• Smithsonian
    Institution
  • Smithsonian
    Journeys
  • Smithsonian
    Store
  • Smithsonian
    Channel
  • goSmithsonian
    Visitors Guide
  • Air & Space
    magazine

Smithsonian.com

  • Subscribe
  • History & Archaeology
  • People & Places
  • Science & Nature
  • Arts & Culture
  • Travel
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Games & Puzzles
  • Blogs
  • Shop


Since 2008, our staff and our readers have been compiling a world-wide tour of places around the world that everyone should see before they die.

Most recently, we’ve added 15 locations to our Life List to include sites for adventurers and animal lovers, among others. Once again, we’re asking for the places that are on your life list. The best comments and the most unique locations will be highlighted on our site.

See the complete Smithsonian Life List: 43 Places to See Before You Die »

Please submit your nominations, and check out others' below.

What is on Your Life List?

Name: (required)

Email: (required)

Comment:

Comments are moderated, and will not appear until Smithsonian.com has approved them. Smithsonian reserves the right not to post any comments that are unlawful, threatening, offensive, defamatory, invasive of a person's privacy, inappropriate, confidential or proprietary, political messages, product endorsements, or other content that might otherwise violate any laws or policies.

    the dzongs and festivals of Bhutan
    polar bears of Svalbard
    the spiritual awe of Canyon de Chelly
    awake to the foggy quiet on Doubtful Sound, New Zealand
    hike to the towers in Torre de Paine, Chile

    Posted by jane johnston on August 4,2011 | 08:50AM

    Muir Woods National Monument, giant redwoods in Northern California. About 30 minutes North of San Francisco.

    Posted by Carlos Vedovato on August 4,2011 | 11:13AM

    You should include Thailand; especially, Northern Thailand (Chiang Mai.) The mountains and temples can match anything else in the world!

    Posted by KONRAD KINGSHILL on August 4,2011 | 11:57AM

    Stonehenge is a must-see.

    Posted by Laura Root on August 4,2011 | 12:44PM

    Ireland, Peru, Brazil, Isreal, Japan,China.

    Posted by Connie Morley on August 4,2011 | 01:12PM

    The Amazon in Peru was #1 on my list and it remains as #1 as best places to go. I had finished my cancer treatment and only had fuzz for hair. I went on an overnight campout, hiking 4 hours there, shakily walking on logs or limbs over streams while being told by the guide "In the Amazon, you can do anything!"
    The wildlife, the flora are unrivaled. The experience taught me that "I can do anything anywhere"!

    Posted by Linda w. Abel on August 4,2011 | 01:22PM

    I should like to suggest the country of Turkiye wherein There are a plethora of places to see/explore. Within Turkiye five places hold particular visual/sensory pleasure: Istanbul,Cappadocia,Ephesus,Mt. Nemrut, and Pamukkale.

    Posted by Buddy Snyder on August 4,2011 | 02:05PM

    City - Jerusalem, Cairo, Istanbul, L'viv, Krakow

    Holy/Ancient site - Wailing Wall, Dome of the Rock, Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings

    Natural site - Capadocia region, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Carpathian mountains in Romania, Black Sea coast in Turkey

    Posted by Chris Greising on August 4,2011 | 02:53PM

    There is always someplace else a true traveler wishes to go, but I'm not one of them. No thank you to rain forests of any kind, too difficult to aclimatize. But, I say yes to Barcelona, Malta, Rome, Florence, the Alps, Bavaria, Arosa, Vienna, Bern, Yorkshire, Galway, Glasgow, Alsace-Lorraine, Cape Town, Buenos Aires, Patagonia, Homer, Telluride, White Mtns, AZ, Bar Harbor,Canon Beach, New Orleans, NYC, Montreal, Gulf Of Mexico, and so many more places that I can't remember the names. Travel like the locals, eat where they do, get to know how a place smells, placement of the sun, kindness of all people to the solo traveler, beer everywhere.

    Posted by Glenda Burnside on August 4,2011 | 04:23PM

    Machu pichu is first on my list of places to see.

