 1909, the expanding collection necessitated a move to its current location on Huntington Avenue.

The MFA boasts nearly 500,000 pieces, making it one of the world’s most comprehensive art museums. Its diverse collections span continents and eras, featuring notable works such as the largest assembly of Japanese art outside Japan, a significant compilation of Egyptian artifacts, and an impressive array of Impressionist paintings.

You can explore masterpieces by artists like Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and John Singer Sargent. The museum’s Japanese galleries offer an intimate experience with treasures including Nō theater robes and the renowned “Waves at Matsushima” by Ogata Kōrin. The MFA also hosts rotating exhibitions, educational programs, and community events.

2. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston was established in 1903 by art collector and philanthropist Isabella Stewart Gardner. It is renowned for its unique design and diverse art collection. Modeled after a 15th-century Venetian palace, the museum reflects Gardner’s vision of an immersive environment where architecture and art harmoniously coexist.

The museum’s collection encompasses over 7,500 artworks, including paintings, sculptures, tapestries, and decorative arts from Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Notable masterpieces include Titian’s “The Rape of Europa,” Rembrandt’s “Self-Portrait, Age 23,” and John Singer Sargent’s “El Jaleo.”

When visiting this iconic museum, you’ll be able to explore the three floors of galleries surrounding a picturesque courtyard, each room meticulously arranged as per Gardner’s original vision. The museum also offers educational programs, concerts, and special exhibitions, continuing Gardner’s legacy of fostering a vibrant cultural hub.

3. Harvard Museum of Natural History, Cambridge

Since its opening in 1998, the Harvard Museum of Natural History, nestled in Cambridge, has drawn visitors with its eclectic blend of artistry, science, and history. It brings together exhibits from Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology, the Harvard University Herbaria, and the Mineralogical Museum, creating a singular experience for curious minds.

A standout feature is the astonishing Glass Flowers Collection, crafted by Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka. These delicate glass creations capture the intricate details of over 800 plant species, stunning visitors with their lifelike beauty. Equally captivating is the Great Mammal Hall, where skeletons of whales and land mammals tower above, sparking awe and wonder.

You are also invited to explore the mineral and meteorite exhibits, which reveal the Earth’s geological secrets. Whether you’re marveling at a Kronosaurus fossil or discovering ocean myths in the “Sea Monsters” exhibit, the museum promises an unforgettable day immersed in discovery.

4. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, located on Columbia Point in Boston, Massachusetts, is dedicated to the memory of the 35th President of the United States. Designed by architect I. M. Pei, the library was dedicated in 1979 and serves as the official repository for Kennedy’s presidential papers and correspondence.

The museum offers exhibits that showcase significant events from Kennedy’s presidency, including the 1960 campaign, the Peace Corps, the Space Race, and the Civil Rights Movement. Visitors can explore period settings from the White House and view 25 multimedia exhibits that provide an immersive experience of President Kennedy’s thousand days in office.

The library and museum are open to the public, offering educational programs and access to historical materials related to President Kennedy’s life and legacy.

5. Peabody Essex Museum, Salem

The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, stands as one of the nation’s oldest continuously operating museums, with roots tracing back to the 1799 founding of the East India Marine Society.

PEM’s extensive collection encompasses approximately 1.3 million pieces, including significant holdings in Asian art, maritime artifacts, and fashion textiles.

A notable feature of the museum is the Yin Yu Tang House, a 200-year-old Chinese home meticulously relocated from Anhui Province and reassembled at PEM, offering visitors a rare glimpse into Chinese domestic architecture. It also has a new gallery dedicated to Korean art and culture.

You can also explore the Phillips Library Collection, one of the oldest libraries in the United States, which inspires new journeys of learning. For those interested in maritime history, PEM’s collection is among the most comprehensive in the world, offering insights into global art history.

6. Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge

This museum was established in 1969 with the assistance of Norman Rockwell and his wife, Molly. Originally situated on Main Street in the Old Corner House, the museum relocated in 1993 to its current 36-acre site overlooking the Housatonic River Valley. The building was designed by architect Robert A. M. Stern.

The museum houses the largest collection of original Rockwell art, including nearly 1,000 paintings and drawings. Additionally, it maintains the Norman Rockwell Archives, comprising over 100,000 items such as photographs, letters, and business documents.

It’s worth seeing Rockwell’s Stockbridge studio, which was moved to the museum grounds and restored to its 1960 appearance, which offers visitors insight into his creative process.

7. Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, Boston

The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, located on the Congress Street Bridge in Boston, offers an immersive experience of the pivotal 1773 event that contributed to the American Revolution. Visitors can engage with interactive exhibits, live reenactments, and multimedia presentations that bring this historic protest to life.

A highlight of the museum is the opportunity to board full-scale replicas of the 18th-century ships Eleanor and Beaver, where participants can reenact the iconic act of tossing tea crates into Boston Harbor.

The museum also houses the Robinson Tea Chest, the only known surviving tea chest from the original Boston Tea Party, offering a tangible connection to the past.

8. The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

The Clark Art Institute, located in Williamstown, was established in 1955 by art collectors Sterling and Francine Clark. The museum’s collection features European and American paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs, and decorative arts from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century.

In October 2024, the Clark received a significant donation from the Aso O. Tavitian Foundation, comprising more than 330 works of art and over $45 million to endow a new curatorial position, care for the collection, and construct a new wing.

The museum also serves as a research institution, housing a library with special collections such as the Mary Ann Beinecke Decorative Art Collection, which includes over 1,200 volumes on textiles and decorative arts.

9. Salem Witch Museum, Salem

This museum provides an in-depth look at the infamous witch trials of 1692. Opened in 1972, the museum is located in a Gothic Revival building and focuses on this dark chapter in history through two main presentations. The first is a dramatic, narrated display featuring life-size figures that guide visitors through the events of the trials.

The second exhibit, titled “Witches: Evolving Perceptions,” examines how the concept of witches has changed throughout history. It covers European witch hunts, the rise of stereotypes, and the lessons learned from scapegoating and persecution.

Recent updates include the addition of rare artifacts, like a 1600 edition of the “Malleus Maleficarum,” a witch-hunting manual, which adds context to the museum’s educational mission.

10. Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, founded in 2002 by Eric and Barbara Carle, is dedicated to celebrating picture book illustration as an art form. Located in Amherst, it offers a hands-on and educational approach to understanding the world of picture books.

The museum features three main galleries. One consistently displays Carle’s famous works, such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, while the others rotate exhibits showcasing international picture book illustrators. Visitors can also engage in creative projects at the Art Studio, browse the extensive library of picture books, or attend talks, workshops, and performances in the on-site theater.

With over 13,000 objects in its collection, the museum serves as both a learning space for educators and an activity-filled destination for families.

American museums are often easy to underestimate, especially when compared with Europe’s centuries-old institutions. Although an easy assumption to make, the reality is altogether surprisingly different. Thanks to a few ambitious collectors, turbulent decades in Europe, and an ever-evolving art market, the US was already building serious collections by the early 20th century. The result? Paintings one would expect to find in Florence, Vienna, or Paris are now hanging in prominent US cities, each carrying a long, unexpected journey with them.

What do We Mean by a Masterpiece?

It’s arguably one of the most overused terms in the art world, but a masterpiece is a very specific work of art. Often recognized in hindsight, it describes artwork that proves to be genuinely transformative, shaping how art looks at a specific moment in history and changing the direction it follows. Think of Leonardo pushing painting toward science, or Picasso tearing apart the rules and reinventing how figures and portraits could be painted.

Some of these artists were celebrated during their lifetime, others barely noticed until long after they passed. What unites them, though, is that their work reset the conversation around the specific art form. Modern artists study it, respond to it, and measure themselves against it, long after the original piece was cemented in history.

1. Leonardo da Vinci, Ginevra de’ Benci, National Gallery of Art

It feels almost sacrilegious to say it out loud, but there is a glorious painting by Leonardo da Vinci hanging in Washington, DC. Ginevra de’ Benci was painted in Florence in the late 15th century, a poised and thoughtful portrait that already hinted at Leonardo’s deep interest in psychology, naturalism, and the inner lives of those who posed for him.

The painting’s journey is a surprise in itself. It remained in European hands for centuries, eventually becoming part of the princely collection of Liechtenstein. After World War II, however, the family lost large parts of its land and wealth through political upheaval and expropriation in Eastern Europe, and selling a handful of major works became a way to stop the financial hemorrhage.

In 1967, the National Gallery of Art purchased Ginevra directly from Prince Franz Josef II. The sale helped secure the family’s future and left Washington with one of the most important paintings in the Western canon, now improbably at home on American soil.

2. Jan van Eyck, The Annunciation, National Gallery of Art

Jan van Eyck had an almost unnerving ability to make paint feel solid and alive. His use of oil allowed for sharp edges, glowing light, and layers of detail that still stop people in their tracks today. The Annunciation is a perfect example. Every surface makes an impact, from the floor to the carefully constructed interior, packed with meaning but never careless or decorative for its own sake.

Its path to Washington is tied much more to politics than to taste. For a time, the painting belonged to Russia’s Hermitage Museum. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Soviet government began selling off works from former imperial collections to raise hard currency for industrial projects. Andrew Mellon, an American financier with serious collecting ambitions, was at the right place, at the right time, with just the right amount of funds to purchase The Annunciation in 1930.

3. Johannes Vermeer, Girl with the Red Hat, National Gallery of Art

Vermeer’s paintings are so scarce that coming across one still feels a bit unreal. Girl with the Red Hat is especially personal. The brushwork is loose, the gaze direct, and the whole thing feels closer and more spontaneous than his better-known domestic scenes. It is also small, much smaller than most people expect, which only adds to its pull.

