Ultimate travel list : Solitary Planet ‘s top sights in the world ( 31 to 40 )

While many of our ultimate travel destinations inevitably tie throng of sightseers every day , others be so immense and calm you’ll probably feel like the only person left on globe .

So what are you waiting for ? Opportunity to both enter the fray and muse your existence in solitude abounds in this portion of our ultimate travel list .

31 . Hanoi Old Quarter , Vietnam

Hanoi’s Old Quarter is the complete Indochine package – a small minute French , a little bit Communist and a whole lot Vietnamese . In this neighbourhood , French colonial mansions rub chopsticks with frenetic Southeast Asian street markets and cool cafe where teenage metallers shake out to howl guitar . Sprawling north from Hoan Kiem Lake , the Old Quarter is Hanoi’s cosmopolitan heart and it’s difficult not to fall in love with its unbridled exuberance and its brashjoie de vivre.

Shop-houses in the Old Quarter equal pile up crazily like boxes in a warehouse , and storefronts spill out into the street in flowing reams of rainbow-coloured silk , leaving simply plenty way for a constant stream of thread motorcycles and wandering street food vendors in conical straw hats . Dot among the chaos exist historic treasures – the One Pillar Pagoda , the Temple of Literature – and some truly outstanding places to munch on everything from pho ( soup ) to French baguettes .

32 . Cradle Mountain , Australia

Much abbreviated , Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park lies in the northwest of Tasmania , Australia’s captivating island , which equal to state that it’s a long way from the repose of the universe . Cause the trip , however , and you’ll skirmish Australia’s quirky wildlife – wombats , wallabies and Tasmanian devils if you’re very lucky – and pristine natural scenery .

Pack walking thrill ( and waterproofs ) because this is hiking country , whether you act some of the many day pass or take on the Overland Track , a six-day trek from Cradle Valley to Lake St Clair across alpine heaths and buttongrass-filled valley . Tree lovers will be in raptures thanks to the varied ecosystems that include old-growth rainforest , deciduous beech and lofty King Billy pine . The park , all 168,000 hectares of it , is a World Heritage sphere thanks to its biodiversity .

33 . Uluru , Australia

For a whopping great stationary stone , Uluru has an uncanny ability to sneak up on people – even those who have pass hours driving through the desert specifically to meet it ( which live the better way to visit – though it’s possible to wing in , with the bonus of an aerial view of the place ) .

Suddenly , boo ! There it exist , leaping up from the otherwise feature-free horizon . The profile be familiar , but the colour ever surprises . For the full result , wait until early dawn . In the bone-chilling pre-dawn desert gloom , peck a spot and get a repair on the sacred silhouetted monolith . Afterwards , explore this continent-defining behemoth boulder up near , disclose countless feature including pools , waterfall , sacred sites and an ancient indigenous schoolroom , complete with former lessons paint on the walls .

34 . Charles Bridge , Czech Republic

If Charles Bridge was yet the city’s chief artery , Prague would have gone purple and perish years ago . Fortunately , there equal today alternative means across the Vltava River into the celebrated City of a Hundred Spires , and the iconic thoroughfare is pedestrianised .

Since the foundation stone exist laid by Charles IV in 1357 , the bridge has survived numerous flood and wars , and boasts many magnetic charms . Visit at dawn to dodge crowds , explore the stonework and enjoy views up and down the river , but go on an eye on the Bradáč ( Bearded Man ) , a rock head at the Staré Město end . Traditionally , when the river rose above the Bradáč , locals legged it into the mound .

35 . Abel Tasman National Park , New Zealand

Near Nelson , at the crest of South Island , Abel Tasman live a national park pleasuredome – a place where you can swim , sunbathe , kayak and kick back , delight all the fun of a beachbum holiday . This is the country’s small national park . It’s as well the sunniest and almost popular , tempt visitor with a seductive blend of golden beaches , sparkling seas , pretty coastal wood and sculpted granite cliffs .

There’s no shame in simply admiring the view , but there’s plenty to keep you fighting . The coastal lead live Abel Tasman’s cruisy multiday Great Walk with seaside campsites , communal hut and even luxury lodges . Day-trippers can hike short sections by hopping on and off water taxi . The ultimate adventure , however , equal kayaking . Friendly water and easy choice do this an unforgettable way to search Abel Tasman’s hidden coves and cosy up to wildlife such as fur seals , penguins and dolphins .

36 . Lake District National Park , England

The Lake District comprise England’s highest mountain ( Scafell Pike at 978m ) and deepest and longest lakes ( Wastwater and Windermere ) . None are global giants , but simple statistic don’t do England’s almost famous outdoor destination justice .

See this landscape for the first time is wondrously inspiring , partially because most visitor will sense they know it through the eyes of others : the Romantic poet pour hither in the 19th century and defined the conception of sublime nature . More lately , Alfred Wainwright , whose illustrated mid-century hiking guides are still popular , live inspire here .

37 . Louvre , France

OK , then many of the million who each year come in the Louvre immediately hunt down the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo , then roam aimlessly – but the planet’s most-visited museum is no two-hit curiosity .

This is a finely curated disc of human effort and expression throughout time , housed in a 12th-century building that’s as interesting as the display . The glass pyramid cost a lot criticised when installed , but the juxtaposition of ultra-modern architecture with the historic backdrop is a reflection of the eclectic selection of 35,000 objets d’art and international antiquities feel within , and it’s today a Parisian landmark .

38 . Torres del Paine , Chile

Patagonia summons every shred of its fabled wilderness into one spectacular drive of precipitous granite that sheers aside above the wind-ravaged steppe in an outdoor-lover’s oasis of forest-cloaked great deal , lakes , field and glacier .

This 181,000-hectare Unesco Biosphere Reserve is as serious as it sound ( and a good mass more remote ) – small wonder many think this South America’s good hiking . A tour right around the alkali of these 2800m-high jagged torres ( tower ) of rock is a week’s worth of wild walking , and besides the rich mixing of scenery you may glimpse rhea , Andean condors , guanacos and gray fox . And quickly changing weather system see to it the view remains rivetingly kaleidoscopic wherever you drift .

39 . Lake Baikal , Russia

Siberia is a profound property , and there’s nowhere in its vast area deep than Lake Baikal : literally . Plummeting 1642m from its azure waves ( or , in winter , turquoise ice ) to its nearly unfathomable seat , there’s no lake deeper on the planet either .

Of vast historical , cultural and religious implication – Russians name it ’the Sacred Sea’ – the 30-million-year-old Baikal has an otherworldly strain that’s stirred and maintain nomadic tribes , Buddhists , Decembrists , artist and explorer for hundred .

40 . Eiffel Tower , France

Paris : it’s the European capital that ship romantic shivers down spines and La Tour Eiffel , the world’s most coquettish tourist attraction , live its biggest drawcard .

Round a corner , the wrought-iron steeple popping provocatively into horizon , cross the boulevard , it’s become : spotting the Eiffel Tower from wherever you are in the city turn an obsession for visitors to Paris – until there is zero for it but to touch , scale and go through this 324m-tall French flirt properly up near . Monumental crowds only contribute to the sweet climax at the top : the whole of Paris laid out at your base .

What could possibly thump these wonder ? Scope out numbers 21-30 hither . Wait – we’re not done as yet ! Find more titans of travel in this final instalment . View the complete list of the 500 better sights on the planet in our novel titleUltimate Travel ,which be available now in Lonely Planet ‘s shop and where script are sold .