Eugene Kaspersky

The Top-100
Must-See Places
in the World
Introduction

Hi all!
In recent years Ive been totting up So, here I give you my list, with a few Important!
around a hundred flights per year. brief comments on each place.
This list was prepared by me
Thats around four or five hundred
The list does have some order to it: personally and contains many of
hours in the sky. Then there are
First come the cities/towns, then my personal opinions. It also may
normally around 3000 kilometers
everything else per region the contain the odd error or two.
behind the wheel of rented cars per
Americas, Europe, and so on. Ive
year, numerous train rides, and quite And so, the Top-100 Must-See Places
saved the tastiest morsels for the
a few trips on ships and ferries. in the World my version.
very end, under the incongruously
One day, reflecting on my excessive plain other category.
globetrotting, I was wondering how I
Ive Wikified all the places names
could put all my traveling and seeing
and plenty of other things. And if I
the world to further good use. And E. Kaspersky
have more to share besides a brief
thats when I had a bit of a eureka
description or comment, Ill insert
moment Maybe I should come up
the respective links:
with a Top-100 Must-See Places in
the World according to moi. Cities, Blog: Links to you guessed it
historical sites, archeology, natural pages on my personal blog about a
wonders A personal list of what I given place;
consider the most unique places on
Flickr: For the places Ive been to,
the planet (and beyond) made up of
links to my personal Flickr account
both those Ive already seen, and
if I had time to fit some snapping in.
those which Ive heard about and
hope to one day see for myself.

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 The Top-100
Must-See Places
in the World

Commentary Blog Flickr

A bewildering place. Theres such energy here perhaps

Manhattan,
a leftover from the oodles of energy that were required
1 New York,
to build up such a unique city! I really recommend a
USA
helicopter excursion over the borough. You wont regret it.
Dubai-hattan . Getting to the top of Burj Khalifa is a
Dubai,
2 must. I also suggest visiting the aquarium in the Atlantis
UAE
hotel; the aqua-park there is really something too.
Tokyo, Its another world in all dimensions. Especially when
3
Japan the cherry trees are in blossom.
4 Hong Kong One more other world. Wonderfully vibrant.
Yep, Southeast Asian cities feature prominently up
at the top end of this list. Here, to me, the seafood
5 Singapore
restaurants and The Long Beach are the best of their
kind in the world.
Surrounded by stupendously magical nature
Rio de Janeiro,
6 mountains, beaches, ocean But dont get deep into
Brazil
the city itself you may get robbed.
My three fave spots: The Eiffel Tower (surprise,
Paris, surprise!), Notre Dame, and the Pompidou Center. Check
7
France the film Before Sunset to get a feel for the romance of
the city before experiencing it .
Gaudi, La Rambla, a very sensible and convenient city
layout, and that unmistakable care-free Catalonian
Barcelona, atmosphere in the air. Nearby theres Montserrat, the
8
Spain Dali museum in Figueres, and holiday haven Costa
Brava (renting a car or motorbike and whizzing along
the coast road is highly recommended).

Rome, The eternal city Must-haves: good weather, sensible

9
Italy shoes, Band-Aids, city guide/map, and youre off!

Beautiful bay, the Opera House, the yachts, Bondi

Beach, flying foxes Overall a most charming and
pleasant city to visit (but I think for living not just
Sydney,
10 visiting Melbourne has the edge). Also: the Blue
Australia
Mountains National Park and multicolored musical
tours in huge caves (of which there are several, so a
good two or three days are needed).

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 The Top-100
Must-See Places
in the World

Commentary Blog Flickr

Its not just the casinos and gaudiness and modern-

day neon here in Sin City. This place is a fascinating
Las Vegas,
11 non-stop show, seething with the life and outlandish
Nevada, USA
oddness. Around and about theres a lot of natural
beauty to be seen too.

Jerusalem, The Old City oh yes. Was there just recently, and will
12
Israel never tire of returning.

London, When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life. How

13
UK right Dr. Johnson was.

San Francisco, A handsome hilly city. Beauteous bridges, twee trams,

14 California, Dirty Harry, Alcatraz, a red bridge of merit Dont miss
USA it!

St. Petersburg,
15 White Nights, bridges, Dostoyevsky, sympathy.
Russia

Venice,
16 Havent experienced Murano, but oh how I want to.
Italy

The former capital of Japan, full of ancient temples and

Kyoto, gardens. Dont miss the Samurai Village where you can
17
Japan get dressed up in full warrior/geisha garb surprisingly
unforgettable fun!