Andrew Mellon (yes, him again) purchased the painting in 1925, five years before he scored The Annunciation, and decades before Vermeer became a household name. When his collection later took on a public life in Washington, Girl with the Red Hat joined Van Eyck’s panel as one of the works that drew the biggest crowds.

4. Rembrandt, Aristotle with a Bust of Homer, The Met

Rembrandt painted this work in 1653 for a wealthy Sicilian patron, which already gives it a very European starting point. Aristotle is not shown as some marble-cold philosopher but instead looks thoughtful and almost human, resting his hand on a bust of Homer while dressed like a man of Rembrandt’s own time. It feels less like a history lesson and more like someone caught mid-thought, weighing what knowledge, fame, and legacy really amount to.

Surprisingly, the painting did not attract much fanfare when it arrived in New York. It moved through a series of European collections before eventually entering the Met. And while it fits neatly among the museum’s Dutch works today, there is still something slightly unexpected about finding a painting by a master commissioned for a Sicilian nobleman hanging on a wall in Manhattan.

5. Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, Museum of Modern Art

Very few paintings sent ripples through the artworld the way Les Demoiselles d’Avignon did. Painted in Paris in 1907, it threw perspective, form, and even the most basic ideas of beauty right out the window. The figures are sharp and confrontational, in a way that was deeply unsettling at the time. People often call it the starting point of Cubism, though that hardly conveys just how radical and even scandalous it really was at the time.

Its home in New York says a lot about MoMA’s early instincts. By the time the museum acquired the painting in 1939 through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest, it had already made the rounds in New York dealer circles, raising eyebrows wherever it went.

6. Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, Museum of Modern Art

Van Gogh painted The Starry Night while living at the asylum in Saint Rémy, and if the piece feels deeply personal, it is because it was. The swirling sky, the restless movement, and the intensity of the color all seem tied to emotion as much as observation. Today, it is one of the most recognizable paintings in the world, closely bound to ideas of European modernism and to Van Gogh’s own tortured life.

As was the case with Picasso’s painting, MoMA acquired the painting in 1941 through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest by exchange, part of a deliberate effort to shape a clear story of modern art. Seeing it here can still feel slightly unreal, especially when you remember how strongly the painting belongs, at least in spirit, to the south of France.

7. Gustav Klimt, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, Neue Galerie

Klimt’s gold-soaked portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I feels inseparable from Vienna. Painted in 1907, it sits at the height of the Vienna Secession, where symbolism, portraiture, and ornament collided in a way that was bold, confident, and immensely timely. Seeing it anywhere outside Austria would give any serious art-lover a little shiver down the spine.

The painting’s path to New York is tangled up with 20th-century history. It was looted by the Nazis, then folded into Austrian state collections, where it stayed for decades. Only after a long and closely watched restitution case was it returned to Maria Altmann, Adele Bloch Bauer’s niece. In 2006, Ronald S. Lauder acquired the painting for the Neue Galerie.

8. Temple of Dendur, The Met

The Temple of Dendur is probably the most unexpected masterpiece on this list, simply because it is actually an entire building. It was originally constructed in Roman-era Egypt, around 15 BC, and originally stood along the Nile.

When the Aswan High Dam threatened to flood large parts of Nubia in the 1960s, an international campaign was launched to save monuments that would otherwise be lost. As part of that effort, Egypt gifted the temple to the United States in 1965 in recognition of its support. After some debate over where it should live, the structure was awarded to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Met built an entire gallery around it, stone by stone.

Museums in Japan were created differently from many museums elsewhere. In Europe and North America, they often developed to display relics from the past. In Japan, many were founded with a sense of urgency, collecting objects and traditions that were still in use because people understood how quickly the country was changing. Religious practices, court life, and everyday domestic culture were preserved before they disappeared during rapid modernization. That forward-looking approach explains why Japanese museums place such emphasis on how objects were used and displayed, rather than on spectacle alone.

1. Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo

Tokyo National Museum is Japan’s oldest national museum and the clearest place to see how the country’s cultural traditions were shaped over time. Founded in 1872 during the early Meiji Period, it was created just as Japan was opening itself to the world and deciding what parts of its past needed formal protection.

The collection is eclectic but not chaotic in any way, and features archaeological relics from the Jōmon and Yayoi periods shown alongside Buddhist sculptures, samurai armor, court paintings, and an abundance of quaint, decorative art. Highlights include early clay figurines, Heian-period Buddhist statues carved from single blocks of wood, and folding screens that once divided space in residences of the elite. One of the museum’s strengths is in the way it explains everything in detail, with objects shown as functional equipment (even armor) and paintings rotated to reflect how they would have been traditionally viewed, briefly and seasonally.

Rather than presenting history as a straight line, the museum shows how beliefs, techniques, and social structures overlapped. You come away with a clear sense of how religion, warfare, court culture, and daily life all fed into what later became “Japanese art.”

2. Kyoto National Museum, Kyoto

Founded in 1897, this National Museum sits in a city where religious life, court culture, and artistic production overlapped for centuries, often in the same neighborhoods.

The museum’s collection focuses on Buddhist art and court-related works, including sutras, ritual objects, paintings, and furnishings tied to elite life. Many of these pieces mirror what you see inside Kyoto’s temples, but here they are showcased in detail, with labels explaining who commissioned them, how they were used, and why they were preserved.

Insider tip: Try to visit this museum early in your Kyoto stay, as it gives you a useful visual vocabulary. Buddhist figures, ritual objects, scrolls, and materials are clearly explained, and once you’ve seen them here, temples around the city stop feeling interchangeable. You begin to notice which figures belong to which sect, why certain halls are arranged the way they are, and how objects were meant to be handled or displayed.

3. Nara National Museum, Nara

Established in 1889, the Nara National Museum concentrates on Buddhist art from the period when Japan was first experimenting with a permanent capital and a centralized state. At that time, Buddhism was closely tied to the government, and many of the objects here were produced with official backing rather than private patronage.

The collection includes large-scale sculptures, ritual implements, reliquaries, and temple furnishings made for major institutions around Nara. These were not decorative works but functional objects used in public ceremony and state-supported worship. Several works date to the Nara Period and early Heian Period, when temples operated on a scale that later cities could rarely match.

4. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Hiroshima

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum opened in 1955, less than a decade after the atomic bombing of the city, and has been revised several times as public discussion of the war deepened. From the beginning, the main purpose of the museum was shaped by survivors who began saving objects, documents, and personal testimonies while memories were still fresh and physical evidence remained.

Early exhibitions focused on reconstruction and peace education in a period when open discussion of civilian suffering was actually quite limited. As the years passed and the themes around the atomic bombs were expanded and revisited, the scope of the museum broadened. It began to give more space to the individual experience and broached the subject of the long-term effects of radiation. That shift is evident in how the story is told today, through personal belongings, photographs, official records, and survivor accounts.

The museum keeps its scale deliberately small, and the effect on visitors is startling. A watch stopped at the moment of the blast, a scorched school uniform, a lunch box burned to smithereens. These everyday objects help to anchor the cataclysmic event in real lives and are much more effective than sweeping statements of inconceivable numbers of deceased and wounded. This is, by far, one of the most direct and impactful museum experiences you’ll likely have in Japan.

5. Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, Tokyo

Opened in 1993, Edo-Tokyo documents parts of the city that disappeared as it expanded and redeveloped, using full-scale buildings as its main storytelling tool.

Homes, shops, bathhouses, and small workshops were relocated here from across Tokyo when their original neighborhoods were cleared. Walking through the grounds, the city’s history unfolds in sequence. Edo-period merchant houses give way to Meiji-era shops and early Shōwa homes, and the physical changes are easy to read. Rooms become smaller, ceilings lower, and living and working spaces blend together.

These buildings show how Tokyo changed through countless practical adjustments made by ordinary people as the city grew more crowded. It is one of the clearest places to understand how urban life actually functioned across different periods, without needing explanation layered on top.

6. Nezu Museum, Tokyo

Opened to the public in 1941, the Nezu Museum reflects the personal taste of its founder, Nezu Kaichirō, a railway magnate and dedicated tea drinker. His collection focuses on Japanese and East Asian art, with particular strengths in painting, calligraphy, Buddhist works, and tea ceremony objects.

Because the museum is shaped by a single collector rather than an institution, it feels carefully edited rather than encyclopedic. As many will attest, the museum is not there to teach you anything but to show you lots of pretty things. Tea bowls, scrolls, and utensils shown here were all carefully selected for their meaning and use rather than their age or value. Many are rotated on a regular basis, and displays are often themed and timed with the seasons and traditional tea practices.

Insider tip: Unless you’re visiting in winter and desperate to get out of the cold, take some time to walk through the garden before stepping inside the museum. The garden is delightful in autumn or early spring and makes the focus on tea objects and seasonal display choices easier to appreciate. If you have time afterward, the quiet streets around Aoyama and Omotesandō are perfect for a slow walk and a coffee, which fits the mood far better than jumping straight back onto the bustling subway.

7. National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo

The first national museum in Japan devoted solely to modern art was founded in 1952, when the country was still recovering from the devastation of WWII. Artists were working in a country shaped by defeat, occupation, and exposure to Western ideas, while also grappling with how much of their own artistic tradition still made sense in a rapidly changing modern world.

What is abundantly clear in the galleries is that modern Japanese art did not abandon tradition altogether. Nihonga painters such as the legendary Yokoyama Taikan experimented with modern techniques while continuing to use mineral pigments and ink on paper or silk. Artists working in oil and printmaking likewise adopted Western techniques without fully letting go of Japanese themes or well-loved formats.