    Posted by Stephen Griffin on August 4,2011 | 07:22PM

    I would like to see the Mississippi River from the deck of a paddle wheeler.

    Posted by Janet E. Griffin on August 4,2011 | 07:24PM

    Adventure:
    - Walk the 800KM Camino Francés (Roncesvalles to Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Spain)

    Sacred place:
    - The Notre Dame du Haut chapel, Ronchamp, Franche-Comté, France

    Natural wonder:
    - Jiuzhaigou Valley, Sichuan, China

    Building big:
    - Cristo Redentor, Corcovado, Brazil

    Posted by Bea on August 4,2011 | 11:05PM

    Rio de Janeiro From the top of Sugarloaf moutain looking out over Copacabana beach. You can see other parts of the city as well. Centro, Ipanema, Christ statue. Beautiful.

    Peutero Gallaria, Philipines Atlantis Diving resport. beautiful and great place to stay. Fantastic food, and great staff. Nice to visit whether you dive or not.

    Venice-incredible cappachino and great colors on the buildings. I didn't know there were no roads or cars! Just walkingways and canals for boating, depending where you are going.

    I want to see India and Nepal. The Taj Mahal and the Hymalaya mountains (from the base).

    Posted by Brian Feely on August 5,2011 | 06:54AM

    I am entranced by the gorillas of Rwanda, the great silverbacks are amazing and one day soon I hope to travel to Rwanda to see them.

    Posted by Liz Barnett on August 5,2011 | 07:21AM

    A drive through the Sahara desert is something I can recommend to everyone.

    Posted by Manon on August 5,2011 | 02:02PM

    In addition to the 43 mentioned, please consider also

    Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, Geiranger Fjord in Norway, Gullfoss Falls in Iceland, Lake Titicaca in Peru (hurry, it's on its way to ruination), Yosemite National Park - for spectacular scenery

    and if archaeology is of interest, Copan in Honduras (much better site than Tikal), Petra in Jordan, and many Roman ruins in Turkey,

    Posted by Roger Peterson on August 5,2011 | 02:21PM

    Vienna at Christmas, St. Petersburg and Moscow, Prague, follow the Rhine and the Volga, explore Paris, Nice, and all of France. See the Isle of Skye. Big Sur. Tokyo, and farther up the Snow Monkeys of Japan's mountains. So many more places. The desert here in the US when all the cati are in bloom, it can't be better than that.

    Posted by Ruth H. Epstein on August 5,2011 | 04:03PM

    The Alps, Nepal/Mt. Everest, Viking ruins in northern Newfoundland, lands above the Arctic Circle such as Nunavot, Aix, all the countries of my ancestors

    Posted by Anne Tanner on August 6,2011 | 11:38AM

    Santorini,Greece ( one of a kind)
    Kyoto,Japan (the old,traditional part of town)
    Andaman sea,Malaysia & Thailand
    Kenya,Masai Mara villages
    Niagara falls,USA & Canada

    Posted by Angeliki Kontarini on August 6,2011 | 12:37PM

    Jerusalem. A holy city of the three great monotheistic faiths. Cultural crossroads. The last three thousand years are as current as todays headlines.

    Posted by David Schmidt on August 7,2011 | 10:13AM

    Rio de Janeiro and the statue of Crist the redeemer.
    Opera house in Sydney.
    Zoo at Singapore.
    Gaudi art in Barcelona.
    Kremlin and the treasures inside, in Moscow.
    Hermitage museum in Saint Petersburg.
    Louvre museum.
    Old city in Havana(Cuba).
    Cape town and the table mountain.
    Cu chi tunnels some kmeters far away from Saigon(Vietnam).
    Costa Rica jungles.
    Angkor complex in Siem Reap (Cambodia).
    Giza pyramids (Cairo).
    Chichen Itza pyramid(Mexico)
    Machu Picchu
    Scrabble (Traffic, the road with 5 destinations) -- Shibuya area (Tokyo)
    Watching football in La Bombonera stadium, the home of Boca Juniors.
    Old city (Cartagena -- Colombia) ...maybe the most beautifull colonial style city, all over the world...!!!
    Parthenon (Athens)

    Posted by Rigas Dimitrios on August 8,2011 | 04:32AM

    denali national park, arches national park, glacier national park

    Posted by joanne on August 8,2011 | 01:59PM

    You missed HeliHiking in the Bugaboos in Canada. I have been to most all of the places on your list, but the Bugaboos beats most on your list.

