Beauty and wonder come in many forms in our world, from the natural or man-made to the intact or ruined.  Often, it’s not how something came about, or whether or not it’s still in mint condition, that determines if it’s worth marveling at.  How we react to these top wonders of the world determine this, and this list comprises some of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring features of our world guaranteed to elicit reactions of wonder.  From the remnants of lost civilizations – some of them quite mysterious – to charming towns and breathtaking elements of the natural world, this wonders of the world list features them all.

As mentioned, this list includes many ruins, but it also includes many natural places that are just as susceptible to time induced disappearance.  Waves wear away islands and remarkable rock formations; earthquakes and volcanic eruptions crumble and bury; and of course pollution threatens all.  Nothing in our world is truly finite – everything must have its end.  Perhaps that’s what’s so inspiring and beautiful about the wonders of the world, that even as they’re receding into memory and legend through the steady march of time, they still show us what man and nature are capable of.  While this list of fascinating places in the world may certainly be informative and enjoyable, it’s also a wake-up call to those who still want to get out and see extraordinary things in the world for themselves.  This is something that is definitely recommendable sooner rather than later, as you may wait too long to search them out only to find that they’re already gone.

Beautiful Wonders of the World Pictures

The truth is there are many things you never knew existed that will take your breath away upon seeing them. In fact, when you first get a chance to see something like Potala Palace, you’ll be awestruck and even upon returning the pictures won’t do justice to what you’ve seen. This list contains so many things you didn’t know existed that after reading, you’ll be calling your travel agent.

1. Semuc Champey, Guatemala

This natural limestone cascade drops gently down the mountainside to create a series of falls and clear turquoise pools.

2. Viñales Valley, Cuba

Among natural wonders of the world this amazing valley stands out as its surrounding limestone monuments seem like a picture out of Southeast Asia rather than the island of Cuba.

3. Mount Roraima, Venezuela

Venezuela’s highest tabletop mountain, with its pyramid-like steps and cascading waterfalls, is so high that it’s perpetually ringed by masses of swirling clouds.

4. Palais Ideal du Facteur Cheval, France

Created by a local mailman over the course of several decades, this folly almost looks like something straight out of Tomb Raider.

5. Chapelle St-Michel d’Aiguilhe, France

Towering high over the surrounding town of Le-Puy-en-Velay, this stunning chapel dates back over 2,000 years.

6. Ruins of Leptis Magna, Libya

Among things you never knew existed in Libya, these sprawling ruins, with their colonnades, triumphal arches, and amphitheater, display some of the most delicate and intricately carved motifs left to us from the Romans.

7. The Archeological Site of Meroë, Sudan

Once the capital of the Kingdom of Kush, Meroe is home to a series of fabulous tombs and mausoleums and has produced stunning artifacts from antiquity.

8. Cuicul (Djémila), Algeria

This ancient Roman town is unique due to its mountainous locale and boasts several temples, public and private buildings, as well as an impressive amphitheater.

Unique Natural Wonders of the World List

Throughout this list you will notice many natural wonders of the world. In fact, when it comes to nature, there are things that are produced that just seem like there’s no way anything could ever make it – and yet it’s there naturally.

9. Lauca World Biosphere Reserve

A truly stunning landscape that’s also one of the top wonders of the world, this reserve encompasses broad ranges of plateau, all at nearly 10,000 feet above sea level. The area is dotted with various archeological sites and is home to wide range of animal species.

10. Maelifell, Iceland (One of Iceland’s Many Wonders of the World)

This beautifully – not to mention unusually – formed volcano is entirely swathed in bright green moss and ringed by serpentine glacial rivers and streams.

11. Transfiguration Church, Kizhi, Russia

Few wonders of the world pictures rival this extraordinary display of mass onion domes and arches. All done in wood, it’s an early 18th century marvel not to be matched anywhere else.

12. Portmeirion, Wales

This charming seaside town, built along the hillside of a peninsula in Wales, is unique for its design scheme, as it’s more reflective of an Italian town than a coastal Welsh village.

13. Standing Stone of Callanish (A Lesser Known Top Wonders of the World)

Every bit as mysterious and magical as more well-known Stonehenge in England, these Scottish Neolithic stones are composed of a circle of stones as well as lines of stones that radiate from it.

14. Anjar, Lebanon

These 8th century ruins are incorporated into the small town of the same name and was originally constructed by builders and artists from Turkey and Egypt at the behest of local rulers.

15. Baalbek, Lebanon

Known in its original days as Heliopolis, both under the rule of Alexander the Great and later the Romans, these ruins date back over 2,000 years, with overall settlement here going back as far as 9,000 years.

Finding Fascinating Places in the World

These places are not found by accident, unfortunately. When it comes to looking for ruins or natural wonders, the reality is you need to search these out. The good news is on every continent there is some sort of hidden wonder to find. Maybe accessibility is an issue, but rest assured, once you reach these wonders they are worth the effort.

16. Schwerin Palace, Schwerin, Germany 

Built by the Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, this palace is reminiscent of French chateaux and puts any Disney castle to shame.