8. Adachi Museum of Art, Shimane Prefecture

Opened in 1970, the Adachi Museum of Art was established by industrialist Adachi Zenko, who believed paintings were best experienced in a carefully controlled environment. The collection homes in on modern Japanese painting, with a particular lean toward works by Yokoyama Taikan, whose Nihonga landscapes play a central role throughout the galleries.

Paintings are shown in relatively small rooms that boast large windows facing out to the gardens. These gardens are designed to be viewed alongside the paintings as composed scenes, stretching the balance, spacing, and brushwork of the works of art. Seasonal changes actually become part of the experience, affecting how both art and landscape are perceived, so that no two visits are ever the same.

Long before museums became rainy weekend destinations, they were places of control and authority. Objects were gathered by popes, monarchs, scholars, and city governments, and it was they who decided what was worth keeping and, primarily, who was even allowed to see it. Public access came later, often at a time when governmental buildings were finally opened up. Visit the oldest museums in the world today, and you are not stepping into blank, modern containers built for a purpose. You are moving through spaces that carry centuries of fascinating history.

1. Capitoline Museums, Rome, Italy

Often dubbed THE oldest museums in the world, Rome‘s Capitoline Museums were created after a very blunt decision made in 1471 by Pope Sixtus IV (of Inquisition infamy). The forward-thinking cleric handed a group of ancient bronze statues to the city of Rome, including the Capitoline She-Wolf, shifting control of precious artworks away from the Church and into civic hands.

The statues were installed inside buildings used for Rome’s municipal administration, and the eclectic setting is a huge appeal nowadays. You walk through halls designed for stately officials, with imposing statues of emperors and gods positioned where they once gathered.

2. Vatican Museums, Vatican City

The Vatican Museums were founded in 1506, when Pope Julius II put the recently excavated Laocoön Group on display in the Vatican. The sculpture had been unearthed in Rome and immediately attracted attention from artists and scholars.

Over the next two centuries, popes kept adding sculptures, paintings, manuscripts, and scientific objects to the collection. Access was still tightly controlled, though, and early visitors were usually scholars or diplomats. Public access expanded slowly, but the original concept of exclusivity still somehow rings true. Considering it can take you hours to gain entry to the Vatican Museums today, that old-school snobbery has not exactly gone extinct.

Don’t miss the Gallery of Maps on the Belvedere Courtyard. It’s where you’ll find a collection of detailed topographical maps that show a united Italy about 300 years before actual unification occurred.

3. Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy

Construction of the Uffizi (“Offices” in Italian) began in 1560 and was commissioned by Cosimo I de’ Medici to house Florence’s magistrates. Paintings in the upper floors and along the corridors didn’t appear until much later.

Those paintings signaled the patronage and influence of the Medici family, and when the lineage ended in 1737, Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici left the collection to the city under one firm condition: that it never leave Florence. That single clause froze a powerful family into a permanent public institution, and into the Italian history books forevermore.

4. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK

The Ashmolean opened in 1683 and is often called the first purpose-built public museum. It was created around the collection of Elias Ashmole, a scholar and collector with interests that ranged from ancient coins to botanical specimens.

What made the Ashmolean different was its connection to the University of Oxford. Objects were cataloged and studied as part of teaching and research, with early labels focusing on classification, context, and comparison.

5. Louvre Museum, Paris, France

The Louvre is one of the world’s oldest museums, yet it still manages to make headline news every now and then. The building itself is quite adept at rebranding itself, truth be told, going from medieval fortress to royal residence, then museum, then world-class heist site.

The decision to turn it into a museum was a deliberate political statement, at a time when art admiring was reserved for the monarchy. As a “take that” moment, it was seized and finally handed over to the people of France. The Louvre is considered quite sacred in the country to this day, as it stands as a symbol of arguably the most pivotal time in its history.

6. Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain

The Prado opened in 1819, using Spain’s royal collections, many assembled under the Habsburg monarchy. From the start, it was intended as a public museum, but its content remained closely tied to court culture. The collections cover hundreds of years of exquisite art, and not only is it one of the oldest museums in the world, but it is also one of Europe’s most respected.

7. National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark

Formally established in 1807, Denmark’s national museum was primarily founded on royal collections and antiquarian research. Its founders were much more interested in how people lived, rather than just what elites owned, and the collections clearly reflect that.

The museum grouped prehistoric, medieval, and ethnographic material to explain trade and social structures at different times in history. This approach helped establish archaeology as a systematic discipline and shifted museum focus more toward understanding long-term human activity rather than individual masterpieces.

8. British Museum, London, England

The British Museum was founded in 1753 and opened to the public in 1759. Its initial collection came from Sir Hans Sloane, whose own interests reflected the ideas of the Enlightenment, which dictated that gathering knowledge across cultures was perfectly valid. And so it gathered manuscripts, artifacts, and specimens through colonial networks that extended far beyond Britain’s borders.

As Britain expanded globally, the museum’s collections grew exponentially through excavation, diplomacy, and colonial administration. That history of “finders keepers” is still very much visible in the sheer range of objects on display from just about every corner of the world and continues to shape discussions about ownership and restitution.

9. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria

The Kunsthistorisches Museum opened in 1891 to house the collections, accumulated over centuries, of the illustrious Habsburg Dynasty. The paintings, antiquities, and decorative arts on display were gathered through a mix of birthright inheritance, patronage, and territorial expansion.

Opening the collection to the public followed much broader changes in Europe, as more and more empires began turning private collections into national institutions in the hope of appeasing public discontent and pressure to reform authority.

10. Egyptian Museum (Now Grand Egyptian Museum), Cairo, Egypt

The Egyptian Museum opened in 1902, after decades of concern about the fast flow of antiquities leaving Egypt, bound for Europe. Early archaeology had often served foreign collectors first and foremost, and the museum was an attempt to keep discoveries within their country of origin.

For much of the 20th century, it housed the majority of Egypt’s major finds and shaped how ancient Egypt was presented internationally. The new Grand Egyptian Museum near Giza has opened gradually through phased previews since 2023, though the original 1902 Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square remains open. While the building itself is new, the collection and institutional history still trace back to the early 20th century, so its placement on this list is more than deserved.

The ancient Greeks considered the number seven to represent completeness and perfection. Therefore, when they came up with lists of the wonders of the world, they stopped at seven. The most famous list was compiled by Philo of Byzantium in 225 BCE. This also inspired the New 7 Wonders of the World compiled in 2007. However, not only have two millennia of history passed between the two lists, but the original wonders were confined to the Mediterranean world, so there is a strong case for significantly expanding the list. We think these ten landmarks are excellent candidates.

1. The Acropolis, Greece

It is a bit of a surprise that the Greeks didn’t include their own Athenian Acropolis on their list. A timeless symbol of ancient civilization and democracy, the landmark attracts more than 23,000 visitors every day. Covering 7.5 acres, the 5th-century BCE Acropolis still has four standing structures: the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Temple of Athena Nike, and the Propylaia.

Built under the leadership of the famous Pericles, some of the most renowned sculptors and architects of ancient Greece worked on the Acropolis. As for the Parthenon, it was dedicated to the goddess Athena, the city’s patron goddess. He statue was 40 feet tall and was made from cypress wood covered in gold and ivory. A pool of water sat before the statue to maintain humidity and reflect flickering lights.

2. Moai, Chile

The Rapa Nui people, indigenous inhabitants of Easter Island, Chile, made the incredible Moai statues around 1,100 to 1,500 CE. Some weigh many tons and are more than 30 feet or nine meters long. Carved from volcanic rock, mainly from the Rano Raraku quarry, they were transported to different locations around Easter Island. The statues represent the faces of ancestors and important figures.

The statues were placed on ahu. These were large stone platforms that served as ceremonial sites. Some of the Moai were adorned with pukao, large cylinders or hats placed on the heads of the statues. The pukao were made of volcanic red scoria.

3. Banaue Rice Terraces, Philippines

The Banaue Rice Terraces are often called the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” Over 2,000 years ago, the Ifugao people, an indigenous group of Filipinos, carved the rice terraces into the mountains. These terraces are a standing testament to the advanced irrigation systems and agricultural techniques that the indigenous people developed. Located around 1,500 meters above sea level, they cover a wide area across the Ifugao province.

4. Stonehenge, UK

The standing stones of Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain have become an iconic symbol of historic England. The construction of Stonehenge spanned several centuries, and the monuments were completed in multiple phases. The process started with the excavation of a circular ditch and bank around 3000 BCE. This is when the “Henge” was formed. Construction continued through 2000 BCE. The Stone Circle is the most famous part of the structure.

Two main types of stones were used to construct Stonehenge. These include the larger Sarsen stones that were sourced locally and the smaller bluestones that were transported from Wales, over 150 miles away. While all the other monuments and historic landmarks on our list have a purpose behind building them, the exact objective and significance of Stonehenge remain a mystery.

5. The Terracotta Army, China

China’s Terracotta Warriors were discovered while a group of local farmers was digging a well in Shaanxi province in 1974. Excavations revealed that these warriors were crafted by killed laborers and artisans more than 2,000 years ago, during the Qin Dynasty. What for? To accompany the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, China’s first emperor. He ruled from 259 to 210 BCE. The thousands of life-sized terracotta soldiers, along with their chariots and horses, were buried to protect him in the afterlife.