    Posted by Alan Kay on August 8,2011 | 06:52PM

    Ever heard of the 2/3 of the planet you forgot? Whale sharks off Isla Holbox, rare species in Indonesia and on the Great Barrier Reef, and many more underwater locations. SCUBA is the best way to travel, both near and far.

    Posted by Dan Prall on August 11,2011 | 12:19AM

    Maldives

    Posted by Andreas Kappelos on August 11,2011 | 04:51AM

    Santorini in Greece is unique in the world
    Acropolis
    Persepolis in Iran
    Isfahan city in Iran
    Laha in Tibet
    Iguazu Fall
    Amazon
    Petra in Jorda and cape town

    Posted by parvin khare on August 12,2011 | 08:52AM

    Orthodox monasteries in Greece: Mount Athos, Meteora
    Beaches in Aegean islands
    Delphi, Olympia
    Dubrovnic, Rome, Venice, Tirolo villages

    Posted by charis on August 16,2011 | 03:04AM

    Going-To-The-Sun Road in Glacier National Park. Best views from any 43 mile drive in the USA! I know cuz I've driven it - both ways! Thanks for being one of my fave magazines ;-)

    Posted by mike bryant on August 23,2011 | 09:34AM

    Italy's Amalfi Coast and the Island of Capri are beautiful ,if you're in the neighborhood visiting Pompeii. Also while in Italy one should visit what I think of as GOD'S country...Tucany.

    Posted by Belinda Boland on August 31,2011 | 10:30AM

    Love to travel and see the world! One adventure that is still on my to do list is trans siberian express Russia to Beijing. Maybe for 2012! This year India in November!

    Posted by Ellen Boliek on August 31,2011 | 10:48AM

    boldt castel in 1000 islands, yosemite nat park, follow the oregon trail east to west, nova scotia, train trips around the usa,travel the pacific coast from oregon to mexico. desmet south dakota again.

    Posted by thelma harbonic on September 3,2011 | 07:48AM

    The Western Wall & the Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem.

    Posted by Leonard Faiersztein on September 3,2011 | 10:15AM

    Polonuwara in sri lanka is incredible!

    Posted by Eric Tierk on September 14,2011 | 11:59AM

    I would like to see Pompeii

    Posted by Arlene Garrett on September 23,2011 | 12:24PM

    Malta,a center-point of the long, long history of the Mediterranean. See remains of a huge-stone temple(?) that pre-dates Stonehenge by at least 1,000 years, medieval fortifications built by the Knights of Malta including the walled capital city of Valletta, the WWII command center in a cave, thousands of yachts in a variety of ports.

    Posted by Francis Cartier, Ph.D. on October 14,2011 | 04:58PM

    ADD:
    La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona -- heck, the whole town of Gaudí, Picasso, Dali and Catalunya.

    The Alhambra Granada, Spain - not the gloppy Spanish castle but the Moorish part (It took my wife and I almost 5 hours to appreciate)

    WASHINGTON DC - of the 16 capitals I have visited it is by far the most interesting. Especially the Smithsonian museums. My two musts when I visit are the Museum of American History and the Jefferson Memorial.

    And since we're including capitals, the Muséo Antropologico in Mexico City.

    Posted by David Henshaw on October 26,2011 | 01:40PM

    Rocky Mountains at Jasper, Alberta, Canada

    Posted by Kathy on November 1,2011 | 02:25PM

    Many of yours are mine, too, but New Zealand's natural beauty calls me!

