7 new UNESCO World Heritage Sites to explore this year

Each year, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee selects places of exceptional cultural or natural significance to join its World Heritage List — a collection of more than 1,200 sites spanning every continent. Inscription brings international recognition alongside legal protections and access to conservation funding, helping to safeguard these landscapes, monuments and traditions for future generations.

From the clean lines and geometric patterns of Uzbek modernist architecture to verdant swamps in the American South, these seven new additions are worthy of a spot on any travel itinerary.

1. The wider area of Mount Olympus, Greece

Long revered as the mythical home of Zeus and the Olympian gods, Mount Olympus occupies an important place in Greek culture. Yet beyond mythology, the newly recognised World Heritage Site encompasses 47,000 acres of rugged peaks, deep gorges and ancient forests, creating one of the country’s richest natural landscapes.

The mountain’s dramatic changes in elevation support an exceptional variety of plant and animal life, while its slopes are also dotted with cultural landmarks, including the 16th-century Old Monastery of St Dionysios. Around 90 minutes by car from Thessaloniki, Mount Olympus combines natural splendour with layers of myth and history that continue to shape Greece’s national identity.

2. Jingdezhen handicraft porcelain industry sites, China

For more than 1,000 years, the city of Jingdezhen has been synonymous with porcelain. Celebrated as the birthplace of China’s iconic blue-and-white ceramics, it supplied imperial courts before its wares travelled across Asia, Europe and beyond through vast trading networks.

The newly inscribed World Heritage Site encompasses five areas across the city and surrounding valleys, charting centuries of innovation in porcelain production. Visitors can explore former clay mines, archaeological remains of kiln complexes and historic workshops, where advances in firing techniques and manufacturing transformed the industry. Easily reached via China’s high-speed rail network, Jingdezhen offers a compelling insight into one of the world’s most influential craft traditions.

3. Beaches of the D-Day landings, France

Stretching for around 50 miles along France’s northern coast, five beaches and Pointe du Hoc mark the location of the D-Day landings in 1944. When Allied soldiers stormed the sandy shores of Normandy, it signalled the start of an operation that eventually led to the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi rule and the end of the Second World War.

Today, the broad sands, limestone cliffs and windswept dunes still bear the scars of conflict. German bunkers, artillery positions and fragments of the Atlantic Wall remain scattered along the coastline, while cemeteries, memorials and contemporary sculptures honour those who fought and died. At Gold Beach, sections of the once-formidable coastal defences slowly disappear beneath the tide, creating a poignant reminder of history’s passing.

4. Tashkent modernist architecture, Uzbekistan

Tashkent’s distinctive modernist cityscape owes its existence to a disaster. After a devastating earthquake struck in 1966, much of Uzbekistan’s capital was rebuilt, creating an ambitious urban landscape where Soviet design merged with Central Asian artistic traditions.

Across the city's architecture, sharp geometric forms are softened by decorative mosaics, patterned facades and motifs inspired by Silk Road textiles. From the striking interiors of the State Museum of Arts to the turquoise-domed Chorsu Market, the architecture reflects a unique fusion of regional craftsmanship, prefabricated construction and earthquake-resistant engineering. Together, these buildings tell the story of a city reinvented in the wake of catastrophe.

5. Village of Sidi Bou Saïd, Tunisia

This cliff-top village perched on the outskirts of Tunis emerged in the 13^th century around the tomb of a Sufi master of the same name. Today, sites such as Ennejma Ezzahra Palace still radiate spirituality and history — inspiring writers, travellers and artists alike.

Its whitewashed houses and cobalt-blue doors cascade down the hillside, creating one of North Africa’s most recognisable streetscapes. Since all other paint colours have been banned for over a century, only bougainvillea and luscious palm fronds break up the endless blue-and-white that lines the cobbled streets just half an hour away from the country’s capital.

6. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, U.S.

Straddling the Georgia-Florida border, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge protects one of North America’s largest intact freshwater wetlands. A mosaic of cypress swamps, peat bogs, pine forests and wet prairies, it supports an extraordinary diversity of wildlife, including more than 230 bird species, dozens of reptiles and amphibians, and one of the continent’s most significant populations of American alligators.

Beyond its remarkable biodiversity, Okefenokee also plays a vital environmental role. Its vast peat deposits store significant amounts of carbon, while endangered longleaf pine ecosystems provide habitat for countless native species. Most visitors enter via Georgia, where guided boat excursions and boardwalk trails offer access to this verdant wilderness.

7. Amazonia theatres, Brazil

Rising above the skyline of Manaus, the colourful dome of Teatro Amazonas has become an enduring symbol of the city’s extraordinary rubber boom. Clad in tiles echoing the Brazilian flag, the grand opera house was built during the late 19th century, when fortunes made from Amazonian latex transformed remote rainforest settlements into thriving cultural centres.

More than 800 miles away in Belém, Teatro da Paz reflects the same era of prosperity. Its elegant interiors, sweeping staircases and ornate ceilings reveal the European influences that accompanied the region’s newfound wealth. Framed by stately squares, fountains and monuments, both theatres remain at the cultural heart of their cities — enduring reminders of a remarkable period in Amazonian history.