Today, the Terracotta Army is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and millions of visitors flock to Shaanxi every year to see this unique archaeological discovery. Each warrior is unique, with individual facial expressions, hairstyles, weapons, and armor.

6. Angkor Wat, Cambodia

In the 12th century, King Suryavarman of Cambodia built the Angkor Wat. It was originally constructed as a Hindu temple. The first temple to be dedicated to the god Vishnu. However, it was later turned into a Buddhist temple. The Angkor Wat covers around 400 acres and is considered the largest religious monument in the world in terms of land size.

Angkor War is an architectural marvel. The wall carvings mimic an ancient picture book, giving a glimpse of life in the Khmer region, historical happenings, and Hindu stories. All the expansive galleries, towering spires, and stone carvings are made from sandstone blocks. One thing to note is that the design of the temple symbolizes Mount Meru. This is the home of the gods in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology.

Famous reliefs at Angkor Wat depict the “Churning of the Ocean of Milk,” a story where Vishnu takes the form of a turtle to stabilize Mount Meru.

7. The Alhambra, Spain

The Alhambra palace and fortress at Granada was built in the 13th and 14th centuries during the Nasrid Dynasty. Back then, the Muslim rulers used it as a royal palace, fortress, and court for the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada. It combines mosaic tiles, beautifully detailed stucco work, elaborate courtyards, and arabesque designs. The main sites you need to visit in the Alhambra include the Court of the Lions, the Palace of the Lions, and the Generalife Gardens.

Originally a medieval Islamic palace, after the Reconquista in 1492, the Alhambra fell under Christian control. As a result, the new rulers modified and even added some sections to the place.

8. The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

This structure was just meant to be a free-standing bell tower for Pisa’s cathedral. However, during construction, it began leaning because of its weak foundation on unstable soil. And the tilt kept increasing over the years. It wasn’t until the 20th and early 21st centuries that efforts were made to stabilize it. The lean was reduced from 5.5 degrees to around 4 degrees after extensive restoration. Today, the tower is structurally stable.

The 183-foot-tall structure is part of the Piazza del Duomo, and while its construction began in 1173, it wasn’t completed until 1372. With eight stories, the Leaning Tower of Pisa weighs about 14,500 metric tons. The tower has seven large bells at the top, but they have not been rung for over a century.

9. Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, Egypt

Carved out of solid rock, the ancient necropolis of Egypt’s Alexandria dates back to the Greco-Roman period, around the 2nd century CE. In the very beginning, when they were constructed, these tombs served as the burial site for a wealthy family. However, they were expanded later to include more tombs. The name “Kom el Shoqafa” means the “Mound of Shards.” It refers to the piles of broken pottery that were found around the site. These were left by ancient visitors who brought food and offerings, discarding the containers afterward.

While the catacombs consist of three levels, the lowest is underwater. When visiting, you can only explore the upper levels. You will get the chance to see several burial chambers, a spiral staircase leading down to the tombs, and a banquet hall. You’ll also witness Egyptian religious symbols blended with Greek and Roman artistic elements at the Main Tomb.

10. Eiffel Tower, France

The Eiffel Tower is one of the modern world’s most important man-made structures. It was completed in 1889 as part of the “Exposition Universelle” (World’s Fair) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Gustave Eiffel is the designer of the 1,083-foot-tall tower. This was the world’s tallest structure until 1930, the year in which New York City’s Chrysler Building was completed.

Located on the Adriatic coast between Croatia and Albania, Montenegro is a small country known for its natural beauty. While Montenegro’s beaches and mountains are its chief attraction, The country also has much to offer for discerning travelers with an interest in the Montenegro’s rich history, which combines strong Venetian, Ottoman, and Serbian influences with a distinct Montenegrin national identity. Much of Montenegro’s history can be found within the walls of the cities and fortresses below.

1. St John’s Fortress, Kotor

The port town of Kotor located on the eastern part of the eponymous Bay of Kotor is one of Montenegro’s most popular tourist destinations. The town owes its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site to four centuries of Venetian rule between 1420 and 1797, when it was known by the Italian name of Cattaro.

Kotor’s well-preserved network of fortifications surround the triangular Old Town and extend up the steep western slopes of Mount Lovcen to the Fortress of St John, built by the Venetians on the site of a Byzantine fortress. After the fortifications were severely damage during a major earthquake in 1979, significant repairs were carried out in the early 2000s to develop the site as a tourist attraction.

Visitors can reach the fortress either by climbing the stairs along the ramparts from the Old Town, or by taking the Kotor Ladder, an old mule track behind the town which leads up towards Mount Lovcen and beyond towards the old capital of Cetinje.

While the crumbling structures at the top of the fortress are of limited interest in themselves, the climb to the top offers unforgettable panoramic views of the Bay of Kotor and the Old Town below.

The small Old Town below the fortress has also plenty to offer to visitors. While it is worthwhile to simply get lost among its narrow streets and alleyways, Kotor’s main attractions include St Tryphon’s Cathedral, a 12th century Romanesque building catering to the Roman Catholic population, and the domed Orthodox Church of St Nicholas from the early 20th century.

Like the other towns along the bay, Kotor’s history is closely connected to the sea. The Kotor Maritime Museum offers visitors the opportunity to learn about the maritime heritage of the town and the wider Bay of Kotor. During the 18th and 19th centuries, several sailors from the Bay of Kotor went on to achieve great distinction with the Russian and Austro-Hungarian navies. Matija Zmajević from nearby Perast entered Russian service in 1712 and played a major role in the victory over the Swedish fleet at the Battle of Gangut in 1714 and was later promoted to vice-admiral. Kotor is also known for its large feline population and visitors can enter the small Kotor Cats Museum for a small fee.

2. The Fortified Island of Sveti Stefan

The fortified island of Sveti Stefan is one of the most picturesque spots on the Montenegrin coast. A few miles south of Budva, the island was home to the Paštrovići clan and served as a haven for anti-Ottoman pirates during the 15th century. The extant fortifications were built by the Venetians in the 16th century.

From the 1960s onwards, the island began to attract a clientele of celebrities including Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Princess Margaret, and Elizabeth Taylor. While tourism was disrupted by the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s, Sveti Stefan has experienced a revival after Montenegro gained independence from Serbia in 2006.

Since 2009, the island itself is part of a private 5-star hotel resort alongside the nearby Villa Miločer, built in the 1930s for Queen Marija Karađorđević, the widow of the assassinated King Alexander I of Yugoslavia.

Although it is no longer possible to visit the island without emptying your pockets for a stay at the Aman Sveti Stefan resort, the small village on the mainland has a stretch of beach and a quaint charm of its own. Roadtrippers with access to a car can drive up the mountains to the viewpoint at the Church of St Sava for the picture postcard view of the island.

3. The Old Royal Capital of Cetinje

A quiet little town of some 12,000 people, Cetinje is the old royal capital of Montenegro and one of the most significant sites in Montenegrin history. Founded by Ivan Crnojevic in 1478, Cetinje was home to the prince-bishops of Montenegro between 1516 and 1852.

While Montenegro was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1496, the Montenegrins who retreated inland into the mountains continued their armed resistance and maintained a considerable degree of autonomy from the Turks. During the 16th and 17th centuries, Montenegrins often fought alongside the Venetians in their wars with the Ottoman Empire.

During the reign of Metropolitan Danilo between 1697–1735, the office of prince-bishop or vladika was transformed into a hereditary possession of the House of Petrović-Njegoš. Since officeholders had to be celibate, this typically meant that the succession passed to cousins or nephews.

The vladika exercised his power from Cetinje Monastery, founded by Ivan Crnojevic in the 1480s and restored by Metropolitan Danilo in the early 1700s. Danilo was the first Montenegrin ruler to seek protection from the Russian Empire, although this did not prevent the Ottomans from launching occasional incursions into Montenegro in the 18th century.

Montenegro reached new heights in the 19th century under prince-bishops Petar I and Petar II. The former ruled for almost half a century between 1782 and 1830 and was a talented military leader and statesman who centralized power and steered the country through the Napoleonic Wars. He was canonized as Saint Peter of Cetinje shortly after his death.

Petar I was succeeded by his teenage nephew Rade Petrović, who assumed the throne as Petar II. Although he achieved less military glory than his uncle, Petar II established formal political institutions. Known as Njegoš to most Europeans, he is also revered as Montenegro’s national poet, and his epic poem The Mountain Wreath is considered the Serbian national epic. (The Montenegrins considered themselves Serbs until the 20th century.)

In 1838, Petar II began construction of a new palace near the Cetinje Monastery known as Biljarda after its billiards table. Following Petar’s death in 1851, he was buried in a mausoleum on Mount Lovcen, the “black mountain” that gives Montenegro its name. Both Biljarda and the Njegoš Mausoleum are managed by the National Museum of Montenegro.

In 1852, Petar’s nephew and successor Danilo II transformed his realm into a secular principality. Danilo left no son after his assassination in 1860 and was succeeded by his nephew Nikola, who extended Montenegro’s frontiers to the Adriatic coast after capturing the fortresses of Bar and Ulcinj from the Ottomans, leading to formal recognition of Montenegrin independence in 1878.

Nikola became the first and only king of Montenegro in 1910 but was forced into exile during World War I prior to the abolition of the monarchy in 1918. Between 1867 and 1916, he lived at the Cetinje Royal Palace opposite Biljarda. The two-story palace is now a museum that houses the crown jewels of Montenegro and other exhibits connected to Montenegrin royalty. The neo-Renaissance Government House built in 1910 to house the royal administration is home to the National Museum of History and Art.

