Travel to These Landmarks That Are Bigger Than You Thought

It’s not unusual that the scale of some landmarks and tourist sites is underwhelming. The Great Sphinx of Giza and the Mona Lisa are perfect examples of this, but there are a few world-renowned destinations and landmarks that are considerably larger than you imagined.

Here’s a list of landmarks that are larger than you realize, so when you visit, you’re not intimidated by the size of them all!

1. Angkor Wat – Cambodia

When people hear Angkor Wat they generally assume a sunrise over a massive temple. What people aren’t aware of, however, is that Angkor Wat is actually a temple complex that spans about 200 hectares.

People typically give themselves a day to visit the central temple, which isn’t sufficient, not leaving themselves time to explore the remainder of the fantastic temple complex.

2. The Grand Canyon – USA

Everyone understands that the Grand Canyon is enormous, otherwise it would not be known as the GRAND Canyon, but it is difficult to describe how enormous it actually is.

It’s nearly 1 mile deep in places, so it would take four Empire State Buildings stacked on top of one another to get to the top, and with widths of nearly 10 miles the entire thing is nearly two thousand square miles. That’s twice as big as Luxembourg!

3. The Great Pyramid of Giza – Egypt

There are three great pyramids here, and this is possibly why individuals don’t appreciate just how large the largest one is.

The Great Pyramid is the biggest of the three and was the world’s largest man-made building for nearly 4000 years. Erosion has reduced it to 138m tall but don’t be fooled. Although it was constructed so many years ago it is still totally enormous.

4. The Great Barrier Reef – Australia

The world’s biggest coral reef system, the Great Barrier Reef stretches across nearly 350,000 square kilometres and includes almost 3000 separate reefs.

So many visitors allow themselves a day or two to go out and see the wonder of the reef, but in order to take it all in you would need a lifetime.

5. The Great Wall of China – China

There’s a theme going here, most of these landmarks are referred to as the “great” something, but it’s because they’re all huge!

The Great Wall of China was initially more than 12,000 miles long. While far from that much of the wall exists today, 5 lengths of the USA from east to west would have been required to traverse it.

6. Uluru – Australia

The world’s second largest monolith and one of the world’s most famous, Uluru is nearly 0,2 miles wide and nearly 6 miles around.

It is also called Ayers Rock, Uluru tower above the endless flat desert of Australia and can be seen from miles away. Uluru is steep and although it is climbable you are warned against doing so in order to preserve the desires of the indigenous people and their culture.

7. The Forbidden City – China

The world’s biggest imperial palace, this was the residence of the Chinese emperors for almost 500 years.

Part of the palace remains closed to the public, but it will take more than a day to be able to fully appreciate the grandeur of the 720,000 square metre China icon.

8. Christ the Redeemer – Brazil

Standing atop the height of a 2296 foot mountain and an added 26ft pedestal, the statue of Christ the Redeemer measures 98 feet in height and 91 feet in breadth.

A symbol of Rio and Brazil as a whole, the statue of Christ the Redeemer has become one of the most touristy monuments of the world for all religious people.

9. Sistine Chapel – Italy

From the outside, the Sistine Chapel just looks like another building, however inside is one of the greatest pieces of western art in history.

It took Michelangelo over four years to paint the Chapel and permanently damaged his eyesight to do so. With ceilings higher than 65 feet in some parts, you’ll undoubtedly be in awe of the sheer height and size of these masterful pieces.

10. Giant’s Causeway – Northern Ireland

Composed of more than 40,000 columns of basalt, the tallest of which measure approximately 40 feet high, the Giant’s Causeway spans around 70 hectares.

Far more than the few columns that constitute the most photographed images, you can happily lose yourself in the mythology and history of the Causeway for days.

11. British Museum – England

A must visit for history buffs, the British Museum was built in 1753 and contains over 8 million pieces in its collection.

Covering 75,000 square metres, you’re going to need more than one trip to be able to take in and appreciate some of the rare items on display here.

12. Burj Khalifa – United Arab Emirates

Everyone will be aware that, standing at nearly 830m high, the Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building.

Having that knowledge does not stop you feeling amazed at how incredibly tall this building really is. Completed in 2010, the building took six years to build and was constructed in an attempt to bring more visitors to Dubai.

13. Palace of Versailles – France

A world symbol of history as it was constructed to the enormous building that it stands today in approximately 1682.

Renowned for its Hall of Mirrors, Royal Opera and enormity among others, the Palace of Versailles occupies a floor space of more than 65,000 square metres and is one of France’s most sought-after tourist destinations, attracting more than 7 million tourists annually.

14. Angel Falls – Venezuela

The world’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall, it might not draw eyes like Victoria Falls or Niagara Falls, but Angel Falls is gigantic.

979m tall and with a longest drop of 807m, you’ll have a stiff neck if you gaze too long at the top of Angel Falls!

15. Temple of Luxor – Egypt

One of the Ancient Egyptian temple complexes which was built in approximately 1400 BC, The Luxor Temple spans more than 7000 hectares of land.

Once a worshiping site and a fortress during the centuries, the Temple is a long forgotten about site of Egypt which is simply magnificent.

Sources:

List Challenges – 150 Most Famous Landmarks In The World
Britannica – Uluru/Ayers Rock
Trip Savvy – Interesting Facts About Angkor Wat
Just Rough in It – How Big is Grand Canyon – Really?
National Geographic – Archaeology And History
The Travel – Here\’s How Big These 20 Famous Landmarks REALLY Are
China Highlights – The Great Wall of China — All Things You Want to Know
China Highlights – Forbidden City
Live Science – Sistine Chapel Photo Project Is So Detailed It Shows Individual Brushstrokes