    Posted by New Zealand on November 25,2011 | 06:04PM

    Natural Wonders: Banff & the Canadian Rockies, the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef & Hawaii (the Big Island, Maui, Kauai)
    World-Class Cities: New York, DC, London, Paris, Venice, & Jerusalem Other Manmade Wonders: the Pyramids, the Great Wall, the Taj Mahal, the Sydney Opera House & Harbor Bridge
    Amusement Parks: Tivoli Gardens & Disney World

    Posted by Brian Smith on November 28,2011 | 06:19PM

    Sunset in Cape Sounion, Greece

    Posted by Jos on January 4,2012 | 01:32PM

    Le Merveille Mont St Michel, exquisite and mysterious

    Posted by Tebeta Aylin on January 19,2012 | 07:58AM

    my life list is to see the great dragon of Shrinoisa.
    That is the famous asian temple deep inside the cave, with the flowing lava and diamond covered floor.

    Posted by Sha ru ru Kim on March 10,2012 | 02:14AM

    San Francisco bay,The Silk Route, the Nasca lines, Athens, Greece, Mykonos, Rome, The Trevi Fountain, The Vatican, and the Orient Express,the Anne Frank house in the Netherlands.

    Posted by Ramona Schroeder on March 12,2012 | 12:35AM

    where did the "gazing at the Colosseum at night" go?!?!!?!

    Posted by JJ on March 29,2012 | 04:49PM

    I'll gladly go to all 43 of the places on your list, but i would add a few: The Amazon River (twice: at flood stage & at lowest water stage), Patagonia, The North African sites of Roman and Phoenician cities, Taklamakan Desert, Silk Road, Trans Siberian Railroad,and Ayers Rock,

    Posted by Joe Hagy on April 21,2012 | 11:34AM

    hike on mount rainier Aventino and Celio hills in Rome Dolomiti San Gimignano

    Posted by daniela petri on May 13,2012 | 02:36PM



Advertisement


  • Email
  •  
    Tweet

    Article Tools

     
  • Font
  •  
  • Email
  •  
  • Print
  •  
  • Comments (46)
  •  
  • RSS
  •  

    Popular Videos

    • Newest
    • Most Viewed

    Oasis of the Seas: The Biggest Cruise Ship in the World

    (1:59)

    Where Do Fingerprints Come From?

    (2:30)

    SpaceX Launches the First Commercial Rocket Into Space

    (1:55)

    The Funeral Parade for the Last Veteran of the War of 1812

    (2:41)

    View All Newest Videos »

    The History of English in 10 Minutes

    (11:34)

    What Did the Rebel Yell Sound Like?

    (4:22)

    The Lost Map of the Hindenburg

    (02:57)

    Five Common Historical Misconceptions Explained

    (03:58)

    View All Videos »

    Advertisement

    In The Magazine

    June 2012

    • How the Chicken Conquered the World
    • The Chicken and the Egg
    • The Perfect Egg
    • The Unified Theory of Gumbo
    • Mrs. Elie's Creole Gumbo

    View Table of Contents »



    View full archiveRecent Issues


    • Jun 2012


    • May 2012


    • Apr 2012

    Newsletter

    Sign up for regular email updates from Smithsonian magazine, including free newsletters, special offers and current news updates.

    Subscribe Now

    About Us

    Smithsonian.com expands on Smithsonian magazine's in-depth coverage of history, science, nature, the arts, travel, world culture and technology. Join us regularly as we take a dynamic and interactive approach to exploring modern and historic perspectives on the arts, sciences, nature, world culture and travel, including videos, blogs and a reader forum.

    Explore our Brands

    • goSmithsonian.com
    • Smithsonian Air & Space Museum
    • Smithsonian Student Travel
    • Smithsonian Catalogue
    • Smithsonian Journeys
    • Smithsonian Channel
    • About Smithsonian
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising
    • Subscribe
    • RSS
    • Topics
    • Member Services
    • Copyright
    • Site Map
    • Privacy Policy
    • Ad Choices

    Smithsonian Institution