The options are overwhelming, but we're here to help—Atlas Obscura staff have combed our 8,000-strong places database and
come up with 44 suggestions for your expedition-planning pleasure. The
following mind-blowing locations, found all around the globe, top our
got-to-go list this year. Click on the photos to get the full details
for each destination.
(Photo: Ghost of Kuji/flickr)
My Turkish family would not be pleased with a Greek beach choice, but just look at that ship. Look at the beach. Who doesn't want to see both, at the same time? —Reyhan Harmanci, Editor in Chief
(Photo: AC Moraes/flickr)
When hordes of visitors descend on Rio this summer for the Olympic Games, few of them will realize that the sun-kissed beach city is also home to one of the world’s most majestic libraries: the Real Gabinete Português de Leitura, or Royal Portuguese Reading Room. Completed in 1887, the ornate library features some 350,000 volumes on hard-carved wooden bookshelves that stretch up to a stained glass ceiling—a wonderfully grand refuge from the crowds. —Rachel B. Doyle, Deputy Editor
(Photo: JJ Harrison/WikiCommons CC BY-SA 2.5)
Tasmania has so many more wonders to offer than incredibly wooly sheep, like these naturally occurring saltwater pools that look like modern art. —Sarah Laskow, Staff Writer
(Photo: Philip Jama/WikiCommons CC BY-SA 3.0)
(Photo: 663highland/WikiCommons CC BY-SA 3.0)
(Photo: Mitch Barrie/flickr)
(Photo: Kevin/flickr)
Hundreds of discarded, decapitated and decaying dolls inhabit this isolated island, collected and strung from the trees over the course of 50 years by a recluse wishing to appease the spirit of a little girl who drowned in the canals. How's that for nightmare fodder? —Megan Roberts, Director of Events
(Photo: Jon Candy/flickr)
With 1.69 miles of twists and turns, the Longleat Hedge Maze is the longest hedge maze in the world. And it also happens to be on the grounds of the stately Longleat estate, so the scenery ain't bad—assuming you can ever find your way out of the labyrinth. —David Minkin, Publisher
(Photo: Richard.hargas/WikiCommons CC BY-SA 4.0)
Looking for something remote? Cross the Saudi Arabian desert and discover a stunning example of rock-cut architecture. Qasr al-Farid, or "The Lonely Castle," is a first-century Nabatean tomb carved into a spectacularly isolated four-story boulder. —Tyler Cole, Head of Product
(Photo: Bjoertvedt/WikiCommons CC BY-SA 3.0)
In the event of complete agricultural collapse, our only hope lies in the many tiny new beginnings locked up in Svalbard Seed Vault—a file-cabinet-shaped fortress embedded in an icy Norwegian archipelago. To get there, you must cross the Arctic Ocean—a journey that doubles as good preparation for the type of apocalypse that would result from complete agricultural collapse. Win/win. —Cara Giaimo, Staff Writer
(Photo: Borjaanimal/WikiCommons CC BY-SA 3.0)
Spectacularly perched on a massive sandstone rock, this fantastical, 12th-century Spanish castle is slated to appear in the sixth season of HBO's Game of Thrones. —Tyler Cole, Head of Product
(Photo: Michelle Enemark)
1. Navagio Beach
Zakinthos, Greece(Photo: Ghost of Kuji/flickr)
My Turkish family would not be pleased with a Greek beach choice, but just look at that ship. Look at the beach. Who doesn't want to see both, at the same time? —Reyhan Harmanci, Editor in Chief
2. Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil(Photo: AC Moraes/flickr)
When hordes of visitors descend on Rio this summer for the Olympic Games, few of them will realize that the sun-kissed beach city is also home to one of the world’s most majestic libraries: the Real Gabinete Português de Leitura, or Royal Portuguese Reading Room. Completed in 1887, the ornate library features some 350,000 volumes on hard-carved wooden bookshelves that stretch up to a stained glass ceiling—a wonderfully grand refuge from the crowds. —Rachel B. Doyle, Deputy Editor
3. Eaglehawk Neck Tessellated Pavement
Tasmania, Australia(Photo: JJ Harrison/WikiCommons CC BY-SA 2.5)
Tasmania has so many more wonders to offer than incredibly wooly sheep, like these naturally occurring saltwater pools that look like modern art. —Sarah Laskow, Staff Writer
4. Digital Orca
Vancouver, Canada(Photo: Philip Jama/WikiCommons CC BY-SA 3.0)
What’s more majestic than a bus-sized orca leaping from the water, snout to the sky and fins outstretched? A bus-sized statue
of an orca, leaping from the water, snout to the sky and fins
outstretched and designed to look like it’s made entirely of pixels.