Although the Montenegrin monarchy was never restored, Cetinje remains an important center of Montenegrin national identity, and the Blue Palace in Cetinje serves as the official residence of the President of Montenegro.

4. Stari Bar Fortress

The port of Bar in southern Montenegro was known in antiquity as Antibari since it lies across the Adriatic from the port city of Bari in southern Italy. After several hundred years of Slavic rule between the 6th and 14th centuries AD, Bar developed rapidly under two centuries of Venetian rule until it was captured by the Ottomans in 1570. The Ottomans ruled the port for three centuries until it was successfully besieged by Prince Nikola in 1878.

Bar is divided into the modern port of Bar on the Adriatic coast, and the town of Stari Bar or Old Bar around two miles inland. Located on a hill overlooking the coast, the Fortress of Stari Bar remains largely intact. Visitors can climb up the walls of the citadel for panoramic views of the region and wander through the well-preserved old town.

Stari Bar was largely abandoned following the 1979 earthquake that damaged the 16th century aqueduct that supplied water to the town. The population relocated to the coast and built the modern town. A summer palace built by Prince Nikola in the 1880s now serves as the city museum. Another impressive landmark in the modern town is the towering Church of St John Vladimir, built between 2006 and 2016.

5. Budva Citadel

Around 25 miles up the coast from Bar, Budva is the largest city on the Montenegrin coast and a major tourist hotspot. Founded as a Greek trading settlement in the 5th century BC, the city is known for its attractive Old Town built during the period of Venetian rule between the 15th and 18th centuries. Visitors can learn more about the city’s history in the small Budva City Museum in the Old Town.

Budva’s imposing citadel is integrated into the city walls at the southern end of the Old Town. For a small fee, visitors can climb up the ramparts to enter the citadel, where they will find a large library, a small collection of model ships, and panoramic views of the city and the so-called Budva Riviera.

After wandering through the streets of the Old Town and admiring the views from the citadel, visitors can relax at the Mogren beach, accessible via a passage carved through the cliff. A short distance to the south of Budva’s Old Town lies the island of Sveti Nikola. It is a popular excursion for visitors to the city and has been ambitiously nicknamed Hawaii by local tour operators. Boat tours run on a regular basis from the city pier, around 15 minutes away from the Old Town by foot.

6. Fort Lesendro, Lake Skadar

Straddling the border between Montenegro and Albania, Lake Skadar is the largest lake in southern Europe. Known for its rich biodiversity, the northern shore of Lake Skadar was home to the medieval principalities of Duklja (10th-12th centuries AD) and Zeta (12th-15th centuries AD).

After the Crnojević dynasty seized control of Zeta in the mid-15th century, the fortress of Žabljak Crnojevića near the lake briefly served as Zeta’s capital until 1478, when the Ottomans captured the Albanian city of Shkodër at the southern end of the lake. After retreating from Žabljak, Ivan set up his new base at Cetinje in the mountains.

The Montenegrins reoccupied the northern shore of Lake Skadar in 1832 and Prince-Bishop Petar II built Fort Lesendro to protect the entrance to the lake’s northern section and to collect customs revenue. However, after eleven years the fortress fell to the Ottomans in 1843, and Petar II spent the rest of his reign unsuccessfully trying to take it back. The fortress returned to Montenegrin control after Prince Nikola’s victory over the Ottomans in 1878.

In April 1913, Montenegrin troops captured Shkodër and the lake from the Ottomans after a six-month siege with the loss of some 10,000 men. Their costly success was short-lived as Montenegro was soon forced by the great powers to cede the city to newly independent Albania.

Since Fort Lesendro is next to a busy highway and railway line, it is not recommended to visit on foot. The fort can be seen from Vranjina on the eastern shore, where the Lake Skadar Visitor Information Center is located. Visitors can get a closer to the fort by taking the many boat tours of Lake Skadar from Vranjina or from Virpazar on the other side of the lake.

Homer’s Odyssey has been a cornerstone of Western literature for millennia. It chronicles the epic journey of King Odysseus as he strives to return home after the Trojan War. According to Homer, Odysseus took ten years to find his way home after the war, blown around the Aegean by meddlesome gods. This took him to fantastical lands, known in Geek culture but not always on the map. Scholars have spilled much ink debating where Odysseus and other characters from the epic might have landed. Discover eight places in Greece that feature in the Odyssey, and which you can visit today.

1. Ithaca: The Homeland of Odysseus

Ithaca, a picturesque island in the Ionian Sea, is believed to be the same Ithaca that Odysseus called home. Coin evidence celebrating the hero suggests that the ancient Greeks believed this too.

Visitors to Ithaca can explore several sites linked to its legendary past. The Archaeological Museum in Vathy houses artifacts from various periods, offering insights into the island’s ancient inhabitants. In the northern part of the island, near the village of Stavros, lies the area known as “Homer’s School.” Here, excavations have revealed remnants of a Mycenaean settlement, including structures that some suggest could be linked to Odysseus’s era.

Beyond its archaeological treasures, Ithaca offers stunning natural landscapes, from serene beaches like Filiatro to scenic hiking trails that traverse its hilly terrain.

2. Maroneia: The Land of the Cicones

Maroneia is traditionally linked to Maron, a priest of Apollo. According to Homer’s Odyssey, he gifted Odysseus with the region’s famous wine after his encounter with the Cicones at Ismaros. The wine was so strong that Odysseus’ men got very drunk, allowing the Cicones to launch a counterattack and kill many.

Archaeological excavations have unveiled remnants of Maroneia’s prosperous past. The ancient theater, dating back to the Hellenistic period, showcases impressive architecture and offers insights into the cultural life of the time.  Visitors can also explore the remnants of the city’s fortifications and residential areas, reflecting its historical prominence.

The nearby Ismaros hill provides panoramic views of the Aegean Sea, allowing travelers to immerse themselves in landscapes that have inspired legends.

3. Pylos: The Kingdom of Nestor

Pylos, located on the southwestern coast of the Peloponnese in Greece, was the kingdom of Nestor, the wise leader who participated in the Trojan War. When Athena encourages Odysseus’ Telemachus to seek news of his father’s fate, he sails to Pylos to consult with Nestor.

The most significant archaeological site in this area is the Palace of Nestor, situated on the hill of Epano Englianos, approximately 17 kilometers north of modern Pylos. Constructed in the 13th century BC, the palace is renowned as one of the best-preserved Mycenaean palaces discovered. Excavations have revealed a complex structure featuring storerooms, workshops, baths, and a central megaron, a grand hall adorned with frescoes depicting various motifs. The site also yielded over a thousand Linear B clay tablets, providing valuable insights into the administrative functions of Mycenaean society.

Nearby, the Archaeological Museum of Pylos, housed within the Niokastro Fortress, showcases artifacts from the region. The discovery of the Griffin Warrior Tomb in 2015, near the palace, unveiled a wealth of artifacts, including gold rings and bronze weapons.

4. Lefkada: The Island of the Lotus-Eaters

Lefkada, an island in the Ionian Sea, is renowned for its stunning beaches and rich history. Some theories suggest Lefkada as the possible location of Homer’s Land of the Lotus Eaters. Here, Odysseus’ men ate narcotic fruit that made them forget their desire to return home for a time. Historically, Lefkada was colonized by the Corinthians in the 7th century BC, who transformed it into an island by constructing a canal. The island played roles in various historical events, including the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars.

Visitors to Lefkada can explore several notable historical sites. The Castle of Agia Maura, built in the 14th century, stands as a testament to the island’s medieval past.  The Monastery of Faneromeni, perched on a hill overlooking the town, offers insights into religious traditions and provides panoramic views of the island. Additionally, the Archaeological Museum of Lefkada houses artifacts spanning from the Paleolithic period to Roman times.

Lefkada’s natural beauty is also captivating. Beaches like Porto Katsiki and Egremni, characterized by turquoise waters and dramatic cliffs, are often likened to Caribbean shores. The island’s lush landscapes and traditional villages, such as Agios Nikitas, offer a serene escape for travelers seeking both relaxation and cultural enrichment.

5. Corfu: The Island of the Phaeacians

Corfu, known in antiquity as Scheria, is celebrated in Homer’s Odyssey as the land of the Phaeacians, a seafaring people who aided Odysseus on his journey home.

The Old Town of Corfu, a UNESCO World Heritage site, showcases a fusion of Venetian, French, and British architectural influences. Wandering its narrow cobblestone streets, visitors encounter landmarks such as the Old Fortress, a testament to Venetian fortification prowess.  Nearby, the Spianada Square, one of the largest in Europe, offers a vibrant atmosphere surrounded by historic buildings.

The Mon Repos Estate, set within a lush park, houses the remains of Paleopolis, the ancient city of Corfu. Exploring this area reveals archaeological treasures, including remnants of temples and public buildings, providing insights into the island’s ancient past. The Archaeological Museum of Corfu exhibits artifacts that shed light on its storied past, including the impressive Gorgon pediment from the Temple of Artemis.

6. Ogygia: The Island of Calypso (Othonoi)

In Homer’s Odyssey, Ogygia is the secluded island of the nymph Calypso. She detained Odysseus for seven years, offering him immortality if he stayed with her. This mythical isle has intrigued scholars and travelers alike, leading to various theories about its real-world counterpart.

One prominent theory identifies Ogygia with the island of Gozo in the Maltese archipelago. On Gozo, above Ramla Bay, lies the Calypso Cave, which local tradition associates with Homer’s narrative. Visitors can explore this cave and imagine the ancient tales unfolding in its chambers.

