Stand in front of a famous landmark

Standing in front of a famous landmark means seeing with your own eyes something you've known all your life from pictures: the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Sydney Opera House. It's worth doing because they're almost always bigger, stranger or more beautiful in person, and a little planning gets you there without the worst of the crowds.

Where to do it

Eiffel Tower, France

You can climb the stairs to the second floor or take the lifts all the way to the top, and booking on the official site saves a long wait. Go up near sunset to see Paris in daylight and lit up, and watch the tower sparkle on the hour after dark. Lines at this icon of France are longest from late morning to mid-afternoon.

Statue of Liberty, United States

Ferries leave from Battery Park in Manhattan, and Statue City Cruises is the official operator; sellers on the street aren't. Pedestal and crown tickets are limited, the crown especially, so book weeks or months ahead. Security is airport-style, so travel light in the United States.

Sydney Opera House, Australia

The sails look different from every side: walk the forecourt, take a guided tour inside, or see it whole from Mrs Macquarie's Chair across the cove. Better still, book a performance; see our opera, ballet or theatre line. In Australia's harbor light it glows at dusk.

Hagia Sophia, Turkey

Built as a cathedral in the 6th century, later a mosque, then a museum, and a mosque again since 2020. Foreign visitors now enter on a separate ticketed route to the upper galleries, while the ground floor is kept for worship. In Turkey, dress modestly, women cover their hair, and expect pauses at prayer times.

Panama Canal, Panama

At the Miraflores Locks visitor center outside Panama City, you watch huge ships rise and fall in the locks from a viewing deck. Ship traffic comes in waves, so check the transit times. For more, a part-transit boat trip takes you through the locks in Panama yourself.

Burj Khalifa, United Arab Emirates

The world's tallest building, at 828 m, with observation decks on levels 124, 125 and 148. Sunset slots sell out first and cost more. On a hazy day in the United Arab Emirates the view is softer than the postcards; clear winter days are the sharpest.

Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

The fairy-tale castle in the Bavarian Alps can only be seen inside on a short guided tour with a timed ticket, which sells out in summer. The walk up from the village takes about half an hour. For the classic view, walk on to the Marienbrücke bridge above the gorge, when it's open, in Germany.

Table Mountain, South Africa

A rotating cable car carries you to the flat top above Cape Town, with the city, the ocean and Robben Island below. Wind closes the cableway often, and the "tablecloth" of cloud can cover the top in minutes. Hiking up is popular, but in South Africa go in a group and take water and a layer.

How to make it happen

• Book the official ticket. Most of these sell timed entry online; resellers charge more and street sellers can be fake.
• Go at opening or near closing. Crowds peak late morning to mid-afternoon.
• Travel light. Many landmarks have airport-style security and ban large bags.
• Mind the pickpockets. Crowds at famous sights draw them everywhere.
• Look up the dress code for religious landmarks before you go.
• Take the photo at the landmark itself. A view from a hill miles away is lovely, but a photo in front of it, with camera location on, shows you were there.

Some of the most famous are also among the world's wonders.