These, er, grand canyons hardly need any introduction

Grand Canyon, If ever youre in nearby Vegas, a good idea is to get
18
Arizona, USA here by helicopter. After landing make sure to take in
the Skywalk. Vertigo-inducing!

A gigantic forest. Theres also the nearby Yosemite

Sequioa
National Park, which I visited just recently. It was back
National Park,
in 1997 when I was in Sequioa last, but just how it blew
19 Sierra Nevada,
the mind I remember as clear as crystal, especially
California,
looking at the tiny baby trees only just beginning their
USA
long lives next to their parents towering above

Formerly Russian, this place is reminiscent of my all-

Alaska, time fave place Kamchatka just across the Bering
20
USA Sea (see place No. 52, below), which is still Russian, as
Sarah Palin confirmed .

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 The Top-100
Must-See Places
in the World

Commentary Blog Flickr

Niagara River, I only got to see this water-wonder from a plane, but
21 USA and really it needs to be viewed from the ground too, and
Canada from both sides (Canadian and US).
Yellowstone
22 National Park, Geysers and other volcanism. Perfect!
Wyoming, USA
Theres more to Arizona than the Grand Canyon.
Arizona, Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon and Paria Canyon,
23
USA The Wave red columns, cliffs and caves. Theres also
Sedona and Red Rock Country.
Bonneville
A gigantic salt pan near the aptly titled Salt Lake City.
24 Salt Flats,
Downhill skiing nearby too.
Utah, USA
Chichen Itza, Mayan pyramids. Its best to get here as early in the
25 Yucatn, day as possible before the hordes of (other!) tourists
Mexico turn up!

Pyramids in an ancient Aztec city. Must-see of this

Teotihuacan,
26 must-see: a sunset (or sunrise) at the Pyramid of the
Mexico
Sun.

Especially Rio Secreto. Underground rivers and lakes.

Cenote near
27 Preeminently picturesque doesnt quite describe this
Cancn
place.
Still quaintly (to non-Cubans, perhaps) Communist, with
the Castros still running the place. Classic motor show
28 Cuba on the streets of Havana, Cuba Libre, sweet mojitos,
and the white beaches of Veradero. Factor 50 needed -
minimum!
Machu Picchu, The forgotten city of the Incas. I was there not long
29
Peru ago. Check out my travelogue & picture book here!
You need to see these wonderful waterfalls twice
really in low water season and high water season, as
theyre so different from each other. They say you need
Iguau Falls,
to observe them from both sides too from Brazil (as I
30 Brazil/
did) and from Argentina (still to do). You can actually go
Argentina
under the waterfalls in a motorboat, and its the best
shower in the world! Surrounding environs also have
plenty of interesting sights worth checking out

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 The Top-100
Must-See Places
in the World

Commentary Blog Flickr

31 Panama Canal Havent been. The Tailor of Panama a pre-visit primer.

Angel Falls,
32 Still on my to-do list.
Venezuela
Ecuadorian
33 Havent been.
volcanoes
Galpagos
34 Islands, Havent been.
Ecuador
Easter Island,
35 The Moai. Mesmerizing monuments. Havent been.
Chile
Patagonia,
36 Argentina & Havent been.
Chile
Sicily, Archeology island. Calatafimi-Segesta, Agrigento,
37
Italy Syracuse, Villa Romana del Casale all musts.
Neapolitan Paestum and Pompeii, Capri (yachting thereto and
38 islands, around advised), Vesuvius, a remarkable coast. Naples
Italy itself? no need to bother.
Such a magical island nature, archeological history,
Crete,
39 the Greek spirit. Take a car and crisscross the whole
Greece
island. Every bit of it really is worth seeing.
Mediterranean volcanic mind-mash. Ive been four
Santorini, times now, the last time just recently. Many friends
40
Greece have been here based on my recommendation. None
regrets taking my advice .
Volcanism and related superlative scenery. Icelands
41 Iceland
inclusion in this my! list was a dead cert!
42 Greenland If possible, climb up the glaciers.
Normandy
43 beaches, They say theyre somberly striking in a macabre way.
France
A distillery tours a great idea if you like your single
Scottish
malts. Of the islands, Skye is the most other-worldly
44 Highlands and
outstanding and (formerly) volcanic; however, it has
Islands
just one distillery, albeit a very special one .