Another hypothesis suggests that Ogygia corresponds to Othonoi, the westernmost island of Greece. Situated northwest of Corfu in the Ionian Sea, Othonoi’s serene landscapes and azure waters offer a tranquil retreat, reminiscent of the idyllic descriptions in the epic. The island’s unspoiled beauty provides a haven for those seeking to connect with nature and myth.

7. Mycenae: The Kingdom of Agamemnon

Mycenae, one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece, was the heart of the Mycenaean civilization. The Mycenaeans dominated the Aegean world from 1600 to 1100 BC. This fortified city, located in the northeastern Peloponnese, is famously associated with Agamemnon, the legendary king who led the Greek forces in the Trojan War. Homer described Mycenae as “rich in gold,” a claim substantiated by the discovery of elaborate burial sites containing golden artifacts, including the famous Mask of Agamemnon.

The ruins of Mycenae offer visitors a journey into Greece’s Bronze Age past. The Lion Gate, the massive stone entrance to the citadel, stands as a testament to Mycenaean engineering. The Grave Circles A and B hold royal tombs filled with exquisite treasures. The Treasury of Atreus, a monumental tholos tomb, showcases the architectural prowess of the time. Walking through the palace complex, visitors can imagine the grandeur of the Mycenaean elite who once ruled from these halls.

8. Delos: The Birthplace of Apollo

Though Delos does not play a major role in the Odyssey, Odysseus briefly mentions his visit to the island. He recalls a young palm tree growing near Apollo’s altar. This fleeting reference speaks to Delos’s religious significance in the ancient world. It was revered as the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. For any traveler navigating the Aegean, Delos was a beacon of divine power, a place where sailors sought the gods’ favor before continuing on their journey.

Today, Delos remains an extraordinary archaeological site. The Terrace of the Lions is a row of imposing marble statues gifted by the people of Naxos in the 7th century BC. It stands as a symbol of the island’s prestige. The Sanctuary of Apollo still holds the echoes of prayers offered by ancient seafarers like Odysseus. Easily accessible from Mykonos, Delos offers modern visitors a tangible link to the divine landscapes that shaped the mythology of the Odyssey.

Europe has an abundance of marble heroes, masterpiece paintings, and Renaissance saints, but tucked between all the icons are the kind of objects that make you scratch your head. These oddities rarely make the guidebooks, yet they often become the stories you bring home, partly because they are wonderfully bizarre and partly because they reveal just how inventive (and weird) humans can be.

Here are some of the weirdest exhibits from European museums.

1. The Giant Hairball, Hunterian Museum, Glasgow

The Hunterian Museum in Glasgow is full of scientific curiosities, but few stop people in their tracks quite like the 19th-century trichobezoar removed from the stomach of a cow. It is large, perfectly smooth, and strangely elegant, though in the very specific way that only a dense ball of swallowed hair can be. Cat lovers of the world may feel an unexpected flicker of kinship here, since this is essentially the agricultural ancestor of the household hairball.

These formations occur when hair collects and compacts over time. In grazing animals that cannot vomit, they can quietly grow to impressive sizes, and farmers sometimes kept them as curiosities. The Hunterian now presents this one with matter-of-fact clarity, leaving the odd mixture of fascination and mild discomfort entirely up to you.

2. The Anatomical Venus, La Specola, Florence

The Anatomical Venus was made in the late 1700s, when Italy was trying to modernize medical teaching. Wax artists from Florence’s best workshops created models that would not decay and could be studied again and again, and the Venus is arguably the most famous. Her torso opens neatly to show each organ in place, and her face is surprisingly gentle, which was intentional, as scholars reasoned that students were less likely to faint if the model looked calm. It might surprise you to learn that the tactic did not always work.

La Specola itself is one of Florence’s most unexpectedly interesting museums, a place where 18th-century science meets the wonder of old cabinet displays. Founded in 1775, it was Europe’s first public science museum and still feels delightfully time-capsuled, with long halls filled with taxidermy, wax models, and curiosities that once helped scholars explain the natural world to us uninformed mortals.

3. The Furniture-Destroying Axe, Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb

This ordinary-looking axe was donated to the aptly named museum in 2005, after a relationship ended abruptly, leaving the donor stuck with an ex’s furniture and a desire for catharsis. According to the note, the axe was used to chop up every last piece. The museum is full of objects that carry emotional weight, but this one captures heartbreak in its most unfiltered form because, truth be told, it is superbly relatable.

The Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb began when two Croatian artists parted ways and, instead of arguing over who kept what, wondered what would happen if their love’s leftovers had a home of their own. What started as an offbeat idea swiftly grew into a kind of international confessional, with people mailing mementos from just about every corner of the world. Today, the museum occupies part of a baroque palace in Zagreb’s Upper Town, and is filled with objects that range from the nostalgically tender to the totally unhinged. You will find wedding dresses, love notes, abandoned teddy bears, and, of course, the now-famous breakup axe.

4. Fake Mermaids, Anatomical Collection, University of Edinburgh

The anatomical collections at the University of Edinburgh are a treasure trove of Victorian imagination, the kind of place where curiosity and showmanship happily collide. Tucked among medical specimens and teaching tools is a fake mermaid, a 19th-century crowd-pleaser stitched together from a fish tail and a small primate with absolute confidence. The Victorians adored this sort of spectacle, and standing before it today feels like stepping into an age when scientific certainty was still finding its feet and people were wonderfully willing to believe in the impossible.

5. A 19th-Century Sewer Boat, Sewer Museum, Paris

The Paris Sewer Museum may be the city’s least romantic attraction, which is saying something in a place that can make even a baguette look poetic. Yet if you love history, this underground world is oddly delightful. It reveals the city from a completely different angle, showing the vast network that kept Paris running long before anyone was sipping café crème above ground.

Back then, the city employed teams of specialized workers called égoutiers, who would navigate the sewer tunnels by boat and barge to clear blockages and keep Paris’s vast underground network in working order. It might not be a savory topic, but when contemplating some of the most fundamental public works in society—then and now—sewer maintenance has few rivals.

Victor Hugo even described the Paris sewers in Les Misérables, which gives you a sense of their importance.

6. The Alchemist’s Furnace, Museum of Alchemists and Magicians of Old Prague

Prague’s Museum of Alchemists and Magicians taps straight into the city’s long-held relationship with the mysterious, offering a space where history and legend snuggle side by side. Set in a house linked to the English alchemist Edward Kelley, it already feels like you are stepping into one of the city’s stranger stories as you climb the old staircase to the attic.

The highlight is the reconstructed alchemist‘s workshop, centered on a brick furnace surrounded by jars, powders, and handwritten formulas. It reflects the tools and set-up of practitioners who genuinely believed they were edging closer to turning metals into gold or discovering an elixir that could outsmart time. Whether or not they ever succeeded is another matter entirely, but the room makes it clear just how serious these experiments once were.

7. Merdacotta Tiles, Museo Della Merda (aka The S**t Museum), Castelbosco

This wonderfully unexpected museum in the Italian countryside began as a creative experiment on a working dairy farm in 2015 and has grown into a genuinely thoughtful look at sustainability, agriculture, and the surprising usefulness of things we usually avoid discussing. Exhibits range from manure-based building materials (like the above-featured tiles) to quirky ceramics inspired by the animals that helped create them. There is even a section on composting science, which turns out to be far more interesting than anticipated. The whole place runs on a mix of curiosity and humor, and it works. You might arrive because you spot the name on Google maps and it makes you smile, and you leave knowing you have just visited one of Italy’s most inventive cultural projects. Bravo.

The featured terracotta-style tiles are made from cow manure mixed with clay. They are surprisingly elegant and used across the museum’s own interiors. The craftsmanship on show here is quite something, and the best part is that you can actually buy a practical item to use at home.

8. The Cherry-Stone Eiffel Tower, Museum of Miniatures, Prague

The Museum of Miniatures is exactly what it sounds like, a small collection of items that reward patience and curiosity. Many displays require a magnifying lens or microscope, which immediately slows the pace of your visit.

The tiny Eiffel Tower carved into a cherry stone is one of the most famous highlights. Made in the late 20th century, it fits entirely within the pit of the fruit, and you only see its full shape when you look through the magnifier. Micro-carving is a niche skill that demands steady hands, endless patience, and a great deal of time. Here, all that effort results in a Paris landmark you can balance on your fingertip.

Phoenix has a long history shaped by ancient civilizations, frontier expansion, and economic booms. The Hohokam built canals here over a thousand years ago, some of which still function today. In the late 1800s, the city of Phoenix grew around agriculture, railroads, and industry, leaving behind landmarks like the 1895 Rosson House and the ruins at Pueblo Grande. But the region’s history isn’t confined to the city limits. A short drive in any direction leads to towns where Arizona’s past is still visible, with old mining camps, territorial-era buildings, and remnants of early settlements that shaped the state’s identity. Here are ten must-visit historic towns near Phoenix, Arizona.

1. Wickenburg (53 Miles Northwest of Phoenix)

In 1863, Henry Wickenburg, a German prospector, struck gold (literally) with the discovery of the Vulture Mine, leading to the establishment of Wickenburg. Today, with a population of approximately 7,920, this town offers a glimpse into Arizona’s mining history.

The Desert Caballeros Western Museum showcases Native American artifacts and Western art, providing insights into the region’s cultural heritage. Exploring the remnants of the Vulture Mine connects visitors to the town’s origins. A stroll through the historic downtown reveals preserved architecture and quaint shops, evoking a bygone era.

