UNESCO World heritage Sites in Europe
The UNESCO World Heritage was started in 1978 in the aftermath of the two World Wars that brought destruction and devastation upon so many countries. It was a way of encouraging nations to protect, preserve and promote their cultural sites. New sites get added to the list every year, nominated and then voted by countries that have signed the World Heritage Convention. Today, there are over 1 100 sites listed around the world with 412 Unesco world heritage sites in Europe.
How many Unesco sites are in France?
There are 49 Unesco sites in France and the Intura office is based in one of them: Avignon. Listed in 1995, the city was once the seat of the papacy during the 14th century and is home to the famous Pope’s Palace, the St Benezet bridge and the Notre-Dame-des-Doms Roman cathedral. Many of our Provence walking and Provence cycling tours begin or end in Avignon and we know of some great accommodations and fantastic restaurants for your visit here!
The wonderful Roman city of Arles is also a UNESCSO site. The impressive roman ruins are dotted throughout the city centre and blend in perfectly with the modern-day life. Some the of monuments such as the arena, the theatre and the cryptoporticus (subterranean galleries) date back to the 1st century B.C and have been beautifully preserved.
One of the most famous Unesco world heritage sites in Europe is the Pont du Gard, close to the pretty town of Uzès . Built by the Romans during the 1st century, the bridge is 50m high and 275m long and is both a technical masterpiece and a work of art. It is the last remaining 3-tiered Roman bridge still standing and was listed UNESCO in 1985 and is a national treasure in France. The best way to visit the Pont du Gard is on our Provence cycling holiday.
Our Corsica walking holiday will take you to Porto and to the UNESCO World Heritage sites of the Calanche of Piana, with its giant pinkish red granite rocks carved by wind and sea that soar high above the waves, the Gulf of Girolata and the small village accessible only on foot or by boat and the Scandola Reserve with an impressive variety of vegetation and birds.
Which country has the most Unesco world heritage sites in Europe?
Italy has the most Unesco world heritage sites in Europe, boasting 59! There are many historic centres on the list: Florence, Naples, Rome, San Gimignano & Verona as well as cathedrals, monuments, the Dolomites Mountain range and the 18th century Royal Palace and Park at Caserta, which was inspired by the palaces of Versailles and Madrid. France is the 2nd country with the most Unesco world heritage sites in Europe.
Visit Portugal for more Unesco world heritage sites in Europe
Our Portugal walking holiday from Lisbon to Sintra takes you on another UNESCO discovery. Sintra was listed as a cultural landscape in 1995 for its colourful buildings, impressive monasteries and palaces and unique parks and gardens where a surprising variety of plants from around the world coexist and flourish due to an exceptional microclimate.
The Douro valley is another UNESCO cultural landscape, listed in 2001 in recognition of the wine making techniques that have existed in the region for over 2000 years. The terraced crops provide a beautiful landscape for your Portugal walking tour and the grapes produce some of the best wines in the country.
Another fine example of a Unesco world heritage site in Europe can be discovered on a Madeira walking holiday exploring the Laurisilva, a laurel forest that covered most of Southern Europe some 20 million years ago. The Madeira Natural Park is home to the largest surviving area of this forest. It is a place of immense biological diversity with a great number of fauna and flora unique only to the forest.
