Australia scores 10 spots on Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist

Updated

Ten of the world's all-time best places to visit are in Australia, according to Lonely Planet, with Queensland's Great Barrier Reef taking second place in the global travel authority's Ultimate Travelist of the 500 of the best places to visit.

The travel guide's definitive list outlines the most memorable and interesting places in the world ranked in order of brilliance.

Published today, the list was compiled from highlights found in Lonely Planet's beloved guidebooks over the years and voted on by the Lonely Planet community.

In addition to the Great Barrier Reef, nine other Australian sites and gems ranked in the Ultimate Travelist include the 12 Apostles and Hobart's Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), which beat London's Tate Modern to make the top 20.

Here are the top 10 places in the Ultimate Travelist and Lonely Planet's judges' comments:

1. Temples of Angkor, Cambodia

"Angkor is not just an interesting ruin — it is a spiritual epiphany in stone."

2. Great Barrier Reef, Australia

"This vital ecosystem enthrals all who visit, with abundant bird life and countless tropical islands and beaches."

3. Machu Picchu, Peru

"No-one really knows what happened here. Wander wide-eyed around the mysterious mountain metropolis in a liberating knowledge vacuum."

4. Great Wall of China

"A few rugged souls trek the entire length of the wall, but even if those who pick just one section will be humbled by its aura of indestructibility."

5. Taj Mahal, India

"There is no other building in India that so perfectly encapsulates the attitudes and atmosphere of its era."

6. Grand Canyon National Park, USA

"Come here to hike, to raft the wild Colorado River, to spot condors, black bears and elk, or simply to marvel."

7. Colosseum, Italy

"Two millennia on, the hold it exerts over anyone who steps foot inside is as powerful as ever."

8. Iguazú Falls, Brazil and Argentina

"Big? These falls are mind-bogglingly mighty: tourist boats that ply the foaming plunge pools below look like matchsticks."

9. Alhambra, Spain

"Put simply, this is Spain's most beautiful monument."

10. Aya Sofya, Turkey

"Like the beautiful city in which it stands, Aya Sofya represents a unique crossroads of continents and faiths."

The best of the rest in Australia:

Twelve Apostles (12)

Hobart's Museum of Old and New Art (20)

Cradle Mountain (32)

Uluru (33)

Kakadu National Park (56)

Sydney Opera House (57)

Blue Mountains National Park (202)

Ningaloo Marine Park (265)

Port Arthur (416)

Topics: lifestyle-and-leisure, travel-and-tourism, human-interest, australia, cambodia, peru, china, india, united-states, italy, argentina, brazil, spain, turkey

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