2. Florence (61 Miles Southeast of Phoenix)

Established in 1866, Florence stands as one of Arizona’s oldest towns, now home to approximately 24,795 residents. Situated about 61 miles southeast of Phoenix, the town boasts a historic district with over 25 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The 1891 Pinal County Courthouse, now a museum, offers insights into the region’s legal and social history. The McFarland State Historic Park provides a glimpse into territorial Arizona, housing artifacts and exhibits that chronicle the town’s evolution. Walking through Florence’s tree-lined streets, visitors can admire adobe structures and Victorian-style homes, each echoing stories from the past.

3. Globe (87 Miles East of Phoenix)

Founded in 1876 as a mining camp following the discovery of silver, Globe has a population of approximately 7,500. It’s located about 87 miles east of Phoenix.

The Gila County Historical Museum, housed in a former train depot, offers exhibits that delve into the area’s mining past and Native American history. Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Park provides a window into the Salado culture, with reconstructed ruins and artifacts dating back to the 13th century. Visitors can wander through the ancient dwellings, gaining insights into the lives of the region’s earliest inhabitants.

4. Jerome (100 Miles North of Phoenix)

Perched on Cleopatra Hill, Jerome was founded in 1876 and quickly became a booming copper mining town, earning the nickname the “Wickedest Town in the West.” Today, with a population of approximately 450, it is a vibrant artist community, while also being considered the largest Ghost Town in America. The Jerome State Historic Park, located in the former Douglas Mansion, offers exhibits on the town’s mining history and the families who shaped its destiny.

The Mine Museum provides a closer look at the tools and tales of the miners who once labored here. As you meander through the narrow streets, the sliding jail, a structure that moved downhill due to the unstable ground from mining activities, serves as a stark reminder of the town’s tumultuous past. Jerome is located about 100 miles north of Phoenix.

5. Camp Verde (93 Miles North of Phoenix)

Established in 1865, Camp Verde’s history is deeply intertwined with the military and Native American relations. The town has a population of approximately 11,000 and is located about 93 miles north of Phoenix. The town’s most prominent historic site is Fort Verde State Historic Park, which served as a base for General Crook’s U.S. Army scouts and soldiers in the late 19th century.

Today, the fort’s well-preserved buildings offer a glimpse into frontier military life, with exhibits showcasing artifacts, uniforms, and personal stories from the era. The nearby Montezuma Castle National Monument, one of the must-see archaeological sites in the US, a stunning five-story cliff dwelling, provides insights into the ingenuity of the Sinagua people who inhabited the region over 600 years ago. Visitors can marvel at the architectural prowess required to build such a structure high in the limestone cliffs.

6. Casa Grande (48 Miles Southeast of Phoenix)

Named after the “Big House” ruins of the ancient Hohokam civilization, Casa Grande was founded in 1879 as a stop on the Southern Pacific Railroad. Today, it has a population of approximately 55,000 and is located about 48 miles southeast of Phoenix. The town’s namesake, the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, is one of the nation’s oldest prehistoric structures, believed to have been constructed around AD 1350. This four-story edifice offers a window into the life and ingenuity of the Hohokam people, with guided tours providing context to the site’s significance.

The town itself blossomed with the arrival of the railroad, serving as a vital hub for agriculture and trade. The Casa Grande Valley Historical Society Museum chronicles this evolution, housing exhibits that range from Native American artifacts to displays on the town’s railroad heritage. Strolling through the historic downtown, visitors can admire early-20th-century architecture, reflecting the town’s growth and prosperity during that era.

7. Cave Creek (33 Miles North of Phoenix)

Established in 1870 by soldiers from Fort McDowell, Cave Creek’s origins are deeply rooted in Arizona’s frontier past. The town’s name derives from a prominent cave along the creek that provided shelter to Native Americans and early settlers alike.

Cave Creek Museum is a must-visit location, housing artifacts that chronicle the area’s rich history, from Native American relics to exhibits on the town’s mining and ranching heritage. Don’t miss the outdoor exhibits, including the Golden Reef Stamp Mill and the first church of Cave Creek. For a glimpse into ancient civilizations, the nearby Sears Kay Ruins offer remnants of a Hohokam village dating back to AD 700. The town is located just 33 miles north of Phoenix.

8. Gila Bend (70 Miles Southwest of Phoenix)

Gila Bend, a town of approximately 1,900 residents, is located about 70 miles southwest of Phoenix. It derives its name from a significant 90-degree bend in the Gila River, a feature that has made it a notable landmark for centuries.

Historically, Gila Bend has been a crossroads for various cultures and travelers. The area was re-established in 1774 by Juan Bautista de Anza and Father Francisco Garcés, who named it Santos Apóstoles San Simón y Judas. In 1865, a colony of settlers established a community at the site, which later became known as Gila Bend.

One of the town’s most intriguing attractions is the Painted Rock Petroglyph Site, where you can view hundreds of ancient petroglyphs etched into basalt boulders by indigenous peoples centuries ago. Additionally, the Gila Bend Museum offers insights into the town’s rich history, including its role as a stopover for travelers and its connections to the Anza expedition.

9. Guadalupe (11 Miles Southeast of Phoenix)

Nestled just 11 miles southeast of Phoenix, Guadalupe was founded around 1900 by the Pascua Yaqui Indians fleeing persecution in Mexico. Since then, the town has maintained a strong cultural and ethnic identity. The town’s motto, “where three cultures flourish,” reflects its blend of Yaqui, Mexican, and American influences.

One of the town’s most significant landmarks is the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. It is a spiritual and community hub that stands as a testament to the residents’ enduring faith and traditions.

Another significant landmark is the Guadalupe Cemetery, established in 1904. This sacred site serves as a resting place for generations of Yaqui and Mexican families. The cemetery is adorned with vibrant murals and personalized tributes, reflecting the community’s deep-rooted traditions and reverence for ancestors. Visiting during Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) provides insight into the town’s rich cultural practices, as families gather to honor their departed loved ones.

10. Tombstone (180 Miles Southeast of Phoenix)

Tombstone was established in 1879 by prospector Ed Schieffelin. It rapidly transformed from a modest mining camp into one of the West’s most notorious boomtowns. Schieffelin’s discovery of silver led to a population surge, with the town boasting over 7,000 residents by 1881. Tombstone’s meteoric rise was marked by its rich silver mines, which attracted a diverse array of settlers, entrepreneurs, and outlaws.

A pivotal moment in Tombstone’s history occurred on October 26, 1881, the infamous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. This 30-second skirmish involved lawmen Wyatt Earp, his brothers Virgil and Morgan, and Doc Holliday confronting members of the Cochise County Cowboys, including Ike and Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers. The confrontation left three cowboys dead and became emblematic of the Wild West’s lawlessness.

Today, visitors can immerse themselves in this storied past by exploring several well-preserved historic sites. The O.K. Corral offers reenactments of the legendary gunfight and tours of the original site where history unfolded. The Bird Cage Theatre, once a raucous saloon and brothel, operated continuously from 1881 to 1889, hosting gambling, entertainment, and other vices. Notably, it was the site of the longest-running poker game in history, which lasted eight years.

The Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park, an 1882 Victorian-era courthouse, now serves as a museum. Boothill Graveyard is the final resting place for many of Tombstone’s early residents. The epitaphs provide a poignant and sometimes humorous glimpse into the town’s turbulent past. Strolling down Allen Street, you’ll encounter preserved saloons, shops, and theaters that transport you back to the 1880s.

Albania’s cities offer history lovers an insight into the country’s diverse heritage. The Romans left behind a large footprint in the coastal city of Durrës, which, alongside Shkodër, once belonged to Venice’s maritime empire. Krujë served as a bastion of Albanian resistance to Ottoman conquest, while the attractive Ottoman architecture in Gjirokastër and Berat has been recognized as UNESCO Heritage Sites. Independent Albania was born in the southern coastal city of Vlorë, while the capital of Tirana is a vibrant city seeking to overcome its communist past.

1. Tirana

Tirana is Albania’s capital and largest city, with a population of some 400,000 people. While the site has been inhabited since antiquity, the city itself was founded relatively recently in the early 17th century and became an important commercial and artistic center. After becoming Albania’s temporary capital in 1920, a designation that became permanent in 1925, Tirana experienced rapid urban development under the influence of Italian city planners. The city suffered extensive damage during the Second World War and was rebuilt by the Communist authorities who took over the country.

Skanderbeg Square in the city center is surrounded by a number of religious and cultural buildings. The early 19th-century Et’hem Bey Mosque was one of the few buildings in the city center to escape destruction and is, therefore, one of the oldest structures in the city. The National Theater of Opera and Ballet is located to the east of the square, while the National Historical Museum is situated to the northwest. Opened in 1981, the museum offers a comprehensive view of Albanian history from Pyrrhus of Epirus to independence and Communist rule in the 20th century. It also has a space dedicated to Mother Theresa.

The so-called Tirana Castle to the south of Skanderbeg Square is located on the site of a Byzantine fortress built by Emperor Justinian the Great. While the complex incorporates a wall from an Ottoman-era structure, the site has been redeveloped into a shopping and dining venue and is of limited historical interest.

One of Tirana’s most unique structures is the Pyramid of Tirana, which opened as a museum to Communist dictator Enver Hoxha in 1988, three years after his death. Following the collapse of communism in 1991, the building became a conference center. It served as a NATO base during the 1999 Kosovo War and has most recently been redeveloped as an IT center. Visitors can climb to the top of the pyramid for panoramic views of the city.