17. Gorges de l’Ardèche (One of France’s Things You Never Knew Existed!)

This spectacular gorge has as its main showpiece the remarkable Pont D’Arc, a 200ft high arch and remnant of an ancient cavern system that once existed thousands of years ago and is one of the most extraordinary things in the world, geologically speaking.

18. Mogao Caves, China

Consisting of hundreds of temples, the caves and their respective complexes also display countless colorful frescoes and meticulously carved statues.

19. Wulingyuan, China

This extraordinary range of mountains contain thousands of pillars of sandstone that tower hundreds of feet over the valleys and gorges below.

20. Potala Palace, Tibet

Built in 1645, this palace was long the home of the Dalai Lamas of Tibet until the Tibetan Uprising. Today it is one of the fascinating places in the world to discover a culture’s history.

21. Dobsina Ice Cave, Slovakia

This stunning ice cave has a central chamber that is 40ft high and a floor composed of an over 80 foot thick slab of ice. The stalagmites and stalactites are more like spires of crystal than rock formations due to their layers of ice.

22. Lake Ohrid, Albania and Macedonia

Europe’s oldest lake, Lake Ohrid straddles the borders of two Balkan countries and boasts water so clear that you can see dozens of feet below the surface.

23. Ordesa Canyon, Spain

Part of the Ordesa Y Monte Perdido National Park, Ordesa Canyon is located deep within the Pyrenees and is home to such majestic creatures as the Golden Eagle.

24. Prambanan, Indonesia

Built in the mid-9th century, this Hindu temple complex was abandoned about a century later and fell into the realm of myth until the early 19th century.

25. Ayutthaya, Thailand

This great city was built in the mid-14th century and was the center of the royal court as well as the name of the kingdom that it headed until the 18th century.

26. Sighișoara

No wonders of the world list is complete without this charming little town that doubles as a mountain citadel. Brightly painted and beautifully constructed buildings compose this architectural ensemble, but it’s also known as the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler, aka Dracula. Maybe after visiting you’ll be inspired to contact an exterior painting contractor like Greenwich house painters to have your own home transformed with similar bright colors!

27. Pamukkale, Turkey

What looks like ice and snow is actually a layer of calcium carbonate left behind by water from the area’s hot springs. The cliffs and terraces are continually forming and reforming as water continues to pour over them. Among natures anomalies this is surely one of those things you didn’t know existed.

28. Cathedral Gorge, Australia

Located within the quirkily named Bungle Bungles sandstone formations, this gorge has created a unique natural amphitheater in which voices carry from one side to the other with ease.

29. Kangaroo Island, Australia

This unique island combines amazing rock formations, pristine beaches, and rolling forests and grasslands to create a biologically diverse habitat for various plants and animals – including kangaroos of course.

30. Palau Archipelago, Micronesia

Boasting some of the clearest water and beautiful reefs in the world, this compact little grouping of islands makes for one attractive diving locale and is clearly one of nature’s wonders of hte world.

31. Milford Sound, New Zealand

This New Zealand fjord was created around 20,000 years ago by glaciers. Their retreating forms created a rich array of sculpted peaks and valleys, along with waterways and waterfalls.

32. Red Seabeach, Panjin, China

This vast marshland is home to the Suada grass which gives this wetland habitat – the largest in the world – its name.

33. Meteora, Greece (Greek Attraction with Things You Didn’t Know Existed)

Meteora is a complex of monasteries built upon various sandstone pillars, with the buildings dating between the 11th and 16th centuries.

34. Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Iceland

Falling over 200ft to the pool below, this waterfall provides a rather unique interior view due the path that leads behind the fall.

Getting To Extraordinary Things in the World

For many places on this list, they are not easy to access. One of the keys to getting there is finding local guides. Many times, these guides know all the secret ways that make the journey just as breathtaking as the destination. Be sure to do your research and you will find that these wonders are well worth the hard work it takes to reach them.

35. Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

This tropical archipelago along the Atlantic Ocean is comprised of 21 different islands as well as islets that are home to several endemic species.

36. Forest of Knives, Madagascar

With its jagged rock formations dating to the Jurassic Period, this area of Madagascar has created the perfect barrier between humans and the plants and animals that call this space home. It’s so removed from human involvement that some species are still being discovered here.

37. Mount Bromo, Indonesia

This active volcano resides in the midst of a plain known as the Sea of Sand and stands well over 7,000 feet tall.

38. Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

This extraordinary complex was built around 1,500 years ago and has as its main feature a nearly 700ft tall rock column with the ruins of a palace atop it. The entrance to this feature, also called the rock fortress, is composed of the ruins of a massive stone lion.

39. Tower of Hercules, Spain

Built by the Romans sometime in the 2nd century, the lighthouse rises to 187ft and is the second highest in Spain.

40. The Amber Room, Catherine Palace, Russia

This exquisite room in the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoe Selo, former home to the Russian Imperial family, is composed of intricate mosaics of Baltic amber. The current room is a rebuilt form, as the original amber panels were stolen by the Nazis in WWII, never to be seen again.