Douglas Coupland’s “Digital Orca,” perpetually breaching next to the
Vancouver Convention Centre, hits that cultural sweet spot between Free
Willy and free wi-fi. —Cara Giaimo, Staff Writer
5. Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan
Hayakawa-chō, Japan(Photo: 663highland/WikiCommons CC BY-SA 3.0)
Fifty-two generations have maintained
this spot, often recognized as the world's oldest inn. Channel your
inner samurai as you repose yourself and commune with nature in the
splendor of ancient hot springs and mountain vistas. —Blake Olmstead, Lead Designer
6. Harry's New York Bar
Paris, France(Photo: Mitch Barrie/flickr)
When next in Paris, do as Ernest
Hemingway and generations of expats have done by asking your cabbie to
take you to "Sank Roo Doe Noo." There you'll find Harry's New York Bar, a
legendary watering hole serving cocktails that, like Paris itself,
are as strong as ever. —Tyler Cole, Head of Product
7. La Isla de la Munecas
Mexico City, Mexico(Photo: Kevin/flickr)
Hundreds of discarded, decapitated and decaying dolls inhabit this isolated island, collected and strung from the trees over the course of 50 years by a recluse wishing to appease the spirit of a little girl who drowned in the canals. How's that for nightmare fodder? —Megan Roberts, Director of Events
8. Longleat Hedge Maze
Warminster, England(Photo: Jon Candy/flickr)
With 1.69 miles of twists and turns, the Longleat Hedge Maze is the longest hedge maze in the world. And it also happens to be on the grounds of the stately Longleat estate, so the scenery ain't bad—assuming you can ever find your way out of the labyrinth. —David Minkin, Publisher
9. The Lonely Castle
Saudi Arabia(Photo: Richard.hargas/WikiCommons CC BY-SA 4.0)
Looking for something remote? Cross the Saudi Arabian desert and discover a stunning example of rock-cut architecture. Qasr al-Farid, or "The Lonely Castle," is a first-century Nabatean tomb carved into a spectacularly isolated four-story boulder. —Tyler Cole, Head of Product
10. Svalbard Seed Vault
Spitsbergen, Norway(Photo: Bjoertvedt/WikiCommons CC BY-SA 3.0)
In the event of complete agricultural collapse, our only hope lies in the many tiny new beginnings locked up in Svalbard Seed Vault—a file-cabinet-shaped fortress embedded in an icy Norwegian archipelago. To get there, you must cross the Arctic Ocean—a journey that doubles as good preparation for the type of apocalypse that would result from complete agricultural collapse. Win/win. —Cara Giaimo, Staff Writer
11. Castillo de Zafra
Castellar de la Muela, Spain(Photo: Borjaanimal/WikiCommons CC BY-SA 3.0)
Spectacularly perched on a massive sandstone rock, this fantastical, 12th-century Spanish castle is slated to appear in the sixth season of HBO's Game of Thrones. —Tyler Cole, Head of Product
12. La Specola
Florence, Italy(Photo: Michelle Enemark)
If you’ve ever wondered what your insides look like, take a
trip to La Specola, where Clemente Susini’s early 19th-century wax
sculptures will give you a graphic idea. The highly detailed anatomical
models, criss-crossed with delicate veins, are presented in glass cases
for your viewing pleasure. —Ella Morton, Associate Editor
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