Another legacy of Hoxha’s rule found throughout Tirana and Albania is the network of underground bunkers designed to resist a land invasion after Hoxha fell out with the Soviet Union in the 1960s. While most of these bunkers are designed to accommodate a couple of soldiers at most, a couple of large underground bunkers intended for government officials have been transformed into museums. Bunk Art 1 to the east of the city offers a comprehensive account of Albanian history during the Communist era, while Bunk Art 2 in the city center focuses on the notorious political oppression under Hoxha’s regime.

2. Gjirokastër

The southern Albanian city of Gjirokastër is known for its stone tower houses dating from the Ottoman period. The city’s name, first recorded in the 14th century, comes from the Greek Agyrocastron, or “silver castle,” though the eponymous fortress has been around since the 12th century. The imposing hilltop fortress is the city’s most iconic site. While a basic ticket grants entry to the castle grounds and walls, visitors can also gain access to a local history museum and a Museum of Armaments for a small extra fee.

From the castle walls, it is easy to see why Gjirokastër is nicknamed the Stone City. The iconic manor houses that fill the slopes of the Drino River Valley were built by wealthy local families between the 17th and 19th centuries. Historic buildings such as the Skënduli House and the Zekate House have remained within the possession of these families. In exchange for a small entrance fee, the descendants of the original owners offer guided tours for visitors in various languages. The city center also accommodates a bazaar offering a wide range of Albanian handicrafts for travelers to bring home.

Gjirokastër’s native sons include the late poet and novelist Ismail Kadare, considered one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, and the notorious dictator Enver Hoxha. The house in which Hoxha was born in 1908 now houses the Ethnographic Museum. In addition to its collection of colorful costumes from various regions around the country, accompanied by English language descriptions, visitors can also see the room in which Hoxha was born.

Another reminder of Gjirokastër’s communist past is the tunnel system under the fortress, intended to accommodate local government officials in the event of nuclear war. The city municipality offers guided tours of the bunker. Unlike those in Tirana, which have been fully converted into museums, the underground bunker in Gjirokastër has largely been kept in the same condition as it had been when the communist regime collapsed in 1991.

3. Berat

One of Albania’s most attractive cities, Berat is known as the City of a Thousand Windows on account of the distinctive architecture of the city’s Ottoman-era houses overlooking the banks of the River Osum. During the Ottoman period, the river marked the boundary between the predominantly Muslim quarter of Mangalem on the northern bank and the predominantly Christian Gorica quarter opposite. Berat’s architectural legacy was recognized in 2008 when it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list as an extension to the listing for Gjirokastër.

The major attraction in Berat is the 13th-century castle perched on a hill overlooking the city. A 15-minute climb from the city center, Berat Castle still includes a large residential area within its walls. The castle grounds contain a number of historic churches, and visitors can climb the walls of the fortress near the northern entrance, where there is a large viewing platform to the south overlooking the river.

One of the most interesting sites within the castle grounds is the Onufri Iconographic Museum. Located in the premises of the Church of the Dormition of St. Mary, the museum’s collection contains over 200 Orthodox icons, most of which are painted by the 16th-century Albanian icon painter Onufri or his students and associates.

4. Shkodër

Regarded as the traditional capital of northern Albania, Shkodër dates back to the Ancient Illyrians in the 4th century BCE. Over the centuries, the city’s location on the shores of Lake Shkodër (known in neighboring Montenegro as Lake Skadar) made it an important commercial hub in the western Balkans.

One of the most popular attractions in Shkodër is the Marubi National Museum of Photography, named after 19th-century Italian photographer Pietro Marubi who settled in Shkodër and opened the first photographic studio in Albania. The museum is located on Kolë Idromeno Street, the pedestrianized thoroughfare in the city center. Like the rest of Albania, Shkodër has a history of religious tolerance, and the Ebu Beker Mosque, the Franciscan Catholic Church, and the Orthodox Church of the Nativity are located in close proximity to each other off Kole Idromeno Street.

Strategically positioned on a rocky hill three miles to the south of the city center, Rozafa Castle is one of the most breathtaking sites in Shkodër. From the walls of the ruined castle, which were predominantly built during the period under Venetian rule, visitors can experience stunning views of Lake Shkodër and the city.

For travelers seeking more of Albania’s national beauty, Shkodër serves as the gateway to the Albanian Alps, also known ominously as the Accursed Mountains. The village of Theth, some 40 miles northeast of Shkodër, serves as a popular base for hikers. It is situated at one end of the Theth-Valbona Trail, a 10-mile hike offering incredible views of the mountainous landscape of northern Albania that attracts adventurers from all over the world.

The road from Shkodër to Theth has recently been upgraded and is an easy two-hour drive in a rental car. Most travelers seeking to experience the Theth-Valbona trail prefer to arrange a minivan from Shkodër that will take them to Valbona (often via a ferry on the scenic Lake Komani), where they will stay the night before hiking to Theth the following day. From Theth, another minivan brings the travelers back to Shkodër.

5. Krujë

The city of Krujë, located 20 miles north of Tirana, is inextricably linked with Albanian national hero Gjerj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, who successfully organized Christian resistance to the Ottoman invasion of the Albanian lands for two decades during the second half of the 15th century. During this period, Krujë Castle served as Skanderbeg’s main base of operations and held out against the Ottoman siege on three separate occasions.

While little remains of the original Krujë Castle, visitors can go to the Skanderbeg National Museum, built in the 1970s within the walls of the ruined castle. The museum’s exhibition halls tell the story of how Skanderbeg escaped from Ottoman service to organize the Albanian lords into the League of Lezhë to offer united resistance to the Ottomans. While the displays sometimes lack descriptions in English, paintings, diagrams, digital screens, and models illustrate the major military engagements during Skanderbeg’s Rebellion, including the sieges of Krujë and the battles of Torvioll and Albulena. Replicas of Skanderbeg’s helmet and sword are prominently displayed in the main hall. The originals are in the collection of the Kunsthistoriches Museum in Vienna.

Visitors seeking to bring back a souvenir of their travels to Albania can explore the nearby bazaar, situated off the road leading up to the castle and museum. The shops in the bazaar offer a wide range of trinkets and handicrafts, including busts and images of Skanderbeg in various sizes.

Travelers who are fond of hiking can climb up a trail to Krujë Mountain to the east of the city. Those who manage to reach the summit are treated to panoramic views of the city and the surrounding countryside below in good weather, which is by no means guaranteed. The mountain is also home to a shrine dedicated to the Sufi mystic Sari Saltik, who is widely venerated among Albanian Muslims.

6. Durrës

The coastal city of Durrës, the second-most populous in Albania, was founded as the Greek colony of Epidamnos in the 7th century BCE. After passing under Roman rule in the 3rd century BCE, the city came to be known as Dyrrachium. It served as an important port on the eastern Adriatic and the start of the Via Egnatia, which ran across the Balkan peninsula to Byzantium. During the Roman Civil War between Pompey and Caesar, Dyrrachium served as a key logistics base for Pompey, who successfully defended the port from Caesar’s besieging army in 48 BCE. Pompey pursued Caesar’s retreating army into Thessaly but was defeated at Pharsalus shortly thereafter.

Durrës’ Roman heritage can easily be seen in the ruins of the Roman amphitheater, built during the reign of Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century CE, and the Forum of Anastasius, named after the 5th-century Byzantine emperor born in Durrës in 431 CE. The Byzantines were also responsible for building the city walls that run to the west of the amphitheater. As befitting its past as a major Roman and Byzantine city, Durrës is home to the National Archaeological Museum.

During the later Middle Ages, Durrës experienced centuries of political turbulence as control of the port city passed between the Bulgarians, the Normans, the Angevins, the Serbians, the Venetians, and local Albanian lords until it was conquered by the Ottomans in 1501. The Venetian Tower is an iconic round tower at the southern end of the Byzantine wall built by the Venetians in the 15th century. Durrës continues to function as a thriving port in the 21st century, and visitors can also relax on the long stretch of beach to the south of the city.

7. Vlorë

The third most populous city in Albania, Vlorë played a major role in the country’s independence from the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century. During the First Balkan War of 1912-1913, a coalition of Balkan states won a series of victories over the Ottoman Empire. While Albania initially remained loyal to the Ottomans, the fear of being partitioned by Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Montenegro encouraged the Albanian nationalist leader Ismail Qemali and his allies to declare independence in Vlorë on November 28, 1912. Albanian independence was subsequently recognized at the Conference of London in July 1913.

The small mansion in which the members of the All-Albanian Congress met to declare independence is now home to the National Independence Museum. The museum’s collection includes many exhibits related to the Albanian independence movement and its leaders, though most labels are only in Albanian.

A 40-minute walk almost directly north from the Independence Museum along Qemali Boulevard and Democracy Street, Vlorë’s Old Town features a collection of colorful houses hosting shops and restaurants, most of which have been recently renovated and repainted. Other attractions near the Old Town include an uninspiring history museum and an imposing communist-era Independence Monument in Flag Square.

Vlorë is situated around 30 miles to the north of the Albanian Riviera. This attractive stretch of coast extends from Palasë to the resorts of Sarandë and Ksamil further south. While most visitors to this part of Albania are attracted to the crystal blue waters and the warm weather, the Riviera also includes several sites of historical interest.

Porto Palermo is home to a well-preserved castle built by Ali Pasha Tepelena, an Ottoman pasha from the turn of the 19th century who ruled over a vast domain incorporating southern Albania, North Macedonia, and most of northern and central Greece. A disused submarine base a short distance up the coast from Porto Palermo has attracted adventurous travelers. While the tunnel itself cannot be accessed without trespassing into an active naval base, the sealed-off western entrance can be reached on foot, a 25-minute walk from the main road. In 2024, the Albanian government announced plans to revitalize the base for military and tourism purposes.