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 The Top-100
Must-See Places
in the World

Commentary Blog Flickr

Norwegian
45 Havent been; folks who have tend to rave about them.
fjords
Sardinia,
46 Havent been. Ditto.
Italy
Red Square, The three most famous Russian landmarks all happen
the Kremlin, to be in one place. Theres GUM here too, plus the
47 St. Basils, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Many of our guests from
Moscow, overseas say its the most beautiful spot in Europe.
Russia Cant say I can argue.
Solovetsky
Islands, Kuzov (been), Solovki (havent been), and the rest An
48
White Sea, archipelago oft-licked by glaciers. Bleakly serene.
Russia
The Russian Shambala. Everything here is somehow
Altai,
brighter and more alive than in other places. The water
49 Siberia,
is tastier, the mountains more contrasting, the sky
Russia
bluer, the grass greener.
Lena Pillars,
Just been. Perplexing pillars in the permafrost province
50 Yakutia,
of extreme temperature extremes.
Russia
Lake Baikal, Havent been here either, though I must have flown over
51 Siberia, it hundreds of times! The worlds largest lake, easily
Russia visible from outer space.
I havent been to the Kurils yet, but I have been to the
Kamchatka Peninsula plenty of times. Kamchatka to me
is the most unusual, beautiful and mind-blowing place
on the planet. The Kluchevskaya group of volcanoes;
Kamchatka the Northern Prorif (Fissure); the Valley of the Geysers;
and the and the Mutnovka, Ksudach and Gorely volcanoes
52
Kuril Isles, thats straight away five (!) candidates for a +1 to the
Russia wonders of the world! On the plains and in the forests
friendly (sated!) bears, in the rivers loads of fish, in
the ocean killer whales and submarines. Only two
minuses: the weather and the price of getting there
ridiculous rubles.
No other place like this one. The waters so salty you
float on it, and if you lick just a drop off your fingers
53 Dead Sea
you need at least a bottle or two of cold beer to
rehydrate [sic!].

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 The Top-100
Must-See Places
in the World

Commentary Blog Flickr

A cascade of wondrous waterfalls plus limestone pools

and piping hot springs. Alas, its been badly spoiled by
Pamukkale, both the local population and the crowds of tourists
54
Turkey that visit here, so maybe I shouldnt be mentioning it
Still, this list would be incomplete without it, as its just
so impressive.

Cappadocia,
55 Volcanic stone columns in Anatolia.
Turkey

Petra, Ive heard so much about this place, and of course seen
56
Jordan it in Death on the Nile. Have to get there soon

Baalbek The stone blocks of the foundations of Baalbeck

57 and Byblos, cant wait to take in their size myself. Byblos more
Lebanon awesome ancient antiquity.

Egyptian
Pyramids and
58 Technical Egypt. Enigmatic Egypt. Extraordinary Egypt.
the Valley of
the Kings

Isfahan, Irans third-largest city; brimming with ancient palaces,

59
Iran mosques, covered bridges, boulevards and city squares.

A magical place, especially how it contrasts with the

Taj Mahal, somewhat bleak surroundings. Take an individual tour
60
India with a guide in a minivan to avoid getting overly-jolted
about on a tourist bus.

Nepal and the

61 Havent been.
Himalayas

Bagan and Thousands of temples and pagodas in a palace complex

62 Mandalay, covering a vast Burmese territory. Only in my dreams
Myanmar so far

A cult location. I was at the top in early May low

season. I recommend this time of year as in high
Mount Fuji, season the line of those wanting to get to the top gets
63
Japan exceedingly long. The surrounding area offers plenty
of other interesting things to see too, like Hakone, lava
caves, and very strange forests

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 The Top-100
Must-See Places
in the World

Commentary Blog Flickr

They say that at one time, long, long ago, folks could
walk for several days along the wall. Alas, these days
Great Wall
64 only a relatively short section is open to the public;
of China
all the same its still totally worth checking out for its
uniqueness.

The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Mandatory

Beijing,
65 must-sees. Sadly theres not a great deal more to see in
China
Beijing besides.

Terracotta
66 Army, Havent been.
China

Wulingyuan,
67 Impressive stone columns. Avatars Pandora!
China

Danxia
Red sandstone formations in the southeast and
68 landform,
southwest of China.
China

Brightly colored chalky pools in Sichuan giving Turkeys

Huanglong, Pamukkale (see place No. 54, above) a run for its
69
China money. Its best to see this place in October; at other
times the weathers never quite right.

Li River
70 and Guilin, Karst mountains and caves. Havent been.
China

Stone Forest,
71 Havent been.
China

Lhasa,
72 Havent been.
Tibet

Mount Kailash,
73 Everests little brother.
Tibet

74 Ha Long Bay Avatar on water.

Caves I dont
know the Will someone at least please tell me what theyre
75
names of, called?
Vietnam

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 The Top-100
Must-See Places
in the World

Commentary Blog Flickr

Ayutthaya,
76 Ancient ruins, Buddhist temples.
Thailand

Angkor Wat, More ancient temple ruins. The largest religious

77
Cambodia monument in the world.

Borobodur,
78 Another temple also Buddhist.
Indonesia

Papua New
79 Havent been.
Guinea

Salty lakes, oases and a fair amount of sand. The

Sahara,
worlds largest desert, it blows the brain especially
80 Northern
at dusk (I slept through the dawn). Experienced it in
Africa
Tunisia.

