Historical Sites

Take a Tour of Historic Sites

• Acropolis of Athens
  • The Acropolis of Athens is located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and has been an ancient citadel since time immemorial. The Acropolis has several ancient buildings of architectural and historical significance. The word Acropolis is from the Greek phrase Akron, which means “highest point, extremity” and polis, meaning “city.” Although the term acropolis is generic, the Acropolis of Athens is of such significance that it is commonly known as “The Acropolis” without further description.
• St. Peter’s Basilica
  • The Papal Basilica of St. Peter is an Italian Renaissance church in Vatican City, the papal enclave within the city of Rome. St. Peter’s is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and the largest church in the world. Catholic tradition holds that the Basilica is the burial site of Saint Peter, a leading Apostle of Jesus and also the first Bishop of Rome. Saint Peter’s tomb is supposedly directly below the high altar of the Basilica.
• Angkor Wat
  • Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world. It was initially constructed as a Hindu temple for the Khmer Empire, gradually transforming into a Buddhist temple. Angkor Wat was built by the Khmer King in the early 12th century at the then capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. Breaking from the tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to Vishnu. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country’s leading attraction for visitors.
• Roman Baths (Bath)
  • The Roman Baths complex is a site of a well-preserved ancient Roman public bath and museum. The Roman Baths themselves are below the modern street level. There are four main parts to the complex: the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House, and the museum, holding finds from Roman Bath. The buildings above street level date from the 19th century.
• Sforza Castle
  • Sforza Castle in Milan was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remnants of a 14th-century fortification. Later renovated and enlarged, in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was one of the largest citadels in Europe. Extensively rebuilt in 1891–1905, it now houses several of the city’s museums and art collections.
• Topkapı Palace
  • Topkapı Palace is one of the leading museums in Istanbul. In the 15th century, it served as the primary residence and administrative headquarters of the Ottoman sultans. Construction began in 1459, six years after the conquest of Constantinople. The complex was expanded over the centuries. However, later sultans preferred to spend more time in their new palaces along the Bosphorus, and the Topkapı became the imperial treasury, library, and mint.
• Hampton Court Palace
  • Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace which is located upstream of central London on the River Thames. The palace building project began in 1515 with Cardinal Thomas Wolsey as the owner. However, in 1529, Wolsey fell from favor, and King Henry VIII seized the palace for himself. Henry VIII enlarged the palace complex to cater to his large royal court. Today you can walk in King Henry VIII’s and his many wives’ footsteps.
• Ancient Delphi
  • Delphi is famous as the ancient sanctuary of the oracle, who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The Greeks considered Delphi the center of the world. Delphi had a phenomenal influence in the ancient world. This influence is evident from the rich monuments built there by most of the famous ancient Greek city-states, demonstrating their fundamental Hellenic unity. Today it is an archaeological site near a small modern town of the same name.
• Ancient Olympia
  • Olympia is a small town on the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece. It is famous as the site of the Ancient Panhellenic religious sanctuary of Ancient Greece, where the ancient Olympic Games were held. The site was dedicated to Zeus and drew visitors from all over the Greek world. Olympia was the predominant “Panhellenic” center that helped to build the identity of the ancient Greeks as a nation. Despite the name, it is nowhere near Mount Olympus in northern Greece.
• Fortified Medieval Mystras
  • Mystras was a walled Medieval Greek town, near ancient Sparta, which served as the capital of a famous province of the Byzantine Empire. During its Byzantine period, between the mid-14th and mid-15th centuries, it experienced a magnificent cultural flowering. The site remained inhabited throughout the Ottoman period, until the 1830s when it was abandoned after the new town of Sparta was built, about eight kilometers to the east.