What Are the Seven Wonders of the World?

Ask most people about the 7 wonders of the world and you’ll get a confident answer, right up until they try to list all seven. The confusion is understandable. There was once a very different list, drawn up by ancient Greek scholars, and only one entry from that original list still exists today. The version most of us mean now is the New Seven Wonders, chosen through a worldwide public vote that ran from 2000 to 2007. If seeing even one of them properly is on your radar, our last minute holidays are worth a look if you’d rather not wait for the next big trip.

Over 100 million votes were cast before the final seven wonders of the world were announced, and the anniversary is still marked every year on 7 July as World Wonders Day. So what are the seven wonders of the world, exactly? Below is the full list, in the order they’re most commonly discussed, along with the one ancient wonder that earned an honourable mention. Several of these destinations also pair naturally with our all inclusive holidays, particularly the beach adjacent ones like Mexico and Brazil.

If you’re wondering what are the 7 wonders of the world and how many you could realistically fit into one trip, the honest answer is one or two at a time, since they’re spread across four continents. For a broader look at where else is worth travelling this year, our 2026 travel guide covers destinations beyond just this list.

Chichen Itza, Mexico

Chichen Itza sits on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and was once one of the most important cities in the Mayan world, thought to date back to around the 5th century AD. The central pyramid, El Castillo, was built as a temple to the god Kukulcan and remains the site’s defining structure.

What makes it genuinely remarkable is the equinox effect. Twice a year, during the spring and autumn equinoxes, the angle of the sun casts a shadow down the pyramid’s staircase that looks like a serpent descending the steps. It’s a piece of astronomical precision the Maya built directly into the architecture, and it still draws crowds who time their visit specifically to see it.

Beyond El Castillo, the wider site includes a ball court, an observatory known as El Caracol, and a sacred sinkhole believed to have been used for ceremonial offerings. Archaeologists continue to excavate parts of the complex, meaning new findings are still emerging from one of the older entries among the 7 wonders of the world.

The Great Wall of China

No list of wonders of the world would be complete without the Great Wall, a structure so vast it stretches for more than 13,000 miles across northern China. Work on it began as far back as the 7th century BC, though the sections most visitors see today, including Mutianyu and Badaling near Beijing, were largely built or reinforced during the Ming Dynasty.

It wasn’t built in one go. Different dynasties added, rebuilt, and extended sections over roughly two thousand years, which is part of why the wall varies so much in style and condition depending on where you visit. Some stretches are fully restored with handrails and cable cars, while others further from the capital remain crumbling and largely untouched.

It remains the longest man made structure ever built, and its sheer scale is difficult to appreciate from photographs alone.

Petra, Jordan

Petra is carved directly into rose coloured sandstone cliffs in southern Jordan and served as the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom from around 400 BC until 106 AD. It thrived as a trading hub connecting Arabia, Egypt, and the wider Mediterranean before falling into obscurity for centuries.

The city was effectively lost to the outside world until it was rediscovered by a Swiss explorer in 1812. Its most famous structure, the Treasury, gained further fame decades later when it appeared in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, though the site includes far more than that one facade, including a Monastery, a Great Temple, and an amphitheatre cut into the rock.

Archaeologists believe only a fraction of the ancient city has been uncovered so far, which makes it one of the older and more mysterious entries among the 7 wonders of the world.

The Colosseum, Rome

Rome’s Colosseum has stood for close to two thousand years and remains the most visited site in Italy. Completed in 80 AD, it once held up to 50,000 spectators for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles, with its opening celebrated through 100 days of games.

The design was genuinely advanced for its era, with a network of underground passages and lift mechanisms that allowed performers and animals to appear suddenly on the arena floor. It’s the only European entry among the seven wonders of the world, and the Pope still leads a Good Friday procession through it each year.

If Rome is somewhere you’ve been meaning to visit anyway, our Rome holidays make it easy to base a trip around the Colosseum and the rest of the city’s ancient sites.

Machu Picchu, Peru

High in the Andes, at close to 8,000 feet above sea level, Machu Picchu is an Inca citadel that remained unknown to the outside world until 1911. Built in the 15th century, its temples, terraces, and dry stone walls have survived for over 500 years without mortar holding them together.

Its original purpose is still debated among historians, with theories ranging from a royal retreat to a religious sanctuary. Most travellers reach it via Cusco, taking the train through the Sacred Valley before the final climb, and the views alone make the journey worthwhile regardless of which theory turns out to be correct.

It’s consistently one of the most photographed of the 7 wonders of the world, and for many travellers it’s the single site that first inspired the trip.

Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro

The youngest of the seven wonders of the world, Christ the Redeemer was completed in 1931 after nearly a decade of construction on top of Corcovado Mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro. At around 98 feet tall with a 92 foot wingspan, it’s visible from much of the city below.

A cog train through Tijuca Forest takes most visitors to the summit, where the statue’s pedestal houses a small chapel used for weddings and services. At night, the statue is illuminated, turning it into a landmark that watches over Rio from above, and it’s often the first thing visitors photograph on arrival.

The Taj Mahal, India

Commissioned in the 17th century by Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his wife, the Taj Mahal in Agra stands on the banks of the Yamuna River and took over a decade to build using the finest craftsmen of the Mughal Empire. It’s constructed entirely from white marble, brought in from across the region.

The building’s appeal lies in its symmetry and the way its colour shifts throughout the day depending on the light. Most visitors aim to arrive early in the morning, both to catch the marble glowing in the sunrise and to beat the crowds that build later in the day.

It’s routinely ranked among the most beautiful of the wonders of the world, and for travellers planning a wider trip through northern India, our India holidays can help build an itinerary around it.

The Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt

The Great Pyramid doesn’t feature on the New Seven Wonders list, but it earns its place as the only structure from the ancient seven wonders still standing. Built around 2560 BC as a tomb for Pharaoh Khufu, it held the record as the tallest man made structure on Earth for more than 3,800 years.

Just outside Cairo, the pyramid continues to be studied by archaeologists and engineers, who are still uncovering details about how it was constructed with the tools available at the time. If ancient history is what draws you to this list in the first place, our Egypt holidays cover Cairo and the wider region around the pyramids.

Why These Wonders Still Matter

What ties all seven together isn’t just age or scale, it’s the sheer ambition behind each of them. Every one of these sites was built to outlast its creators, and in every case, it has. Understanding what are the 7 wonders of the world is one thing, but standing in front of any of them tends to land very differently than reading about them ever could.

They also tend to anchor entire holidays rather than standing alone. Machu Picchu naturally extends into time spent in Cusco and the Sacred Valley, a Colosseum visit is usually the starting point for a wider trip around Rome, and the Taj Mahal often becomes the centrepiece of a longer route through northern India. If you’d rather ease into travel planning with something closer to home first, our city breaks collection is a good starting point.

Because the 7 wonders of the world are spread across four continents, most travellers pick one or two to build a trip around rather than attempting all seven in a single year. Budget is often the deciding factor in which one comes first, and our guide to smart ways to book a cheap holiday has practical tips for stretching a travel budget further, whichever wonder you choose to start with.

Conclusion

Now that you know what are the seven wonders of the world, from Chichen Itza’s serpent shadow to the Great Wall’s endless stretch across China, the next step is deciding which one belongs on your own list first. Each of these seven sites represents a different era, culture, and set of priorities, which is part of why the list still generates debate decades after it was first voted on.

Whichever wonder calls to you first, Travelodeal can help turn that plan into an actual booking, whether that means a dedicated trip built entirely around one destination or a wider itinerary that takes in several stops along the way.

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