Like the Iguazu Falls, these need to be viewed both

from up top (I did this) and down below (didnt manage
Victoria Falls,
it). I recommend a helicopter excursion for optimal
81 Zimbabwe &
viewing, and to fly also along the Zambezi river
Zambia
(reminiscent of Luke Skywalkers flight along the Death
Star in Star Wars).

Cape Town, Particular must-sees of this must-see: Table Mountain

82
South Africa and the Cape of Good Hope.

Djenn and
Havent been. Must go. Just so Ill be able to say, at last,
83 Timbuktu,
that Ive literally been from here to Timbuktu .
Mali

Kilimanjaro,
84 Get to the top, if you can.
Tanzania

85 Kenya Savannah and safari (Maasai Mara, Serengeti, etc.).

Namib Desert,
86 Im told this coastal desert is unbelievably beautiful.
Angola

They say the countryside here is very unusual. I really

87 Madagascar want see it in the flesh especially the baobab but
they say its very dangerous there now.

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 The Top-100
Must-See Places
in the World

Commentary Blog Flickr

The large red sandstone rock in central Oz. In actual

Ayers Rock,
fact there are three hills there in a line that need
Northern
88 checking, the other two being Kata Tjuta (20km away),
Territory,
and Mount Connor (80km away); each one unique in its
Australia
own special way.

Surfers
The name says it all. Ocean, beaches, national park, all
Paradise,
sorts of attractions Paradise!). A fascinating place
89 Gold Coast,
in so many ways. Ive been more than once, and Ill be
Queensland,
back!
Australia

Great Barrier
90 I got close to Hamilton Island.
Reef

Fraser Island,
91 Queensland, Havent been.
Australia

Great Ocean
This road is a pleasure to drive along. The highlights
Road,
92 are the 12 Apostles limestone doing its stuff again.
Victoria,
Magnificent stone monuments.
Australia

Not to be confused with Tanzania (see place No. 84,

93 Tasmania above)! Havent been. How the Tasmanian devil I want
to

Was there the first 17 days of 2013. Volcanism, lakes,

94 New Zealand
glaciers, fiords, waterfalls, hobbits Sensational!

95 Hawaii Been. Liked. Whats not to like?

Want to go here just because its in the middle of the

96 Tahiti
Pacific Ocean.

Havent been. Fancy a New Years Eve/Day there, for

97 North Pole
symmetrys sake.

98 South Pole Saw in 2010 at this busy thoroughfare .

Antarctic
99 Glaciers and Penguins.
coast

100 Outer space Got my ticket already booked! Cant wait .

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 The Top-100
Must-See Places
in the World

To conclude, a few stats about my Top-100:

1. Top-100: Past and future
Dreams fulfilled and dreams still to come true
Beens and dreams: where Ive been and where I want to go

Still to-do Been

52% 48%

2. Top-100 places per type

Monuments
20%

Nature Cities and

63% towns
17%

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 The Top-100
Must-See Places
in the World

3. Top-100 places per region

4 Other
6R
uss
8
Af

ia
ric 2
a a3
Asi
11 Nor th
America
lia
tra nia
s a
Au Oce

Eu
11 nd

ro
Amer tin

pe
ica
a

13 La

15
4. Top-100: The most popular countries
Greece 2
Ecuador 2
Brazil 2
Israel 2
Vietnam 2

11
Turkey 2 A
UK 2
US

3 Me x
ico
China 11
3 France

Ja pan Au
st
3 ra
l
ra

lia
ut

7
Ne

Rus
aly
4

sia
5 It

13
 The Top-100
Must-See Places
in the World

5. Top-100: Most visited countries

3C

5
hin

A
US
a
3J
ap
an

Russia 4
xico
3 Me

Au
st r
y

alia
tal
4I

4
6. Top-100: most desired destination-countries

2 Ec
uad
2

6
Fr

A
or

US
a
nc
e

2 Rus
sia

Au
st r
alia
3
ina
8 Ch

14
Eugene Kaspersky

Top-100 Must-See
Places in the World

Editor:
Denis Zenkin

Translator:
Nicholas Hodgkins

Design/production:
Kristina Skomorokhova